They Call Me Naughty Lola: Personal Ads from the London Review of Books

What can I say other than this book makes me laugh so hard that my ribs ache. The humor is dry, the personal ads are as precise as haiku, and nobody seems to be taking themselves too seriously. Well, maybe the "beardy physicist" who provided the ad from which the title was taken, but certainly not the parade of loners who have not forgotten that humor is the most powerful aphrodesiac of all.

The personal ad in this review's title is from the LRB, but is not among this book's selections. Nonetheless, it provides one with the flavor of the treasures to be found herein. Actual paraphrased examples from the book include: -- "Writing this ad has given the biggest sense of accomplishment I've felt since successfully ironing my pants for the first time (on June 14th, 1998.)" -- "Blah, blah, whatever. Indifferent woman. Go ahead and write. See if I care." -- "I used to have the sharpest mind in the land; now I can't even find my pen. Wait-- here it is!" -- "Some chances are once in a lifetime. Not this one; I've been in the last 12 issues." -- "I am not an accountant." -- "Ppfffttttt, ssshhhhhhhhwwwwt, peeffwt, pffpt. Man, 36. Bad at whistling." The only other thing that needs to be said is that editor David Rose provides some quite helpful annotations for the cultural references that might elude those of us on this side of The Pond.

Heard about this on NPR and it was worth buying. Wonderful as a present, it was a great icebreaker at a party and had us all rolling on the floor.

Two people who couldn't be more different, yet both absolutely loved this book. I cherished hearing their giddy laughter on Christmas day. This book is for the smart, the cynical, & the anglophile on your gift-buying list. Or buy it especially for single folks with a great sense of humor!

The book is a gem and my title describing it as intellectual humor with a touch of the loo is apt...The English are wonderfully fastidious with the use of language. When combined with a sense of modesty, a wry British sense of humor and a penchant for understatement, one has a delightfully funny collection of snippets from the "London Review of Books" personals. The Brits who contribute to these personals go out of their way to make themselves seem both interesting and unattractive at the same time. Nothing here is close to "likes long romantic walks on the beach" that one finds in U.S. personals... these individuals all have warts ...real or imagined! It is a wonderful holiday gift sure to evoke peals of laughter from any adult with a pulse.