amymo73's review against another edition
4.0
Loaned to me by my boyfriend after he first lent it to my mother (who bough it for him for Christmas) I was told it was funny and a quick read. And you know what? It was funny and quick read. The "quick read" comment can be taken several ways, but in this case, it's a complement, noting that the stories flowed, the writing was easy and I could just enjoy the book.
Birbiglia made me laugh out loud at several points. Which is good. He is a comedian after all. But while his stories were witty, there was a truth and honesty about them which at times made me smile. Or nod knowingly to myself.
I particularly enjoyed his stories about being part of focus groups and his description of his family as Olive Garden Italians. But while the book has some stories which are seemingly random tangents (and I have nothing against tangents as my life could be described as a series of them) towards the final pages, it all starts to come together in a really entertaining, cohesive work.
This was a much more productive way to spend a snowy Friday than say, actually working from home, which, if you're my editor, as far as you know is still true.
Birbiglia made me laugh out loud at several points. Which is good. He is a comedian after all. But while his stories were witty, there was a truth and honesty about them which at times made me smile. Or nod knowingly to myself.
I particularly enjoyed his stories about being part of focus groups and his description of his family as Olive Garden Italians. But while the book has some stories which are seemingly random tangents (and I have nothing against tangents as my life could be described as a series of them) towards the final pages, it all starts to come together in a really entertaining, cohesive work.
This was a much more productive way to spend a snowy Friday than say, actually working from home, which, if you're my editor, as far as you know is still true.
jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
3.0
Most of the stories that Birbiglia tells in this book are amusing, but much of the material is culled directly from his stand-up act and while it comes alive and is fun to hear onstage, a lot of the jokes and anecdotes fall flat in readable form. Some of these stories aren't particularly memorable or special, either. However, the portions at the end devoted to his sleep disorder are easily the highlights of this book and reach a deeper emotional and personal level that the rest lacked.
bookchew's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a fan of birbiglia's standup, but part of his charm is his simplicity of language, his molasses-slow cadence, and his casual, almost childlike delivery. Unfortunately, this style works better in a spoken-word format than in the written word. "Sleepwalk with me" is more or less a transcription of the stand-up routine by the same name, but the humor is somehow lost.
Opt to hear these stories told by the man himself. He's a master of pacing in oral storytelling, but his simplicity works on stage, not on the page.
Opt to hear these stories told by the man himself. He's a master of pacing in oral storytelling, but his simplicity works on stage, not on the page.
blankcrayon's review against another edition
2.0
A few laughs, but mostly felt like I was waiting for the funny part.
soulpopped's review against another edition
4.0
Repetitive in terms of his CDs and performances, but tremendous writing regardless. Funny and emotive.
danie_joye_breit's review against another edition
5.0
I've watched Mike Birgiblia's stand up, binging appropriately. Meaning, I've watched him perform 68% of the jokes in this book. And I still laughed like a crazy person at the punch lines and the mini-punch lines. Mike Birgiblia makes me laugh and cringe and feel all the feels with equal enthusiasm.
leslielikesthings's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this is a lot like listening to his standup, so I'm not sure how much somebody who hadn't heard him would like this book. I could hear his delivery in my head, which made everything funnier. If this was a person's first introduction to Mike Birbiglia, then I would suggest listening to it in audiobook form instead of reading.
wayfaring_witch's review against another edition
2.0
Usually what I like about comedians is they somehow become likable doing crazy horrendous things. Unfortunately he tried to connect with the reader early on by being a disrespectful student. As a teacher, it just put a bad aura on the book.
joegisondi's review against another edition
5.0
For anyone who has ever heard of David Sedaris, this book is for you
mothra's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a closet stand-up fan and Birbiglia is one of my current favorites. This book duplicates a fair amount of his stand-up material (and his National Public Radio bits) verbatim. That said, he's a comedian who clearly crafts every single word of every bit--so the fact that he would repeat bits word for word is not surprising.
This book is worth reading for Birbiglia's epic stories of sleepwalking alone. There are several other stories that are classics in the making, too. Plus, if you were a Mitch Hedberg fan, you'll also really enjoy the chapter were he talks about the influence Hedberg had on his early career.
This book is worth reading for Birbiglia's epic stories of sleepwalking alone. There are several other stories that are classics in the making, too. Plus, if you were a Mitch Hedberg fan, you'll also really enjoy the chapter were he talks about the influence Hedberg had on his early career.