The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong
by Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990) and Raymond Hull (1919-1985)
For anyone who is frustrated with the dysfunction of a bureaucracy, this satirical study of hierarchiology—the social science of hierarchies—will shed some light. The Peter Principle states, “In a hierarchy, everyone tends to rise to his level of incompetence.”
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Does It Fart? The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence
by Nick Caruso and Dani Rabaiotti, Illustrated by Ethan Kocak
This book is about “flatology, or the study of flatulence.” The authors are postdoctoral researchers with expertise in ecology and zoology, although they note that their life’s work is not dedicated to fart science. The book features 80 animals, each with one page of engrossing (or just gross) facts about their digestive process, including whether or not they fart. For example…
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Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition
by Ben Schott
Schottenfreude is a collection of 120 German compound words (Komposita) made up by an Englishman. It’s an amusing coffee table book – essentially a parody of German rather than words a native speaker would ever use.
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Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography
by Eric Idle
This is an autobiography of a very funny writer and performer. The book includes many stories of how Monty Python projects came to be. But it is also the story of friendships and the healing power of comedy.
Continue reading “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography”An interview with Peter McGraw
author of Shtick to Business: What the masters of comedy can teach you
about breaking rules, being fearless, and building a serious career.
October 15, 2020 — 38 minutes — Book Review — Amazon
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Shtick to Business: What the masters of comedy can teach you about breaking rules, being fearless, and building a serious career
by Peter McGraw (interview)
This book is about applying the wisdom of successful comedians to business management. Topics include targeting your audience and differentiating your brand, the creative process, innovation, diversity, teamwork, and writing skills. Peter McGraw is a behavioral economist, professor, and director of the Humor Research Lab (HuRL).
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On Bullshit
by Harry G. Frankfurt (1929-2023)
“One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit.” Bullshit can refer to a number of things, including pointless tasks or requirements, but the main topic of this book is the widespread disregard for truth in speech and writing.
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Fart Proudly: Writings of Benjamin Franklin You Never Read in School
Compiled and Edited by Carl Japikse
Benjamin Franklin is well known as an important figure in American history. He was a printer, publisher, postmaster, inventor, and ambassador. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But he also had a sense of humor. This book contains a collection of his humorous writing, including hoaxes and political satire. Much of these works were written anonymously or under pseudonyms, such as a Richard Saunders, publisher of Poor Richard’s Almanack.
Here are some excerpts.
A Letter to the Royal Academy, 1781. The Royal Academy of Brusselles held a contest in which scientists submitted solutions to a given theoretical problem. Franklin submitted this suggestion for a contest theme with more practical value: “My Prize Question therefore should be, To discover some Drug wholesome and not disagreeable, to be mixed with our common Food, or Sauces, that shall render the Natural Discharges of Wind from our Bodies, not only inoffensive, but agreeable as Perfumes.”
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I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar: A Collection of Egregious Errors, Disconcerting Bloopers, and Other Linguistic Slip-Ups
by Sharon Eliza Nichols
This collection of linguistically impaired signs includes dangling modifiers, apostrophe errors, misspellings, and other amusing misadventures. As a coffee table book, it is sure to get a few laughs.
Here are some examples:
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The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference
by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval
You may not be familiar with their names, but you are probably familiar with the authors’ work. They are the founding partners of the Kaplan Thaler Group, the advertising agency responsible for the Aflac duck campaign. One of them wrote the “I want to be a Toys R Us Kid” jingle earlier in her career. Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval previously wrote The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness.
This book is about paying attention to little things which have a big impact.
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The Key Point 