Ali in Wonderland - Ali Wentworth

My mom mentioned this book to me a couple months back, and mostly I couldn't believe that George Stephanopolous was married to a comedian and I was interested is seeing what it was all about.  This book reminded me a lot of the ones written by Chelsea Handler - very irreverant, not that funny, with a clever line here and there.  Wentworth grew up the daughter of political journalists.  As a result, I found her frame of reference often irritating - meaning that she's big on name dropping for no particular reason, and doesn't quite have the life perspective that I think lends itself to good comedy.  Mostly, I found this book bland and unimpressive.  She tells some sweet (not funny) stories about meeting Stephanopolous, and about their relationship - I found the stories interesting because I like him.  But, as a humor book, I thought this was a miserable failure.

Seriously...I'm Kidding - Ellen DeGeneres

I'd never watched the Ellen show until I was home on maternity leave...and for those few months, 4:00 became one of my favorite hours - and I fell in love with Ellen, her dancing, and just her general niceness.  She seems like a genuinely good person - with a wonderful sense of humor.  So, I was incredibly disappointed to find that her book did not make me laugh.  Even once.  I could, at time, picture her delivering the written lines, and that seemed to help.  But, what this book to demonstrate to me is that there is a true art to comedic timing - and Ellen has it on her show (in-person) in spades.  And, the topics she talks about come across as folksy and endearing on an afternoon talk-show and just kind of blah in a book.  I needed something more edgy like Tina Fey or Mindy Kaling, or something more offensive like David Sedaris.  Unfortunately, Ellen's safe comedy didn't work for me late at night after a full day.  But, I still love her and now that I've returned to work, I look forward to catching her on a lovely day when I happen to be home at 4:00 in the afternoon.  And, I want to read Portia's book!! 

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling

Unfortunately for Mindy Kaling, her book came out the same year as Tina Fey's Bossypants, and since both of them are women writing for television sit-coms, it's inevitable that the two books will be compared - and perhaps people will only read one, and it'll be Tina Fey's because she is more famous and people love that Sarah Palin impression.  But, if that's the case, it is too bad, because Kaling's book is hilarious and amazing in its own right.  I just can't get over the fact that she is an Indian woman, brought up by parents who hoped she would become a doctor.  She went to Dartmouth and studied like a good Indian girl.  But, all that time, she just loved comedy, and she studied that too, and somehow - in an industry that doesn't just favor males, but favors white males, she managed to become a writer for one of the most popular television shows, The Office.  Or, perhaps she became a writer for a show, and she made it one of the most popular on television.  Whatever the case, she is amazing.  I recommend Bossypants, but I recommend this one too.  If you are only going to read one humor book written by a woman though, I pick Kaling.  She's different and unexpected, and perhaps even without meaning to be, she is quite inspirational.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk

I read this book months ago, but have been so delinquent in keeping track of things that I'm just getting to review it now...which means that I have nearly forgotten what it was all about.  But, this collections reads like a demented Aesop's fables (which I loved as a kid).  Each story features anthropomorphised animals taking on the traits of our most annoying humans.  In typical Sedaris fashion, they are cynical and observant, wildly hilarious, and irritating.  I can see reading each story here and there - while waiting in line for lunch or for the bus.  They aren't particularly insightful, but if you like Sedaris, they will probably bring you a little chuckle.

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me - Chelsea Handler & Friends

When I found out that this book wasn't actually written by Chelsea Handler, but by her friends and family, I was a bit disappointed.  I figured it wouldn't be that funny, and would instead be filled with annoying sycophantic anecdotes.  Well, I was right with respect to the anecdotes, but the stories were actually pretty funny (at times).  As with all of Handler-related comedy, it sometimes crosses the line into extremely inappropriate, gross, or quite simply, annoying.  But, this book was a great view into Handler's life - and the incredible generosity she has toward her friends and family, even if it comes with a huge price tag of needing to be constantly on your toes ready for yet another practical joke.  I would think having a friend like this in your life would become tiresome quickly, but it also sounds like she regularly takes her friends on all expense paid trips to Cabo, so I suppose that might be worth putting up with all the shenanigans.

You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again - Heather McDonald

Leave it to Loana to lend me a book with such an inappropriate title. And leave it to me in my sleep-deprived state to think it was a good idea to bring such a book on an airplane. I wanted something quick and funny to read. Written by one of Chelsea Handler's TV-show writers, I figured this would be just the thing. And content-wise, it was. I just had to keep hiding the cover from everyone around me, and hope no one asked what I was reading. The basis premise of this book is that the author waited until she was 27 years old to lose her virginity. So, she spends chapter after chapter talking about her various boyfriends and hook-ups and the effects of telling the guy you're dating that you're still a virgin after all these years. I found the author a bit self-absorbed (though I say that about most people who write memoirs). She described herself a few too many times as "cute" and "attractive" and loved going on and on about her time in her sorority. Of course, she poked fun at herself while making such comments, but it's clear that this woman thinks she is pretty darn special. It wasn't until the end of the book that I read a laugh-out-loud funny line, but I still found the book enjoyable - a good way to pass the time in the Denver airport as I waited for my very delayed flight.

Bossypants - Tina Fey

I am so behind on updating this blog that I've nearly forgotten what the last few books I've read are about - but perhaps this will be a good test, and we'll see just how memorable the books actually were...I think Tina Fey is quite funny - I enjoyed her on SNL and I regularly watch her on 30 Rock. But, I do find her jokes a bit hit or miss - I'm either rewinding and laughing over and over, or I'm shaking my head because I just don't get it (I suppose fans of her would say that I'm probably not intellectually savvy enough to understand all the nuances of her humor). Whatever the case, I felt about her book the same way I feel about her television - there were chapters here I found hilarious, and others made me think that she needed a better editor. All in all, Bossypants is a book I've recommended to a number of people as good plane reading. But, I will say there is a good deal of politics in this book - and Fey isn't just trying to be funny in it - she is sending a message about the power of women - how they are viewed in the entertainment/comedy world, and how they should be viewed. She has some great things to say about parenthood too. Mostly, this book reinforced the respect I have for her - for being such a fabulous success (not just "for a woman") and for still coming across as real. Funny and thought-provoking - just what you'd expect from a good clean liberal.

Sh*t My Dad Says - Justin Halpern

This guy is really milking quotes from his father for all that they're worth - first a twitter account, then this book, and now a TV sit-com (which I've seen and is terrible). But, I'd read a few of his twitter posts and thought they were pretty funny, so I figured I might as well check out this book - which is pretty short. Each chapter of the book is a little anedcdote about the author's relationship with his father - followed by a series of quotations on a variety of topics. I actually found most of the stories pretty funny - but what I really enjoyed about this book was what the stories told about the relationship between these two men. I loved that the father, while crass and seemingly dismissive in his words actually displays so much love for his son through his straight-forward advice and actions. I actually found myself tearing up amidst my laughter. Surprisingly, this is a really touching book and definitely worth a quick read on a day when you need a little uplifting.

Baby Laughs - Jenny McCarthy

This book is absolutely terrible. While there are some nuggets of potentially helpful information for new moms and maybe a line or two that brought a little chuckle, for the most part McCarthy seems to be trying to hard to be glib in the hopes of getting a laugh or two at her own expense. This quick read is McCarthy's perspective on being a new mom to her little boy, Evan. She goes on and on about his development, labasting competitive moms (which I did appreciate) and speaking frequently about the "next time" she has a child with her husband, the love of her life. As I suppose is the case with any memoir type book written before the end of one's life, knowing how things turn out made me cringe. Since the publication of this book McCarthy has been a outspoken about her son's difficulties with autism. And, her marriage ended in a divorce before she had any additional children. Of course, given who McCarthy is as a celebrity, I doubt that any one would come to this book thinking that they should actually follow any serious advice she might give. The purpose of the book, I suppose, is to remind new parents to have a sense of humor - that this is a difficult new road they are going down, and if you're going to survive, you need a little perspective and a lot of laughter. While I didn't find McCarthy herself very funny, I do think she succeeded in bringing her positive message through to the reader.

Earth - Jon Stewart (THE WHOLE WORLD!)

I really enjoyed Jon Stewart's previous book, America (the Book), so I was looking forward to reading this one - a guide to aliens about our world. Of course, America lent itself more readily to Stewart's political humor - while this one takes on a far wider scope. With chapters ranging from religion to science to culture, I found that it was pretty hit or miss. There were definitely some laugh out loud lines and clever turns of phrases (particularly in the religion section), in general, I felt like this book was trying too hard. Definitely an entertaining coffee-table read to pick up now and again and leaf through, but as a book to sit down and read from cover to cover, I found it a bit underwhelming.

Dave Barry Does Japan - Dave Barry (JAPAN)

Back when I was in middle school, I remember thinking that Dave Barry was a pretty funny writer. I haven't read him in quite some time, but in my mind liken him to Bill Bryson. So, when I saw he had a book about his travels to Japan, I thought it would be a perfect fit for my armchair travel goals for the year. Looking at the cover alone, however, should have tipped me off as to what I was in store for. To be fair, this book was written in 1992, which must have been a very different time in the world. Barry and his family take a three week trip to Japan and he writes all about it - in the most offensive, ignorant, sterotypically rude self-centered white American way possible. Needless to say, I did not find a line of this book funny. I have been to Japan, and I will admit that I too found that there are some weird things about that culture - but for the most part, Japan is a highly efficient, incredibly beautiful country with amazingly delicious food and sophisticated technology. Barry seemed to have no appreciation whatsoever for any of it. He just thought it was all gross and strange and seemed to revel in his closed-minded approach to their culture. Given my background, perhaps I am overly sensitive to anything remotely critical of the Japanese, but I think I still have a decent sense of humor. Perhaps it's just changed since I was 12, and Dave Barry just simply isn't funny to me anymore.