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Hits and Misses

Simon Rich

3.85 · Rating details · 1,706 ratings · 241 reviews

A hilarious collection inspired by a former Saturday Night Live writer's real experiences in Hollywood, chronicling the absurdity of fame and the humanity of failure in a world dominated by social media influencers and reality TV stars.

Simon Rich is "one of the funniest writers in America" (Daily Beast) -- a humorist who draws comparisons to Douglas Adams (New York Times ...more

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Hardcover, 240 pages

Published July 24th 2018 by Little, Brown and Company

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· 1,706 ratings · 241 reviews

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Oct 24, 2018 Peter Boyle rated it liked it

Shelves: comedy

I am very much a fan of the comedy stylings of Mr Simon Rich, a former Saturday Night Live writer and a New Yorker contributor. But as the title implies, his latest collection is a mixed bag. Most of these madcap tales look at fame and ambition in some kind of way. A few of them made me laugh out loud. The Baby tells of a struggling novelist who becomes enormously jealous of his unborn child's literary talents (the fetus's manuscript even has an advance blurb from George Saunders). In Hands, one ...more

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Sep 05, 2018 Faith rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed, audio, overdrive, netgalley

"All he liked to do was sit around in his underwear, making up jokes and then laughing at them." That pretty much describes the self referential author of these short stories. Unfortunately, I wasn't laughing along with him. Some of the more satirical stories might have made amusing New Yorker cartoons and some of the others might have been ok as part of a set in a comedy club. But they didn't work for me at all as short stories. Each consists of one joke, drawn out. What if your future career c ...more

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Jul 21, 2018 Shawn rated it it was ok

Appropriately titled, I suppose, although I think “Near Hits & Unfortunate Misses” is more accurate. I’d certainly consider myself a fan — absolutely loved his “Last Girlfriend” and “Spoiled Brats”. They were so good, in fact, that the mere memory of them renders this latest attempt forgivable. A gifted storyteller, very funny. You wouldn’t, however, know it from this. Rather than waste time on this one, read or reread the others.

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Jun 06, 2018 Molly rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, 2018, netgalley, humor, short-stories, satire

I always forget just how much I like Simon Rich until I inevitably stumble across one of his new books somewhere. The short stories here are delightful, whether they are simple silliness or biting satire, and I laughed out loud more than once. The GQ profile of Adolf Hitler is a great send-up of certain publications' *cough* New York Times * cough* recent attempts to make white nationalists somehow more palatable with sympathetic profiles.

"Relapse" is perhaps one of the best and most horrifying ...more

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May 30, 2018 britt_brooke rated it really liked it

Shelves: essays-short-stories, arc

Simon Rich had me cackling out loud right away. These stories are so irreverent and fun with characters ranging from a genius in utero infant to Paul Revere’s horse to Adolf Hitler. Some are better than others, as the title implies, but all are entertaining.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

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May 23, 2019 Cris rated it really liked it

Funny book with moments of adorable. Recommended by Ti❤️. My favorites were the Birthday, Paul Revere and the ghost.

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Jan 09, 2019 Chloe J rated it liked it

Shelves: sophomore-reading-challenge

The title of this book caught my eye as I was searching through the comedy section of books in my English class a month ago. It’s a bit funny to me because “hit or miss” is a lyric to a popular song that I find hilarious, so I thought I’d give this book a try. The unique title along with the cover with rubber ducks on it made me interested. I wanted to know what the ducks were all about and what “hits and misses” had to do with comedy. But what did I know? I had never read a comedy book before!

H The title of this book caught my eye as I was searching through the comedy section of books in my English class a month ago. It’s a bit funny to me because “hit or miss” is a lyric to a popular song that I find hilarious, so I thought I’d give this book a try. The unique title along with the cover with rubber ducks on it made me interested. I wanted to know what the ducks were all about and what “hits and misses” had to do with comedy. But what did I know? I had never read a comedy book before!

Hits and Misses by Simon Rich is a collection of short, funny stories mostly based on hopeful people with dreams of becoming successful in life. Many of the stories include normal characters and motives, but very unrealistic circumstances, like babies becoming writers in the womb or the grim reaper getting persuaded into an acting gig. Almost all of the stories, although humorous, have certain meanings and messages behind them. Many of them are important and relevant in society today, like the role of social media in our lives and the reality of the work world. It’s an extremely interesting read, as the stories tap into the reality of the world while also creating a completely unrealistic and humorous scenario.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the subtle ways that the author made it funny. How the short stories seemed so normal, yet completely absurd, was intriguing and hilarious at the same time. I especially liked how even the stupidest and lighthearted ones, like a letter from the point of view of Paul Revere’s horse, took dark turns into the reality of our society. Small elements in the stories, like a monk flicking his wrist like the stereotypical teenage girl in the 21st century, made a big impact in the hilarity of it. I enjoyed that part very much, by the way.

What I didn’t like about this book was the fact that at most times, the short stories were hard to relate to. Although I did find some parts funny and relatable, most of the stories had to do with the work world and finding jobs and careers. I, being a sophomore in high school, couldn’t fully understand this aspect or relate to it. This made it hard to find some parts funny.

Overall, my feelings on this book are mixed. When I found a short story that I enjoyed, I REALLY enjoyed it, but a lot of the time, I was bored. I think this is a great book for someone who has been through the struggle of finding a career and pursuing their dreams. They’d definitely have a lot to relate to in this book, and they’d find it hilarious. However, with this being the first comedy book I’ve ever read, I think it was a fairly good one.
...more

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Sep 27, 2018 Berenice rated it liked it

The first story, The Baby, is pure genius. I’ve never read anything like it and LOL’d repeatedly in public throughout. Also genius was Birthday Party and the Foosball Championship of the Whole Entire Universe. Those three of the first four stories were so brilliant and crisp that I was already recommending the book to friends and relations; a decision I soon regretted when, like a joke made by his own self-mocking Great Jester character, things slipped rapidly and definitively into a quagmire of ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Mehrsa rated it it was amazing

This was the most delightful and hilarious book I've read in a long time. Some of the essays are also very clever social commentary. I read several of these essays several times.

(there was one essay I did not like--the profile of hitler. I get what he was trying to do, but it fell flat and was just gross, but the others were so good that it still gets 5 stars) ...more

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Oct 20, 2018 Michael rated it liked it

While there are some great portions within this story collection, I found the breadth of voices to be limited. Some good absurdist farce.

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Dec 17, 2018 Jaclyn Crupi rated it it was ok · review of another edition

More misses than hits sadly. I love Simon Rich and a couple of stories were at his usual standard: The Baby in which a writer becomes jealous of his unborn child who has written and published a book (blurbed by George Saunders) in utero and Hands in which a monk wants to cut off both his hands to prove his devotion. Those two stories are pure Rich gold, the rest not so much.

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Aug 31, 2018 MC rated it really liked it

Wildly irreverent and fun, this collection of humorous short stories had me chuckling and laughing out loud. The stories focus on the concepts of fame and fortune especially those who get to enjoy it, imagine they have it or wish they did.

A few of my favorite stories include “Adolf Hitler: The GQ Profile” which imagines a GQ-styled interview with the genocidal maniac, “Hands” about a monk who will do almost anything to out-do the piety of his fellow monks and “Stage 13” where the angry ghost of ...more

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Sep 18, 2018 Linds rated it liked it

I hadn’t read any Simon Rich since Ant Farm & Free Range Chickens, so was excited to see this. I liked that while this is still a collection of funny short stories, a number of them also have pretty poignant endings. I don’t think anything will be as funny to me as Ant Farm the first time I read it, but this still had some laughs out loud moments.

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Dec 25, 2018 Zara rated it liked it

Hot take? Rich is a misogynist. He can be funny & clever (yikes, what does that say about me?), but all of his female characters are whiny, shallow, ball-busting, and dumb. I found the stories amusing but am kind of disgusted with myself afterwards.

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Jan 11, 2020 John W rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book originally stood out to me because I have never read a collection of comedic stories before I said why not. I usually subconsciously choose nonfiction books because I guess they give me the knowledge that I am interested in, but surprisingly I really got interested in this book. Each story seemed different than the rest and that is what kept me interested because I never got bored with a story since they were so short.
The collection of stories begins with a story about a struggling This book originally stood out to me because I have never read a collection of comedic stories before I said why not. I usually subconsciously choose nonfiction books because I guess they give me the knowledge that I am interested in, but surprisingly I really got interested in this book. Each story seemed different than the rest and that is what kept me interested because I never got bored with a story since they were so short.
The collection of stories begins with a story about a struggling writer who is expecting a baby and he needs to complete his book about General Custer before the baby arrives because the baby’s room will be his current writing room. Little did he know, his unborn son is somehow already writing about General Custer in the womb. This angers the man to the point that he is dedicating 100% of his time on the book, but in the end, it did not matter because his son exits the womb with a finished copy of his book. The man learns to accept the little man into his family after the baby makes his final cut in the book. Another story is about Paul Revere’s horse and how he gets no credit even though he rode Paul Revere there. The horse, Oatsy, grows jealous of Paul and ends up taking his girl. In this collection of stories, one story stood out as the most creative. This story was about foosball players and what their everyday lives consist of like they are real professional soccer players. It talks about the hardships of playing for their team coach and how many times they get injured because of their coach. Their coach just so happens to be the younger brother to the other head coach and being a younger brother comes with something that will prepare you for the real world; losing a lot. He loses almost every single time and to him, it is just a very competitive unfair game with his brother, but to the players, it is their life and his coaching is ruining their careers. Eventually, the younger brother won a game after their mother and grandmother told the older brother to lose on purpose because they couldn't stand the headache. It is a perspective that is unique and before reading this I would not have thought of thinking about it. One of the more serious stories, hands, talks about how a monk wants to cut off his hands so that temptation is no longer an option. This monk is very devoted, some may argue the most devoted, who will stop at nothing to have his name mentioned with the best of all time. His plan is in motion until a caravan approaches and he finds out that it is a girl's 18th birthday and for her birthday, she wants to see where Jesus was resurrected from. Fabiola is the girl's name and she wants the dedicated monk and another monk that is seen as fake Mordecai to show her to Jesus’s resurrection site. Mordecai is seen as desperate and is disliked by the monk whose whole identity is being the best monk. Fabiola wants to bring the dedicate monk to a concert, but they end up getting into a disagreement where they never see each other again. The two monks end up meeting each other again and Morediaci gets convinced that Fabiola thought he was “the man”. This strengthens the bond between the two and the monk realizes that he can use his hands for good like helping others instead of just worrying about himself. Another story teases about how celebrities can just act like normal people and they will be treated like they are so down to earth. In this case, Tom Hanks is the celebrity getting teased. Eventually, a quote from a fan says, “You don't have to believe me. But I swear to Hanks I'm telling you the truth.” Another clever story is about a dinosaur whose career is ruined about political correctness and being bigotted towards humans. One of the last stories is one about a movie director who is getting a bad report by a critic and it is keeping him up all night and he hates him. He decides that the best way to get him back is to put a bomb in a chest and force the critic to make his own movie and deal with the consequences. This ends up blowing up in the movie director’s face after the critic makes a move just talking about how there's a bomb in his chest and it becomes one of the best movies of the decade. Just the type of crude humor that occurs throughout all the stories.
The thing that worked in this book is the change of plots and change of scenery. This made the book feel fresh every 30 pages or so and that kept my interest in the book high. The book also puts known characters in interesting situations. Before this book, I would never have thought I would be reading about Hitler and his preference of french fries or Death himself starting a talent career. A lot of stories are bizarre and that is good.
Everyone's type of humor is different, so not every person will like every story and the good thing about that is that there are so many stories that even if you are picky you are still bound to like a story or two. Humor can be hit or miss depending on your sense of humor and that is not going to be an author’s fault it is just the genre’s fault. I guess one could say that another negative is that there is not a solid plot, but that is kind of the point of a collection of stories.

...more

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Jan 31, 2019 Ray rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2019

This is the third collection of his I've read, his latest. I'll keep trying because when Rich is good, he's very very good.
I loved "The Baby" and "Relapse". These two revisit a common Rich theme, dashing the dreams of writers and artists. Also loved "Adolf Hitler: The GQ Profile": Satire at its bravest, most audacious, best. I totally get however why others might be offended by it.
I liked "Hands", "New Client" and "Any Person, Living or Dead." The rest (except for the last four) were okay, som ...more

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Jun 09, 2019 Jonathan K rated it really liked it

Known in the world of TV and film, Simon Rich is a true gem, and it s no wonder he's been involved with the likes of SNL and others. Creative, zany and poignant, his stories are driven by his experiences in Entertainment, while some are biblical with a dash of film. Diverse in nature, some are laugh out loud while others are 'misses' much as the title says. Out of the gate, the first one was my favorite of all and any author or wannabe like myself, will surely agree. Very talented guy with great ...more

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Jan 13, 2019 Mike rated it it was amazing

I love Simon Rich. This one was fun because he moved into some new territories than his previous work. Rather than relationships and contemporary issues, he played even more with genre and stretched himself a little.

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Jan 20, 2019 Tyler Jones rated it liked it

Shelves: short-stories, the-fun-stuff, movies-and-television

While there is a certain, shall we say, lack of thematic and stylistic breadth in these stories, they are on the whole quite funny to very funny. Reading Simon Rich is like what reading Woody Allen used to be like before you found out he was such a creep.

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Jul 29, 2019 Snem rated it it was amazing

Ever read a book and you’re immediately mad because you wish you wrote it? This book is so good, so so so good. The way Simon Rich’s mind works is simply brilliant. This collection is creative, smart, unique, funny and quirky.

This might not be for a wide variety of readers. I can imagine a lot of people saying “I don’t get it.”

For readers who enjoy Aimee Bender books I definitely recommend this. I am going to pick of all his books I hope he never stops writing.

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Apr 11, 2020 Crowei rated it liked it

This book was certainly all over the place, kinda like Hollywood, which I guess is what Mr Rich wanted to portray. And just like Hollywood, this ill fitting, crazy, collection of stories work to make something that is almost... beautiful

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Jul 06, 2018 lp rated it it was amazing

Just as funny as I hoped it would be, but also much wiser. These essays are tiny lil bursts of very weird hilarity. Treat after treat after treat! Nobody writes quite like Simon Rich. Love it.

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Dec 25, 2018 Taylor Johnson rated it really liked it

Simon Rich is evolving as an author and it’s such an incredible thing to read. His humor is still so strong it fills me with undying jealousy. But there’s also something new showing up in a handful of these stories. There’s a sweetness. “Hands” is a story that made me laugh so hard and then ended with a really beautiful gut punch of a...message?...moral?....I don’t know what to call it. Everyone should read a Simon Rich book. This one is nearly perfect.

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Mar 25, 2019 Dan Burt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, short-stories

4.5 stars.

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Jul 09, 2019 Eric rated it really liked it

Hilarious. Highlights: Foosball Championship, The Great Jester, and Tom Hanks Stories

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Aug 19, 2019 Jade Maree rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Hits and Misses was very funny - glad I picked it up by accident.

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Nov 13, 2019 Lynn Kelly rated it it was amazing

I chose to read this book as the author won the 2019 Thurber Award for comedy. It was so creative and funny. I highly recommend it. I’m sure I will be reading his other books.

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Jan 31, 2020 Shawn Edrei rated it really liked it

A bit more uneven and repetitive than I'm used to with Rich's short stories - but when he's on, he's still laugh-out-loud funny. ...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Christopher rated it it was ok

Shelves: kindle-generic

not nearly as good as the last one. and the Hitler story? ugh, dropped a whole star just for that trash. there is no rehabbing Hitler, ok?

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Nov 05, 2020 Sofia B rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-1-reading-challenge

In all honesty, I usually never show any emotions while reading. It isn’t because what I’m reading isn’t impactful, it’s just because I can keep my feelings inside while reading. But Simon Rich’s “Hits and Misses” could not keep a smile from my face and my giggles inside. I have never read anything like the eighteen short stories featured in this book. Each composition has its own unique, disturbing, hilarious twists that kept me engaged the entire time.

For starters, I really loved how most of In all honesty, I usually never show any emotions while reading. It isn’t because what I’m reading isn’t impactful, it’s just because I can keep my feelings inside while reading. But Simon Rich’s “Hits and Misses” could not keep a smile from my face and my giggles inside. I have never read anything like the eighteen short stories featured in this book. Each composition has its own unique, disturbing, hilarious twists that kept me engaged the entire time.

For starters, I really loved how most of the stories were written in first person POV. It has been a very long time since I’ve read a book in first person, but it made the experience of reading the short stories so much more immersive to read the POV of such odd characters. Another big thing I liked was the obvious thought and creativity Rich puts into each character. No two characters in the stories are alike, and each one faces unique dilemmas.

Simon Rich has a very talented ability to make sinister or depressing situations funny and laughable. Time travel, death, and birth can be really freaky to some people, but in “Hits and Misses” they make compelling characteristics in great stories.

Overall, my favorite thing about the book and the stories within were the different styles of writing featured throughout the piece. There’s your basic storyline POV, but theres also a story filled with just back and forth dialogue, a story written like a product catalogue, and a whole story written like an athletic review of a game (for a game that definitely doesn't require any athletic abilities).

Although it’s very hard to choose, I’d have to say my favorite story in the book was probably Relapse. The story follows Zoe, a middle aged woman who used to have a career in music. Zoe hates just being just some suburban mom, so one night Zoe creates what she thinks could be a new chart-topping song. Behind her daughter and her husbands back, she sets up a meeting with her agent to present him the song. When she arrives at the meeting, she’s met by her family and loved ones who explain to her it’s insane that she’s trying to live out a dead career and send her to a caretaking facility for retired rockstars. I found this story especially funny because in a way it’s a thing that could happen, but it’s just very ridiculous.

Personally, this book is a 5/5 stars because it’s the perfect book to make you feel better about anything by laughing at stupid, silly concepts, and I already have and will continue to recommend to friends and family. ...more

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About Simon Rich

Simon Rich

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Simon Rich (born 1984) is an American humorist whose first book, Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations, was published by Random House in April 2007.

Rich is an alumnus of The Dalton School and a former president of The Harvard Lampoon, and the son of The New York Times editorialist Frank Rich. He received a two book contract from Random House prior to his graduation from Harvard University in 200 ...more