Potboiler by Jesse Kellerman

by:  Jesse Kellerman
published by:  Putnam
publish date:  June 28, 2012

Arthur Pfefferkorn is a has-been, or perhaps a never-was: a middle-aged college professor with long-dead literary aspirations. When his oldest friend, bestselling thriller writer William de Vallèe, is lost at sea, Pfefferkorn is torn between envy and grief, for de Vallèe not only outshone Pfefferkorn professionally, but married the woman Pfefferkorn loved. 
Pfefferkorn’s decision to reconnect with de Vallèe’s widow sets in motion a surreal chain of events, plunging him into a shadowy realm of double crosses and intrigue, a world where no one can be trusted--and nothing can be taken seriously.

So this book is a weird one.  I liked it and I thought it was hilarious.  However, it's gotten a lot of not great reviews...I think the readers weren't getting the humor.

Arthur is a college professor who has written one book, a not so great book.  However, his best friend from school, William de Vallee went out and became a bestselling author writing political/spy thrillers.  Arthur is, of course, jealous of his success and the fact that he married the woman Arthur was in love with.  When William dies, Arthur has a chance to steal one of William's unread, unpublished manuscripts and pass it off as his own.  What Arthur doesn't know is that all of William's books were messages to undercover operatives and the changes that Arthur made to the manuscript have completely messed things up.  

Whenever you figure out this book isn't to be taken seriously, it gets to be a pretty good book.  I was about halfway or so and I was like "this can not be real".  I would recommend this if you're a fan of the spy/political thrillers.  So much in this book will make you laugh.

Denton Little's Death Date by Lance Rubin

by:  Lance Rubin
published by:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
publish date:  April 14, 2015

Denton Little’s Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day on which they will die. For Denton, that’s in just two days—the day of his senior prom.
 
Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle—as the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend’s hostile sister.  His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body.  And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton’s long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters. . . . Suddenly Denton’s life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers.

I had been wanting to read this book for quite awhile.  I was so happy to finally get around to it.  I was thrilled that this book was quirky and funny and such a good story.

Denton lives in a world where everyone knows when they will die.  The story starts 2 days before his deathdate.  Denton wakes up with a terrible hangover in his best friend's sisters bed.  He doesn't remember anything that has happened and he has to get ready for his funeral.  In this world, you go to your funeral while you're still alive to enjoy it.  That's when things start to get crazy because a stranger shows up claiming to have known his long dead mother and telling him to avoid anyone from the government.  Denton only has the time left on his Deathwatch day to figure out what's going on.

Lance Rubin is a great writer.  I really enjoyed his writing style.  He had great humor without being overly rude.  I would definitely recommend this book.  I'm looking forward to more from this writer in the future.

Act of God by Jill Ciment

by:  Jill Ciment
published by:  Pantheon
publish date:  March 3, 2015

It’s the summer of 2015; Brooklyn. The city is sweltering from another record-breaking heat wave, this one accompanied by biblical rains. Edith, recently retired legal librarian and her identical twin sister, Kat, a feckless romantic who’s mistaken her own eccentricity for originality, discover something ominous in their hall closet: it seems to be phosphorescent; it’s a mushroom…and it’s sprouting from their wall.

I will start off by saying that I didn't particularly care for this book, but that was on me because there wasn't anything wrong with it.  It was touted as part horror and part comedy.  Maybe my idea of horror and comedy are different.  I didn't find anything scary or funny in this book.  I will say that the characters in this book are quite a bit older than I am, so perhaps I didn't relate to their situations and humor because it's a generational thing?

The book is basically about a house in New York that's infested with this weird mold.  Vida, the landlord, is an actress that is famous for being in a female sexual enhancement pill commercial.  She seems to be convinced that all men only know her for that reason.  Twins, Kat and Edith, live in the rent controlled apartment.  The other resident is a Russian immigrant that snuck into Vida's apartment and is living in her closet.  The story is about these women being forced out of their apartment and having to deal with this mold and will the insurance pay for this mold infestation?  Is this mold an Act of God and how to get rid of it?

I haven't read any Jill Ciment's other books to know if this book is consistent with her writing style.  Like I said, I didn't care for it, but I didn't get it.  I was waiting for something to deliver that didn't happen I guess.

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

by:  Josh Sundquist
published by:  Little Brown Books for Young Readers
publish date:  December 23, 2014

Josh Sundquist only ever had one girlfriend.
For twenty-three hours.
In eighth grade.

Why was Josh still single? To find out, he tracked down the girls he had tried to date and asked them straight up: What went wrong?

I never read non-fiction, but this book caught my eye.  I'm glad I made an exception.  This was one of the funniest books I've read in a long time.

Josh is 25 and he's never had a girlfriend.  He decides to conduct a scientific exploration as to why this has happened.  The book tells the story of all the girls he almost had an relationship with and his side of what went wrong.  Then he seeks out the girl in question and finds out from her many years later what went wrong from her point of view.  Every story is hilarious and heartbreaking.  I wanted to get all teenage girls to read this book so they might have an idea of what the average teenage boy is going through.  

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It was so funny.  Josh tells his story in a way to which anyone could relate.  This book was a surprise favorite of the year so far!!  Go read it and check out the Par 3 golf story, I about died laughing.

Throwback Thursday: If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries...What Am I Doing in the Pits? by Erma Bombeck

Author: Erma Bombeck
First published in 1978 by McGraw- HIll
Reissued as ebook by Open Road Media in  January 2013

Erma Bombeck’s timelessly witty look at the hidden side of married life
Ever since she was a child, Erma Bombeck has been an expert worrier, and married life has only honed that skill. She gets anxious about running out of ball bearings; about snakes sneaking in through the pipes; about making meaningful conversation on New Year’s Eve. Married life, she realizes, is an unpredictable saga even when you know exactly how loud your husband snores every night—and she wouldn’t have it any other way. In this crisp collection of essays, Bombeck shows off the irresistible style that made her one of America’s favorite humorists for more than three decades. When she sharpens her wit, no family member is sacred and no self-help fad is safe. 

I remember reading this book a long time ago, probably in college.  Having reread the book, I'm not sure I was able to full appreciate the book back then.  Now, reading it as a wife and mother, I loved it.  Even though Ms. Bombeck wrote this back in the 70s, I found that about 90% of it is still relevant today. Husbands still snore, kids and families still drive us crazy and the debate over working mom vs. stay at home mom still goes on 30+ years later.  I found myself laughing and nodding my head through out most of the book as I have experienced many of the things that she brings up. 

While mostly funny, there are a few places where she gets serious and her points really hit home. Specifically her section on when the child becomes the parent and vice versa.  It makes you take a hard look at the cycle of life and how fast it revolves.  I know that my favorite part of the book was the poem " I Loved you Enough" (see below). I may just have to print that out and save it for my kids when they are older. I definitely recommend this throwback!

From If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?

Some day, when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:

I loved you enough, to ask where you are going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough, to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you.
I loved you enough, to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough, to make you take a Milky Way back to the drugstore (with a bite out of it) and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."
I loved you enough, to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken me 15 minutes.
I loved you enough, to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes.  Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough, to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all,
I loved you enough, to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all.
I'm glad I won them because, in the end, you won too.
- Erma Bombeck

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

By:  David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
published by:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
publish date:  October 26, 2012

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?
Dash finds the notebook that Lily leaves at The Strand Bookstore.  He decides to accept her challenge since he's alone for the Christmas break.  Once completed, he leaves her a dare in order for her to find the notebook again.  Passing the notebook back and forth through a series of dares they get to know each other.  It's not an easy road though, there are miscommunications, old girlfriends and enemies from kindergarten to get in the way.

I listened to the audiobook for this.   It was hands down the funniest audiobook I've listened to this year.  There's a part where Lily dares Dash to get the notebook from a mall Santa.  I laughed til I cried.  It was hysterical.  I can't imagine it would have been as funny reading it as it was listening to the audiobook.  The actor was awesome.

This is a YA book, but it does deal with some mature topics.  So I might only recommend this one for the older teens.   Definitely parents read it first, I'm sure you'll love it!

Lexapros and Cons by Aaron Karo

by:  Aaron Karo
published by:  Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux
publish date:  April 10, 2012

Chuck Taylor’s OCD has rendered him a high school outcast. His endless routines and habitual hand washing threaten to scare away both his closest friend and the amazing new girl in town. Sure he happens to share the name of the icon behind the coolest sneakers in the world, but even Chuck knows his bizarre system of wearing different color “Cons” depending on his mood is completely crazy.

This book is Hilarious!  Seriously, I was laughing out loud reading this book.  I'd never heard of Aaron Karo before reading Lexapros and Cons, but I was really impressed with his sense of humor and writing style. 

Chuck is a great character.  I'm always happy to find YA books written from a male viewpoint.  I don't think there are enough of them out there.  If we want this generation of boys to become readers we need to have books that they'll want to read, right?  Chuck struggled with what I'm sure every teenage boy struggles with throughout high school, plus a few unique quirks. 

The thing I liked about this book in comparison to some other male dominated contemporary YA that I've read recently is that the pop culture references were kept to a minimum.  I think that's a really smart tactic, because it keeps the book from getting dated too quickly.  Things that were mentioned aren't things that will go away anytime soon like the mom messing up the name of Wikipedia, calling it Flickipedia.  That was pretty funny too.

This book contains some "mature themes".  Because of that and some language, I would recommend this one to older YA readers only.  That said, I think this book would appeal to a lot of high school kids. 

2 in 1: The Pajama Diaries & Seriously, Just Go to Sleep

I have 2 family friendly books for you today.  One is perfect for the moms out there and the other is perfect for the kiddos.

The Pajama Diaries 

Author: Terri Libenson

Publisher: TJ Studios Ltd

Date of Publication: June 2011

The nationally syndicated comic strip, Pajama Diaries, details the personal life of Jill Kaplan, a contemporary working mom trying to juggle it all-work life, family life, and sex life (or lack thereof)-without going completely bonkers. The characters age in real time so readers can enjoy and relate to each new challenge that awaits Jill and her family. The Pajama Diaries: Déjà To-Do! is the author's first book collection to mark the strip's fifth year of syndication. It contains all-time favorite full-color daily and Sunday strips. Multitasking families everywhere will certainly see themselves in this funny, contemporary cartoon.

I had a hard time reading The Pajama Diaries without bursting out with major giggles.  For anyone who is a mom, working or stay at home, you will appreciate this book!  While I enjoyed the entire book, I would have to say two of my favorites are "Contents of a Child's Lunch box: Morning vs Afternoon" and  the one with the checklist for figuring out if a child is sick enough to stay home from school.  I have that same checklist that I use often!

I can't imagine that any mom would be able to read these strips without finding something they can relate to as well. Several of the strips resemble my life so much it is scary.  There are even some strips that the dads out there will be able to nod their heads at while they are reading. I haven't seen the author's comic strip in the paper, but I will be looking for it in the future. This would make a great birthday gift or even a just thinking of you gift for that special hardworking mom.  If you are in need of a good laugh pick this one up!

Seriously, Just Go to Sleep

Author: Adam Mansbach & Ricardo Cortes

Publisher: Akashic Books

Date of Publication: April 2012

Critical success for the original Go the F*** to Sleep, a #1 best seller at: New York Times, Amazon.com, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and many more!Seriously, Just Go to Sleep is the G-rated, traditional-sized, children's version of the book every parent has been talking about. Go the F*** to Sleep, the picture book for adults, became a cultural sensation by striking a universal chord for parents. Now, Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortes do a companion volume that lets kids in on the fun."

Last summer, I reviewed the adult version of the book, Go the Fuck to Sleep. While I thoroughly enjoyed that one, I was curious to see what the kid version would look like.   I can safely say that Seriously, Just Go to Sleep is very kid friendly and one I think all kids will enjoy.  The illustrations are done really well and really help enhance the story.  I read this to my son, who has a lot of trouble staying in bed at times and he got a kick out of the book.  If you are looking for a good bedtime story, pick this one up and read it to the kids.  I think you will both enjoy it.

Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

by:  Adam Rex
published by:  Balzer + Bray
publish date:  July 27, 2010

Doug Lee is undead quite by accident--attacked by a desperate vampire, he finds himself cursed with being fat and 15 forever. Then he meets the new Indian exchange student and falls for her--hard. Yeah, he wants to bite her, but he also wants to prove himself to her.

I've had this book on my shelf for quite awhile and I've wanted to read it, but it's just kept getting skipped over.  When I found the audiobook at the library, I knew that was the sign that it was time to get it off the shelf.  The audiobook was very well done, well acted out.

The story for the most part was good.  It was really funny.  Fat Vampire is a spoof on the traditional vampire story.  The sexy vampire thing isn't happening here.  It kinda made me think of that old movie Once Bitten. 

There was a lot going on with Sejal, the exchange student.  However, I ended up being kinda disappointed that there was nothing paranormal going on with her.  It seemed like there was some kind of build up to it, that there was something secret she was hiding, but it turned out to be nothing of consequence to the story.  It was like a big dud to me.

Fat Vampire was a good break from all the serious books I tend to read.  It was fun to listen to silliness for a change.  I noticed after that I've started looking more in the Humor section of the audiobooks.  What other humorous books did you enjoy?