2008 Book 103: Don't Look Down

Book #:	103
Book Title:	Don't Look Down
Author:	Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Pub. Date:	2006
Pages:	373
Started:	November 29, 2008
Finished:	December 1, 2008
Time to Read:	3 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"Lucy Armstrong is a director of television commercials who's just been recruited to finish a four-day action-movie shoot. But she arrives on the set to discover that the directing staff has quit, the makeup artist is suicidal, the stars are egomaniacs, the stunt director is her ex-husband, and the lead actor has just acquired as an advisor a Green Beret who has the aggravating habit of always being right. Green Beret captain J.T. Wilder had thought that hiring on as a military consultant for a movie star was a good deal: easy money and easier starlets. Instead, he has to baby-sit the bumbling comedian, dodge low-flying helicopters, and resist his attraction to a director who bears a distracting resemblance to Wonder Woman. Then the CIA calls, and he realizes that somebody is taking "shooting a movie" much to literally."
Stars:	*****
Review:	First, I have to tell you that you need to be in a certain frame of mind to read the book. If I had tried to read this book as a serious work of literature, I would have rated it with 1 star and told you to walk away. But forget that - read this book for what it is: absurdist humor, where all of life is a cliche and anything can happen at any time for any reason and be hilariously wonderful. I truly mean that this book is 100% cliche. The characters fit stereotypes you'll find yourself nodding along with. The movie industry is done up in full and unflattering glory. And the hint of scandal and untoward motives is deliciously predictable and perfect. This is the book to read when you've had a long day, don't know how you're going to handle a tough situation, or just need a break from reality. I didn't stop chuckling the entire time - definitely recommend!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 86: No Shirt. No Shoes. No Problem!

Book #:	86
Book Title:	No Shirt. No Shoes. No Problem!
Author:	Jeff Foxworthy
Publisher:	Hyperion
Pub. Date:	1996
Pages:	239
Started:	October 2, 2008
Finished:	October 4, 2008
Time to Read:	3 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"Being a Redneck has nothing to do with where you live. It's a state of mind, "a glorious absence of sophistication." Some of us live there, and some of us are simply on an extended vacation. So pull up a lawn chair, grab some ribs off the barbeque, and stay a while. You're in for a helluva good time."
Stars:	****
Review:	As a longtime Jeff Foxworthy fan, I've long since memorized my share of Redneck jokes and have watched more than a few of his TV and DVD specials. This book is chock full of his best stuff - plus a few stories that don't commonly make his stand-up routine. Honestly, the only reason this fails to get 5 stars is because a few of the background stories just weren't...funny. Now, this is supposed to be autobiographical, and not all of life is funny...but some of the filler stories felt like just that - filler. But the rest? Top notch jokes that will have you turning the pages for more. I recommend!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 43: Napalm and Silly Putty

Book #:	43
Book Title:	Napalm and Silly Putty
Author:	George Carlin
Publisher:	Hyperion
Pub. Date:	2001
Pages:	269
Started:	May 18, 2008
Finished:	May 19, 2008
Time to Read:	2 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	(From Amazon - my dust cover is long gone.) Standup comic George Carlin follows up his dark-horse smash bestseller Brain Droppings with another compendium of cranky meditations, cinching his reputation as the Andy Rooney of boomer hepcats. "Road rage, air rage," Carlin rails. "Why should I be forced to divide my rage into separate categories? To me, it's just one big, all-around, everyday rage. I don't have time for fine distinctions." Carlin is not into the lengthy essay--he's a sprinter of the mind. Most sentences in the book could be lifted out to stand alone and provoke deep thought: "How can it be a spy satellite if they announce on television that it's a spy satellite?" Good question. "Why do they bother saying 'Raw sewage'? Do some people cook that stuff?" Yuck, but yes, Carlin's got a point. He can do an extended bit too, most memorably the transcript of Jesus on a talk show plugging his new tell-all memoir about the Trinity, Three's a Crowd. Carlin is funny, but genuinely angry and poignant at times: "You live 80 years and at best you get about six minutes of pure magic," he says. Sad, but about right. And how did Carlin get into his line of business, "thinking up goofy s---," as he puts it? There's a clue in one entry in this book: "As of 1995 the number of people who had lived on earth was 105,472,380,169 ... it means that at this point there have been almost 1 quadrillion human bowel movements and most of them occurred before people had anything to read. These are the kind of thoughts that kept me from moving quickly up the corporate ladder." Thank god Carlin stayed low on the corporate food chain and high on his own utterly idiosyncratic ideas!
Stars:	****
Review:	I realize that the humor of George Carlin may offend some people - he's rough, he's raw, and he ain't afraid of 4-letter words - but even on my 4th or 5th readthrough of this compilation of his comedy, I find myself laughing my butt off! Some goodies to look forward to, if you like his standup: Airline Announcements, Golf Courses for the Homeless, and It's Not a Sport. Not appropriate for kiddos...see prior comment on language. But for adults who like humor on the edge, you'll enjoy!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany