Thrift Store by Bebe Nicholson

amazon.com

Released: December 2013

I found this book at a California laundromat last winter. The full title is actually Thrift Store: Shop, Cook, Laugh...But Don't Call the Police. At first glance, it looks like a goofy, funny "ha-ha" book, which is why I picked it up in the first place. While it only took me about an hour to read, it was exactly what I needed after finishing after having read novels of a more intense nature.

Thrift Store is a collection of anecdotes and recipes compiled by workers and volunteers for North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC) in Georgia. Each story is about a real experience that took place at a community thrift store—all of which are moderately entertaining if you frequently shop at thrift stores. Most of the stories are cute and wholesome, and provide a behind-the-scenes look at how non-profit thrift stores can help people in need.

I Wish I Never Met You by Denise N. Wheatley

photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Released: August 2004

Narrated in first-person, I Wish I Never Met You by Denise N. Wheatley is a novel mainly comprised of short stories about horrifying dating experiences.

Each short chapter has a funny name (such as "Doug the Heinous Dragon" and "Bubba the Bogus-Ass Baller,") and is about a man the narrator dated but wishes she had never met—just like the book title suggests.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

Released: March 2010

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang is the third memoir by the ever-entertaining comedian Chelsea Handler. If you can't handle nasty or raunchy, then this book isn't for you -- but if you loved Sarah Silverman's The Bedwetter and all of Jenny McCarthy's memoirs, then make sure to pick this one up.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang is comprised of stories about random, crazy adventures and incidents from Handler's past. This specific memoir also includes pictures to go along with the stories, which is an excellent addition that was absent from her previous books and definitely adds to its overall humor and value.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler

Released: April 2008

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea is Handler's second, extremely entertaining memoir, though somewhat tamer than her first memoir entitled My Horizontal Life, reviewed here: Dreamworld Book Reviews - My Horizontal Life.

This particular memoir features random memorable moments in Chelsea's life; and when I say random, I mean random -- from Chelsea's love of midgets to disgust with red-headed men, to killing pet fish...it's definitely tons of fun!

I've said this before of Sarah Silverman and I'll say it again in regards to Chelsea Handler...she's the raunchy girlfriend I always wished I could have, because seriously, nobody else would ever discuss the topics in this book with me in real life.

My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler

Released: May 2005

My Horizontal Life is the first memoir by late-night talk show host and stand-up comedian Chelsea Handler.

This memoir details Chelsea's sex-life and sexual escapades over the years in a series of quirky and jaw-dropping short stories. From talking about her obsession with the black man's penis and numerous one-night stands to skid-mark accidents in her panties, Chelsea's book falls in a class of its own.

My Horizontal Life reminds me a lot of Jenny McCarthy's memoirs. I really enjoyed this book because Chelsea's guts to share her stories with the world are admirable. Although I've had my own mortifying experiences with men and one-night stands, I'd never share them publicly as Chelsea does.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance: A Memoir by Elna Baker

Released: October 2009

This hilarious memoir from Elna Baker is definitely worth the read. The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance -- a title that actually seems like an oxymoron -- tells of Baker's experiences as a single Mormon woman "coming of age" in New York City.

Baker's memoir is genuine, highly entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny throughout its entirety. Considering Baker is under thirty years old at the time of this writing, I'm truly hoping she releases future memoirs and comedic tales. Her style and ability to write humor rivals that of Tama Janowitz and Jenny McCarthy.

The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman

Released: April 2010

I rarely read celebrity biographies, but found Sarah Silverman's The Bedwetter irresistible. Sarah Silverman is the girlfriend of my dreams; someone I fantasize about hanging out with and joking raunchily with while avoiding the shock and awe reactions I usually muster up in anyone who is not a dude.

Silverman's The Bedwetter is an example of a really clever way for a celebrity to overcome any hang-ups and insecurities they may have had before or during stardom. A large portion of the biography is attributed to Silverman's problems with bed-wetting throughout her childhood years. While this subject does consume quite a few chapters, Sarah sprinkles in as much humor as possible, which causes the reader to appreciate her nonchalant hilarity more than her confrontation of the bed-wetting trauma.

My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber

Released: 1933

Okay, okay, so I know James Thurber is a celebrated author and artist who spent the majority of his career writing for The New Yorker, but that was over 50 years ago. I really need to start washing my hands of classics such as these because they're just too old. I can appreciate his talent, but from an enjoyment standpoint I just need to stick to later, humorous biographies written by people that are still alive and dwelling in current times. Even reading Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon Days is pushing it.

My Life and Hard Times is a very short, little book telling funny little stories from James Thurber's childhood, teenage, and college years. I have heard these types of "when I was young we walked 20 miles up the hill to school in snow" stories BILLIONS of times, so although this book may have been original at some point in time, it definitely isn't for me. My Life and Hard Times is not terrible or poorly written, but is however fairly boring and made me sleepy.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Released: 1979

Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is probably one of the most ridiculous, most goofy books I have read in ages. It was so random to the point where random events (such as crashing into a sperm whale in outer space) just weren't funny anymore.

A young man named Arthur Dent leaves Earth with his friend and galaxy-born traveler Ford Prefect before Earth undergoes a type of apocalypse. In a nutshell, both men get picked up by a spaceship and encounter other random, weird events.

Syrup by Maxx Barry

Released: 2000

Maxx Barry's Syrup is an absolutely HILARIOUS satire about marketing and Corporate America. Barry's first novel is so sarcastic and unique that readers won't help but love it!

Scat is a young twenty-something man who develops a new brand of soda called Fukk. While preparing to have it officially branded and presented to a massive corporation leading in soda products, his roommate Sneaky Pete steals his invention and tries to pass it off as his own.

Plane Insanity: A Flight Attendant's Tales of Sex, Rage, and Queasiness at 30,000 Feet by Elliott Hester

Released: 2003

Plane Insanity: A Flight Attendant's Tales of Sex, Rage, and Queasiness at 30,000 Feet is the one of most hilarious travel books I have ever read! As opposed to reading about one long trek through Africa, or one long hike through the Appalachian Mountains, Hester has written a series of short stories and his funny experiences as a flight attendant. From stories of the infamous mile-high club to irritating passengers and other unbelievable events, this book is guaranteed to entertain all sorts of readers; not just those interested in the travel genre.

Hester's sense of humor is very intelligent, and his witty, sarcastic remarks throughout the book are laugh-out-loud hilarious.

I would place this book on the border of the humor and travel genres. Nicely done, Elliott Hester!

Handle Time by Lincoln Park

www.goodreads.com

Released: May 2008

Handle Time is an alleged satire about working at a call center.

I only say "alleged" because at the time I read this novel, I was about 10 years into my career at various call centers. I hated working for call centers, and I think during that time period, my cynical attitude toward call-center life disagreed with the portrayal of the same environment in Handle Time.

Although author Park has had call-center experience, I felt that she did an awful job at replicating a true call-center environment.

The Worst Noel: Hellish Holiday Tales by Collected Authors

www.goodreads.com

Released: 2005

The Worst Noel contains multiple short stories about individuals who find Christmas painful, and hard to deal with. Being a non-fan of the commercial, Christmas holiday season myself, I found this book mildly entertaining. The stories weren't too exhilarating.

My favorite story in The Worst Noel is "The Gift of the Magi Redux." This story is about a couple who buys each other the "wrong" Christmas presents, and the couple eventually breaks up as a result of not understanding one another. What a hilarious concept - who hasn't been with a person who bought them the "wrong" gifts?

The rest of the stories in this novel are so-so. Would I recommend The Worst Noel? Probably not - maybe only to those who have a deep hatred for Christmas.