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Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Hidden Treasures by Adrian Besley (2017)
Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Hidden Treasures
by Adrian Besley
Abrams, 2017
British humor (or humour, if you prefer extraneous u’s in your words) does not always translate well when performed for American audiences. Even the venerable Monty Python struggled when they first came to the United States, despite their reputation across the pond. Adrian Besley’s Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Hidden Treasures is a fantastic retelling of the troupe’s history on the BBC, including the formation of the group and their eventual success in America, all the way through their successful reunions of recent years.
The Pythons write in the foreword, “Abrams, the publishers of what they feel is one of the most original and fascinating books ever produced by Monty Python, have asked us to let you all know that this is one of the most original and fascinating books ever produced by the Monty Python team.” A truer statement has never been uttered.
The real draw for this volume is the “removable memorabilia.” Included are pages of scripts, postcards, animation artwork, and posters. In all, there are 22 removable facsimiles of memorabilia from the Pythons’ archives. Throughout the book, the reader can also find QR codes which can be scanned to watch the sketches referenced throughout.
Monty Python fanatics will absolutely love Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Hidden Treasures and the memorabilia it includes. Highly recommended for fans of the irreverent British comedians.
Purchase Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Hidden Treasures by Adrian Besley.
I Adulted! Stickers for Grown-Ups by Robb Pearlman (2017)
I Adulted! Stickers for Grown-Ups
by Robb Pearlman
Universe, 2017
When I was a kid in elementary school, I always looked forward to getting a sticker on my homework. “Super!” “Fantastic!” “Great Job!” Those stickers were often more important than the actual letter grade. As I grew older, those stickers appeared less frequently. In high school, they were gone altogether.
Now that I am an adult, I never get stickers anymore. There is no adhesive affirmation that I did “Awesome!” on any project at work, or that my ideas were “Incredible!” Outside motivation is not easy to find. That is what makes the 100 stickers included in Robb Pearlman‘s I Adulted! Stickers for Grown-Ups “Brilliant!”
There are stickers for a number of everyday adult accomplishments, and just because no one else noticed doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pat yourself on the back. From “I Cooked for Myself!” to “I Ignored the Online Troll!”, I Adulted! Stickers for Grown-Ups is a fun collection with which you can memorialize the mundane. “I Put Money in the Bank!” “I Called my Elderly Relative!” “I Didn’t Tell my Boss Off!” These are just a few of the day-to-day deeds that deserve some recognition.
Just in case there is something you want to celebrate that is not included, there are eight blank stickers for you to write in whatever little thing you think was “Amazing!” Just about anyone who misses childhood will appreciate this book.
Purchase I Adulted! Stickers for Grown-Ups by Robb Pearlman.
Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs by Erik Didriksen (2015)
Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs
by Erik Didriksen
Quirk Books, 2015
128 pages
William Shakespeare is best known for his brilliance as a playwright, but his skill with pen and paper extended to the area of poetry as well; the Bard is also known for his mastery of writing sonnets. Author Erik Didriksen combines the Bard’s language with today’s most popular poets, also known as songwriters, for the humorous parody Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs.
Ranging from classic rock (“Free Bird” and “Light My Fire”) to country (“Folsom Prison Blues” and “King of the Road”) to more recent top 40 hits (“Party Rock Anthem” and “Call Me Maybe”), Didriksen creates wonderful Victorian versions of twentieth and twenty-first century lyrics. This small volume will have readers laughing as they try to sing these popular songs with Shakespearean language.
This book is a perfect gift for anyone who loves Shakespeare or music. Didriksen might as well have been writing about himself when he stylized the couplet of MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”:
Though I have of my craft imparted much,
my artistry’s beyond what thou canst touch.
Purchase Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins on Your Favorite Songs by Erik Didriksen.
Little Miss and Mr. Me Me Me series by Dan Zevin (2015)
Little Miss and Mr. Me Me Me series
by Dan Zevin
Three Rivers Press, 2015
32 pages each
Growing up, I always looked forward to the Scholastic book order forms, and I would beg my mom to order more Mr. Men/Little Miss books. I loved those short little stories and simple illustrations, and the morals and manners they slyly taught were beneficial. They have been around for more than four decades, and have taught countless kids the proper way to act.
Now, there is a series for adults who did not experience the originals. The parody series, Little Miss and Mr. Me Me Me, features annoying adults that don’t have it all together, though they think they do. The first four books in the series and Mr. Selfie, Little Miss Basic, Mr. Humblebrag, and Little Miss Overshare. Four more books are scheduled for publication in March, 2016. I guarantee you know some of these people. Hopefully you, yourself, are not found in these pages.
These are books for a grown-up audience. There is no foul language, but some of the topics are risque and not appropriate for younger readers. After reading them, you may want to share with your ridiculous friends who emulate these very attributes, hoping they get the hint. But they probably won’t.
Learn more about Three Rivers Press.
Purchase Mr. Selfie
The Best Joke Book (Period) by William Donohue (2014)
The Best Joke Book (Period)
by William Donohue
Adams Media, 2014
208 pages
Joke books often fall into one of two categories: far too obscene or far too corny. The Best Joke Book (Period) by William Donohue certainly falls on the corny side, which might be expected by the subtitle, “Hundreds of the Funniest, Silliest, Most Ridiculous Jokes Ever.” The jokes are divided into nine categories, ranging from families to holidays to animals to sports, and include Q&A-style jokes, short anecdotes, and comedian quotes.
These are the types of jokes that dads tell, and that teenagers roll their eyes at. Several groans were heard around the office this week as I sampled the Christmas funnies out loud.
Stuff You Should Know About Stuff by Tripp Crosby & Tyler Stanton (2014)
Stuff You Should Know About Stuff
by Tripp Crosby & Tyler Stanton
BenBella Books, 2014
232 pages
Let’s face it, we have all been in situations that we just don’t know how to act. Whether it’s in the movie theater, a restaurant, an airplane, or the public restroom, sometimes we just don’t know what we should do. Fortunately, Tripp & Tyler take care of almost every situation you could possibly find yourself in and more in Stuff You Should Know About Stuff: How To Properly Behave in Certain Situations. Going to the gym? Tripp & Tyler have you covered. Planning to attend a concert? Read Tripp & Tyler’s short section on “Concert Etiquette.”
The authors also give their humorous take on various communication issues, from handling dropped calls to e-mail no-no’s to awkward silences, as well as situations involving friends (helping someone move) and more than friends (ruining Valentine’s Day), and some other random stuff that they just couldn’t categorize (a poem about shampoo is among these).
This is definitely a comedy book designed for men. Not quite toilet humor, but somewhat risque at times. Appropriate for more mature audiences, mainly because most of the jokes would be over the head of younger readers.
Learn more about BenBella Books.
Purchase Stuff You Should Know About Stuff by Tripp Crosby & Tyler Stanton.
KISS has become a parody of themselves
But when others make a parody video involving KISS, I’m still drawn to it.
Perhaps the new KISS album will restore my faith in the once-loved band. Or perhaps Ace’s solo album will put all debates to rest, showing that he is the true and only Mr. Space Ace.
Thanks to Hard Rock Hideout for bringing this video to my attention.
And the new Ace record is just on the horizon…
Adventures in YouTubing
What do your YouTube subscriptions say about you? I have five channel subscriptions, and they all say what I already knew: Read the rest of this entry
