Great read with a dry sense of humor
356296
This book is not one to spell it all out to you. There is such hidden humor in it you don't even see it, however there are some parts of the book that leave you speechless. You can't help but to relate to Marie and her family at different times of the book. I have read this book several times and love it more and more each time.
3343643
I loved this book.  The fun in this book is not really in the mystery or setting but in the humor.  The book is very sly in making fun of it's narrators.  It's told through primary sources, so you have to read closely to catch all the mockery.  I found it laugh out loud funny and the ending is one of the most twisted and hilarious denouements in my recent memory.
1427282
The combination of dry humor and embedded wisdom makes this book a winner, and a must read for anyone who is serious about becoming a better investor.
483245
Lucky Penny is a real hoot! Yuko Ota's art style is exceptional and does a phenomenal job of capturing all the absurdity this book has to offer. While this was a highly enjoyable read, I never really found myself laughing out loud as I would when reading a comic like Giant Days (not to say this actually warrants a comparison). I don't say this to knock the writing, I just found that Lucky Penny didn't really cater to my comedic sensibilities.
3909896
I loved the characters in this book. It's as though a peice of these character is displayed in the people that I meet each day. I loved the dry humor humor that weaved throughout the book. Fantastic read.
3910998
Fittingly, I was introduced to this author by one of the volunteers of a Humane Society Used Books store.
I love the dry wit and sarcastic humor. It could be filed under comedy, drama, thriller, or police procedural. I had read a couple of the more recent books, but they made me want to go back to this beginning. I will be reading all of them.
3353921
Like many readers, I have come to this book as a result of reading Alexander McCall Smith's "Number One Ladies Detective Agency Series".  Beware, there is very little in common between the two series.  The Number One Ladies Detective Series is very accesable to the general reading public.

The three novels of the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series are less accessable.  The main reason is that McCall Smith's humor is very dry. The delivery is so subtle as to border on the sublime.  This sort of absurdist humor about academic life is not for everyone.  If you like your humor direct and to the point, this is not the series for you.  If you like your humor really dry, this series is a delight.  However, if you are not sure, start the series with "The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs", the best of the three novels.
1990302
I definitely recommend this book. The snarky, dry humored narrator keeps you entertained, while the ending, though anti-climatic, ties in perfectly with the point of the book. On one level, it is an entertaining story about a jaded old man taking place in a possible future. While on another level it is an interesting commentary on human mortality and our capacity to understand life beyond ourselves, as well as a commentary on modern society and our imminent downfall should we not change our perspective. It was well written, eye0opening, and an overall great read.
4406807
This is a great read. I finished it in an afternoon. The 30th or 40th time my wife heard me laughing she got mad at me (for having fun without her). Some folks here said that you have to read "A Dirty Job" first but I did it the other way and it worked just fine for me. Really fun read. He has a gift for dialogue and his character development gives you enough to empathize without requiring me to actually learn something, which I won't do. I won't.
4477188
This book kept sending me into fits of giggles.  "These jerks weren't going to kill my goblins.  I was.  Wait, no I wasn't."  I completely lost it at "And that would make me the God of Telling Lux to Shove It.  I liked the sound of that."

The "voice" of this book was a lot of fun.  It fit my sense of humor quite well (I also like Douglas Adams and Monty Python), and I enjoyed reading this.  It's always nice to finish a book with a smile on your face.

The frustration of the narrator with his fellow gods was palpable at times, but always amusing.  The contrast between the created races (or rather the gods' "plans" and ideas regarding them) was interesting, and Acerbus' (mighty be the Smiter) solution to the problem managed to be innovative while incorporating some of the oldest tropes in story-telling history.
4415067
I found this book to be a very pleasurable read.  Good light plot, quite a bit of dry humor, and excellently written.  The added Twist on Dicken's characters is an added bonus.
940126
This book is definitely not one of my favorites. Although, as a writer myself, it was an interesting and informative read. I learned a lot from Smith-Stevens' writing style. She does not shy away from un-likable characters nor does she overcompensate for them with secondary characters. In fact there were hardly any sympathetic characters in this book at all. While this did prevent me from investing in the characters it did allow for me to think about the novel as a satire, a really dry and pessimistic satire. Through this dry humor that permeates throughout the book Smith-Stevens manages to freshen a tired lost-adult-child-finds-self-through-learning-truth-about parents plot. I would recommend this to other writers but I would not recommend this as a just-for-fun read.
1376095
A must read from a guy who's been there, done that, and kept his sense of dry humor about it all.
2107631
I really enjoyed this book. The humor reminds me of Douglas Adams and Louis Sachar, and it does make complete sense that hell would be a bureaucracy.  I liked that all of the minor characters have an amusing backstory, but the main characters are more fleshed out and seem real despite the absurd situations.  I especially liked the way the book addressed grief, it was very realistic and heartfelt.

It did take me a few chapters to get into, since it skips from character to character and the reader isn't certain who they are, but it does all start coming together before too long.

If the concept appeals to you at all, don't hesitate, this is really very well done.
The author gave me a free audiobook version of this novel.  Thanks!
1806574
This book is a light and fast read, perfect for those times when you're not sure quite how long the wait will be, but you want something humorous to keep you company. The writing is well done, and it is an over-all enjoyable read. I would rank this book as 4/5 stars, as some of the humor was grating to me, and some of it didn't seem humorous at all. Other than that, which is more a reflection on my sense of humor than the book, it was an interesting book.
I received this book as a complementary review copy from Blogging for Books and was under no obligation to leave a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my honest opinion after finishing reading the book (which took less than two hours, as it is an exceptionally fast read).
3414804
Maybe I am biased because I knew the author many, many years ago but I enjoyed the book immensely particularly wrapped in his dry wit.  It left no stone unturned about the current world woes.
373025
I enjoyed this book very much. It's not the best book I've read recently, but it's certainly not the worst. It kept me entertained and I enjoyed the unique storytelling narrative. It could have been a bit more substantial and the ending felt a little rushed, but I'd read it again and I will probably check out Mr. Atkins other offerings at some point.

Positives:
 -- I loved the main character of Wendel and I could picture him clearly. Well defined and a great personality that adjusted (but not much) throughout his life.
 -- I enjoyed the humor. I haven't laughed out loud while reading a book in a very long time, but I found myself doing just that after the first 25 pages or so.
 -- The back stories (and there are a lot of them) are fun and unique. I have never read a book written in this style before and it felt fresh.
 -- The supernatural aspect was interesting, but not overpowering and not so far fetched.

Negatives:
 -- It seems like most every man in this book was mean, angry, violent, stupid, a drunk, or a little of each.
 -- The ending felt rushed. It was a nice, sweet ending that made an attempt at a twist, but it was rushed none the less.
 -- As mentioned in the Positives, the back stories are fun and enjoyable, but there are an awful lot of them. It felt like too many at times and I wish a few of them (maybe Birma Mae, the nut that discovered the Sorrow Wood cave while looking for the arc, or Dixie) could have been dropped and the plot added to a bit more.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I'm glad I picked it up. A nice love story (and that is not my favorite genre by a stretch), some humor, some supernatural and some good characters make it a good read.