Admit It, You're Crazy! Quirks, Idiosyncrasies, and Irrational Behavior

by Judy Reiser

Kids say the darndest things? Adults DO them!!! In this follow-up to her successful  And I Thought I Was Crazy! , author Judy Reiser offers up more hilarious eccentricities exhibited (and confessed to) by otherwise normal people. Everyone has at least one particular oddity in his or her daily way of life. These side-splitting actions are categorized from hilarious bathroom behavior, funny money routines, and unconventional clothing habits to eating and sleeping peculiarities, germ-a-phobia, and more. Reiser documents the zany traits that make us who we are.
 
Just what extremes do people go to in their everyday activities?
Collected from real, live, actual human beings, the zaniness begins again in  Admit It, You're Crazy!  You will laugh while gaining insight into yourself and others! People do the darndest things!

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Nicole]

You know that really weird habit that you have of absolutely requiring that the toilet paper be faced in the right direction when you put it on the roll?

Or how about that odd habit of arranging the spices in alphabetical order?

Or how about that weird habit of keeping the tissue paper in gifts even if you never use it (I can't be the only who does this)?

If this just scratches the surface on your bizarre behavior and you are thinking to yourself, "That's nothing!"

Then you will want to read the book "Admit It, You're Crazy!" by Judy Reiser.

I'll be honest, it's usually tough for me to really sit down and enjoy an e-book. I still love the feeling of a real book in my hand.

But for this book, I think it actually worked better because it was in my small phone. Each page of this book provides fantastic insight in the weird behaviors of real people (this is every writer's dream! A hand held tool of all that dysfunctional behavior in real people! Talk about character inspirations!).

Some of the stories I reacted with, "Hey, that's so me!! I didn't think anyone else did that!"

Or, "I'm SO glad I'm not the only annoyed as hell about that!"

Or, "Wow..." (no judgment, of course)

To give you just a taste, here's one story that I got a huge kick out of:


"I've been laundering money for years. I put a little bit of Lysol liquid cleaner in some water. It forms nice little suds when I splash the money around. Then I rinse the money and lay them down flat. They dry beautifully - like they just came out of the mint." - excerpt from "Admit it, You're Crazy!

Really, this just scratches surface. If you want an easy read that's fun, funny, with high entertainment value, pick up this book.

Downsides? None. I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I was sad to see it end because this weirdness felt so familiar to me (heh heh). I only hope to see more of Judy Reiser's books out on the shelves!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Lizzie]

Amusing and crazy quirks of all kinds. The great thing is how you read along laughing at them and then you find yourself thinking "That's wrong, you have to stack your pocket change by size, not by denomination!"

[Niina]

( Includes two sections "For Everyone" & "For Authors" )
For everyone : It's so great to know I'm not crazy! Or that I'm not the only one who is. ;) This book is shockfull of crazy stuff people do, it's hilarious to read about men's bathroom habits, like that they can't use stall next to each other but the furthest only will do - there is coughing involved. It really is interesting seeing other people do crazy stuff and it's even more interesting spotting yourself doing something another person does as well. This book says it's humorous but I find if hilarious! - and not in the laughing at other people's OCD kind, but genuinely just weird and funny.

For authors : Oh you'll love this! This is the golden treasure chest of idiosyncrasies! As a reader and reviewer I'll spill that for me to connect with the main character they have to be a little odd to interesting, so instead of using what you do weird check out this book! There are so many character quirks in there that it's perfect to snatch few for your characters as well. Take a heroine in urban fantasy who whops head of monsters and doesn't mind blood but has the habit of putting on sunglasses when she gets a nights snack so that the fridge light won't bug her out. See! She's instantly more interesting character! Now add someone witnessing this oddity, and you got a whole chapter of quirkiness.

Let's admit it, we're all crazy! And if you don't yet agree read Admit it, you're crazy! and you'll be agreeing in no time!

[Read2review]

“Admit It, You’re Crazy!” is an interesting read. The author, Judy Reiser, interviewed thousands of people to find out the things that make them different – their quirks. She compiled these quirks into this book (and two other companion books) and has been featured in the New York Times and the Today show.

I found the book to be entertaining and enjoyable. It was a good length (under 200 pages) and interesting. Some of the sections started to drag on since the book categorizes people’s habits into “themes” like bathroom, kitchen, clothes sorting, and food habits. Also, some of the quirks were oddly similar. However, it was still an interesting and mostly engaging read. If you are in the mood for something mindless, but fun at the same time, then this might be the book for you. It also will make you think about the various things you do on a daily basis.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for entertainment value and creativeness.

[Lucy]

These great true tidbits follow the subtitle of Quirks, Idiosyncrasies, and Irrational Behavior. Chapter headings are: Loo-ney tales; Funny money; Assorted nuts; Night shtick; Clothes encounters of the strange kind; the Howard Hughes Syndrome; Now I've heard everything!
Each person is identified by profession, gender, and age (if given). One says “Even my mother never knew my age.” His wife says her age is an unlisted number.
Great Fun! I'm reading it for the second time and it will be one I want to read again and again, either straight through, or just open it anywhere. It's great for just before bedtime, or in the bathroom, or anywhere you want to read something but don't have much time. Most bits are short, though some are longer.
Some people admit their habits are crazy or nuts. Some think their way is the only way.
Reading this makes you more aware of your own quirks, some of which may be unconscious.

[Tajie]

Our peculiarities of character exposed! This one is a rollicking read.

[Julie]

Fun to read about other peoples' quirks. Funny how the germaphobic ones don't seem so crazy now. Written in snippets, this is a fun, light read.

[Dayveen]

Reading about other people's quirks was fun, and knowing there are others out there that have similar quirks as me was interesting.

[Donna McBroom-Theriot]

Have you ever thought how odd some people are? Have you ever been brave enough to acknowledge your own quirks and idiosyncrasies?

I admit I like the toilet paper unrolling under the roll (and I’ve been known to change it at other people’s houses) and it drives me so insane when people leave the toilet seat lid up that it leaves me tempted to post a BIG sign to please put the lid down. Ladies! There is a lid for a reason! I also make my grocery list in the order of my entry and path in the grocery store.

The more I read, the more I began to recognize the folks around me. This book is one I would relegate to the bathroom – if reading materials were allowed there. It is one of those books that you would put in the bathroom, and then wait quietly outside of the door for laughter.

I like that the quirks in the book are followed by the person that was brave enough to voice the quirk, (and their profession.) It made the quirk, in some cases, funnier.

Admit it, you’re crazy would make a great gift – wedding, shower, or birthday – or just a gift to bring a smile to someone’s face. It is a book of strange behaviors that will leave you rolling on the floor laughing. Even the “normal” people do the darndest things.

Thanks Judy for a great laugh.

[Restita]

This book is a fun read....a good book to have on a Kindle or Nook for those times when you don't exactly have time to sit down on a comfortable couch to read for a while. The book is not in "chapters" per se, but rather in "categories", such as "Funny Money" and "Clothes encounters of the strange kind". Contributors from all walks of life, from the grocery store clerk to the Wall Street mogul have volunteered their quirks and weird attitudes toward everyday things.

Because of the format, you can pretty much open the book to any page and get some entertaining quips from people, such as the man who has an aversion to pennies....he throws all pennies away when he gets them.

Many would probably critique the book for its lack of "formal" content, but the book was not meant to be a study of the psychological reason why we think and do what we do. We all have quirks and idiosyncrasies, although I wouldn't go so far as to call *all* of us "crazy" as the title suggests.

Its a fun book, and if you've ever wondered if you're weird to thinking the way you do, just pick up this book and know you're not alone.

[Sandy D.]

This isn't really a book about disabilities, but I'll bet some of the people described in this book do actually suffer from OCD (though most probably are not, since I don't think having to sleep facing the door really impacts your life so much in a negative manner). It's an entertaining if not very deep read.

[Melissa Mc Lees]

This book was very quirky, humourous, and weird,but also it was enlightening and amusing. I think that if you want a good book to laugh with and find out how different people do some of the weirdest things then you should read this book.

[Michelle]

Great bathroom book! Little snippets that make you laugh. Of course these people aren't crazy as much as most of them probably suffer from some level of OCD!