Josh LiebCríticas

In this case, by "read" I meant "skimmed pretty thoroughly" while I processed it for library circulation. While it doesn't disappoint, it's not mind-blowing/eye-opening like An Inconvenient Truth. In fact, I already forgot most of the content. I just know I chuckled to myself a few times.

This book just didn't catch me. It tried really hard to be different and funny but I was mostly uninterested.

Doesn't quite hit the highs of the Colbert books and some of the comedy hasn't aged all that well, but most of it has

I felt this book had a harsh color palette (only using orange, black, and white for your illustrations is a bold move. One that I am not sure it quite paid off)

Additionally there were WAY TOO MANY WORDS on a page. This could not be done in a storytime and should it be attempted in a one on one sitting, I think a child would get bored.

Ultimately, I did not finish

This book was not as funny as America. I laughed a few times, but I'm glad I rented it from the library and didn't buy it.

Looking at some of the other reviews, I'm supremely glad I picked up the audiobook instead of the actual book. It worked wonderfully as an audiobook. Like, amazingly so. I actually remember listening to one particular part and wondering just how that was going to translate into text (apparently, the answer to that was not very well).

This is a tongue-in-cheek guide to Earth to the aliens who find the planet after humans have all destroyed ourselves. It's pretty hilarious, if you're okay with the fact that this book is basically making fun of us (for the record, I am, because we are a truly ridiculous species).

Amikor megtudtam, hogy Jon Stewart otthagyja a Daily Show-t, finoman szólva nem örültem. Persze tök jó Trevor Noah is, és vannak más late night show-k is, pl Stephen Colbert-rel, amire teljesen átszoktam, pláne, hogy időnként Jon Stewart is előbújik az asztala alól (ő maga – Stephen mármint – meg a Daily Show-ban kezdte a showműsoros pályafutását, mert van neki színészi is, mindegy). Na szóval kellett valami pótlék azután is, hogy az Oscar-gálától kezdve mindent végignéztem, ahol hallhattam. Nem csalódtam ebben a könyvben, pont az a fajta szarkasztikus humor, amiért annyira szeretem.

Ez egy kézikönyv a jövő űrlényeinek, akik ellátogatnak hozzánk, és azt látják, kipusztult az emberiség (lehetséges okok szintén a könyvben). Elmagyarázza nekik, kik voltunk, miket csináltunk. Rengeteg képpel, vinnyogva röhögős képaláírásokkal és magyarázatokkal, közben nagyon is pontosan (és sokszor nem túl píszín, de rendkívül önironikusan) rátapintva az emberi faj baromságaira. Legszívesebben az egészet kiírtam volna, még fogok belőle idézni.

I listened to the abridged audiobook in Playaway format. Some of it was funny, but I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. It was a creative idea.

OH MY. I know not where to start. So many liberties taken with other works. The rat Ragician (because men do magic, rats do ragic):Gondorff the Grey, King Uther, Sir Arimis, a quest, pulling the spork from the scone....and of course I can't forget Squirrelin the Squagician (because Squirrels do Squagic)....my nieces enjoyed having it read to them (ages 5 & 9) of course they did not understand my groans when we came across some characters and what they did. lol

Amusing, tongue-in-cheek description of our planet, our culture, our political system as if left for future aliens after human life has died out. Contributors include the staff of The Daily Show, and the brand of humor they offer.

Teen fiction; comedy. The executive producer of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart has written a lightning-quick read full of silly gags that should delight people of all ages (unless, of course, you've outgrown that sort of thing). A good recommend for reluctant readers (short paragraphs and short chapters).

This wasn't as laugh-out-loud funny as I hoped it would be, but I did laugh at some points. And I felt it ended rather abruptly without resolving some of the subplots it had set up. So I found it just kinda so-so, but I'd definitely read the author's next one.

This was a family listen-aloud on our trip and was ok for my 8th grader but a stretch for my 6th grader despite the middle-school setting. Language and innuendo made for a few awkward moments, but the story was entertaining. Oliver Watson has a public persona as a chubby, baby-ish, nerdy idiot, but he is actually a brilliant mastermind of school domination. His inventions and "bat cave" technology rival Artemis Fowl and James Bond, but he is determined to use his power for evil, manipulating school cliques, teachers, and in this story, the 8th grade election which he is determined to win to impress his father who has fallen for his simpleton persona. Definitely a stretch in terms of believability -- Ollie has various government and industry big wigs at his beck and call, as well as classified weapons and defense. Some of this hyperbole is what makes it funny as well as some of the characterization of his classmates which tends to transcend stereotypes. But the reading narrator is so vitriolic and the Oliver's contempt of his parents is so cutting that (for me) it undermines some of the humor in the story.

I wanted to like this book, since I do enjoy The Daily Show. However, the book just left me with a lukewarm feeling. It was not bad; it just was not that good. Sure, it had humorous moments here and there, and I think the premise of "a handbook for aliens visiting Earth" was pretty good. But a lot of the humor seems pushed, like trying a bit too hard. This is definitely a book to skip around and browse, not one to read cover to cover. Just find your favorite parts and enjoy, skip the rest. Another reason I was disappointed is because I liked America(The Book) (which I reviewed here too). This just did not live up to that. So, read it if you are a real fan of the show, or if you feel a need to keep up after reading the other one. This is one to borrow, not buy.

A book that will appeal to fans of King Arthur!

A textbook written by a comedian. Instant adult classic.

It's a classic adventure story but translated through the lens of a boy who becomes a rat in the city. I think that this story won't necessarily be every kid's cup of tea, but I think some will enjoy it, especially those who can relate to the circumstances of the main character having this nervously tense situation around them in the beginning of the story, and having to discover the unknown. There's quite a bit of subtext in this boy's family life to unravel, and I think it might be a reasonable book for broaching the very concept of subtext.

I listened to the audio book version of this, and I gotta say that the narrator, Marc Thompson, did an excellent job. He used an arsenal of voices and had excellent comedic timing and inflection. I much enjoyed the way the story was told. I even laughed out loud at a few parts.

The book's political agenda, on the other hand, irked me. I knew what I was getting into from the beginning (this being written by Josh Lieb and all) but, still, I was hoping for more subtlety. That joke was on me.

I listened to about forty minutes of this today and was really loving it. It's pretty dang funny. I decided to stop when things got a little too crass for my taste, but I will be recommending this book to people who I know aren't as bothered by things as I am. Dang funny stuff.

You have to be ok with rats and rodents to enjoy this book. The story is a reinvented version of the story, Exacalibur and it involves a boy who turns into a rat and must fight his way out. The book is humorous and full of exciting battle scenes.

Ok. Imagine the most annoying person you went to school with. Imagine the biggest jackass. The most socially oblivious jerk. Imagine he wrote a whiny, self-aggrandizing journal chronicling why he's so much better than everyone else. Imagine he had the money to buy the "proof" that he's better. In essence, there will never be a character you want murder more.½

This is written as a book for future aliens who come across our planet long after humanity has destroyed itself. It covers most aspects of human life, from politics to art to history to science to religion, and it's all hilarious. Definitely recommended.

A note on the audio: The audio presentation is inspired. Between the music and sound effects and various narrators (including, oddly enough, Sigourney Weaver), the whole thing has the atmosphere of a museum documentary. The juxtaposition of the silly jokes against this backdrop make them just that much funnier.

really enjoyed this crazy book.

I printed out "A Small Good Thing" by Carver to read later. I will see if I agree with Oliver that it is an awful short story. He says it is a perfect showcase of everything that is wrong with his fiction.

The Basque language is how he describes it.

I like the reason he is evil:

"I am evil because I really don't care about what's best for the world. I care about what's best for me. I have no particular respect for this earth or the two-legged vermin how infest it."

Trout Mask Replica is the third album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released in June 1969. It is a real album.

Gravity's Rainbow is a real book

I loved Oliver's speech about school elections & elections in general. It sums up a lot of what I feel