Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Jan 14, 2009

brian rated it:

I am sooooo excited to get down to my local bookstore and pick this up. Hodgman's last book is brilliant and I am such a big fan of his intellect and wit. Can't wait.

Update: Finished the book. Great stuff, but on this second time around (not in reading this particular book, but in me indulging in Hodgman's brilliance), I think I would prefer *watching* Hodgman perform this book rather than me slogging through this read.

32 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 15, 2008

Jamie rated it:

You may remember that fairly recently comedian and minor TV personality John Hodgman wrote a parody of reference books called The Areas of My Expertise, which I reviewed. Hodgman's dry wit and ability to generate random and sublimely absurd claims made that book funny enough, so when he released his follow-up More Information Than You Require I grabbed it up.

In just about every way, More Information is more of the same. Indeed, Hodgman even continues the page numbering from his prior b More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 26, 2011

Lavender rated it:

I obtained this book and shipped it all the way out to a hot, dry, sandy Middle Eastern land which shall remain nameless because my boyfriend is maniacally protective of OPSEC, even when the OP is concluded and he's been home for several months (thankfully without PTSD...so far.) I won't even tell you which branch of the military he's in, except to say that it's the branch of the military that nobody ever remembers when discussing branches of the military, and to tell you that its official mott More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Nov 29, 2010

Derek rated it:

Hodgman's sequel to The Areas of My Expertise is just as funny as its predecessor. He perfectly captures the tone (and the effortless shift in narration from first person to second to third) of all of my favorite sources of weird facts from childhood: the Guinness Book of World Records, the Ripley's Believe It or Not feature in the Sunday comics, and their ilk, with the added bonus that all of the facts are fake. Or are they?

It's hard to pick out a quotation to illustrate how amusing More...

0 comments like

Jan 14, 2010

George rated it:

My wife brought this home from the library for me based solely on the facts that I enjoy trivia and that she was pretty sure I had said some nice things about John Hodgman at some point. I have not read "The Areas of My Expertise," this book's predecessor, so I went in with no idea of what I was getting myself into. This book, a compendium of false information, is absurdist, ludicrous fun. Much like the almanacs that inspired it (in particular, the wonderful "Book of Lists" s More...

0 comments like

Jun 22, 2009

Alan rated it:

A REVIEW, comprising two LISTS (one True and one False), of John Hodgman's More Information than You Require.

List the first:
1. It has nothing but kind things to say about modern-day troubador and Internet sensation Jonathan Coulton.
2. Pages 296-299 are actually made from pressed prosciutto (in hardback; domestic bacon was used for the paperback edition, and the audiobook contains merely a bacon-scented backscratcher).
3. Every copy of said hardback edition comes pack More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 16, 2009

Chris rated it:

FACT: The Declaration of Independence was not the original creation of Thomas Jefferson, but was instead inspired by the work of Mole-Man declarationists.

FACT: The true sport of kings, and the only one of which a professional gambler will avail himself, is that of hermit crab racing.

FACT: Andrew Jackson was the first president to wear a necklace of human skulls at his inauguration.

FACT: The first moon landing was achieved in 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte stepped on More...

0 comments like

Jan 04, 2009

Landstander rated it:

How could you be aware of it if THEY do not want you to know?

The second volume of John Hodgman's compendium of complete world knowledge is much the same as the first. As it turns out, this is a very good thing, as The Areas of My Expertise was surely the greatest work detailing both the strange but true saga of the hobos and pigeon foot and lobster claw deformities of our time. Mr. Hodgman's dry wit brings to mind a latter-day, less homosexual Oscar Wilde. His stunningly false infor More...

0 comments like

Aug 22, 2009

Geoff rated it:

Absolutely brilliant and absurd. John Hodgman is the humorist that is perfect for our time. The book can be summed up with his quote, "while the truth may be stranger than fiction, it is never as strange as lies . . . or as true."

Hodgman continues right where he left off in 'The Areas of My Expertise' (Indeed, the book starts on page 423 or so) and takes us further down a fantastic world that I only wish existed. He teaches about sure-fire ways to win at casinos, cryptozool More...

0 comments like

Jan 23, 2009

Agathafrye rated it:

The continuation of "The Areas of My Expertise," in fact, the book even starts on page 237, one page after "Areas" ends. Mr. Hodgman is still obsessed with ferrets and their cons, mole men, and hobos. A sample quote: "My name is John Hodgman; you live on the planet Earth; and everything is going to be fine."

Audiobook? CAN'T. WAIT.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 12, 2009

Dawn rated it:

Hobos and mole-men and nutrient slime, oh my! John Hodgman’s latest fake trivia opus (which doubles as a daily calendar) continues where "The Areas of My Expertise" left off, both in spirit and in page numbers (it begins with page 237). Among the COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE discussed are: the American electoral process (and the importance of nutrient slime); a summary of all the presidents (including which had hooks for hands); advice on how to be famous; and an examination of mole-man hi More...

0 comments like

Dec 31, 2009

Chris rated it:

Funny. Not as funny as the first book in this... series. BUT FUNNY NONETHELESS.

I remember reading Areas of My Expertise and constantly being struck by the astounding absurdity of Hodgman's deadpan. (To be more literal, I laughed so hard my ribs hurt and I may have slipped out of my chair once or twice. That could have been the ether, though.) This volume is no less deadpan (deadpanny?), with some really funny material about forks and computers and corn, but unfortunately, it's often More...

0 comments like

Aug 31, 2009

Joseph rated it:

There's not a whole lot to distinguish this from Hodgman's last work. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. His stodgy-professor-of-the-bizarre schtick is still hysterical, although I'm a little concerned by his insistence that he's working on a third book. Comedians say that doing something three times is funny, but if the repetitiveness of More... is any indication, Hodgman has given this horse all the flogging it can handle. Specifically, the mole man history wasn't as good as the More...

0 comments like

Feb 10, 2009

Erica rated it:

I enjoyed this book much more than its predecessor, The Areas of My Expertise, which I found amusing but got tired of fairly quickly. I was concerned the same thing would happen with More Information Than You Require as it is a continuation, starting on page 237 where the first book left off. However, although I could have skipped over the parts dealing with mole-men or "What to Expect While Serving on A Jury", I really enjoyed the stories which could actually have been about John More...

0 comments like

Apr 30, 2009

Jamie rated it:

The PC guy from the Apple ads is not just a minor television personality - he's a comedic writer! This book is a really enjoyable, although it's more of a coffee table book, because it's filled with random bits of information and advice. None of the information is factual, but Hodgman will have you believe they are rare secrets that may or may not benefit you. He tells you how to cook an owl, how to play roulette ("always bet on African American" according to Wesley Snipes), how to More...

2 comments like

Mar 17, 2010

Bill rated it:

When reading a Hodgman book, you know exactly what you're getting into: a hilarious faux-almanac cooked up with a wealth of tweaked facts and imitation classed-up English. I will say, however, this time around I got a little weary of the "fact for a day" on each page. I get the gag, some of them were really good, but being a traditionalist (and kind of an asshole at times) I get a little burnt out on the "let me find a good stopping place on this page to read the little tidbit in More...

0 comments like

Nov 23, 2008

Ryan rated it:

John Hodgman is a funny, funny man. I liked this book, though it didn't quite approach the absurdist and hilarious shock value of his inaugural almanac of fake trivia, The Areas of My Expertise. (My favorite bit from that first book comes from a list of failed palindromes: "Slow speed, deep owls.")
While there are faux factual lists, tables, and footnotes aplenty here, there are also some anecdotes from Hodgman's life, which, while obviously exaggerated (running down the street af More...

0 comments like

Nov 28, 2011

Tom rated it:

I will loosely categorize this as non-fiction. The strengths of this book are how it using the format. It is richly self-referential, sending you back and forth if you'd like, or to the earlier The Areas of My Expertise. It also has a running "This Day in History" segment, so that the book could double as a page-a-day calendar, if you're willing to destroy a book in the process.

Some parts get a little tedious (700 Mole Men names), but other parts are surprisingly personal. I More...

0 comments like

Nov 29, 2008

Suzie rated it:

Were you aware?

This is the second compendium of complete world knowledge (a.k.a. fake trivia) from Hodgman. You may know him as The Daily Show's resident expert or as the PC from Apple's "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads. If you are someone who enjoys overeducated, referential jokes about subjects such as the AC/DC electricity battle between Westinghouse and Edison, you will enjoy this. If you enjoyed the last book, you will enjoy this. There are more modern references in "Mor More...

2 comments like

Dec 28, 2008

Erica rated it:

When I heard that John Hodgman was coming out with a new book, I was excited to read it. I probably should have listened to the rest of the interview to know exactly what I was getting myself into. Hodgman is at his funniest when sharing anecdotes or quirky stories but unfortunately that's only a small fraction of this book. This is an encyclopedia of fictitious "facts". While some of the facts are witty most are just ridiculous- like Hodgman jotted down whatever came to mind. (I' More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 10, 2010

Katie rated it:

Umm... apparently FAKE trivia is really only funny for like half of a chapter. As a rule, I love trivia books; I learn a lot of random facts. The only thing that I learned reading this book is that I truly have no connection with 'Mac' people. The author of this book is the "I'm a PC" guy from the Mac commercials. At first I thought that was neat, and it would be really interesting. I was mistaken. Mole People influencing Thomas Jefferson is just not something I can take for an e More...

0 comments like

Jan 01, 2010

Fuzzy rated it:

I think that my enjoyment of More Information Than You Require, sequel to John Hodgman's book of fake trivia The Areas of My Expertise, was enhanced by having seen him read some selections from the book before I read it, and so I was hearing his inimitable voice in my head throughout the book. So perhaps the best way to enjoy it is in what he calls the "audioback" version. I can't be sure—having just finished the paper version I'm not going to go back and listen to all 20 or whatever h More...

0 comments like

Apr 13, 2011

David rated it:

Hilarious audiobook. Having Hodgman read aloud really brings out the wry humor with his characteristic fake expertise. The best part is all the guest interaction and bonus material though! Jonathan Coulton (a long-time college buddy of Hodgman, sings a few good topical humor songs in the book), Paul Rudd, Ricky Gervais, Zach Galifianakis, and plenty other funny cameos make this audiobook almost like sketch comedy.

Generally very funny throughout! Particularly if you're aware of the real More...

0 comments like

Dec 22, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

A very silly, very funny book. I sped through this in just 3 days, so it may have been the case that I was just really in the mood for something to make me laugh. But man, there were so many little "factoids" that had me, literally, laughing out loud and reading them to my husband, who also laughed out loud. Not everything works, of course. I skipped the list of 700 Mole-Men names and, in general, found the Mole-Men bits all a bit too over-the-top. But for the most part, this book of c More...

0 comments like

Aug 30, 2009

Angie rated it:

although i truly believe that john hodgman is a funny man, and i would wholeheartedly recommend that he be seen live and in person, i was disappointed to find this book was more "contently amusing" than "wildly hilarious". dont get me wrong - there were a few parts that made me laugh out loud (and usually at the most inopportune moments), but as a whole, it offered more of a hearty smile. a fun read though, and if you enjoy made up facts about mole-men, the first black pres More...

0 comments like

Oct 06, 2011

Andrew rated it:

Read the cover and dust jacket first

There's no question John Hodgman is a funny guy. The question readers ask themselves should be instead: can a book that is one long, run-on joke keep me interested for its duration? The answer is probably no, but who can say? I recommend looking at the dust jacket, seeing if the hyper-witticisms and multiple entendres are funny, and then decide if you are going to bite in. Because when he says he is going to list 700 mole-man names, he means i More...

0 comments like

Jul 27, 2011

Ubalstecha rated it:

To read a John Hodgman book is to laugh and chuckle at the silliness and absurdity of it all. But to listen to the audio book is like getting to listen to a comedy album version of the book.

Read by the author, Hodgman is not content to simply read his text to us. Instead, he is joined by a variety of special guests, most notably Jonathan Coulton, to skip though the novel. There are musical accompaniments, sarcastic banter and dramatically reenacted scenes.

If YouTube proves to be true, some More...

0 comments like

Mar 03, 2009

Dale rated it:

I'm really grooving on these books of fake trivia by John Hodgman, and it will be a dry three years or so waiting for the third and (hopefully not) final volume to be released. I enjoy this stuff so much that I scoured the book for extra material to read and found the taxonomic chart inside the dust cover, and read that, too. (TRUE FACT.) I was simultaneously delighted and horrified to realize that (a) Hodgman dropped a bunch of hardcore geek-speak, unexplained, into said chart, and (b) I did More...

0 comments like

Nov 19, 2008

Dru rated it:

The first half is better than The Areas of My Expertise. It's the sort of thing I could quote endlessly, especially his bit on the Founding Fathers ("Advocates of strong, central government, such as Alexander Hamilton, believed the president should serve for life and wear golden robes and live in a bank.") and facts about Teddy Roosevelt ("Roosevelt began every day by wrestling his entire cabinet and throwing them out the window. He accidentally killed Secretary of War Elihu Root More...

0 comments like

Apr 28, 2009

Brendan rated it:

The title of the book gives you a sense of its breadth and scope. Hodgman’s book is truly a COMPENDIUM OF WORLD KNOWLEDGE. There are lots of hilarious bits, but I’ll comment on just a few themes and ideas:

* I love the continued numbering that puts this book in concert with the previous book, AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE. The last book in the series purports to be forthcoming: THAT IS ALL.
* Throughout the book, JH has “this day in history” almanac entries. Here’s my favorit More...

0 comments like

reviews