I think "hilarious" is overstating, but it's enjoyable and insightful
351664
Four generations of Bergmans struggle with the challenges of their ages in Schines new novel.  The main character, Joy, is 86 and as the novel begins, and she is doggedly taking care of her husband, Aaron, who has both physical and cognitive ailments.  Joy is still working in a museum to pay the bills, including the rent on their Manhattan (rent-controlled) apartment and the delivery meals from the greasy spoon on the block.  Joys museum boss, a grimly smiling woman Joy thinks of as Miss Georgia, will pull any trick she can think of to push Joy into retirement.

Joys son and daughter worry about their parents and want them to move to assisted living.  Molly, who lives in Los Angeles, feels guilty for not being around enough to help.  Daniel lives nearby, but he has two young daughters and limited time to help.  (It was never clear to me how it came about that the son of parents in their late 80s has prepubescent daughters, and that was a little distracting.)

When Aarons health takes a turn for the worse, the family comes together, including Molly, Daniel, Daniels wife Coco and daughters Cora and Ruby, and Mollys wife Freddie and her son Ben (a sweet but underemployed Millennial living in New Orleans).  Everyone wants whats best for everyone else.  Its agreeing on just what that is that causes friction, humorous misunderstandings, deception and frustration.  After Aarons death, Joy ups the ante by reconnecting with an old love.  (Not a spoiler; this is in the book description.)

Schine skilfully depicts Joys resistance to losing her independence, even while she longs to be rescued from the daunting responsibilities of paying bills and keeping the apartment clean and organized.  Mollys struggles to reconcile her happiness in her life in California with her love and deeply-felt responsibility for her parents will ring true with many Baby Boomer readers.  The other characters are less vividly drawn, but each one has his or her generationally-appropriate and recognizable challenges.

The story doesnt move with any strong narrative arc or resolution, but that didn't bother me.  It felt true to the one-thing-after-another, constant compromise and uncertainty of old age.  I would quibble a bit with the blurb writers who call the book hilarious.  It definitely has plenty of humor, but for the AARP-eligible set, situations may strike a little too close to home for hilarity.  But those readers will likely find that the books more serious insights resonate.
4566022
I picked up this book as an impulse; the title was intriguing.

It's a very funny read; I laughed out loud numerous times which I rarely do when reading. With the humor there were some social/political issues that did get one thinking. I appreciated the fact that Troost never preached or got on some political band wagon. Regardless, there were issues explored that caused me to ponder man's existence on this planet.

It is a quick read; it's hard to put down.

Troost's writing style is somewhat academic; even he makes comments on his long sentences. However, once the reader gets used to his style, it's engaging.

I can not recommend this book any more highly.
3433034
I don't think I've ever read through a memoir so fast.  This book is on the short side so that helped, but I found it wonderfully illuminating, thoughtful and compassionate which made it very easy to read.  And of course it's also really funny.  I am a fan of Todd Glass's comedy and his socially forward thinking so I was very happy when I heard he was writing a book because he always has interesting things to say.  I'm hoping that people who are not as familiar with Todd's work will also pick this up because it has a lot that can appeal to readers who are interested in people's lives and how they overcome their personal issues.

The flow of the writing was one of the things I found really noteworthy about this book.  It moved so seamlessly between aspects and anecdotes about Todd's life to his commentary and asides about each event.  The neuroses Todd details from his preoccupation with cleanliness and a neat house and lawn, to his phobias about being homosexual was so honest and told with such humor, that I found it easy to empathize and understand.  Todd also talks about comedy and how he got into the business which was a fascinating glimpse into the comedian world.

The major takeaway from this book is Todd's journey to accepting his sexuality and embracing an honest and open way to living his life.  I think that message can be helpful to any reader, and reading how Todd works to achieve personal happiness is more inspiring than most self-help books in my opinion because he doesn't tell you what to do, just shows you what worked for him.  There is a section near the end where Todd explains his personal thoughts on social issues in more depth, and while it is full of compelling arguments, and great points, it did feel a little like an info-dump of ideas and viewpoints which I thought could have worked better if it was integrated more into the flow of the story of his experiences so far.  But I still felt enlightened by his views, so I think that section was very important.

This is a highly enjoyable read because Todd is a great narrator and his life experiences have been so varied and colorful to give this book a lot of interest.  If you are unfamiliar with Todd Glass, then maybe a listen to his podcast, or a search on youtube to find some comedy clips will make you interested in reading what he has to say on a variety of topics.  If you are already a fan, then it is completely worth reading this book for the in-depth look into his distinctive character and comedic mind.

(I received this book from the publisher or author in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I was not compensated for this review.)
2564035
The book is really funny.  I even laughed out loud at some parts.  There were a few places in which it seemed that the author was trying just a little too hard to be funny, but they were forgivable and it is still amusing.
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.
2185243
The first thing you should know about this book and this author is that she's hilarious. If you're tired of boring and dry, this is the antidote. However, if you're like me and consider yourself a serious thinker, you might worry where the opening humor, light hearted self-deprecation and self-helpy prose are leading you. Happily, there's depth and wisdom and maturity bubbling beneath Hatmaker's big personality.

What's striking about pastor and popular blogger Jen Hatmaker's newest book For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards is that she blends personal stories, theology, humor, and practical tips for child rearing, marriage and Christian community so seamlessly. There's even recipes for Roast Lamb and Pad Thai in there. In this way, it's somewhat like a blog. Yet all the parts send a cohesive message, which I think is summed up in these freeing words Hatmaker gives to her five children: "God measures our entire existence by only two things: how we love Him and how we love people. If you get this right, you can get a million other things wrong" (189).

On the serious side
Hatmaker's message is grace-filled and points readers toward fighting for grace for ourselves, our families, our friends, church people and "un-church" people. She draws depth from her childhood experience, her years of rethinking church, her mission trips abroad, her family of three biological children and two adopted children, and from her immensely blessed experience of having close, Jesus-minded friends with which to grapple and share and pursue life.

On the silly side
Hatmaker also gets away with a chapter entitled "Christians, Stop Being Lame," that proves her a modern day prophetess. She channels Jimmy Fallon with four segments of sarcastic Thank You Notes. (Thank you, Jen Hatmaker, for causing this reserved introvert to draw attention to herself in a quiet airport lobby as she belly laughed at your tirade against airport poop bidets. Sincerely, I'll Just Hold It Until I Get Home) In her conclusion, she compares women to her flock of chickens, and I my inner-feminist wasn't the least bit annoyed.

So, this book is a riot to read, and the pages turn quickly, but I also found myself highlighting like a college student. Which leads me to my closing points:

Some take-aways
Here's a short list of For the Love gems I want to discuss with others around a dinner table:
1. Starting a regular supper club with our closest "couple friends." You know who you are.
2. Doing "Sunday Night Church" in our living room or on our patio or in our kitchen.
3. Raising my children to never fear sharing their struggles and weaknesses with their mom and dad.
4. Chapter 12: Marriage Have Fun and Stuff.
5. Donald and Betsy Miller's philosophy that "their home was sacred, and their ambition was to help restore what the world stole that day to every visitor" (285).

*Many thanks to Thomas Nelson via BookLookBloggers for sending me a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.*
2473842
I'm not familiar with Jenny Lawson but after reading this book I found her to be quite interesting. She's actually a quite funny person (or at least that's how she portrayed herself and life to be). I suppose I'll start from the beginning:

Her childhood is extremely surprising and humorous. From her pet turkeys following her to school to her getting "acquainted" with what would become her mother-in-law, Jenny's life is like a ride on a roller coaster. Her childhood which mainly composes the first half of the book is the funniest and most entertaining part of the book. Her stories keep the reader interested and wanting to read more and more.

Her adulthood is actually quite boring in all honesty. Although some of the events of her adult life were weird and perhaps crazy, they weren't exactly funny. ( or at least they weren't portrayed as funny). In fact, it felt as if she was almost begging us to laugh. She commonly mentions and almost force feed to the reader just how "messed up" her life is/was. In other words, she tries too hard to make her adult life seem more humorous than it actually was. I think she should have put more emphasis and development into her childhood rather than trying forcing the reading to laugh at her adulthood life.

Some readers may be offended by her use of curse words, however, I wasn't and therefore I felt the use of the "F word" in particular was necessary and tasteful -- in some situations. Jenny often overuses words such as the "F word" and "totally" and "like". Hopefully she'll learn to use them a little more sparingly so that they have stronger connotations when read.

In conclusion, the book overall was "OK". As I previously stated, the most interesting and funniest portion of the book is mostly the first half. I give the book 3 stars for keeping me engaged initially but then completely boring me causing me to force myself finish the book solely for the sake of saying "I read this book."

Thanks for reading
589921
First off, Tiffany Haddish is just plain, ol' funny.  I've watched much of her stand up via you tube after seeing her in Girl Trip.  Some of what she covers in her stand up is covered in her book but in greater detail.  It is a very interesting, somewhat crazy life that she has had which is probably the reason why she is so funny.  I got this book after seeing her on the Daily Show.  She was hilarious and Trevor Noah could not stop gushing about her and laughing about her stories. With that said, I utilized Audible to "read" this as I spend a lot of time in my car.  Unfortunately, I think something was lost in the translation/ reading of this. Tiffany narrates this herself and hearing the stories never left me cracking up (though some of the stories were not supposed to).  However, watching those same stories played out in stand-up would make me laugh even though I knew what was coming. She has impeccable comedic timing but maybe it just doesn't translate to her actually having to read lines from her book as opposed to delivering a story on stage.  Other reviewers indicated that they thought this was a funny book and I simply have to attribute it to *listening* to it as opposed to actually reading it.  Nonetheless, I still gave it 4 stars because the stories themselves are simply crazy and interesting and it gives insight to the life of someone whose success is self-made.
1943066
I'm not a huge one for essay, but Paul lays down a damn goon line and combines a great deal of insight, intelligence, and humor. The satire is wonderful, that being something that is definitely up my alley. Regardless, some fine and engaging writing.
2936999
I awoke this morning laughing out loud over something I'd remembered from this book as I was awakening. I'm so glad I bought and read it. I was familiar with David's blog, so was prepared for the kind of humor to expect, but with David, even when you know what to expect, it still often comes as a hilarious surprise. I don't think I'd want to be on the receiving end of his wit, but I do so much enjoy reading what he writes and how he writes it, from his observations of us mere humans and how we go about our lives. In this book, David reveals stories of his personal life, as well as his work life. I don't think more than a few paragraphs would go by without an out loud laugh, and in some places I had to stop reading to catch my breath from laughing so hard. Definite thumbs up. David's humor is not for the faint of heart, but if you're fairly normal and like to laugh, this is your book.
4410974
John LeFevre is a blunt, observant, and sharp-witted writer. @GSElevator regularly had me laughing until tears ran down my face in college, so I was initially excited to read more about the context from where the people behind them might have come. This was the first book I've read twice since graduating college a year ago, and it was hilarious and unapologetic. Fantastic detail in a lot of the scenes - not hard to imagine what it was like to be in many of them. I also learned more about how those kinds of deals supposedly go than I did in my entire economics major.

But, the stories more or less went the same way, give or take a lot of details. Reads as if Holden Caulfield got a job on Wall Street and decided to write a memoir.

Filing under "could have been a bunch of blog posts." Borrow this one from the library and spend the $16 on liquor for an enhanced reading experience.
2948155
The key to Samantha Bee's humor is in her contradictions - she plays a repressed person who is outrageous. And unlike many comics whose work is hilarious on TV, she can actually write funny stories that are worth reading. This memoir of exaggerated tales of her childhood, adolescence and early adulthood probes the frustrations, hurts and stupidities of growing up human on planet Earth. Her strongest material is the least self-conscious. Bee's portrayal of herself as an ugly, awkward, indoorsy bookworm and TV watcher is both affecting, worrying and probably close to the truth. Her adolescent years, in which she made dangerous visits to older men, are scary and true-sounding, echoing the way that nave youngsters find their way in the tricky and perilous word of the sexually savvy. Bee hit a few sour notes in her diatribe against May-December relationships. Her comments about the problems of older people crossed from wickedly insightful to needlessly mean. She redeemed herself with tales of her hunky college roommate, simultaneously irresistible physically and repulsive mentally.

"I Know I am" is a quick read -- I devoured it over a weekend, which is superfast for me. While Bee doesn't have the depth, insight and subtlety of a David Sedaris, the book was a fun read. It didn't achieve Sedaris's laugh-out-loud funniness, or oh-my-god appallingness.  But it was a nice autobiography of tarted up truths about growing up in the Western world.
3082898
I love Tina Fey's down-to-earth attitude and self-deprecating humor.  She's actually a normal person despite her fame.  A quirky and enjoyable read.  Warning: If reading in a public setting, don't be surprised if people look at you strangely for bursting out laughing every five minutes.  This is a normal side effect of the book.  And no, I am not reading this as a woman in her 40s.  I am 23 and found this book hilarious, enlightening, and inspiring.
1449859
I don't know that I would characterize this book as "hilarious" but for me, certainly parts of it were so funny that I laughed out loud.

"Discordant sound, wind, risk of death - I tried to assume the mental state that I used at the dentist" - Don Tillman to himself during an early-in-the-relationship outing with Rosie.

There were also parts that I found aggravating (cheating best friend) and parts I found a little sad because Don knows he is not like other people - like when Rosie first gives him her phone number and he marvels at it because it's what other people experience but not him he says that he's been included (briefly) into a culture he felt was closed to him.

I found this book a very fast read. I started it at about 3:00pm and finished it at about 11:30pm. It isn't my usual fare but I found it kept my attention and I thought Don Tillman was very engaging. I wanted to know what would happen for him next.

There are no explicit sex scenes in this book and I can't remember there being any profanity either.

From what I know of Asperger's, I felt the writing was mostly spot on for a high functioning individual with the syndrome although from what I've read, it can vary. In any case, it made me curious about how he came to write the character as he did. There is nothing that I can recall in the acknowledgments that mentioned anyone in the medical field giving him any help so is this just his "take" on how someone with the syndrome would relate to the world? Does he know someone with Asperger's? Probably this doesn't matter to most but I find lots of times after reading a book that I want to know more about the author and/or the subject matter and I wish in this case he would have included a bit about how he came to write about someone with Asperger's because it's not a subject you find very often in fiction.

This is one of those books that I could have read in a chaotic place  or that I could have put down for a few days and not been lost when I found the time to pick it up again and that's not because it's simplistic but more because it's straightforward, I found the characters memorable and the author doesn't waste time going over and over anything the way some fiction books seem to. This book is cohesive and it flows.

It's not a keeper for me (I won't be re-reading it) but it was an enjoyable way to spend a rainy Saturday..
4592824
The book is engaging, funny, and, at times, informative; but the attentive reader will quickly notice that Bryson's tale is impossibly fantastic and, in all probability, not one that is typical of the realities of a march across the Appalachian Trail. Most of the characters are so overwrought in their actions and mannerisms that they mirror cartoon entities.

It is a fun book to read, but don't take it too seriously.
3571768
This book is an honest look into a typical father-son relationship, except that the father is hysterically funny.  The author shared some very painful memories- things his father said that could have been easily interpreted as verbal abuse. However, I think that he left out several more loving moments simply because they were not that funny. I liked how he organized the book into very short chapters; this book can be read all at one sitting, but I would recommend taking each chapter a little at a time to maximize the enjoyment. A very fun read.
1376948
First thing, if you are one of those people who don't like when somebody expands on a work they've already done, whether it be a writer turning a short story into a novel or making a Twitter account a TV show (okay, that one I can see problems with), then you probably don't want to purchase this book.  Material from his two major CDs are contained in the book.

That being said, the material is not, unlike some other works, just a word-for-word duplication of his live act.  In some ways, it is to me an awesome feat he performs, in letting us know where the act came from and also expanding on it, giving a third dimensional view of Birbiggleboots.  His relationship with his father, which is very lightly touched upon in his act, is seen through several sections of the book is in ways as cutting as more "literary" works, while his chapter on sleepwalking (which I thought was going to be the focus of the book entire) is hilarious (well, to me, maybe not to him at the time).  Another reviewer hinted (sarcastically) that Mike sees himself as a storyteller rather than a comedian now.  That works for me.