Scan barcode
smemmott's review against another edition
3.0
I've heard some of his pieces on This American Life, and I think his voice and delivery add a lot to his stories. But the book was entertaining and a quick read.
docfaustus's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fantastic. Finished it in a long afternoon. Reminded me in many ways of a more melancholy Dave Barry.
servemethesky's review against another edition
2.0
This book was fine. One of those that wound up in my house somehow, and I picked up in between books when I wasn't in the mood for others in my TBR pile.
I'm not a hardcore Mike Birbiglia fan, so I'm probably not the target audience for this book. Also, it's from 2010! Some aspects held up well, others not so much. I didn't find in particularly funny, though his stories about sleepwalking were definitely interesting.
Lots of other books from other comedians that are much funnier, imho.
I'm not a hardcore Mike Birbiglia fan, so I'm probably not the target audience for this book. Also, it's from 2010! Some aspects held up well, others not so much. I didn't find in particularly funny, though his stories about sleepwalking were definitely interesting.
Lots of other books from other comedians that are much funnier, imho.
zeecorster's review against another edition
4.0
A comedy memoir/book of essays that manages to not try too hard to make readers laugh. My favorite kind. Mike Birbiglia is just a normal dude who happens to be hilarious, and this book really drives that point home. He also demonstrates an expert ability to mine his past for poignant anecdotes that only make the funny parts funnier.
pinesandpages's review against another edition
3.0
I quite enjoyed The New One + have watched all his specials + seen him live in Boston, so when my library got a copy of this I was excited. It was only ok tho. Quite dated language - I know it’s 10 years old but it was tough reading at time. I felt like I have heard most of these stories already in his various specials and while they are a bit expanded it wasn’t enough that I was captivated. I also think his delivery and timing are key, which is lost when reading.
eileen_critchley's review against another edition
2.0
2 and 1/2 stars. Some of these stories are laugh out loud funny, some just meh. It's light and fun for the most part.
bethh1352's review against another edition
1.0
So boring and not what I thought it would be. I've spent 4 weeks trying to slog through this book because it was small, but I find that I keep reading other things. That must be because I'm bored. I got about 2/3 through so i count it as finished. I enjoy the genre of humor essays, but I didn't find this funny. It was just kind of sad reading about his life. And where i thought it would be interesting, the sleepwalking of the title and what happened in his life because of it, that subject didn't start until near the end. Just disjointed and a bit of a bummer.
nkives's review against another edition
5.0
Mike Birbiglia is a comedian and yes, a number of his jokes are in the book, but it expands on them, and has the stories behind them. There is also a pretty good story about Mitch Hedberg about the first time Mike met him, and also parts of memorial services for Mitch.
Some comedians write books and it ends up just being their jokes on paper, but this book is actually a lot more, and one of the better of the types I have read.
Some comedians write books and it ends up just being their jokes on paper, but this book is actually a lot more, and one of the better of the types I have read.
sandramifsud's review against another edition
3.0
I LOVE Mike Birgiglia. He's often referred to as a comedian. I see him as storyteller extrordinaire. MikeB's stories are honest, down to earth, insightful, and seem to come from a place that shows much bravery on his part. I appreciate that. Ya...I did literally laugh out loud more than a few times whist reading this book. More often than that, I took away a life lesson that I will hold with me for a long time. MikeB seems like a good man who knows the right thing to do. We can all learn from him.