The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes the McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes the McSweeney's J...
As John Hodgman says in this book's introduction, “We all know that books are funny. First, they are made of paste and cloth, which is fun... read full description
reviews
Nov 17, 2007
Laura
rated it: 
Another volume of humor from the fabulous McSweeney's folks, this one filled with essays, lists, epistolary stories, and the like relating to books and authors. Like a lot of the McSweeney's humor stuff, the pieces in here tend to be hit or miss; either you're laughing uproariously in inappropriate locations like the subway, or sort of arching one eyebrow going, "Hm." But when a piece in here hits, boy does it ever hit.
Among the hits: Re: Hardy Boys Manuscript Submission, More...
Among the hits: Re: Hardy Boys Manuscript Submission, More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 21, 2011
Monica
rated it:
As John Hodgman says in this book's introduction, “We all know that books are funny. First, they are made of paste and cloth, which is funny, as is the fact that people still buy and read them.”
Altough this collection has a few misses, the hits are enough to give it a permanent place on any book lover's bathroom shelf. Examples:
HARDY BOYS MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION: editor, noting that while it was admirable for the author of the latest Hardy Boys story to try and bring a co More...
Altough this collection has a few misses, the hits are enough to give it a permanent place on any book lover's bathroom shelf. Examples:
HARDY BOYS MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION: editor, noting that while it was admirable for the author of the latest Hardy Boys story to try and bring a co More...
Jun 28, 2008
Tina
rated it:
I gotta bump this back up to a 4. Rereading "RE: Hardy Boys Manuscript Submission," by by Jay Dyckman out of the book this morning. And giggled profusely and with complete immaturity at:
"Page 50: Colorful banter between the brothers is, of course, is expected. Please reconsider, however, whether Joe would tell Frank to 'grow a pair.' Further, Joe would not dismiss Frank's suggestion to call for help with, 'Step off, bitch. I know what I'm doing.'"
"Page 50: Colorful banter between the brothers is, of course, is expected. Please reconsider, however, whether Joe would tell Frank to 'grow a pair.' Further, Joe would not dismiss Frank's suggestion to call for help with, 'Step off, bitch. I know what I'm doing.'"
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 23, 2010
Ashley
rated it: 
Jake and I saw this at the bookstore, and I was inclined toward a favorable opinion of it simply because I loved Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney's Book of Lists. This one was funny, and I particularly liked many of the pieces near the beginning of the book.
I consider myself reasonably well-read for a person of my age (and I chalk that up mostly to majoring in English), but I was pretty lost with quite a few of the bits. If you're going to like this book, I recommend having More...
I consider myself reasonably well-read for a person of my age (and I chalk that up mostly to majoring in English), but I was pretty lost with quite a few of the bits. If you're going to like this book, I recommend having More...
May 17, 2008
Martin
rated it:
uneven, but forgivable because of some really brilliant work. in other words, what you would expect from the folks at mcsweeney's.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 12, 2008
Erin
rated it: 
I had high hopes for this book because a co-worker had recommended it to me and had me read one little section from it which was quite funny. However, the rest of the book was largely a disappointment. So much so that I must confess I quit reading it about two-thirds of the way through. I usually felt like I really should have paid more attention in my high-falutin' literature classes in college because I was definitely missing something. Ironically, one of the spoofs on why Shakespeare want
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 12, 2008
Maggie
rated it:
As John Hodgman writes in the book's introduction, "(T)hese are all original pieces of humorous writing that are joined together merely by their appreciation of the intrinsic and unique hilariousness of books...We all know that books are funny. First, they are made of paste and cloth, which is funny, as is the fact that people still read and buy them. Also, books connote a sort of intellectual stuffiness, which is always easy and appealing to make fun of. It's humanizing."
H More...
H More...
May 20, 2008
Michael
rated it:
A fun collection of writings especially appealing to the book lover (obviously) and the book snob most of all. There is some variety in the quality of the pieces, and some are much more obvious than others. (Having Klingon fairy tale titles like "Old Mother Hubbard, Lacking the Means to Support Herself with Honor, Sets Her Disruptor on Self-Destruct and Waits for the Inevitable" or " The Hare Foolishly Lowers His Guard and Is Devastated by the Tortoise, Whose Prowess in Battle Att
More...
Sep 20, 2010
Alex
rated it:
The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes by McSweeney's: When Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney's Book of Lists hit book shelves with the cover of a triumphant, ethereal, blue, rearing unicorn, readers curiously started reading and then found themselves bursting with laughter, buying the book, and entertaining friends with it. The editors of McSweeney's return with The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes; and if the title doesn't capture your interest, maybe the cover of a plucked headless
More...
Jun 02, 2009
Kristine
rated it:
I think most of it is hilarious, but it's definitely not for everyone. Short pieces which range from potty humor which made my 8- and 11-year-old sons crack up, to foul-mouthed rants (still funny), to literate jokes for well-read dorks. Chapters include "John Paul Sartre, 911 Operator"; "The Five Most Dangerous Children's Books Ever Written According to Sean Hannity"; "Winnie-the-Pooh is My Coworker"; and "Popular Children's Fairy Tales Reimagined Using Membe
Feb 25, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
A book bought for me by my father for Christmas. The book is a collectin of essays and short pieces centered around books that are hilarious. SOme pieces appealed to me more than others, the modernized Hardy Boys , Jane Eyre- presidential candidate and Shakespeare's relationship on lawyers made me laugh out loud. I enjoyed all the pieces but there was a higher percentage of Joyce jokes than I would have desired. Overall, it was a really fun read.
Mar 02, 2009
Heather
rated it:
I found this one slightly easier to tear through than Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans, for some reason. There were occasional pieces concerning literary works I've never read. Interestingly, some of them were still funny, though I had no basis for the parody. The others, though. WHEW. Sometimes I'd wonder if I really NEEDED to read all of the words on the page to still claim I'd read the book. I did, though, and there's enough solid book humor in here to please most readers.
May 12, 2009
Jamie
rated it:
Some parts of this book make me laugh out loud ("Winnie The Pooh is my co-worker" and "Bedtime Stories by Thom Yorke") while some essays make me feel like I'm not well read. I'm sorry I don't get the James Joyce and John Updike references. But I guess that's what McSweeney's does best, geeky literary humor that either hits dead on or goes completely over your head, depending on who you are.
Oct 12, 2009
Mia
rated it:
As with any collection like this, there are pieces that are brilliant and pieces that fall flat. I have a particular fondness for reworked books humor -- great lit as choose-your-own-adventure, famous authors' letters to the editor or script proposals for sit-coms, legal arguments based on Shakespearian plots, etc.-- so there was quite a bit that I found very funny.
Jan 12, 2009
Derek
rated it:
As you might expect from a multi-authored collection such as this, it's pretty hit or miss. But the hits are fantastic. Personal favorites include "Social Security Denies Gregor Samsa's Disability Claim" and the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure versions of classic American authors. Also, Dina is surprisingly good at "Ikea Product or Lord of the Rings Character?"
Nov 15, 2009
Samuel
rated it:
Some of these are trite, and some are great ideas thinly executed (Cormac McCarthy's letter to his city council complaining about a traffic light is lots of fun, but frankly, I could do a better job of it), but a good half of these entries are just plain genius and make the whole book worth it.
Jan 13, 2009
Vincent
rated it: 
Dear Sirs and Madams,
If self-reflective sap stories with an overwhelming dose of awkwardness are what pass for jokes in this so-called "post-ironic" era, we all need to reflect on the unreadable results our philosophic shift has caused and tremble.
S,
V
If self-reflective sap stories with an overwhelming dose of awkwardness are what pass for jokes in this so-called "post-ironic" era, we all need to reflect on the unreadable results our philosophic shift has caused and tremble.
S,
V
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 25, 2009
Carla
rated it:
Don't you want to find out what happenend to Goofus and Gallant?
Wouldn't you like to read about the earlier epic battles of Grendel's mother? Or Portrait of the Artist as a middle-aged TOEFL teacher.
It's nice to laugh....
Wouldn't you like to read about the earlier epic battles of Grendel's mother? Or Portrait of the Artist as a middle-aged TOEFL teacher.
It's nice to laugh....
Jan 09, 2010
Steven
rated it:
A collection of humor writings from McSweeney's.
Extremely funny stuff - humor pieces from a variety of writers about classic books, famous authors and the literary world (i.e., "Holden Caulfield Gives the Commencement Speech to a High School")
My favorites in this book:
"Winnie-the-Pooh is My Coworker"
"Ikea Product or Lord of the Rings Character?"
"The Very Unauthorized Biography of Steven Seagal"
"Joh More...
Extremely funny stuff - humor pieces from a variety of writers about classic books, famous authors and the literary world (i.e., "Holden Caulfield Gives the Commencement Speech to a High School")
My favorites in this book:
"Winnie-the-Pooh is My Coworker"
"Ikea Product or Lord of the Rings Character?"
"The Very Unauthorized Biography of Steven Seagal"
"Joh More...
Dec 31, 2010
Derek
rated it:
Some light reading to end the year. This is a very funny collection, but not something for the easily offended. My favorite -- possible prompts for creative writing exercises. Jean Paul Sartre as a 911 operator is pretty funny as well.
Jan 23, 2010
Denise
rated it:
I absolutely hated this book. I was so disappointed and I really tried to read it but after about 100 pages of reading (70 pages) and skimming (another 20 or so) I just gave up. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.
Jan 28, 2009
Barbara
rated it: 
Hysterically funny at times. The one about Grendel's Mom encountering the grocery clerk and the guidance counselor is worth the price alone.
Lit. humor. Some of it very, very wrong.
Lit. humor. Some of it very, very wrong.
Jan 15, 2009
Garland
rated it:
This book was clever and interesting at times, sometimes the devices were lazy or expected. The Coda to "To Kill a Mockingbird" was priceless, as was the portrait of Borges as a Webelo.
Dec 31, 2008
Nic
rated it:
I'm about halfway through this one. It's dopey, but good for a chuckle if you're a lit-head like me. Favorites: "Goofus, Gallant, Rashomon", "Winnie the Pooh is my Coworker" and "Lady MacBeth on Ambien."
Jan 29, 2010
Debs
rated it:
A must-have for anyone who loves humor and reading. A customer gave me a dramatic reading of the Bernstein bears section that had me laughing all afternoon.
Nov 08, 2011
Joanna
rated it:
A collection of humorous short fiction playing off literary themes. Sure to delight book nerds... especially the ones with English Lit degrees.
Feb 10, 2010
Erin
rated it:
Kindle download to iPhone = purse book (and, if I'm correct, my 2000 book on my goodreads list).
Amusing, some boring. Extra points for "Goofus, Gallant, Rashomon".
Amusing, some boring. Extra points for "Goofus, Gallant, Rashomon".
Mar 04, 2009
Virginia
rated it:
i like joke's, because they're funny. i like books, because they're wordy. two in one, who wins? i win.
Oct 04, 2009
Daniqua
rated it:
What I learned from this book...hmmmm...plucked headless chickens smoking make a hilarious book cover.
