Remember THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK, which was all the rage in the publishing world that was 1999? After sequels, cards, calendars and other products, the brand recently has branched into a series of POCKET GUIDEs — roughly 4.5″ x 3.5″ hardbacks that literally can fit into your pocket.
And why not? As written by series co-creator David Borgenicht and SENSE AND SENSIBILITY AND SEA MONSTERS‘ Ben H. Winters, the guides are good for a quick laugh or a few while on the go, whether that’s via commute or toilet.
Another week, another blog-turned-book. In this case, Duncan Birmingham’s PETS WHO WANT TO KILL THEMSELVES. Just like the site, this is full-color photo after full-color photo of dogs and cats dressed in “cute” outfits. True to the title, most have looks on their faces that suggest they’d rather be buried in the backyard.
There’s a powder puff of a cat in a rainbow vest, a dog with “Obama” shaved into its fur, and way too many pooches in Christmas outfits. I’m not a pet person, and even I feel sorry for them. Irony: The people this book most likely appeals to are the ones most likely not to get the joke. A word of warning to anyone who thinks this might be a good gift for the kids: Some of Birmingham’s captions contains salty language. —Rod Lott
For the slim, illustrated volume, Spradlin rewrites a couple dozen beloved holiday tunes to give them a reanimated flavor — witness utterly predictable opening lines like “Fresh brains roasting on an open fire,” “Here comes Zombie Claus, here comes Zombie Claus” and “I’ll be undead for Christmas.” My fourth grader can do that. Maybe these would be funny as actual songs, performed rather than read. But then again, maybe not. —Rod Lott
Most travel writing is boring and staid. Not Gary Buslik’s. In his A ROTTEN PERSON TRAVELS THE CARIBBEAN, you may not learn where to get the best deals on a hotel, but you’ll know what to do if you happen to urinate on the foot of a ruthless dictator.
In nearly 20 pieces of creative nonfiction — some reprints of previously published magazine articles — Buslik details his and his credit-card-happy wife’s misadventures south of the American border. Like the time a pirate stole their clothes while they were skinny-dipping. Or when he went to a cockfighting match in Grenada. Or smuggled three cigars out of Cuba. Or saw Ernest Hemingway’s toilet seat. Or, yes, when he peed on Idi Amin. “Accidentally.”
A book with a small smattering of Yiddish and photos of babies in various poses, as in the case of Janet Perr’s YIDDISH FOR BABIES, is not what I call a must-read. Especially since the only Yiddish anyone should really know are the words I scream while sitting in traffic.
This is one of those books only idiots will find adorable. You know the type of people I’m talking about: They all live in Florida retirement communities and their cell phones only have one giant button. I felt like a schmuck reading this drivel, and all blame is pointed at the goyim who run this site. Maybe I’m just an alter kocker, but this was not only a waste of paper, but an insult to Jews. —Bruce Grossman
Remember THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK, which was all the rage in the publishing world that was 1999? After sequels, cards, calendars and other products, the brand recently has branched into a series of POCKET GUIDEs — roughly 4.5″ x 3.5″ hardbacks that literally can fit into your pocket.
