I thoroughly enjoyed his humor which tempered the seriousness of his experiences
927947
I found that Alan Cumming's story was sincere, compelling, and heartfelt.  I thoroughly enjoyed his humor which tempered the seriousness of his experiences.  He is so open about every aspect of his personal thoughts.  Absolutely excellent read!
3503367
Before writing this book, Bill  Bryson had been living in England for a number of years when he decided to move back home to the U.S. However before he left he decided that he needed to take a farewell trip around Britain, which he then chronicled in Notes From A Small Island. Bryson starts his trip in Dover, where he arrives by boat from Calais, just like he did the first time he came to Britain, and travels up North as far as Scotland. During his tour, he stops at various small towns and cities where he often stays at shabby hotels, visits museums, galleries, and historic sites, as well as go to the local pubs and restaurants. His insight on each of these is often hilarious.

From the very beginning this book was laugh out loud funny and he can poke fun at pretty much anything, good job I was reading this at home. It was especially interesting to read about places that I have been to myself, and most of the time realized that the things he was saying were so true. Although I must say that I was quite disappointed about his views on Oxford, since I have been there many times and love it. Sometimes it seemed that he got a little whiny, and I found his attitude towards people serving him in restaurants was often snotty, but I chalked it up to being away from his family and home for so long. I guess that is my excuse for not wanting to believe that he is that kind of person. The biggest downfall of this book is that it made me want to pack my suitcase and go to England to visit all these places, even the ones which Bryson didn't like!

All in all I really enjoyed reading this book and I am already planning on which Bryson book to read next!
4417432
Georges life is highly organized, right down to his meticulous financial arrangements for his retirement. Everything is thrown into disarray when he loses his job as an accountant, and his search for gainful employment leads to humiliation and self-doubt. Will he find his true calling as a telephone psychic?

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know George, a persnickety, materialistic, highly rational middle-aged man. Some readers might find the initial set-up a little slow, but stick with it, because rewards will follow. The disastrous job interviews are wonderfully absurd and they really make you feel for poor George as he becomes increasingly desperate. One of my favorite comic episodes in the whole book is the avant-garde interview for the telephone psychic job. The subsequent fish-out-of-water scenes where down-to-earth George gets to know his free-thinking colleagues and gets to grips with his unusual job are a delight.

The humor and the pathos of his personal transformation keep you turning the pages, as he travels along a bumpy road to understanding himself and his place in the world. The cast of supporting characters are an amusing bunch, aiding and abetting him on his journey. I particularly like the development of his awkward relationships with his parents and his son, and the role Mimi plays in his discovery of love.

A witty and warm tale.
1376095
A must read from a guy who's been there, done that, and kept his sense of dry humor about it all.
3054186
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Luther M. Siler has a silly job. He reflects on this often in "Searching for Malumba," a collection of essays from his blog regarding his Day Job as a middle school teacher. But he also has an important job, an infuriating job, and a job that I think I'm perfectly fine with him taking on rather than myself. One of the things that instantly drew me to Siler when I discovered him was his sharp wit and his strong voice, both of which are present in this collection of memoirs through his years of experience. Not only does he reflect on the absurdities of his teaching experience, but good parts and the bad, the uplifting successes and the mind-blowing failures, the frustrations of standardized tests and No Child Left Behind as well as the strangeness of children and all those small ways teachers can leave an impression.

Wtth "Malumba," Siler has put together a lot of stories that will make you laugh, but there are also a lot of stories that will break your heart. And all of them are surpremely entertaining. There were a few times where I felt a lot of the pieces were a bit too short, which is the biggest drawback with collaborating blog posts into an essay format book: what works for a quick post can sometimes leave the reader of a book expecting more heft wanting more. But, taken several at a time, they're perfect for a quick little jaunt into something amusing or infuriating. I was a little sad when the adventures in teaching finally came to a conclusion, but that's fine, because I know where I can find more at the author's blog.

Most importantly, I think I finally actually understand No Child Left Behind and why my teacher sister-in-law goes so red-in-the-face about it. I don't think I can fully express how wonderful I think some of these stories are; the best I can do is to recommend that you see for yourself. I've always respected Siler as an author before; "Searching for Malumba" helped cement in my respect for him as a human being: clever, flawed, determined, and doing the best he can with a very silly job.
3130554
This book disects the brain of Mr. Adams in a refreshing laugh out loud sort of way.  I found myself intrigued by the various snippets that were inserted into this book.

Climbing Kilimanjaro in a rhino costume and explaining why Americans can't make a decent cup of tea were two of my favorite parts.  Are there severa non-sequioters?  YES, the man is dead and they collected his works into a final tribute, it's not going to flow as easily as if there was give and take and rewrites between himself and his editor.

It's a good final farewell to one of the most penetrating social critics and thinkers of our time.  Even if you haven't read DNA, I think you'll enjoy his insights.
459536
The Delivery Guy is a fast read, full of anecdotes of the author's life.  Thoughts and musings of an observer as well as a man who creates his own action (not always for the better).
I found myself laughing aloud in spots, and for me it was worth those moments.  It is a prose piece that has a specific cadence, the punctuation fits even if it forces the reader to stop.  Spelling and grammar fit within the context of what is being read and can be off-putting until the flow of the text is found by the reader.  His prose deals with personal desire, and the real concreteness of his life, his focus is inner, and not outward so the imagery is implied and not expressed.  Some of the story telling is resolved in surprising ways.
I recommend this to the person who is trying to make sense of their lives.  The Delivery Guy definitely delivers some harsh insight.
1792108
Very well written by someone who was there in the thick of things. Payne tells his story with a flair for telling it like it is, without worrying about whose toes he's stomping on. I also enjoyed his sense of humor!
2056128
This story about the misuse and abuse of the English language was funny. It frequently caused me to laugh out loud.  Jon Lymon's use of "words," and deliberately incorrect punctuation added to the humor by creating pacing in the story, making it similar to listening to a comedy routine.

The first section covered the misuse of the language. The humor was similar to that of Richard Lederer, who wrote, "Crazy English." (If you like this story, you should check out that book.) In the second section, he takes on the role of the fashion police.  In the third section, he turns his attention to food. Next, he provides observations on his fellow city dwellers. He goes on to discuss technology, sports and work, and then wraps it up with a miscellaneous section.

There was a little British slang in the piece, but it was easy to understand. One of the great things about the Kindle is that you can press on a word, and then read about the meaning and origins in the dictionary with very little effort. This was an interesting way to gain a little insight into British culture through the use of informal language.
1153343
This book kept a smile on my face during some trying times in the wilderness.  Bryson's hilarious observations on his experience with the outdoor industry and their ability to suck money out of customers for things like rain covers for backpacks (because as he notes, apparently they never thought we hikers might want to take them out when it was raining) begins his chronicle of two men's struggle over the adversity of the Appalachian Trail.
I must admit, I turned to this book for humor, so at times his historical narratives of the AT served as an effective sedative.  His tone could also be preachy at times, which served as a jarring change of pace after reading about his pudgy friend Katz throwing cans of Spam out into the wilderness.  Overall though, I certainly appreciate his reverence for the AT and efforts to educate the public on its signficance.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who's had any outdoors experience that has tried their patience.  Bryson's commendable progress towards his quest serves as an entertaining read any hiker can appreciate.
75494
As a former sister-in-law and great fan of the author, I was delighted to learn that Jim had written this book, and quickly bought it.  I couldn't lay it down once I started reading it. I was astounded by its honesty and candidness, and was totally entertained by it. It brought back wonderful memories about this singular man and of the times I'd spent with him and his family, and the conversations that he and I had shared those many years ago. The book made me laugh with his wry and wonderful sense of humor, and empathize with his pain I could sense reading between the lines. As a superb surgeon, dearly loved by many whose children's lives, and many adults were saved by him, and appreciating his unique personality, I couldn't wait to share James H. Salmon's book with my friends--especially medical doctors--because I was sure they, too, would find it an informative, brilliant, and delightful read. --D
1795417
Some of it was laugh out loud funny. Some was thought provoking. And it gave a glimpse of his times.
2728752
Enjoyed reading.  Serious subject matter; humorous overtunes
2043462
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.  Rob's voice and personality resonate throughout and he writes with a conversational style and transparency that leaves you with a genuine idea of who he is as a person.  The title is fitting in that the stories he chooses for his autobiography are entertaining but also reflective and the reader is given the gift of insight into lessons he has learned from his successes and failures. I am glad I purchased this on my Kindle and I blasted through it in just a few days. Good stuff.
1688727
I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Very informative (things I suspected but was not sure).  Heartening and disheartening at the same time.  Serious and funny at the same time.  I was impressed with his honesty.
362156
Overall, I found "In Search Of Stupidity" to be a very interesting and humorous read. In this book, Chapman sardonically chronicles many different business blunders that he observed in the computer industry from the eighties through the nineties from his marketing perspective.

 In many ways, the most interesting thing about this book is that it successfully combines genuine insights with wit and humor without letting one spoil the other. This may be a personal taste, but I've found that my enjoyment of a book can get spoiled when humor is used inappropriately and the author finds themself trivializing situations and viewpoints in the name of humor. As such, as I was reading this book, I would make a mental note of how I might object to a particular joke or issue. For the most part, if I had an objection in my mind, the book would demonstrate an awareness of that issue. This made my enjoyment of the humorous aspects of this book "guilt free" for lack of better words.

 To sum up, this book will not dissapoint.
259312
Marc is so funny;  love his sense of humor.  You wouldn't think it's possible to maintain a sense of humor in the extremely oppressive and abusive conditions he was in, but maybe humor is what lets us keep our perspective and survive this kind of crap!  This is extremely readable, sad, funny and a cautionary tale.