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28th out of 58 books
—
32 voters
Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People
by
Amy Sedaris
America's most delightfully unconventional hostess and the bestselling author of I Like You delivers a new book that will forever change the world of crafting. According to Amy Sedaris, it's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In her new book, SIMPLE TIMES, she sets the record straight. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pl...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
November 2nd 2010
by Grand Central Publishing
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I struggle with this constant, nagging problem: I like the idea of living simply, and am fond of a clean-lines, sparse aesthetic. I like rooms with nothing in them but one large painting on the wall, a stack of books on the creaky wooden floors, and a bed with no frame tucked into the corner. Soothing. I find throwing things away or taking clothes to the drop box to be invigorating, and I generally agree with the argument that the less you own, the more clearly you can think. I know you're proba...more
Sep 07, 2011
Kindle-aholic
added it
I'm not sure what to rate this. It was bitingly funny in places, made me groan in a "She did not go there!" kind of way. Then there were a few actual crafts and recipes.
1 like · like · see review
This book took THREE FREAKIN' months to read, because I hated it.
The premise is funny: A book celebrating crafting in an ironic way. Like the author, I too hate crafting.
The problem is that the book is one, big inside Sedaris joke. I like David Sedaris and I liked Amy Sedaris' previous book, "I Like You: Entertaining Under the Influence" but I hated this one. I think the big difference between her last book and this book is the author's perspective.
In real life, Amy Sedaris enjoys cooking and...more
The premise is funny: A book celebrating crafting in an ironic way. Like the author, I too hate crafting.
The problem is that the book is one, big inside Sedaris joke. I like David Sedaris and I liked Amy Sedaris' previous book, "I Like You: Entertaining Under the Influence" but I hated this one. I think the big difference between her last book and this book is the author's perspective.
In real life, Amy Sedaris enjoys cooking and...more
This tongue-in-cheek guide to crafting is not for everyone. It jokingly gives tips and instructions on how to make various things, but never takes itself seriously, not should it. I loved the Ten Commandments of Crafting, which included, “Thou shalt not fill envelopes with glitter and confetti and send them through the mail.”
There’s one section that discusses “crafting for the hard-of-hearing.” Amy Sedaris literally yells this entire section on the audiobook, which is funny for about.02 seconds...more
There’s one section that discusses “crafting for the hard-of-hearing.” Amy Sedaris literally yells this entire section on the audiobook, which is funny for about.02 seconds...more
It took me a long time to get around to this book because I was disappointed that it wasn’t “I Like You” all over again. Delving a little deeper, it is very similar to “I Like You” after all, but the pleasures are smaller, less laugh-out-loud, but equally pleasing. There humorous sideswipes (inserting a winking aside into a serious statement) remain; to paraphrase an example: the problem with interior decorators is not that they are predominantly homosexual, but that they are so expensive. As th...more
This is a very funny, parody craft book by the authors of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. If you are expecting a serious crafting book which will teach you how to create amazing Christmas presents you have the wrong book. If you want a book that will make you laugh out loud then you have the right book. Many of the crafts are the kind of junky crafts you make a bad day camps – or even worse. For example the directions for “Rusty Nail Wind Chime” direct you to toss a bunch of nails i...more
Dear Amy. I loved your new book, Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People, but I have a few comments. First of all, I made your crab claw roach clips. Unfortunately, I was showing them off to some of my friends at a local restaurant when I noticed that the table of police officers at the next table were paying a lot of attention to my demonstration. Later, after lunch, they let me sit in the back of their police car while they looked through my van. On the plus side, I did get to make the siren wail...more
13 likes · like · see review
Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello, with plenty of assistance from crafters, costumers, photographers and other collaborators, have created a tidy package of eye-watering, urethra-loosening hilarity that is as highly-recommended as a Gene Woodchuck custom pipe.
Everything in this book is designed to elicit laughter, or at least a heartfelt WTF. From the spot-on costuming reminiscent of every bad 1970s McCalls how-to book, to the earnest-yet-absurdist copy, this volume lifted my mood so thoroughly that...more
Everything in this book is designed to elicit laughter, or at least a heartfelt WTF. From the spot-on costuming reminiscent of every bad 1970s McCalls how-to book, to the earnest-yet-absurdist copy, this volume lifted my mood so thoroughly that...more
I had high hopes for this book.
I read I Like You, and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was wacky and fun, but also at least a little bit useful. When I heard Amy Sedaris had a new book out, a book about crafting, I was really excited. I like to craft. Amy likes to craft. A wacky book about crafting by Amy Sedaris was sure to be FUN.
Sadly, no. This book is not so fun.
I think this book was an excuse for Amy Sedaris to dress up in horrible wigs and goofy costumes and have her photo taken. I think...more
I read I Like You, and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was wacky and fun, but also at least a little bit useful. When I heard Amy Sedaris had a new book out, a book about crafting, I was really excited. I like to craft. Amy likes to craft. A wacky book about crafting by Amy Sedaris was sure to be FUN.
Sadly, no. This book is not so fun.
I think this book was an excuse for Amy Sedaris to dress up in horrible wigs and goofy costumes and have her photo taken. I think...more
2 likes · like · see review
Ok.
So, while I think Amy Sedaris is a talented, hilarious and quirky woman - I also sometimes find her humour depressing - same for her brother David(?).
While I laughed a few times -- especially at the pic accompanying the Joy of Poverty section! I mostly found the crafts to be gross and tragically sad -- people have that in their homes!
I'm sure I also didn't like it because it was sort of late 60's mid 70's kind of stuff that just looks dirty and dusty and yucky too me. I just kept picturing t...more
So, while I think Amy Sedaris is a talented, hilarious and quirky woman - I also sometimes find her humour depressing - same for her brother David(?).
While I laughed a few times -- especially at the pic accompanying the Joy of Poverty section! I mostly found the crafts to be gross and tragically sad -- people have that in their homes!
I'm sure I also didn't like it because it was sort of late 60's mid 70's kind of stuff that just looks dirty and dusty and yucky too me. I just kept picturing t...more
1 like · like · see review
I really enjoyed Sedaris' previous book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. It was a real kick with some surprisingly helpful information. This new book was still really funny, but just not what I was expecting. I had really hoped to find some new, inexpensive crafts to make but instead, just found myself laughing at her "creations". It is NOT a book for kids.
The chapter "Making Love" is hysterical. The author states, "The craft of lovemaking is simple to initiate, yet difficult to ac...more
The chapter "Making Love" is hysterical. The author states, "The craft of lovemaking is simple to initiate, yet difficult to ac...more
It started out pretty funny and I appreciated the effort to make this audiobook something more than just reading a printed version. However, whenever an audiobook is obviously different I am left wondering what I'm missing from the original. I suppose that's good for the publisher, making someone need both versions, but I generally listen to audiobooks because I have no intention of making the effort to actually read the book. In this case I doubt much effort would be required, I feel like it ma...more
I got this book at a publishing industry holiday party, and you'd better believe that I snagged it the second I saw it on the "give a book, take a book" gift table. I actually made friends with a local radio producer whose skinny tie was green with envy that I had snatched it up before he'd had a chance, but hey, thems the breaks. I give him a sly "How much radio time will you give my authors?" kind of move, but it turns out that though I drove a hard bargain, he was not to be swayed. I guess jo...more
This was a pretty funny book- although I wouldn't say as good as "I Like You." I was able to read the book front to back relatively quickly, and the descriptions for some of the crafts are hilariously vague.
I guess what I love about the book is that it pokes fun at crafting books, in a sense that the crafts themselves aren't hard. In fact anyone can figure out how to make them just by looking at the picture. It is just simply no everyone is "creative" enough to think it up themselves. Of coarse...more
I guess what I love about the book is that it pokes fun at crafting books, in a sense that the crafts themselves aren't hard. In fact anyone can figure out how to make them just by looking at the picture. It is just simply no everyone is "creative" enough to think it up themselves. Of coarse...more
This wasn't really what I was expecting from a craft book, but I guess I should have since it's pretty much the essence of Amy Sedaris' humor. It's pretty weird and sometimes disgusting but you can't look away and you can't help laughing. There are lots of crafts for poor people interspersed with pictures of Amy doing some crazy weird shit. The book alternates between recipes for such delicacies as fudge and homemade sausage and instructions on how to make your very own milk carton Skid Row or a...more
Don't let the name of the book fool ya. This is a must have! I smiled through the whole book which is complete with full color photos and 100% wit. Amy, actually hates crafting but that didn't stop her from creating a fantastic read for crafters and non-crafters alike.
Amy has a sense of humor that may be lost on some but as long as you go in knowing she is TRYING TO BE FUNNY, you will love this beautiful book. Heck, she made a mobile, chime thing for babies using a tuna can!
Haahahaaaaa....I real...more
Amy has a sense of humor that may be lost on some but as long as you go in knowing she is TRYING TO BE FUNNY, you will love this beautiful book. Heck, she made a mobile, chime thing for babies using a tuna can!
Haahahaaaaa....I real...more
It was a real struggle to get through this! I love Amy Sedaris, and thought her first book (I Like You) was great. While the photos here are hilarious, I dreaded the text! And I thought that she had to dip into things that weren't crafting-related (sex, sausage making, baking) because she didn't have enough ground to cover with the crafts. And Jean and Gene Woodchuck had to go. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was done.
On the upside, there are one or two good recipes in here, and the photos (e...more
On the upside, there are one or two good recipes in here, and the photos (e...more
This craft book which targets crafts that poor people can afford to make is surely one-of-a-kind. And who better to explore the subject than Amy Sedaris! This audio version is enhanced by the sage advice of the Woodchucks, Gene and Jean, and by the musical interludes. You will learn about things that other craft books tend to ignore: the dangers of crafting, crafting for the handicapped and the insane, how to borrow others’ ideas when your imagination fails, crafts for rabbits, and so much more....more
I don't think I liked this one as much as "I Like You" but, it's full of humorous ideas, and Amy's comedic costumes, characters and writing. Interesting reading the contributors to see who among Amy's famous friends submitted ideas (like Stephen Colbert).
If you're not familiar with Amy's work, don't like your humor mixed with sex or drug references, or don't know how to take a joke...this book probably isn't for you.
And for the love of all crafts that are holy, this is not a book for people loo...more
If you're not familiar with Amy's work, don't like your humor mixed with sex or drug references, or don't know how to take a joke...this book probably isn't for you.
And for the love of all crafts that are holy, this is not a book for people loo...more
I could barely finish this scattered, silly, boring coffeetable piece of nonsense. I generally love irreverent, snarky books, and I think Amy Sedaris is hilarious, but this book does not work. She's poking a great deal of fun at the crafting community. There is a veritable vomitous of gingham throughout, many bent-over-big-butt (clothed) pictures, about two dozen random recipes thrown in, a section on rabbit-proofing your home, and large chapter on craftastic sex that isn't really very funny, lo...more
a hilarious pseudo-craft book in the same vein as her hilarious pseudo-entertaining book, except that i think this one was possibly a little extra hilarious. there are also numerous possibilities here for people lacking senses of humor to become offended, so read at your own risk, ever mindful of your own buzzkill quotient.
the whole time i was reading this, i kept thinking about the possibility that people would take the book seriously & some of this shit would end up on etsy. & then i r...more
the whole time i was reading this, i kept thinking about the possibility that people would take the book seriously & some of this shit would end up on etsy. & then i r...more
Amy Sedaris is hilarious. And this book confirms it. It's not a guide to real crafting for poor people. Well, mostly it's not. You could, if you wanted to, actually make one or two of these weird things. But that's not the point. This is more just an amazingly hilarious book full of ideas from the crackpot mind of Amy Sedaris. I imagine reading this is what it'd be like to take a walk through a junk shop with her. She'd be pointing to all the bizarre, useless items on the shelves and explaining...more
Oh how I love the Sedaris family. While I think her other book is still my favorite, this one doesn't fall too far behind. I listened to it on audio, which I don't think people know that the audiobooks read by Amy and David are just as amusing. They're like a total immersion package of the story. If you haven't listened to an audio book by Amy or David Sedaris I highly recommend it. I went to the store to look at the pictures in the book, which truly added to my full enjoyment. Crafts for Poor p...more
Apr 21, 2013
Jason Koivu
marked it as to-read
I got about a third of the way through and gave up. I'm just not into it. I love her brother's work, but hers just doesn't cut it for me. I think part of it is because I expect her to bring more of the funny and what she's doing here with this book is to bring a bit of the humor to a hobby that she enjoys. So part of my problem with it is that she's sincerely interested in crafting...and me? Not so much. I think a crafter would get quite a few laughs out of Simple Times. I'm not a crafter.
Ratin...more
Ratin...more
From my book review blog Rundpinne......"Absolutely hilarious as well as practical, Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris is a creative, hilarious, and at times irreverent look at almost every topic. The first thing I did upon receiving the book was just to read it. Sedaris is brilliantly hilarious and even if one chooses to make nothing from this book, Sedaris’ writing provides plenty of entertainment."....The full review may be found here.
I thought this book was going to be hilarious, but it didn't live up to my expectations. there were too many crafts involving Native Americans. yeah, I know this book is trying to parody crafting, and people do an awful lot of racist "indian" crafts that deserve to be called out. but Sedaris doesn't pull of that critique. also, the book wasn't very consistent - the narrator changed, for example - yet stupidly consistent - in its use of redundant/offesive monologues from "Gene and Jean."
on a posi...more
on a posi...more
I love the wacky work of Amy Sedaris, but this book was about twice as long as it needed to be. The intros are humorous, as are the photos, but most of the crafting ideas are throwaway, and many don't even have the instructions on how to do them. Even though this is a book making fun of crafting more than a how-to manual, it got very repetitive in the middle, and dissapated to ridiculous right about the time the sausage-making is introduced. Kind of a miss for me, and disappointing after I Like...more
As fans of my blog already know, I love certain crafts. I can't say I've ever been a huge fan of crafts that involve taking those extra things from around the house (or buying stuff some strange people still keep around the house---sugar cubes, for example) and making them into something even weirder than they already are. In other words: one time through elementary school was enough for me.
The wonderful thing about Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People is that you can make this journey through "...more
The wonderful thing about Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People is that you can make this journey through "...more
This book is so fabulous. I highly recommend it! The author is funny, sweet, and fearless. I am an avid crafter, and there is simply no better craft humor writer out there. Ok, so she may be the first and only one. She has so much passion for this subject and it really comes through. The book is raunchy and wild and bizarre so I would recomend it to adults and mature teens. That being said there are many projects that would be fantastic inspiration for kids crafts, especially because she is narr...more
So, Amy's first book "I Like You" is definitely superior, but darn it, I just can't help but love pretty much anything Amy Sedaris does. She is so absolutely kooky and free-spirited that, in my mind, she can pretty much do no wrong. If you're new to Amy Sedaris, I'd recommend checking out "I Like You" first. (BTW, the recipes in that book are terrific, esp. the macaroni and cheese...) Then watch some "Strangers with Candy" (her sadly short-lived series on Comedy Central.) If, after that, you are...more
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![Simple Times [With Earbuds] (Audio)](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347230396s/9995852.jpg)
Comedianne Amy Sedaris confronts vulgarity with a daring innocence to create her wickedly absurd characters. You may best remember her as America's most lovable skank, Jerri Blank, from the hyper-irreverent series Strangers With Candy. Raised in North Carolina,, Sedaris got her start at Second City in Chicago before moving to N.Y.C. to write plays with her brother, author David Sedaris, who has hi...more
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“Sometimes losing a pet is more painful than losing a human because in the case of the pet, you were not pretending to love it.”
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88 people liked it
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Jun 12, 2011 01:05pm
PS You guys are hilarious.
That is all.
Jan 03, 2013 01:17pm