Pamela

I've always liked Steve Martin, but it wasn't until I started to read his books that I can say I LOVE Steve Martin. And this book, more than even the fiction he's written, reminds me of what a great talent he is.

I'm not a celebrity watcher so I was hesitant about this one. I finally decided I'd try it because I thought it might be sort of funny. Yes, there's humor but this much more about an era. I was zapped right back to my adolescence and early adulthood spent watching Saturday Night Live and learning to do the "Tut" walk. It's a great book if you get the references (does everybody remember the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band?) but even if you don't it's a revelation on how comedians are created (or create themselves) from their circumstances. Seldom are we priviledged enough to really get into someone else's head, but you'll want to crawl inside this one and enjoy looking around. Loved it.

I've never figured out how people can so cleanly separate the personal and the professional, so this business book really appeals to me because it can benefit both. It's told with lots of examples and in a easily digestible style so that it doesn't come across as either a text book, or in a please-fix-me-I'm-broken way. About two thirds of the way through I stopped and used the technique they had just talked about to apply it to an honest to goodness issue I was having - -and dang it if I don't feel like I've got a good solution in the bag. Definitely worth the credit I spent on it if only for helping to remove one nagging doubt from the sackful of other doubts. The narrator is pleasant and helps to keep the appropriate pace.

I've enjoyed David Sedaris for a long time now, and this book is no exception. It holds true to what one expects from Sedaris: it's clever, cutting, funny, and when you often least expect it, poignant. It's not quite as purely flat out funny like some of his other autobiographical experiences, but there's enough here to give his many fans a feeling of being back with their old buddy, and enough pure witty moments to gain converts. This is also one of those books that I think you can appreciate even more if you listen to each of the stories with a break in between. Too much snarky can be tiring, but it's always fun.

UGH! I'm so confused. It's good, not great. It's boring and fascinating. It's clever but kind of cheats to be smart. You should take your time, but hurry along.

This well written, but overly long book has such a clever premise that the actuality of it is a bit of a disappointment. And even with that criticism, the heart of this book is smart and well written, but just requires a lot of patience. I did have more than a few times when I felt like this was a cheat being able to start over just as your character is painted into the proverbial corner, but then she does a wonderful job transmitting the agony of war and loss you're so curious about how our hero's life will be different. This is definitely a long car ride, meandering vacation, listen, but then again, if you put it down for too long you forget where you are when life replays itself.

This is a TRULY BRITISH book. If you're an Anglophile (or entranced with British history shows), you may have more patience with this one than I had.

This long, winding book tackles so many uncomfortable topics in such a mystical way it is sometimes like you're reading an x-rated nursery rhyme. You squirm your way through some difficult concepts that the author manages by not quite telling you whether you're dealing with reality, dream, or divinity. But each and every character is relatable and empathetic and as we move from one character to the other I found myself longing to hurry to get back, then melting into the new character only to be snapped back again.

My only real criticism is the British narration that makes some characters sound like they're from Dickens, not Murakami. Even this is not enough of a distraction to prevent enjoying this incredible, but slightly mind-boggling book.

This is a long complicated story, interwoven with a lot of side events, mysticism, and a very small segment of the worst brutality chronicled on paper. I was introduced to this classic after having read, and liked, 1Q84, but this one is even stranger. It takes so much patience, not one of my strong suits, but I was so curious and invested in the title character there was no way I was going to abandon the book which meant I had to invest time in each of the multiple side stories. The most interesting thing about this book is that, even with its sometimes mystical overtones, it's really a "guy" book - - there are military and sexual side stories that are very masculine in tone. I mean that as a point of interest not as a deterrent for women. Unlike most books I read, I cannot send out a blanket endorsement, but if you have a taste for the strange and a strong stomach, this one will work.

Like a lot of people, I was a bit surprised to learn this had beaten out some really famous and important works - - but after an hour, I know why. This story is like having the world's best coffee and donuts with your absolute best friend who is finally letting you in on all the secrets of her life. She's an amazing writer - - no kidding, just listen to her music. But just like that music, this is deeply personal, stunningly honest, painful and uplifting. Hearing this one, with Janis singing pieces of the story, allows you to be not a just a witness to her life, but a participant. Love this one.

I like Kevin Smith despite myself - - and him. The essence of this guy is a really sweet, funny, and ridiculously smart "artist" as he insists on calling himself and others. The need to slip into 6th grade boy humor and more swear words per square inch then you can believe possible doesn't prevent even a quasi-prude like me from really enjoying the person who lies at the heart of this "artist." If you've seen and liked any of his films like Chasing Amy or Clerks (or my personal favorite: Dogma) then you'll really like this book as well. What makes it more special is that he occasionally goes off script and you get that spontaneous humor that makes him so entertaining. If you like his movies, you'll like this man, and you'll like this book and agree with him: he's an artist.

I was surprised and delighted that being a food watcher like me wasn't necessary to enjoy this book. It's such a study of honest contrasts with triumphs and flaws given equal weight. The opposites of African/Swede, confidence/self-doubt, and devoted family man/absent father, all add up to one of the more honest and interesting memoirs I've ever read. Yes, this is read rather haltingly by the author - - I kept reminding myself he's a chef, not an actor. But somehow, the accent, the burst of languages, and the sometimes choppy reading just adds to the fragility of feelings and understanding of the contrasts in his heritage and life experiences. I am very happy to have heard rather than read this book. I think this is how this one should be consumed. An Audible "credit" well spent.

My patience for Anthony Bourdain and his nose-in-the-air attitude about all things food has limits...and this book ended EXACTLY when they were reached. I don't think openly admitting you're a jerk and then acting like a jerk exempts you, but it does make listening to the wonderful writing much easier for people like me who like the behind the scenes stories of restaurants that I'll never eat in.

The man is funny, erudite, and so ridiculously opinionated you can almost forgive him anything. Almost. But this book is really for people with a high tolerance for all things food who aren't afraid of a lot of bad language and brutal attacks on perfectly fine people that Tony has decided are beneath him. This book goes well with a spoonful of sugar.

I'll admit being disappointed with the last book in this series (Odd Apocolypse), but this one hit a more familiar note. It doesn't have the wonderful humor of the previous additions, but it does introduce us to a new character that you couldn't help but love. What can I say - - I'm a sucker for a plucky kid.

Trying not to give too much away in a review (I just hate when people do that!), returning to a less eerie and more towards a science fiction-y premise serves the series well.

Last bit - - can we just get on with the mystery permanently-pregnant-teen-age-earth-mother character already?