blooker's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the Bored to Death story, better than the series, I think, but then I'm also a fan of Chandler, Hammett, and so on.
I also really enjoyed the journalism section. I was reminded in a good way of Chuck Klosterman--a flawed journalist/essayist with some writing talent and interesting topics.
The personal essays and fiction sections weren't bad, but somewhat repetitive. How many times do you want to read the author likes to go down on women? If you think more is better, this is the book for you.
Overall, I'd recommend the book to others, telling them that the opening story and first section are must reads, and the remainder optional.
I also really enjoyed the journalism section. I was reminded in a good way of Chuck Klosterman--a flawed journalist/essayist with some writing talent and interesting topics.
The personal essays and fiction sections weren't bad, but somewhat repetitive. How many times do you want to read the author likes to go down on women? If you think more is better, this is the book for you.
Overall, I'd recommend the book to others, telling them that the opening story and first section are must reads, and the remainder optional.
tiedyedude's review against another edition
2.0
Feels good to get this off my Kindle. I started reading it probably over a year ago. I loved the TV show Bored to Death, but it turns out I'm not a huge fan of Ames writing, at least his non fiction. Honestly, it's been so long since I started this collection, I don't really remember the fiction. I'm asexual, so I'm not particularly interested in his sexual conquests, which he writes about A LOT! It's not bragging though, and his self deprivation keeps it from being obnoxious, but still...
skolastic's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this book from the moment that my friend Rebecca grabbed it off of a shelf at the venerable City Lights (that's right, I dropped that name) and said, "This is the book that Bored to Death was based on!" (Bored to Death, for the uninitiated, is a mystery-comedy series that used to run on HBO that has now been cancelled. The main character is a fictionalized Jonathan Ames. I think it is the second-funniest show ever after, of course, the ne plus ultra that is Arrested Development.)
Sadly, for the most part, this collection left me wishing there was more to it. Bored-to-Death-the-short-story is almost nothing like Bored-to-Death-the-TV-show. You can recognize traces of the pilot episode, but it is played like a Raymond Chandler novel and played extremely straight. After that, it breaks down into Journalism, Personal Essays, and Short Stories.
Journalism is easily the best section of the three, with Ames taking weird, wonderful trips to a Goth convention, the US Open, the Meatpacking District of New York City, and hanging out with Marilyn Manson and Lenny Kravitz. Personal Essays is the weakest, with some occasional amusing bits, but it's mostly painfully recycled content from other places. (I believe I mentioned this in my review for William Gibson's Distrust That Particular Flavor but it bears repeating: if I want to read the foreword for another book, I would be reading that book. Short Stories has some good pieces in it, but they mostly seem like thinly fictionalized Personal Essays (i.e. stories about people that Ames has slept with).
All in all, I should probably be rating this book lower, but I'm willing to give it the third star based on the strength of the Journalism section alone. I'm not sure if I'd grab this off the shelf at City Lights again, but if it turned up in a used-book bin, I would recommend giving it at least a shot if you're not familiar with Ames.
Sadly, for the most part, this collection left me wishing there was more to it. Bored-to-Death-the-short-story is almost nothing like Bored-to-Death-the-TV-show. You can recognize traces of the pilot episode, but it is played like a Raymond Chandler novel and played extremely straight. After that, it breaks down into Journalism, Personal Essays, and Short Stories.
Journalism is easily the best section of the three, with Ames taking weird, wonderful trips to a Goth convention, the US Open, the Meatpacking District of New York City, and hanging out with Marilyn Manson and Lenny Kravitz. Personal Essays is the weakest, with some occasional amusing bits, but it's mostly painfully recycled content from other places. (I believe I mentioned this in my review for William Gibson's Distrust That Particular Flavor but it bears repeating: if I want to read the foreword for another book, I would be reading that book. Short Stories has some good pieces in it, but they mostly seem like thinly fictionalized Personal Essays (i.e. stories about people that Ames has slept with).
All in all, I should probably be rating this book lower, but I'm willing to give it the third star based on the strength of the Journalism section alone. I'm not sure if I'd grab this off the shelf at City Lights again, but if it turned up in a used-book bin, I would recommend giving it at least a shot if you're not familiar with Ames.
tiedyedude's review
2.0
Feels good to get this off my Kindle. I started reading it probably over a year ago. I loved the TV show Bored to Death, but it turns out I'm not a huge fan of Ames writing, at least his non fiction. Honestly, it's been so long since I started this collection, I don't really remember the fiction. I'm asexual, so I'm not particularly interested in his sexual conquests, which he writes about A LOT! It's not bragging though, and his self deprivation keeps it from being obnoxious, but still...
bearforester's review
The articles and essays are funny and interesting. This was my first Ames book, but I definitely will read more.
jackobotts's review
3.0
Thoroughly enjoyed The Double Life... and recommend it to folks who enjoy Sedaris, Palahniuk, & Waters. Funny & well-paced...nothing gruesome, but a fair share sexual encounters. Will definitely explore his other work.
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