Reading and Sh*t.

Recently I received an email from a woman who worked at Hachette Book Group, a not-so-diminutive publishing house which Americans may know better by their Little Brown marque. It seems this lady had read my blog (amazing in and of itself), and thought my blog was funny. Or, at least she thought it funny enough to think, "Hey! I should send this guy some of our humor books! If I do, perhaps he'll even write about them on his blog!?"

Well, call me a shill, but she did send the books, and I'll now write about one of them. After all, I used to review movies and wines, why not an occasional book? Now if only someone from Cunard would write to offer me free First Class accommodations on the Queen Mary 2! You can bet your patootey that this blog would be re-titled, "Cunard Is The Greatest Thing Ever".

Of the three books she sent to me, I've only had the opportunity to read one. It's titled, "Is it Just Me or is Everything Shit?" It seems that this is the Americanized version of a hugely popular book in the U.K. Or, at least it's popular enough that they've printed a Volume Two. I was drawn to the book for three reasons. The first being that I often think that much of modern society is a load-a crap...and my observations form the basis for quite a number of my postings. The second is that for the U.S. edition of this book (How do you shorten it? "I.I.J.M.O.I.E.S."? "Shit"?) the publishers called on the pen of Brendan Hay, a one-time writer for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Simpsons, so I'm thinking to myself, "It's got to be funny." Lastly, I am, with very few exceptions (read: The Benny Hill Show, Are You Being Served? and No, Honestly) a fan of British humor. Having lapped up everything from Dave Allen to Monty Python, from Alas Smith and Jones to the Blackadder*, I imagined that this book would hit my funny bone.

Now, when you read the words "for fuck's sake", or "fucktard" there is one thing you can be assured of: the writers are British. Both terms are liberally sprinkled throughout the pages. So this book - while edited for a U.S. audience - still has plenty of humour. The observations are, for the most part, dead on. And, again, for the most part, their riffs on modern life are pretty damn funny. But the book is a lot like a Whitman's Sampler Pack. Some of the offerings are incredibly indulgent, while some are just not to my taste. That, and like the Whitman's, you best not consume it in one sitting...or it's going to make you sick. This book is best consumed a few bites at a time.

So, if you're looking for a stocking stuffer for that curmudgeon on your list, or looking for a good addition to your lavatory library, I'd suggest checking out this title. As for me, I'm going to sit here and wait until I get that call from Cunard!

*Blackadder is easily the funniest show ever to grace a television on either side of the pond. And before you go off saying, "Hey! That's not British! Rowan Atkinson is from Australia!" Let me just say this: "No he isn't, that's a popular misconception", or "Even if he was, it was broadcast on the BBC", or "Get an f-ing life". Feel free to take your pick

And now you can go off to humor-blogs.com with my blessings.