Incredibly frank and really funny.
931001
The author is incredibly insightful. Or maybe just incredibly brave to write down so many things that all women know to be true but won't EVER say it out loud. Brilliant writing.
4528700
I laughed outright several times while reading "Can I be Frank" and really enjoyed it a lot. If I was Catholic I'm sure I would have gotten a few more of what seemed to be inside jokes.  Another reviewer stated that they were bothered by the initial immaturity of a couple of the priests. Yes, it was maybe a little overboard, but I just thought that was just the author's way of making them seem more human and add levity to the situation, not to demean them or make them irreverent. There were some serious issues addressed towards the later part of the book and I think that the author did really well with that transition from light-hearted Christian comedy.  Overall, very good read.
2891940
I had never heard of Anthony C. Winkler before receiving information from Akashic Books that they were republishing his 1980s comic novel, The Lunatic. But I've seen interesting titles from the house before, so asked for a review copy - and I'm delighted that I did.

The story concerns a Aloysius, a Jamaican madman who claims a thousand names, who talks to trees, bushes, and rocks and lives alone in the open forests. He eventually meets a German tourist who sees the world through the lens of a camera and sex. They improbably become lovers, eventually add a third - a butcher - and go through a series of experiences and situations, culminating in the robbery of a rich man's house.

I've seen references to Winkler as Jamaica's Mark Twain. His humor manages to be both earthy - the running comments about sex and how it dominates life are funny in a way I find little sexual humor to be - and cerebral at the same time. But the humor isn't something to be enjoyed for its own sake. Winkler uses smiles and laughs as tools to further both the story and the ideas behind it. He deftly starts blending the worlds of the sane and the mad until they mingle, and suddenly he shows how much of modern society really is crazy, and how basic decency is too often viewed as a type of insanity. But that quality really is redemptive.

Winkler's use of symbolism is smooth and deep. The thousand names theme, for example, brings an association with the Hindi concept of the thousand names of God, each of which describe an aspect of the deity. The list of words - Aloysius Gossamer Longshoreman Technocracy Predominate Involuted ... and so on - actually read like a list of attributes of life and of people. They were all names he heard, sneaking outside a classroom because he had a desire to learn something. Aloysius isn't a deity, yet he seems to walk with God. Instead of seeing the change in him, we see the changes he works, just by his presence, in all around him. He calls forth mercy, a connection to the world, and true love.

Winkler is also a master of language. The book's pacing is smart - fast but not driven - and his use of dialect leaves the characters, and eventually the narration, ringing in your mind. Well, at least mine.

I'd strongly recommend this book for a pleasure read that lets something more substantial sneak up on you.
4282361
This has to be one of the funniest books I've read in a very long time. I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard while reading!

First off, I have to say that I actually listened to this on audiobook and while I normally lean towards reading over listening to a book, the audio version is well worth it. The narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the story and characters to life. He took an already fantastic story and made it even better.

And I have to say that though this is a middle grade fiction, it is a book that entertains all ages. The main character and the writing is certainly not dumbed down like most middle grade fiction. It simply tells the story about a middle school kid...who is planning taking over the world. And certainly looks as though he has the ability to do so.

Which brings me to the story itself. The writing is fabulous. The author has captured the character's voice and that of the other characters so well. Not to mention the plot is funny and while a lot of first person POV's tend to avoid being illustrative in its descriptions (such as using metaphors), this book uses them in spades and does so while feeling seamless within the narrative.

The main character is fantastic. Somehow he comes across as both villainous and wise beyond his years, yet also incredibly immature and kindhearted. The author does an incredible job of presenting an unreliable narrator; it's hard to explain without citing a bunch of examples from the book, which I just don't feel like doing, but I have to say, there were a lot of things about the story that made me question the main character's perception of reality and the information he presents to the reader.

I would say the ending is a little abrupt and I wish there were more to it. It certainly left me wanting to know more about what happens to the main character in the future and what he's like as an adult, but I also think that would spoil the magic of this book.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a hilarious read, pick this up. If you can get it on audio, even better (trust me, the narrator makes the book even better!). It's fun for any age!
2630806
First of all, this book isn't a comedy book. It's a memoir that's really really f'n funny.

I loved this book, and it took me about 3 days to read it. Would have been 1 if I could have just sat and plowed through it. Instead, I read it in a few sessions, one including looking like a loony person sitting on the exercise bike at the gym cracking up about stories of a pretty woman looking at his b-hole and other stuff. It was totally 100% worth it. If you can get to a live reading, hearing Rob actually tell a few of the stories in-person makes the book THAT much better. I'm basically going to force this book on any person who will sit still long enough to listen to me rave about it.
1720474
This could be one of the funniest collection of stories I have ever read.  This is this first (of a few) Sedaris books I've read, and a great introduction to himself, family and his unique humor that kept me engrossed in every word and page, and forced me to laugh outloud while reading.
While Sedaris' book pokes fun of family, the workplace and American culture, he simutaneously is warm and tender about certain subjects as well -- mixing the totally obsurd, while spilling his guts about a very personal section.
I personally, loved the section on his language lessons in France. I couldn't stop laughing. And as a New Yorker, his essay on riding the Paris, Metro was priceless.
2028125
Humorous narrative and outrageously funny at times.  I chuckled a lot reading this and laughed out load more than once.  It is a very clever book. Characters were off-beat but believable.
4943731
These guys are talented and playful, pushing the boundaries of folk and pseudo-amaturism. Incredibly funny, smart, and occasionally disgusting.
2323880
Terse, earnest and sarcastic; every sentence is tightly sculpted wordplay that manages to stay airy and effortlessly real. And lord I mean real: this sounds PRECISELY like a middle school boy. Hysterically funny, until it sucker punches you with a terrible dread, and drags you out the other side, raw and sniffling and trying to smile. Definitely, definitely read it.
1395060
Some folks (e.g., Dave Barry) are funny.  Others (e.g., P.J. O'Rourke, Maureen Dowd) combine humor and smart social commentary.  But very few writers are able to use humor and social commentary as the basis of a successful novel.  Murphy is one of those few.

Murphy pulls no punches and spares no potential targets.  Nearly everything in our culture--from nature lovers to gun lovers, from talk show hosts to psychologists to puppeteers, and from the far left to the far right--is held up for sharp and funny scrutiny.

Yet the book is much more than a mere satire.  Its teenage protagonist is at once confused, insightful, and utterly believable.  The novel has a strong narrative arc and plenty of dramatic tension.  Much is genuinely at stake, for both the narrator and other characters, and the novel's ending is utterly surprising and deeply satisfying.  Cute Eats Cute is the best comic novel I've read in a long time.
4880470
This little chat with Charlie is great.  Forthright in his observations, honest, funny as all heck, I felt like I was at a Joan Rivers comedy festival.  The elements of his commentary about the famous and celebrity lifestyles is deadly accurate. So glad I am not famous.  Its hard not to think that, somehow, Charlie has got into your brain and read your thoughts.  Great observation on the current society and its madness.  Lots of laughs.
3774037
So good, so funny, so imminently readable --- Johnny Hiro returns to take on a giant gorilla whos taken his ex hostage. Meanwhile, his current girlfriend would really like to know why hes never mentioned this ex before. And the real danger for Johnny is going to come from a hard-hitting examination of where his life is right now.

Fred Chaos wildly funny JOHNNY HIRO: THE SKILLS TO PAY THE BILLS is bolstered by the remarkable artwork and the humanity with which Chao imbues all the characters. Johnny is trying to make his way in New York City as best he can. Hes a sushi sous chef, and hes trying to be a good boyfriend to Mayumi. But when he meets up with his ex, Amanda (who is promptly kidnapped by a giant gorilla), he begins to see some flaws in his current life. Add to that the trials and tribulations he faces at work and Johnny is forced into some seriously deep thought about what he should be doing with his life.

Delightfully comic and adult (meaning mature, not graphic), JOHNNY HIRO is all over the place, storywise --- and that is meant in the best possible way. The giant ape on the cover (and in the beginning of the story) may make you think you know what kind of graphic novel this is. But thats not the case. Its different, its offbeat, and its surprising. Its a book youll have a fantastic time reading.

- John Hogan
2447081
This is an extraordinarily funny novel. You'd think the Jewish immigrant genre had been done. That from  Sholom Asch to Mike Gold to Herman Wouk every possible nuance had been wrung from it. You'd be wrong.  This is one hell of good tale. Our anti-heroine is one hell of a tough lady, er, meeskite, who manages to channel Leona Helmsley and Martha Stewart not to mention the spirits of many a borscht belt comedian long gone.  She tells us the story of her life from being a little girl in the shtetl to an old lady who can still tell someone she detests 'ge kak afen yam'. Me, I say you should read this book and laugh.
1268607
Like when I watched the Book of Morman I felt guilty for a laughing so much.  The topics this book covers are very deep but the way they are described is so funny you can't help but giggle.  The author writes with such description and heart that it is difficult to put down.
2940394
This movie is so funny.  It's obviously not a big budget blockbuster, but it's not meant to be.  That's part of its appeal.  With that said, at no time does it ever look like someone just went outside with a video camera and shot something.  The movie itself and the DVD and all packaging are all extremely professional looking.  I've watched the movie through twice now and I liked it even more the second time.  There are so many random moments that catch you off guard and leave you laughing out loud.  Nearly every line in the movie is hysterical and fit to be integrated into everyday conversation to garner laughs from your friends.  I have a whole list of people who I want to show this movie to.
528706
I was laughing out loud during most of this book which, as I'm sure you all know, is rare when you're reading a book.  Al Franken is a truly gifted political satirist, humorist, and he is also a compassionate and humane man who used a painless and extremely fun read to demonstrate the hypocrisy and nonsense spewed by neo-conservatives these days.  Although I love Al, some people on the left (like me) might get a little weary of his gratuitous Clinton butt-kissing.

 While we all may have our ambivalent feelings regarding him to work out (he was charming, smart, a billion times better than the current president) the fact remains that he was so wrong in so many ways I can't even get into them all.  What you have to understand, Al, is that contrary to the beliefs of the right-wing Clinton (either one, Hillary or Bill) is not the patron saint of the progressives!  They are not happy with his immoral intern conduct, failure to stop the genocide in Rwanda, abusive measures toward the poor (welfare to work, read about it, it ended up being ridiculous and punative) etc. We are also not happy with Hillary's war vote and her other problems.

(...) No more Clinton butt-kissing.  Just because he's better than Bush doesn't make him good.  Cozying up to him just makes us look like idiots.

Still, I recommend this book to everyone-"it makes a great gift"!  You will laugh yourself silly.  Everyone I know has.  Listen to Al on Air America and enjoy the Franken experience.
530534
Robert Glancy's "Terms and Conditions" is humorous masterpiece that will soon become a bestseller.  His lyrical style of writing is full of wry wit and pithy commentaries as his main character, Frank shares his tale of woe.  In my opinion, I think he is far funnier than Carl Hiassen, Chuck Klosterman, or Fannie Flagg  in the humorous fiction genre.  His tale is PG and his situations are realistic.  Robert Glancy's debut is the funniest novel, I've ever read.

Frank Shaw is talented lawyer working in law firm his grandfather founded years ago; Shaw & Sons is now controlled by his older brother Oscar after their fathers passing.  He is recovering from a serious auto accident and suffering amnesia about his personal life. Through first person conversations, his resulting reactions, quiet pondering and the fine print of the contracts, the reader learns his dilemmas.  Frank's job is write airtight clauses in contracts for insurance companies, weapons manufacturers and other socially unlikable entities releasing them from any obligations whatsoever due to product failure or injury.  As story progresses, he realizes that his mental breakdown that led to the car accident is deliberately being misrepresented by his loving wife and doting older brother.

His memory slowly returns in dribs and drabs revealing an increasing emotionally distant wife, who cares only about her career; and his older, morally bankrupt brother, whose chief joy in life is to create situations in which Frank is a buffoon.  These realizations and other truths are exposed to him through his old contracts, where he had begun to take increasingly clever efforts to sabotage clients' contracts just prior to the accident.  These clauses are so hysterical that they will be forever ingrained in your memory.  Frank understands that revenge is best served cold and sets in motion a series of events that leave him, the sole survivor.

I insist that you read this book.  This was way funnier than "The Office". You won't regret it for a moment; this won't end up in the garage sale or the donation pile.  It will sit on your shelf of favorites.  Click now, go on!  Why are you hesitating?  What if they run out?  Do you the patience to wait for the second printing?  Your friend's won't let you borrow their copy, because you have that disgusting habit of wetting your fingers to turn the page!