Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down

Dave Barry himself deserves six stars at least. This is his latest hilarious collection of columns from papers across the nation. Mr. Barry is as gut-wrenchingly funny as ever. (And he got a toilet on the cover of the book)Among the intense, serious topics discussed in this are:*"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and their questioning system ("You call your mother DURING THE X-FILES??")*The new toilets and why we hate them so much. ("They stink. Literally")*The return of Mr. Language Person! ("I Lost 40 Lbs. in Two Months! Call For Free Samples!")*Titanic II: The Sequel (Starring Leonardo DeDweebio and Demi Moore)*Luwak coffee, which is so disgusting that I probably wouldn't get this review posted if I told you what it is and how it's *ahem* processed.*Childbirth classes ("...when the woman in the movie makes a noise identical to what you'd hear if a live yak went through a garlic press...")And many more. Mr. Barry thrives on the absurdity of real life in his own warped universe, and the scariest thing is that he makes a great deal of sense. He also has an endearing way of creating a perfectly normal sentence, and then ending it with something bizarre like "weasel boogers."With the help of alert (or possibly insane) readers across the world, Mr. Barry brings the weekly belly-laugh to American doors. And this fantastic (or possibly insane) volume is every ounce as good as the previous ones.

Our local newspaper has been on strike for several years now, and not wanting to be a scab I stopped my subscription and had to cut myself off from the Dave Barry columns. So, when I bought "Dave Barry is not Taking This Sitting Down" for my sister's Christmas present, I decided she wouldn't mind if I did a bit of catching up on my favorite humor columnist.That was a mistake.I took it to bed with me and laughed so long and hard, the cats refused to come into the bedroom. And THEN I got to the column he did on SUVs. That's when I laughed myself into an earache. How many of you out there drive one of those big honker Chevrolet Subdivisions (as Dave has rechristened them)? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, and you will be after you read this book---if you don't die laughing, first. I can't wait until Dave Barry comes out with the ultimate tome on Southern Florida voting customs.Now my husband wants to read "Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down" before I wrap it up for my sister. After all, he had to spend a sleepless night listening to me read it.

I first read this book in a quiet bookstore coffee shop. I don't think that the people studying at the tables around me appreciated it too much. I kept making strange noises in an effort not to laugh. After a little while I just started crying because it was so funny. About every 5 minutes I had to put it down and rest because my stomach hurt so much from laughing. Anyway, it's one of Barry's best and definitely a book you'll want to read in the privacy of your own home.

I'm not the most unbiased reviewer because I have to confess that I have read every book that Barry has ever written including his not so stellar novel. Still, I can't imagine anyone I'd ever want to have coffee with not thinking this book is hysterical. I'm always amazed at his turn of phrase and wit in every single article on any topic imaginable. Whether he's talking about flushing "acts of congress" (#2) down a low gallon toilet or his coffee addiction, he makes me laugh out loud every 2 minutes. I was so engrossed in the book that I didn't realize I was near the end and sat around not believing that it had ended. Then, I entered a deep depression.... Okay, I'm lying, but I was disappointed that I didn't have another one of his books right there to keep me going.If you've never read Barry before, rush out and buy this. I guarantee that within minutes, you'll be dialing friends and relatives to read snippets out loud -- I try to, but I ususually collapse into gales of laughter while I'm trying.

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. I'm 8 months pregnant and had to stop reading several times for fear that my laughter would cause harm to my unborn child! I would recommend not reading this book in public because the constant laughter will cause people to stare and point. I would highly recommend this book to everybody!