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sarahjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes it's good to laugh at yourself, and that's exactly what Mike Birbiglia does in this memoir. Mike created a perfect balance between personal, funny and serious - meaning almost all of his stories are very personal, laugh at loud funny and rarely heavy enough that it'll bring down your mood. If you're a fan of his stand-up you'll find a lot of overlap, but in a good way. Things like Birbiglia's Like Fun jokes develop into something more. It's more like he has decided to acknowledge his stand up, but take it on a different journey for his first book -which I really appreciated.
At 191 pages, Sleepwalk With Me is a quick read. I tore through the pages like a house on fire. I spent all of yesterday on a less then pleasant train ride, and usually during these rides I turn to Mike's comedy albums to give me a few laughs and keep my spirit up but this time I decided reading would be a better use of my time. There were still parts where I laughing out loud and having the time of my life, and I didn't have to worry about those silly ear-buds falling out ever five seconds!
There is a lot of honest in Sleepwalk With Me. At 32 Birbiglia admits he's a bit young for a memoir, not wanting anyone to think he's 'wrapping it up'. I particularly liked his brief section on Mitch Hedberg, which, along with his sleepwalking stories are the most serious of the entire book. This is one of the better comedic memoir's I've read this year, and it really exceeded my expectations. If you're in need of a pick me up you should totally pick this one up.
At 191 pages, Sleepwalk With Me is a quick read. I tore through the pages like a house on fire. I spent all of yesterday on a less then pleasant train ride, and usually during these rides I turn to Mike's comedy albums to give me a few laughs and keep my spirit up but this time I decided reading would be a better use of my time. There were still parts where I laughing out loud and having the time of my life, and I didn't have to worry about those silly ear-buds falling out ever five seconds!
There is a lot of honest in Sleepwalk With Me. At 32 Birbiglia admits he's a bit young for a memoir, not wanting anyone to think he's 'wrapping it up'. I particularly liked his brief section on Mitch Hedberg, which, along with his sleepwalking stories are the most serious of the entire book. This is one of the better comedic memoir's I've read this year, and it really exceeded my expectations. If you're in need of a pick me up you should totally pick this one up.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
If you're familiar with his standup, this book might feel like you're treading familiar ground. Some of his most popular bits are here, word-for-word, but they benefit from the added context of biographical information. As someone who will throw on My Secret Public Journal for long car rides despite having heard it a dozen times, I didn't mind this repetition and still laughed out loud reading familiar stories. I'm very much looking forward to Birbiglia's film, which did very well at Sundance.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of comedians’ books pretty much feel like their sets with a little more framing and context. Which is how this book felt.
Mike Birbiglia is a hilarious stand-up, and he has a long-form style that’s pretty hard to match. But if you’re at all familiar with his act, the small asides are clearly his bits with not a whole lot of change.
It’s kind of strange to read a larger piece with bits you already know contained within. You know the bits are coming, you like them, but somehow they feel deflated.
There was one section that stood away from the rest of these, a chapter remembering and eulogizing Mitch Hedberg, which is a must-read for any Hedberg fan.
This book was sort of the opposite of the Sh*t My Dad Says book. I expected that to be a long list of one-liners. Instead, you get these longer stories that lend the whole thing a lot of extra humor. They enhance the jokes rather than squeezing them for every drop of laughter juice drink.
If you’ve heard Birbiglia on This American Life or The Moth, get his albums first. If you STILL want more, then give this book a shot. But the order is still firmly Album, Book.
Mike Birbiglia is a hilarious stand-up, and he has a long-form style that’s pretty hard to match. But if you’re at all familiar with his act, the small asides are clearly his bits with not a whole lot of change.
It’s kind of strange to read a larger piece with bits you already know contained within. You know the bits are coming, you like them, but somehow they feel deflated.
There was one section that stood away from the rest of these, a chapter remembering and eulogizing Mitch Hedberg, which is a must-read for any Hedberg fan.
This book was sort of the opposite of the Sh*t My Dad Says book. I expected that to be a long list of one-liners. Instead, you get these longer stories that lend the whole thing a lot of extra humor. They enhance the jokes rather than squeezing them for every drop of laughter juice drink.
If you’ve heard Birbiglia on This American Life or The Moth, get his albums first. If you STILL want more, then give this book a shot. But the order is still firmly Album, Book.
sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition
4.0
This was very funny, but funny doesn't get you past 3 stars. This super short book was very surprisingly poignant, sweet, unflinchingly honest and tragic in several chapters and it made me want to be friends with Mike Birbiglia really bad. I first found out about him when he was opening for Dimitri Martin at a show in College Park, and his set was fantastic. He is great at improv and is very likable. Dimitri couldn't have asked for a better guy to warm up his crowd. I still chuckle how Mike poked fun at the sign language interpreter who was working with him for the front row deaf audience. He taught us all how immaturely funny the sign for "shit your pants" would be even years after. I hope I never grow up, and I really hope Mike Birbiglia never does either.
alpenn31's review against another edition
4.0
If I had never heard his comedy, I would have probably give this 5. I don't laugh out loud at books, but I did a few times. I thought it was going to all be about his sleep disorder, but that was only a small part. At first I was disappointed, but as I read, I was more okay w/ this. Good easy read.
danchibnall's review against another edition
3.0
Mike Birbiglia is just flat-out funny and this book helps you to see who he really is. It's good for some laughs and to learn about the difficulties of trying to become a stand-up comic.
justabaldguy's review against another edition
4.0
Mike is hilarious and sad at the same time. I've seen a few of his shows online and wanted to read his book to compare. He is dry witted and quite touching. The sleepwalking story is at the end, and I got the sense Birbiglia has developed a good bit over time. Would love to read more of his works. For now, I'm off to find more of his shows.
ohjessican's review against another edition
4.0
The book was much like Mike's stand-up; funny, entertaining, and surprisingly touching as some stories turn the humor down a notch and share some personal stories.