Have you ever had one of those moments, when something so horribly awkward and embarrassing happens, you just want to crawl in a hole and die? Well, you’re not alone. This book is full of those moments. And as terrible as they may be when they happen to you, they’re pretty funny when they happen to someone else.
“A very entertaining little book. Makes a great travel companion or bathroom reader.”
“A delightful guilty pleasure.”
“These stories of utter embarrassment have universal appeal, because we have all been in one or more of these situations at one point or another in our lives.”
“The human experience, sliced and diced into microscopic short stories and cartoons that will make you laugh out loud.”
“Why do we like to laugh at other people’s misfortune? Who knows? But Germans even have a word for it: Schadenfreude.”
I don't even know what to say about this other than it sucks. It's marked as humor. Why? I have not a clue. 1 story was actually hilarious, another 2 made me crack a smile, and the rest made me wonder if evolution passed by the people who contributed the stories. I laughed more during my C-Section with the anesthesiologist than I did while reading this book. Seriously, he was a funny guy and we were cracking jokes while my husband stared at the 2 of us in horror. The stories were not really embarrassing, just people doing stupid things. If I wanted to read about stupid people doing stupid things I would just scroll through Facebook for the evening.
This book seems to be a compilation of stories given to the author to publish, as the writing style runs the gamut. Some of the stories I found to be quite humorous while others left me scratching my head and wondering why they were even in there. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the cartoons in between the stories. Mr. Gaspirtz is truly a talented cartoonist. And that is why I gave this book a 4 star instead of a 3 star.
If you're looking for some light bathroom reading (since most of the stories have to do with going to the bathroom) then this is the book for you.
* the author gave me this book in exchange of an honest review *
This book is a collection of embarrassing true stories and it mostly consists of people pooping themselves.
if you can tolerate the 4th grade poop jokes, somewhere towards the end of the book you'll stumble upon this gem :
"My boyfriend and I snort coke occasionally, to spice up our sex life. He and I got into a big fight one night. He tried to take the coke away from me, and I pulled a knife, threatened to kill him, and then threatened to cut my wrists instead. Then I locked myself in the bathroom. He called the cops, told them I threatened to kill myself, and that I was probably overdosing on drugs in the bathroom. The cops came and demanded I open the door. I did, and they took me in and had me committed to a suicide watch facility for 3 days "
what.the.fuck. how is that supposed to be funny and awkward and embarrassing?? how did anyone think this was a good idea to be published. "haha they did drugs she almost killed herself and was in a psyciatric facility for 3 days. awkaaaard" jesus.
i can't believe it, but the story about the dude who had diarrhea running down his pants on a train was actually the pick of the book. Towards the end you will find stories like this :
"I met a girl on Match.com. We friended each other on Facebook and started chatting every day. We both preferred texting over talking on the phone. Things were going great. Our flirty banter was witty and funny. Sparks were flying. So then we finally met in person. Man, what a let down! We both were really quiet and didn't know what to talk about. Worst date ever. We had no chemistry at all. Never saw her again after that, and we stopped chatting"
and this
I'm a grown man, but occasionally I still wet the bed. I get these vivid dreams, that I'm going to the bathroom. It all seems absolutely real, but then something feels strange. And then I wake up and realize that I'm not really in the bathroom, but in bed. Very embarrassing when someone sleeps over.
comedy has never seen better days.
all in all it was a mess of a book. it attempted to be funny but was actually immature and quite depressing.
i received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. While quite a few of the stories were indeed embarrassing and true and somewhat funny, most came across awkward because there were so many people from different walks of life who were telling these stories. What I enjoyed the most were the cartoons the author drew to appear throughout the book.
The stories read as first-person perspectives from people who seem to have submitted their stories to the author or perhaps the author had compiled them somehow to fit the theme and title of the book. So you can imagine that the quality of the stories vary, and that's how the stars got knocked down.
In terms of writing, you'll come across illustrious experiences from verbose people. Yet, you'll also come across taciturn people who tell a story with only four sentences. For example, someone showed up at a corporate meeting, had no idea what people were talking about, but remembered that the donuts were good. That was the four-sentence story.
Because I have a soft spot for author-illustrators, the cartoons rescued the stars for this book. Also, while some stories can be ultra-short and left to the readers' imaginations (and therefore knocked down the stars for prose appreciators), the saving grace of these tales is that the people are speaking in their own voices. This book is definitely not a literary masterpiece. Expect prose that is more akin to that you find in a comic strip with some stories that appear more wordy than others in Reader's Digest style. It wouldn't have hurt as well for the stories to be categorized somehow so that there's more cohesiveness to the book.
Truly, the stories run the gamut. You definitely hear from a wide range of people--from people who are in jail or arrested to people who work in radio or corporations. There are also stories about family, friends, neighbors, mothers (and daughters), and of course significant others.
So if you're interested in having some coffee table laughs, this book may be the perfect thing to jump start conversations with guests who are 18 and older.
If you need a quick giggle, then flip to any page of this book and you will not be disappointed. Most of these short little blurbs are cringe-inducing and you feel guilty laughing out loud to them (though I certainly did, much to the chagrin of the guy sitting next to me on the bus). However, the humor isn't purely lighthearted and goofy -- some stories, like Just Another Saturday Night and I Was a Phone Psychic, are sort of dark, giving this book a good roundness of humor that can appeal to just about anyone.
The comics also deserve a mention, as they add a few visual laughs into the mix, and are extremely fun as standalone pieces. They have all the stylish simplicity of Johnny Hart mixed with the blue humor of Gary Larson.
My only complaint is that there's no real explanation as to where all these mad stories come from -- I would have loved an introduction explaining all the embarrassing confessions. But in truth, this isn't so much a complaint as a personal wish. All in all, I would recommend this book if you need a bit of stress relief, or if you're looking for a neat gift for someone with an off-kilter sense of humor.
The next time you experience a red-faced moment, be comforted to know you are not alone. You are human, and embarrassment knows no age, gender, or class. As expected, a lot of these situations—but not all—involve bodily functions, which, after all, rule.
Here is an afternoon's read, with witty and deftly drawn cartoons by Gaspirtz. The personal stories are anonymously confessed by men or women. They dare to air the skeletons or dirty laundry that look amazingly like our own. They remind us of how we managed to survive our own faux pas. We find ourselves laughing aloud or silenced by a sudden understanding of a failing we once experienced. We may tsk over someone's stupidity, or feel our hearts warm with compassion over a sad tale.
Mother nature is not a lady, and civilization is but a thin veil with holes. Our connection with her is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and sometimes, well, embarrassing.
I love embarrassing stories--back when I had a subscription to Seventeen magazine, the embarrassing stories were my favorite part. This book, right here, has some good ones, too. Sure, you'll hear from your fair share of people with their various encounters with bodily fluids (admittedly not my favorite type of story), but there's lots from parents, neighbors and even a "psychic" that are unexpected, weird and wonderful. I'm also a big fan of the cartoons sprinkled throughout, which provide a break from all the text. Best of all, the stories are short, so you can read a little over long periods of time. Embarrassing Stories are always good for rereading as well.
Hace algunas semanas o un mes +/- el autor me mando mensaje en goodreads para saber si me interesaba leer y reseñar su libro, cuando vi la portada me imagine algo diferente y me dije "bueno, es muy amable de su parte contactarme, así que le diré que lo leeré a cambio de una reseña honesta" Y la verdad es que es muy corto, lo leí o intente leer en un día, ya que la letra es considerablemente grande y además cuenta con ilustraciones realizadas por el autor. Aunque confieso que me saltaba algunas cosas porque algunas historias son un poco asquerosas y desagradables como para que las leyera completas :S
Es un compendio de historias incómodas, raras, difíciles y vergonzosas de las que no estoy segura si todas les sucedieron a muchas personas en algún lugar del planeta o son parte de la invención del autor, quiero pensar que se las enviaron o que tal vez algunas son anécdotas de gente cercana o familiares, amigos y/o conocidos. Claro que si yo viviera por alguna de esas situaciones no quisiera más que permanecer en el anonimato lo más que se pueda.
Agradezco que el autor me enviará una copia del libro, del que le doy más mérito por las ilustraciones que por las historias narradas. Puede que en definitiva no sea mi tipo de libro, sobre todo porque algunas tienen momentos desagradables de los que con solo leer una parte me saltaba a la siguiente historia... y no por considerarme de estómago débil sino por la forma en como se narran, no lo sé creo que las situaciones incómodas solo me incomodan más y no quiero más que meterme en algún lugar donde no esté presente para vivir la incomodidad de los demás y/o la mía :D
Si bien algunas son graciosas la verdad es que no fue una lectura del todo agradable, supongo que me deje llevar un poco por la portada y pensé que si bien el título hace referencia a situaciones embarazosas era más como una forma de hacer referencia a lo que los protagonistas vivían, entendiendo que era una sola historia y no un compendio de.
Recomendado si quieren leer algo que les haga reír pero fuera de eso la verdad es que no lo recomiendo demasiado, como digo si bien entretiene y es corto al menos a mi no me fascino :S
I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book appears to be a collection of stories from various people who describe an awkward and embarrassing event in their lives. Most of these events deal either with sex or with the ill effects of defecating and/or other bodily functions—with a few amusing, ‘above-board’ tales in between. I imagine that this form of humor would appeal to a certain reading audience—hopefully those over 18.
I found a number of the accounts entertaining and amusing, especially the story of the gummy bears, the cat inheriting the fortune, the white bunny Snowhite (as spelled in book), and the bowling incident, to name a few.
Because of the nature of the work, do not expect plot or character development—the form parallels that of a comic strip with very short accounts interspersed with well-drawn illustrations. In regard to flow, I think that a table of contents with some organization of material would be helpful to the reader.
The artistic ability of Mr. Gaspirtz is laudable and is an impressive contribution to the book. His cartoons and illustrations are top-shelf and in and of themselves would rate 5 stars or better.
The book is a quick read, and the reader will either be highly entertained or left cringing by the content, depending upon his or her personal brand of humor.
I've given this book five stars because it was a breezy read which made me laugh several times and gave me some funny stories to share with friends, and because Oliver Gaspirtz is a very talented cartoonist. While he may occasionally base one of his cartoons on an old joke, he has an infectious sense of the absurd and knows how to express it in his drawing. His cartoons generally have no relation to the stories amongst which they are scattered, but that doesn't really matter.
I would advise readers to stick with the book and not be put off by the fact that the early section contains more than its fair share of tales of toilet-related troubles. While this theme is a popular one throughout the book, more variety comes into the proceedings later.
By no means is every story a winner. Some are the kinds of tale which might be funny if related to you by a friend or relative, but not deserving of inclusion in a book like this. But these are often the shorter ones anyway, and provide a painless rest between the laugh-inducing ones.
I would have liked an introduction relating how these stories were gathered, and also a first name (pseudonymous or otherwise) attached to the stories, as it can take a while to determine whether the storyteller is male or female, something which is often relevant to the anecdote.
I was given this ebook copy by the author, so I will consider this to be a Goodreads giveaway win.
Unfortunately, the fact that it did not cost me anything was the only good thing I got out of this. And frankly, I'm embarrassed to admit that I read it.
If you are 8 years old or have been belly up to the bar for 4 hours, I am sure these stories will have you falling out of your chair laughing (or will that be the booze?). I wanted to stop reading after the first couple of stories, but I felt obligated to complete the book so I could write a proper review. I regretted that decision at twenty pages, then again at the one third point, the half point, three quarters point, and even at the last story. It's pretty much toilet humor. The stories never improved. I should have started with a case of beer before reading. A one star rating is one star too many.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
This book contains a collection of embarrassing stories, but they're not the author's stories. The book doesn't make it clear, but unless Oliver Gaspirtz was once a menstruating teenage girl, these stories came from other people.
Unfortunately, not many of the stories were well-edited. I noticed grammatical errors and tense confusion starting with the very first story.
Many of the stories are toilet humor--if you are amused by stories about farts, turds, or bodily secretions, this book will be right up your alley. Unfortunately, toilet humor just doesn't tickle my funny bone.
I did, however, really enjoy the cartoons that Gaspirtz inked before each story.
i received this book from the author in exchange of an honest review. I only got to half of the book cause it made me laugh to much that i wasn't able to continue my reading. But i had to review it already cause it was so good and i will like the rest too. I felt so bad at laughing at those terrible, awkward, and embarrassing and sometime gross moments tho but yeah they're pretty funny when they happen to somebody else. Please Karma don't hate me for this XD Anyway, i really enjoyed the part of the book that i have been able to read. And i really liked all the illustrations. I Recommend this to people 18+ up Finishing it right now :)
This book is, as you would expect, a collection of embarrassing stories that have happened to people; the stories are interspersed with humorous cartoons. This is definitely NOT a book for children, as adult topics and language are used in some of the stories and comics.
Some of the stories made me laugh out loud, and some of them just made me cringe. There were numerous stories about bathroom humor, so if you like that, this book will be right up your alley!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received an electronic copy free via email from the author in order to review it.
I don't like it and am only halfway through.
It is very immaturely written and contains a lot of poop and fart jokes.
If you are twelve maybe you will like this but I am a grown up and don't find it very funny at all. In fact some of the stories are so disgusting I found myself physically gagging.
Also bad editing - one of the first stories on page 11 used "ours" when it should have been "hours".
Also some of the illustrations in the "book" were offensive.
I received a digital copy from the author in exchange for a review.
This book is pretty funny. A lot of the stories have to do with various bodily fluids, so if that bothers you, you might not like this. There are also quite a few that are about sex and there is some swearing.
I don't really have a favorite, but a few of them made me laugh out loud. The comics are funny too. I like the one with the clown and the vultures. This was a quick, fun read.
I'd recommend this to anyone who likes funny stories and comics.
This book contains short stories of anonymous people's embarrassing experiences and it also has a few illustrations. This is an easy read but it has sexual references which makes it not suitable for children. I give it only 2 stars because I found most of the content uninteresting. I enjoyed only a few of the stories and illustrations and found some of the stories too gross for my taste. This book could also use a bit of re-editing because I found some typographical errors which made reading a bit confusing.
I received a digital copy from the author in exchange for a review.
If you can handle a little R-rated and scatological humor, this book is for you. Funny, quick, genuinely embarrassing stories that seem like they came from an American Pie movie. The best part about the book may have been the comics interspersed throughout (like this one). A fun bathroom read (or whenever you need a quick break from life).
I got this book thru the giveaway on Goodreads. It has some really funny pictures and lot of stories. However about half of the pictures had some stuff that is offensive, So if you don't like it or can't handle it don't read it. There were some stories that you could sympathize with and others that left you scratching your head thinking " What was that person doing". Also it had some spelling errors, other errors and had a abrupt ending, However It was an interesting read though.
The author originally sent me a link to a free e-book of this but I ended up purchasing it. Oh my goodness I loved this book. Some were funny, some were gross and some just made me happy that it wasn't me. Great little book here , if you need a good laugh this one will give it to you . I cannot believe some of the things people openly admitted to in this book, some of those I would have had to take to the grave with me .
Interesting book that makes you smile at some points, but the title is a little misleading due to some stories not reading as embarrassing. There are however some spelling issues, yet you get what the author is writing. Also the book just ends, without some form of conclusion, yet a good book worth the read.
I was given a copy of this book by Oliver Gaspirtz in exchange for a honest opinion about this book of short stories and cartoons! I did enjoy reading most of the short stories, some of the stories were very disgusting for me! My favorite part of the book are the cartoons including the drawings! I do recommend reading for mature audiences who are interested in this kind of a reading!
The author was kind enough to send me an e-version of his book. It was a very quick read; the kind of book that you can pick up and put down without having to read it all in one sitting. The vignettes are all stand-alone. Some are funny, and some make you cringe; but, because they're all self reported they're not mean spirited.
First of all thank to Oliver Gaspirtz for giving me free digital copy of this book this book is so funny and comical some of the story happened to me before but when ever i remember it i just smile and laugh. my sister think am crazy because am laughing while i read this book... yes all of us had embarrassing moment but what can we do? "just smile and laugh" and "get over it"
This was provided to me by the author. the book is only 126 pages. some stories are somewhat funny but others not so much. I finished this in about two hours and was very bored by it. not my cup of tea but it had some humour in it. Thanks Oliver.
I received a digital copy of the book in exchange for a review.
The book is an easy read. I enjoyed it but I'm easy to entertain. A lot of the stories are funny but many are just "oh that happened, too bad". I would have liked more stories that were embarrassing AND funny.
Not all funny, but keep you reading these quick tales of ignorance, mistake, unfortunate bodily function emergency, excessive sexual drive, and plain hubris. The cartoons interspersing the stories are nice, too. Quick, fun read.