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Humor & Giftbooks

Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life (and Comedy)

Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life (and Comedy)

Apatow, Judd
$18.00
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE A.V. CLUB - Includes new interviews!

From the writer and director of Knocked Up and the producer of Freaks and Geeks comes a collection of intimate, hilarious conversations with the biggest names in comedy from the past thirty years--including Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, Harold Ramis, Seth Rogen, Chris Rock, and Lena Dunham.

Before becoming one of the most successful filmmakers in Hollywood, Judd Apatow was the original comedy nerd. At fifteen, he took a job washing dishes in a local comedy club--just so he could watch endless stand-up for free. At sixteen, he was hosting a show for his local high school radio station in Syosset, Long Island--a show that consisted of Q&As with his comedy heroes, from Garry Shandling to Jerry Seinfeld. They talked about their careers, the science of a good joke, and their dreams of future glory (turns out, Shandling was interested in having his own TV show one day and Steve Allen had already invented everything).

Thirty years later, Apatow is still that same comedy nerd--and he's still interviewing funny people about why they do what they do.

Sick in the Head
gathers Apatow's most memorable and revealing conversations into one hilarious, wide-ranging, and incredibly candid collection that spans not only his career but his entire adult life. Here are the comedy legends who inspired and shaped him, from Mel Brooks to Steve Martin. Here are the contemporaries he grew up with in Hollywood, from Spike Jonze to Sarah Silverman. And here, finally, are the brightest stars in comedy today, many of whom Apatow has been fortunate to work with, from Seth Rogen to Amy Schumer. And along the way, something kind of magical happens: What started as a lifetime's worth of conversations about comedy becomes something else entirely. It becomes an exploration of creativity, ambition, neediness, generosity, spirituality, and the joy that comes from making people laugh.

Loaded with the kind of back-of-the-club stories that comics tell one another when no one else is watching, this fascinating, personal (and borderline-obsessive) book is Judd Apatow's gift to comedy nerds everywhere.

Praise for Sick in the Head

"I can't stop reading it. . . . I don't want this book to end."--Jimmy Fallon

"An essential for any comedy geek."--Entertainment Weekly

"Fascinating . . . a collection of interviews with many of the great figures of comedy in the latter half of the twentieth century."--The Washington Post

"Open this book anywhere, and you're bound to find some interesting nugget from someone who has had you in stitches many, many times."--Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"An amazing read, full of insights and connections both creative and interpersonal."--The New Yorker

"Fascinating and revelatory."--Chicago Tribune

"Anyone even remotely interested in comedy or humanity should own this book."--Will Ferrell

Roxanne says: A must read for any comedy aficionado or anyone brave enough to try stand-up! Apatow interviews all the greats: Seinfeld, Shandling, etc.

Solutions and Other Problems

Solutions and Other Problems

Brosh, Allie
$22.00
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Allie Brosh--beloved author and artist of the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller Hyperbole and a Half--returns with a long-awaited collection of "hilarious and slyly poignant" (People), autobiographical, illustrated essays.

Solutions and Other Problems includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh's childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of her own character flaws; incisive essays on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness; as well as reflections on the absurdity of modern life. "No one sums up the hilarity, devastation, and bizarreness of life quite like comic artist and blogger Allie Brosh" (NPR).

This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features all-new material with more than 1,600 pieces of art. Solutions and Other Problems marks the return of a beloved American humorist who has "the observational skills of a scientist, the creativity of an artist, and the wit of a comedian" (Bill Gates).

Dictionary of Fine Distinctions

Dictionary of Fine Distinctions

Burnstein, Eli
$20.00
"This delightful book is a tribute to the genius of the human mind for conceptual precision and the beauty of the English language in capturing it. It resolves a great deal of puzzlement over confusable terms, and its endearing illustrations and lighthearted explanations multiply the satisfaction." --Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and Rationality

What's the difference between mazes and labyrinths? Proverbs and adages? Clementines and tangerines? Join author Eli Burnstein on a hairsplitter's odyssey into the world of the ultra-subtle with Dictionary of Fine Distinctions. Illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist Liana Finck, this humorous dictionary takes a neurotic, brain-tickling plunge into the infinite (and infinitesimal) nuances that make up our world.

The perfect gift for book lovers, word nerds, trivia geeks, and everyday readers, this illustrated gem is more than just a book--it is an indispensable resource akin to a thesaurus but filled with charm and wit. Each entry, from "latte vs. flat white" to "Great Britain vs. The United Kingdom," is accompanied by mnemonic aids, quirky asides, and detailed illustrations, making it a standout dictionary for any bibliophile or language enthusiast's library.

For fans of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows or Foyle's Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words, Dictionary of Fine Distinctions promises to be a cherished addition to the genre that offers clarity, joy, and a deeper appreciation for the subtleties of the English language. The quintessential librarian gift and English teacher gift, it's an educational odyssey that's as entertaining as it is enlightening.

Basic Laws of Human Stupidity

Basic Laws of Human Stupidity

Cipolla, Carlo M.
$15.00
A masterly book --Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan
A classic --Simon Kuper, Financial Times

An economist explains five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world

Throughout history, a powerful force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness. It is more powerful than the Mafia or the military. It has global catastrophic effects and can be found anywhere from the world's most powerful boardrooms to your local bar.

It is human stupidity.

Carlo M. Cipolla, noted professor of economic history at the UC Berkeley, created this vitally important book in order to detect and neutralize its threat. Both hilarious and dead serious, it will leave you better equipped to confront political realities, unreasonable colleagues, or your next dinner with your in-laws.

The Laws:

1. Everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals among us.
2. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person while deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses themselves.
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals.
5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.

Best of the Rejection Collection

Best of the Rejection Collection

Diffee, Matthew
$17.95
The best of the worst: these cartoons rejected by The New Yorker were deemed too dumb, too weird, or too naughty--but not for lack of laughs!

Every week, hundreds and hundreds of cartoons pour into The New Yorker. Most are rejected. Doesn't matter how big a deal the cartoonist is, either. Roz Chast, David Sipress, Kim Warp, Sam gross, Ed Steed, Emily Flake, Navied Mahdavian, or Mary Lawton--if the work in question is too weird, too naughty, too juvenile, or too dark, it's out. Luckily for us, Matthew Diffee has been bravely sifting through the circular file to rescue the best of the worst.
Here are 297 cartoons in a revised second edition featuring more than 50 new cartoons--even better, even worse! The cartoon set-ups may be familiar--a couple in bed, a few people stranded on a desert island, a doctor and patient in an examining room--but the joke are anything but, with twists so unexpected, you can't help but laugh out loud.


Bryn says: Talk about a perfect beach read, you'll take a look into the trash bin of The New Yorker's cartoon editor and laugh out loud at what we didn't get to see between the magazine's pages. A reminder that even the best can get passed over. Oh, and you'll also get to know some of your favorite cartoonists/rejects. 

I Feel Bad About My Neck

Ephron, Nora
$17.00
Little Instruction Book for Grandparents

Little Instruction Book for Grandparents

Freeman, Kate
$10.99
So you're a grandparent!

One of the most magical roles you'll ever have - but also one of the messiest.

But never fear: this indispensable handbook is here to guide you through the pleasures and pitfalls of grandparenthood, and, most importantly, teach you how to keep them quiet while you catch up on your nap-time.

Little Instruction Book for Retirement

Little Instruction Book for Retirement

Freeman, Kate
$10.99
It's time to celebrate the end of an era - and the start of a whole new one!

Ah, retirement - from here on out it's all lazy lie-ins, pleasant afternoons in the garden (or the garden centre), long lunches with friends and evenings spent in a comfy chair in front of the fire, right?

Wrong! Welcome to a world where you're halfway to the office before you realize you don't work there any more, you somehow seem to have even less free time than before to do all the things you need to do, and suddenly daytime TV seems a whole lot more appealing than it ever used to...

This indispensable handbook, packed with amusing illustrations, is here to guide you through the pleasures and pitfalls of being retired. Most importantly, though, it'll teach you how to how to make sure you always get a decent afternoon nap.

This book is perfect gift for retirees, offering tongue-in-cheek advice on how to make the most of their new-found freedom.

Talking IRL

Talking IRL

Pearlman, Robb
$7.98
Make small talk fun with more than 100 prompts and twenty-four conversation-starter stickers to fill any awkward silence.

Created for anyone who would rather text, Slack, or e-mail than speak, Talking IRL: Conversation Starters for When You Have to Talk to Someone helps eliminate awkward pauses to get readers through any social situation.

We've become so used to communicating via text or emojis that many of us do not know how to navigate an actual verbal conversation. Whether at a party, in a meeting, or even on a phone call, figuring out what to say--let alone the right thing to say--can be as awkward as it is emotionally scarring.

Talking IRL humorously addresses everyday danger zones--from work and dating to parties and funerals--with checklists for getting through a business lunch, tips on how to listen without picking up your phone to check your messages, and quotes from celebrities that speak directly to having to make, and get away from, conversation.

With twenty-four conversation-starter stickers like I'm from ____, Ask me about my ______, and I stan _______, Talking IRL is a handy, indispensable guide for grads, people starting new jobs or moving to a new city, or, let's face it, anyone who comes into contact with other people!

Alexandra Petri's US History

Alexandra Petri's US History

Petri, Alexandra
$18.99

As a columnist for the Washington Post, Alexandra Petri has watched in real time as those who didn't learn from history have been forced to repeat it. And repeat it. And repeat it. If we repeat history one more time, we're going to fail! Maybe it's time for a new textbook.

Alexandra Petri's US History contains a lost (invented!) history of America. (A history for people disappointed that the only president whose weird sex letters we have is Warren G. Harding.) Petri's "historical fan fiction" draws on real events and completely absurd fabrications to create a laugh-out-loud, irreverent takedown of our nation's complicated past.

On Petri's deranged timeline, John and Abigail Adams try sexting, the March sisters from Little Women are sixty feet tall, and Susan Sontag goes to summer camp. Nearly eighty short, hilarious pieces span centuries of American history and culture. Ayn Rand rewrites The Little Engine That Could. Nikola Tesla's friends stage an intervention when he falls in love with a pigeon. The characters from Sesame Street invade Normandy. And Mark Twain--who famously said reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated--offers a detailed account of his undeath, in which he becomes a zombie.

This side-splitting work of historical humor shows why Alexandra Petri has been hailed as a "genius,"* a "national treasure,"+ and "one of the funniest writers alive"+.

*Olivia Nuzzi, Katha Pollitt
+Julia Ioffe, Katy Tur, John Scalzi, Chuck Wendig, Jamil Smith, and Susan Hennessey
+Randall Munroe