An Entertaining and Helpful Self-Help Book

I Really Didn’t Think This Through: Tales from My So-called Adult Life

By: Beth Evans

Genre: Non-fiction/self help

Pages: 192

Published: 2018

Read:  January

4 out of 5 stars

Evans can help any reader with anxiety in a fun, entertaining way. This book is especially good for teens and young adults, but I read it as a woman in my 40’s and still enjoyed it. It will crack you up, while providing you with knowledgeable and useful advice. If interested, she has a fantastically entertaining Twitter and Instagram account with many more illustrations. As a Young Adult Librarian, I will be talking this book up to my patrons for sure.

I am done with Jenny Lawson...

Furiously Happy

By: Jennifer Lawson

Genre: Biography/humor

Pages: 329

Published: 2015

Audiobook: 7 cd’s (8 hours and 20 minutes)

Read: July

1 out of 5

This book was incredibly stupid. SO...why did I keep listening? In hopes it would get better – there are a lot of great reviews. Lawson’s stories were just plain stupid, not funny and completely exaggerated. These supposedly aren’t made up stories – it is marketed as a memoir- which makes it that much worse. I found that only 3 or 4 were believable and funny. Plus, she would go on long tangents that didn’t make sense at all. Even though not worth the 8 hours of listening, I did enjoy the very last chapter – although not funny or intended that way - hearing how her blog has helped people with their mental illness was inspiring…some people must get her humor just not me.  

I was surprised by how much I loved this book!

I Hate Myselfie

By: Shane Dawson

Genre: Autobiography/ humor

Pages: 228

Published: 2015

Read: November

5 out of 5

I usually do not read humor books. I also don't particularly enjoy short stories. However, this book is hilarious. I was not aware there were "youtubers" out there and definitely not youtubers that also write books.

A few of my regular teens requested I purchase some of their books. Not knowing what they were about, I wanted to read one first. While I recommend this book to readers that have a (sick) sense of humor, I do not recommend these particular book to teens.  

Glad to see a nonfiction novel making the Teens' Top Ten nominees

We Should Hang Out Sometime

By: John Sunderquist

Genre: YA autobiography

Pages: 336

Published: 2014

Read: July

4 out of 5

I don’t understand why authors of  nonfiction books feel the need to constantly repeat themselves. Sunderquist mentions how is prosthetic leg works in almost every other chapter…I heard him the first time. Whenever authors repeat something numerous times I feel they are using it as a page filler to make story longer. However (and this is a big however), Sunderquist’s story is hilarious and very entertaining. I was glad to see a nonfiction book make the Teens’ Top Ten nominations and believe it was well deserved. As a person with a disability I completely understand the embarrassing, but sometimes even funny to me moments that can happen. I also felt for Josh on how his disability can affect all his relationships even if unwilling to see it himself. 

Entertaining and Musical...

The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman

By: Ben H. Winters

Genre:  Juvenile fiction

Pages: 256

Published: 2010

Read: January

4 out of 5

This was a cute story about a special homework assignment, a secret in a teacher’s past, and a school music competition. This book has just enough angles in it to interest both boys and girls – especially those into music and mystery solving. The music aspect references some popular bands and songs, however they may not be familiar to the age appropriate with reading it. This would be a great step up for the kids that enjoy A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy or The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osbourne. I recommend this book to 3^rd to 6^th graders. 

A great book club choice for kids

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

By: Kate DiCamillo

Genre:  Juvenile fiction

Pages: 233

Published: 2013

Read: December

4 out of 5

I read this book because it was suggested on a website as a great selection for a YA book club. I feel it is too young for teens, but would be perfect for a kid’s book club. DiCamillo is also the author of the very popular book and movie, Because of Winn Dixie. Both books are a must read for kids, for boys and girls, of all ages. It was very funny and the pictures were great. Ulysses, the squirrel, was named after the vacuum cleaner that sucked him up. After being saved by Flora it was discovered that he had special powers all because of the vacuum. Flora has a great imagination and brings the story to life. 

Wanted it to be funnier

How to Build a Girl

By: Caitlin Moran

Genre:  Adult fiction

Pages: 336

Published: 2014

Read: December

2 out of 5

This is another book I expected to really enjoy. It may have been because I was sick when I read it, but I didn’t find it nearly as funny as I hoped. Furthermore, I found the book way to unrealistic – no matter how talented you are (and she wasn’t) I don’t see a 14 year old becoming a music journalist and quitting school. While there were definitely some funny parts, I was really hoping by the end she would grow up and have some revelations that she was going about her life all wrong, but I guess I was wrong.  

Humorous realistic Fiction for teenage boys

Winger

By: Andrew Smith

Genre:  YA Realistic Fiction

Pages: 439

Published: 2013

Audiobook: 8 discs (9 hours 52 minutes)

Read: October

3 out of 5

This book was very funny and entertaining. However, this also caused a point of confusion for me. As a librarian, when I read a book I try to figure out who are the best readers for it. This book includes a lot of guy humor and would definitely appeal to teen boys, but I don’t meet many that read realistic fiction. I believe once the word gets out among their peers it may pick up the deserved hype. It’s attracting that first reader that may be a challenge. Because of the humorous facet of story, I would recommend this to older teenage boys that were fans of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and Captain Underpants.  This was also the first time I started a book on audio and finished it by physically reading it. The audio was great, but after discovering that there were illustrations included (similar to Wimpy Kid) I would have chosen to read the entire book.

A great YA graphic novel memoir

Tomboy

By: Liz Prince

Genre:  YA graphic novel memoir

Pages: 256

Published: 2014

Read: August

5 0ut of 5

For being a graphic novel, this book HAS feeling.  I smiled, laughed, turned red, cried, got angry and almost throw up - while reading this book.  And, of course, it's a memoir, which is my favorite variety of graphic novel. Prince is brutally honest in the retelling of her childhood, where she felt she never fit in.   She is a girl, but not a girly-girly. She looks like a boy, but is not a lesbian. She is all girl, but just a TOMBOY.  I enjoyed the variety of graphics included - drawings, diary entries, charts and graphs.   Although I have to admit that some of my fondest for this book is definitely related to the fact that there are a lot of 80's references (Prince was born is 1981). 

A short story audio collection

The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection CD

By: Neil Gaiman

Genre:  Juvenile Fantasy/Short Stories

Published: 2004

Audiobook: 1 disc (50 mins)

Read: August

4 out of 5

                  

This collection of short stories will have listeners of every age smiling and laughing. I believe not every author is the best narrator for their audiobooks, however Gaiman pulls this off fantastically. (Another one of my favorite author/narrator is Richard Paul Evans). Gaiman states that he writes some stories that he intends to only be published in audio form and includes some of them in this collection. Usually with short story collections there is one or two (or more) that I don’t care for, this was not the case for this collection. Fans of Gaiman and/or Shel Silverstein will love these stories. I must say though that my favorite part was the interview of Gaiman at the end of disc which was conducted by his daughter. Absolutely adorable.  

Quick easy summer reading

 

Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

By: Maria Semple

Genre:  Adult fiction

Pages: 330

Published: 2012

Read: July

3 out of 5

A nice, quick summer read without being fluffy. The book is funny and entertaining with just enough of a twist to keep the reader guessing. The story is told mostly through letters, faxes, and other written communication. I enjoyed the writing style of this book; a nice change of pace. The author had an intended purpose for writing it in such a manner, which adds to the creativity of the novel itself.  Sometimes I struggle with whether to read the novel or listen to the audio book. And sometimes I make mistakes. I originally was going to listen to this one on audio. I am glad I choose to read this one because with the unique writing format I think listening to the novel would have made it rather confusing. I recommend this to women who want a good laugh without reading a humor book.  

A Parody of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Drink, Play, F@#k: One Man's Search for Anything Across Ireland, Las Vegas, and Thailand

By: Andrew Gottlieb

Genre:  Adult humor

Pages: 240

Published: 2009

Read: July

3.5 out of 5

This was a difficult book for me rate because I feel I can't compare it against ALL books I have read, but rather only the humorous ones.  I was impressed with the quality of writing; usually in parodies, or at least the few I have read, are written so poorly I don't enjoy them.  I read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert years ago, so it was difficult to determine if Gottlieb had spoofs directly related to her story, besides the title and main idea. Either way, I sincerely enjoyed the story and humor. I often forgot that the travels of Bob Sullivan were fictional, which definitely added to my appreciation of story. However, I found for being a parody the story lacked humor in some areas which is the reason I only gave it 3.5 stars. 

A YA Satire...

Beauty Queens

By: Libba Bray

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 396

Published: 2011

Audiobook: 12 CD’s (14 hrs 28 mins)

Read: April

1 out of 5

I had the honor of hearing Bray speak in 2012. She has great character and quite a sense of humor, so maybe I should have expected this. However, the only other book of Bray’s I read is The Diviner’s, which was not a slapstick book.  The Diviner’s may have been a slow start, but it was thought-provoking, well thought-out with a well-developed plot. This one was a painful read. I realize that this book was a satire, but it followed no structure, made no sense, and was plain old stupid. The cover and description should have been my clue to knowing this would NOT be a book for me (Yes, I also dislike Jim Carey!) There were a few and only a few laughable moments – but then the commercial breaks, pirate rock stars, and not-very-funny footnotes ruined those moments too. The only redeeming quality was that Bray read it herself and she has a great voice with lots of character.  I may finish The Diviner’s trilogy, but I will not be reading anymore Bray.  

Is it actually funny??

Let's Pretend this Never Happened

By: Jenny Lawson

Genre: Adult Humor

Pages: 318

Published: 2012

Read: March

3 out of 5

I read very few humor books; mostly because they are usually it short story form (not my favorite) and there is so many literature books I want to read.  However, being a librarian I do enjoy trying different genres every once in a while and you never know what you might find (biographical graphic novels!) I actually enjoyed the fact that this book was short stories because some chapters I hated and couldn’t wait for them to finish, plus I knew the next chapter would be a different topic. I started thinking of her as the “joke explainer” because she could never tell a story without explaining why it was funny. I felt she was her best audience and needed to make herself sound funnier than she actually was. My favorite chapters were her husband rants, post-it notes chapter, and the HR secrets.