Stand Up!

Jessica Kim wrote Stand Up, Yumi Chung! and I don't know if she has done stand up, but man she nailed it!  The whole "why" and the nervousness and the exhilaration.  I really appreciated learning more about Yumi's experience as a Korean-American, too.  And I love the grace that was demonstrated in Jasmine's reaction- especially since, while I know that Yumi should have said something right away,  Jasmine just to assumed that Yumi was Kay because she was Asian and well that was hopefully a teachable moment for Jasmine, too!
Great great book!

I Didn't Know Him

but Adam Wade seems like a really nice guy.  You Oughta Know Adam Wade was my introduction to him.   Here is why I couldn't be too enthusiastic about Mr. Wade.  I think I am jealous.  I have tried my hand at stand-up and I enjoy it and I have done well.  But more than telling jokes I am most successful when I tell stories.  Well, as you can imagine, when I found out that Adam Wade makes a living telling stories, my shadow self was on fire! 
"I am so much funnier than he is!"
"I could do better!"
Truth is, I am not!  And Mr. Wade is where he needs to be.  So if you enjoy laughing and love a good story, and your shadow self is in check, you will thoroughly enjoy getting to know Adam Wade. 

The Intro

was worth the whole book, but the whole thing was great.  Everyone You Know is Going to Die, and Then You Are!  Is an interesting title and very true and hilarious but for sure for adults!  I had not heard of Moshe Kasher.  And well, I didn't know he wasn't dead (it says so in the intro) but I am glad he isn't!

Hey, YEAH! Why is that?

Totally hilarious.  But MORE!  I know W. Kamau Bell from CNN and I think he is brilliant and bold and yes, hilarious.  Face Full of Flour was all of those things and more.

It's Kinda Funny

that when I started doing comedy I met some of the most unhappiest people ever.
But no, when I really think about it, it isn't that comics are more unhappy that most people, but I do think they are more aware.
You know the whole "the unexamined life isn't worth living" thing?
And "ignorance is bliss?"
Well it's true.
If you don't look too deeply, or think too much, life is grand.
And comics make their laughs by being very observant.  By picking up on the "funny" in all senses of the word (a little off, a little weird) elements in the every day.
There are a lot of "funny" things about the world in which we live.
And maybe comics who are especially good are those who are examining life, even the difficult parts.
Or maybe I just say that to make myself feel humbly superior to those who don't, instead of just admitting that I am a paranoid dork.
That could very well be true!
But Strong Ending:  A Journey from Combat to Comedy features people who have the seen some of the worst of the worst that humanity has to offer, in the from of violence.  In the form of combat. 
This book is truly funny and truly touching.  I highly recommend a listen. 

Robin and Fred

Once I heard a wise woman say that she imagines God to be a combination of Robin Williams and Fred Rogers.  I hope that she will read Robin and realize that her imagination is blessedly wonderful!  Dave Itzkoff has done an incredible, respectful, entertaining, informative job of bringing to life this complicated and talented and loving man. 

David, David, David

my roommate Nancy would say, when David Letterman would make a smart/edgy remark, which was often.  We loved watching Letterman.  It was sad to see him retire.  I liked this book.  I didn't like how little was mentioned of Joan, but maybe David and Joan really didn't have much to do with one another, so that is my bad.  Letterman:  the Last Giant of Late Night was good but it wasn't awesome.  And I just think Mr. Letterman deserves awesome.

A Legend

Last Girl Before Freeway:  the Life, Loves, Losses and Liberation of Joan Rivers was really, really good.  I learned so much about one of my heroes.  We all still miss Joan.  Well, I mean the people who really understand who she was.  And this book is one way of getting to that.  I learned a lot.  Some of it was hard to hear!  But still, I love her even more.  Great, great book.

Don't Know Much 'bout Current Pop Culture

but I do know that Joan Crawford and Bette Davis didn't like each other at all and that sisters, Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland didn't feel much family love and that Judy made Lena mad because Judy was kinda last minute and Lena liked to be prepared.

But I didn't really know much about Kathy Griffin until my mom started saying how much she loved her.  Mom is a big Anderson Cooper fan, as am I, and Griffin and Cooper's mom, Gloria Vanderbilt are best friends, or at the kids say today, "besties."  Well, maybe not best friends, but super good friends.  And I also think that I knew that Griffin and one of my all-time heroes, Joan Rivers were close.
So I bought my mom Griffin's new book, Kathy Griffin's Celebrity Run-Ins:  My A-Z Index and she is loving it.
I then saw Official Book Club Selection:  a Memoir According to Kathy Griffin on one of the downloadable sites from the library and listened to it and loved it.  Then I bought A-Z on audible and blew through that, too!
Very funny lady.  Very hard-working.  I know that some people find her mean, but they said that about Joanie, too.

Funny Guy

Aziz Ansari is a very funny guy.
Very funny.  I thought that Modern Romance would be very funny.  And it is funny!  But not VERY funny!  But it is funny!  But maybe that isn't fair because the book is serious.  I mean, it is funny, but it also a serious look at dating in the "modern age" and there was actual research done for the book! And it is also co-authored by a real sociologist, Eric Klinenberg So maybe I just didn't understand what the book was and so I was approaching it in an unfair way.
I don't and won't ever need to be on the dating scene again, so maybe it was also just my selfishness that didn't allow me to be totally into the research part of it all.  So if you are in the dating scene or plan to be or are interested in it, then you might find it most cool!

Recommendations from my brother

My brother is an adult services librarian.  He is a nonfiction kinda guy.  Mostly memoirs and biographies and he recommended Too Fat to Fish by Artie Lange.  And I am very glad that I listened to it.  It was just a coincidence that I have been on a stand-up comic book streak lately, with Michael Ian Black, Joan Rivers and Jim Gaffigan.  Artie Lange is offensive and funny.  Not as funny as Joan or Gaffigan.  And not as offensive as Michael Ian Black, but still offensive and funny.  This book was very touching in places and very funny in places and very sad in places.  The story about Artie's parents and Frankie Valli was especially dear.  Well, all of the stories about Artie's parents are touching.  Lange had to stop the audio reading of the book after the sixth chapter because of drug problems and he had Bob Levy, Gary Dell'Abate and Jim Florentine  take turns finishing it.  I found the book a great listen, but I feel bad about enjoying it so much, because Lange was in such bad shape, even while writing and reading it.  He is to be commended for his honesty and bravery, to be so open about his struggles.  It wasn't a "I was mess and now I am fine!" story of triumph, it was just real and honest.  I know him only from the Howard Stern show and I had heard of MAD tv, but never saw it.  Artie, many prayers to you, man.

We Still Miss You

It has been nearly two years since the passing of the great Joan Rivers.  The Book of Joan:  Tales of Mirth, Mischief and Manipulation by her daughter, Melissa Rivers, was such a wonderful, wonderful read.  The two year anniversary of her death is September 4.  I loved listening to this book.  I just loved everything about it.  Melissa is honest and sincere and very funny on her own.
Yes, Joan Rivers did offend people, but I think they were people who didn't really take the time to explore all who Joan Rivers was.  And I know that Joan wouldn't care if she offended them or not.  Joan's style is not my style, but that is because I am not as brave.  And because I am not as funny!  No one is.  Joan Rivers, we will always miss you.

Good Humor

Jim Gaffigan is a really, really funny man.  He also comes across as a super nice guy, even more so in Food:  A Love Story.  His comedy is very inoffensive.  And now he even has his own TV show that I saw once and enjoyed very much.  The second season is starting soon and I would love to go back and watch the first season, I wonder if it is on netflix.  I will look...no, but it is on the TVLand App!  Great for the treadmill!  Tomorrow will be episode one!  Hooray!
This is a very funny book and I don't think that many, or any people would be offended by him.  But I am sure there are some!  But I can't think of who they might be!

What a Good Idea!

If you are Joan Rivers, the whole idea built around things that you hate is a great idea.  I Hate Everyone...Starting with Me is a book that no one but Joan Rivers could have written successfully.
There are some brilliant lines in here.  And I enjoyed every bit of this book. Especially now, after learning what I always suspected, that Joan was a truly loving woman, who gave so much to so many.
Next week I am hosting a comedy show.  Hosting isn't so bad.  I am not a very funny stand-up comic and while the host needs to be entertaining, the host should never overshadow the real comics.  I never need to worry about the overshadowing part, but standing up to do storytime makes me nervous and stand-up always makes me super nervous.
At first I was going to say that stand-up shouldn't make me more nervous than preaching because preaching is far more important...but you know...preaching makes me very nervous, but ultimately, hopefully, what I say is what God wants me to say that day.  I don't always say it well, but that is what I am doing.
Hmmm....now that I think about it...shouldn't I try, shouldn't we ALL strive to say what God wants us to say?  In stand-up, in storytime, in conversation?

The Hot Pocket Guy

Until I got Sirius/XM Radio, I really didn't pay much attention to stand up comedy.  I happened to hear this joke and oh my gosh...so true...so funny!  Jim Gaffigan is one gifted comic and he doesn't need foul language and sexual content to bring a laugh.  I am not a parent and this whole book is about parenting, but I had a great time listening to it.  It was exceptionally funny and I recommend it highly!