gorillahands's review
4.0
This book is good for a lark into the realm of fake trivia.
Good tip is that it is twice as good if you read it in John Hodgman's Voice.
Good tip is that it is twice as good if you read it in John Hodgman's Voice.
climbon321's review
3.0
Funny, but overall not as good as I expected it to be. A good book to have around and read a section here and there when you've got some time to kill and The Daily Show is a rerun.
thefancypants's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
juliaw's review
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gmvader's review
3.0
This is an almanac of hilarious, completely made up, 'facts.' It is mind-numbingly ludicrous that it even exists, yet also fascinating in that stare-at-a-car-wreck kind of way that makes you keep reading it to see what kind of insanity will be on the next page.
judyward's review
4.0
If you are a fan of the Onion, then this is the book for you. If you don't like the Onion and are not a fan of John Hodgman, the resident expert on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, then read something else. This book was right up my alley. It's in the spirt of works such as Poor Richard's Almanac and the Farmer's Almanac, except in this almanac, everything is made up. It's complete nonsense and totally wonderful. John Hodgman, I was a fan before, but now I am completely smitten.
siria's review against another edition
3.0
Hodgman's sense of humour is about as dry as the centre of the Atacama Desert—and, I would imagine, one of the few to give rise to a list of 700 pseudonyms employed by hobos. (who, as we all know, long waged a war against the USA)—which means this book gels nicely with what I tend to find funny. Most of The Areas of My Expertise is brief and episodic, which I think makes it more a book to dip into rather than read straight through; there are parts of it which are more amusing than others. It's only towards the end of it, as Hodgman allows himself to engage in something closer to a narrative, that the humour goes beyond the simply wry to the truly sharp—I'd love to see what he could do if he gave himself the scope of a novel(la).
pharmdad2007's review
3.0
John Hodgman is really funny. And his audiobooks are very entertaining. I think that listening to all three of them consecutively is maybe a bit much though, because I found myself getting tired of them after a while. But still, definitely worth a read. He is the master of simultaneous self-aggrandizement and self-deprecation.
mcomer's review
3.0
An absurd almanac of fake facts, stories, and lists. It's entertaining, with definite echoes of Lemony Snicket-style wry humor and word-working. Is it meant to be read cover-to-cover? Probably not, but it's worth peeking into now and then for a made-up history of the lobster in America or a list of American presidents with hooks for hands. Recommend in small doses.