5 comments about Tricky Business.

1. As a parody it's not very funny, but it's too silly to be taken seriously as a crime novel. Parts of it may make you smile. It's a good book to pass the time in a waiting room, as long as you have a strong stomach!



2. I found Barry an entertaining read, but didn't have the "bite" of a Hiassen or Dorsey.



3. Dave Barry writes great novels! It is easy to visualize his characters and his witty writing stays with you. This book is a little darker than Big Trouble, but definitely worth reading. The beahvior of the newscasters will have you laughing out loud!



4. Dave Barry's "Big Trouble" is one of the funniest novels I've ever read. Unfortunately, this is a review for Tricky Business. It's still kind of funny, but it's not as fresh and surprising as Big Trouble is. It's also a lot more "adult" -- a lot more sex and adult language/violence than Big Trouble. It feels like a little too much for a supposedly light, humourous romp.
   The book also recycles more of Barry's humour column material -- like funny band names, etc.
   It's an easy, light read, but if you can only read one Dave Barry novel, pick Big Trouble.



5. I'm clearly in the minority on this one, but I actually thought Tricky Business was a little better than Big Trouble. Dave's fiction style has improved--he's not just trying to write a novel in the style of one of his humor columns this time. Consequently, the over-the-top silliness is toned down somewhat here, leaving a good crime thriller bordering on spoof.
   
   The audio version is well-read by Dick Hill, although he doesn't seem to be as into it as he was reading some previous Barry books.

4 comments about Stay Fit and Healthy Until You're Dead.

1. "In the short space I have here, it's very difficult for me to explain all of your body's complexities and subtelties in any detail, or even get any facts right. For more information, I suggest you attend Harvard Medical School..." Along with Claw Your Way to the Top, this is my favorite Dave Barry book. Even the index is funny ("F" and "G", for example, contain the following fitness-related references: Ford, Gerald; Frequent Casual Motel Sex Diet, The; Godzilla; Gone with the Wind). Where else can you find a fitness test involving a scorpion and an elevator?



2. Classic Dave Barry! A short read that you will read twice (at least). Get ready for Dave Barry's usual hilarious views, this time on working out and staying fit. If you have a fitness area in your home of office, this book belongs there. Enjoy!



3. Though not as good as his later works, definitely worth buying, though 'Dave Barry's Guide To Life' is also availiable... and contains this and three other works of similiar quality and length by the same author, while being slightly cheaper than this edition alone.
   Recommended.



4. Arte Johnson really brings the book to life! Not that it wasn't already funny enough, but Johnson's memorable character voices make it positively hilarious. If you are a Dave Barry fan, but haven't heard some of his older work, you definitely will want to get this one. I loved it.

5 comments about Dave Barry Turns 40.

1. I learn from my experience if only a handful of people rated 5 stars don't believe it. I only read 15% of this book, and it is really really borring. I didn't laugh one bit. This book say if I am not laughing than I don't have humor. That's a lame excuse for a boring book. If this is really 5 stars, I can write a 10 stars book for people to laugh at my intelligent and witty jokes, not stupid unlaughable jokes like this book. But, Amazon is way cool, 5 stars bookstore. I have bought quite a few books (> 50) at Amazon, and I will continue to buy it. Recommend: I did laugh with for better or for worst by Lynn Johnston. Clean and witty whole some family jokes. Judy Carter is also very funny. These two ladies are way cool !



2. Easily the most enjyable Barry book I have read. Coincidentally, it was my first as well.

   Barry is a master at comedy, and this only proves it further.

   Highly recommended!




3. "Somebody has to be the grownups, and now it's our turn," writes Dave Barry in "Dave Barry Turns 40." Indeed, and this guide will provide some assistance as well as make you laugh. Barry provides a helpful quiz for Baby Boomers who, "defined hip. We set all kinds of world hipness records and we were sure they'd never be broken." Alas, growing older means becoming less cool, at least in the eyes of the younger generation. It also means dealing with "Your Disintegrating Body." Barry also takes a look at "Midlife (Yawn) Marriage," "Planning Your Male Midlife Crisis," "Sex After 40" and "Sports for the Over 40 Person (Or God Had a Reason For Creating the Barcalounger)", among other topics. He also provides quizzes like the "Standardized Psychological Maturity Scale," and charts like "Male Lifestyle Phases," and on a more serious note, dealing with your own aging parents. Lastly, he describes "How to Geeze," hint for men "wear Bermuda shorts, black knee socks, and wing-tipped shoes. Very amusing.



4. Fortunately or unfortunately, Dave Barry and I are similar in age. I've lived through the eras of music, computers, child-rearing, and fads that he's been through. I have been exposed to double secret probation (a good name for a rock band)
   
   In other words, I have first hand, up close and personal, and insider information that he is absolutely right in this analysis about what women really want.
   
   They can have that remote over my dead body.



5. This was published back in 1990 and Barry has subsequently released Dave Barry Turns 50 (2000) and no doubt will do a turning 60 novel in 2010. What Barry achieves with these releases is not so much a look at everyone turning 40, 50 etc (although there are some hilarious observations everyone doing this can relate to) but more of a look at how his generation, the baby boomers (which could be your own generation, your kids or your parents depending on how you are) coped with the realisation they no longer were the revolution changing element of society, setting the bar of what is cool but instead are looked at in the same way they looked at their parents, ie "uncool" by the next generation/s. Reflections on the reality of what his generation (and the world) turned out to be today compared to the paths they thought their lives would follow. This book is very funny, a bit dated in parts if you are comparing it to someone turning 40 today but an excellent insight into understanding your parents generation or if you are from that generation to laugh at the humour of how your generation has turned out.
   
   Barry tackles topics such as your disintegrating body, beauty tips, coping with midlife crisis, bedroom action after 40, ageing parents, sports and a lot of other topics. Barry also gives the reader a number of hilarious exams throughout so the reader will know if they are grown up yet and determining how bad their marriage is. He also provides tips on how to geeze covering topics such as fashion, dealing with your children and grandchildren, driving and announcing your intimate medical problems.
   
   Barry has written a substantial amount of humorous non fiction observation type books. If you love this genre also check out John O'Farrell and Wil Anderson. Barry has also written a few hilarious works of fiction (in the style of Carl Hiaasen, Bill Fitzhugh etc) the best being his masterpiece Tricky Business.

5 comments about Peter and the Starcatchers.

1. If you like the notion of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, etc. this series is really excellent. I don't use the word WONDERFUL much, but they're a great read. They really do carry on the story of Peter and his friends in a believable and fun way. Really AWESOME and you won't be disappointed. The entire series is highly recommended - all three books so far.



2. The story in this book and its sequals is far more entertaining than the Disney movie from which they are based. I have read these books with my nine year old daughter and it has been a great experience. Be warned that the ick factor is more on par with Harry Potter than with the original Disney movie, but the realism that it adds is definitely worth it.



3. This is an excellent book for older kids (8+) and adults. My husband and I read it ourselves and then read it to our son. Which is the best way. I enjoyed it even more the second time read out loud. Since then we've bought all the books in the series. I hope this duo goes on to do other books together.



4. Now I can't compare this prequel to the original Peter Pan because I have never read it and since this is really connected to Disney's and I only have vague recollections of the movie so I can't judge on how it compares. It is a strong fantasy story. Character's aren't as defined as I liked and I felt like it was missing some things. I have come to realize that my favorite character from Peter Pan is Tinker Bell and I missed her in this. I also wanted to know more about the Starcatchers I feel like they could have expanded more on them and their mystical treasure. The book is okay and I am not sure I will read the other books in the series written by the authors because basically if I do, it would be to say I read them and not because I loved the series. I thought there would be more humor since author Dave Barry was co-author. There was some humor but could have it could have been lighter.



5. What happened before Peter Pan met Wendy? That's what Berry and Pearson try to address in this book. And it's a lot of fun to read about. This book is the first in a trilogy about the orphan Peter and the Starcatchers.
   
   Peter and his orphan buddies are shipped off on a rickety old boat called the Neverland. They are going to be slaves to the king of far off country. Peter befriends a girl on the boat named Molly, who is a starcatcher. When Peter bumps into Molly near a mysterious trunk on the Neverland, things start to get crazy.
   
   This book had lots of things that young children will love. Lots of action, pirates, falling stars, magic, and danger. It was a great book and a fun read. Some parts might be a bit scary for little kids. There is some walking the plank and people held at gunpoint; but it's all part of the wild adventure to obtain the magic trunk.
   
   I look forward to reading the next book in this series!
   karissabooks.blogspot.com

5 comments about Dave Barry's Guide to Guys.

1. Dave Berry's Guide to Guys is the best book out there to read for guys. It is so funny. It makes you wet yourself in laughter. It will make you want to read more to see what will be his next joke. There is a test that you can take if you are a guy or a man. The jokes are not too bad for young kids.



2. Out of all of Barry's books, he referred to this book the most when he spoke to us at the Speaker Series. This book covers all of those quirky things about guys that all guys know deep down but never have the balls to mention. I relate well with the male urinal strategy that he outlines. I have never had my prostate examined, but I could not hold back my laughter when he described the prostate exam as all men's greatest fear.



3. What I love about Dave is he's a regular guy....and yet, he's so darn funny! Here he is writing about what he knows best - guys. I laughed so hard that tears were rolling down my face........and I wasn't even past the introduction! Seriously though, this book should be required reading for any girl planning to get married or just moving in with a guy. It might save them some grief later on. Heck - it could even save a marriage or two or thirteen! Dave so hilariously shares with us all the mysteries of being a guy - from scratching (still chuckling about that chapter) to urinal etiquette, fear of committment to special medical conditions such as memory lapses. He truly says it like it is and oh, it's said so well. There's only one other humor writer who has made me laugh so hard I peed my pants (thanks a lot, Jarod Kintz) but Dave rates right up there for Guy Most Likely to Make you Pee.



4. Absolutely, Dave Barry shoots for the middle to low brow here, but he's still exceedingly funny and, as always, silly as can be. I find Barry works better in small doses (i.e. articles), but if you'd like a relaxing, jokey beach read then put this on your list. As a humorist myself, I have to hand it to Dave Barry. He definitely knows how to make people laugh.
   
   Troy Parfitt, author



5. I have given away to my firends at least 12 copies of this wonderfully funny book. One cannot hold the laughter in so don't try to read it in bed if your partner is trying to sleep. Definately do not read it in a library or on an early morning train.

No comments about Dave Barry Collection: Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down, Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway, and Tricky Business.

5 comments about Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up.

1. Sorry, my husband and I listened to this for quite a bit and did not find it funny at all and didn't even want to continue listening to it, it just seemed long and boring--I guess we have a different sense of humor than most of the other reviewers.



2. I have read nearly all of Dave's books, and it never ceases to amaze me that he can be hilarious on each and every occasion. He doesn't duplicate any annecdotes, he simply uses his comic genius to make up new ones.. you will never be bored with Dave's ability to make you rush to the toilet to save wetting the floor, or laughing so hard you feel sick, and the back of your head hurts. This book is my favourite. Every story is funny, clever, and even sometimes sentimental. Please buy this one, you won't regret it. He's on top form.



3. A collection of amusing anecdotes from the American writer, humorist and columnist Dave Barry. He finds all sorts of weird, crazy, stupid and funny stuff that people do, say or come up with all across the United States of America, and puts them into print.
   
   Dave doesn't mind a drop of the droll, Dave doesn't.



4. I first got a taste of Dave Barry after coming upon an essay of his online, which described his misadventures at one of those silly "self-improvement" seminars. Needless to say the cracks about Tony Robbins being an android & other stuff basically required a quick change of undies. So, I wanted to experience more of aching tummies & soggy panties, so I bought this book. Unfortunetely, the story wasn't in this one BUT I was treated to absolute hilarity such as Dave's trip to Bimini on his boat named "Buster".....and the embarrassment of being around guys with "more manly" names for boats like "Sea Biceps" & "Testosterone Torpedo" (guys are weird). Then there's his son, who makes poor Dave feel old with the former's earring & penchant for cutting-edge music such as the song "Detachable [...]" (this is a real song, by the way...or as Dave would say, "I'm not making this up". My sister used to hear all the time on the radio back in the 90's). So, if you want a blast, get this book. Oh.......and remember to visit the "Porcelain Throne", first.



5. In addition to following up 1992's "Dave Barry Talks Back" with a collection of his weekly humor columns from the Miami Herald through 1994, this book also includes several longer pieces Dave Barry wrote for other publications, including one about the "natural" birth of his son, an expose of a Western Florida UFO hoax, and a couple of travelogues (of a sort) about a trip to China on the eve of Britain's withdrawal from Hong Kong and a boating trip to Bimini Bay. Also included is a rather serious (for Barry) column about his son being hit by a car while riding his bike, which is actually quite touching.
   
   But of course, the staple of any Dave Barry book is the zany humor, and it is plentiful here, including among many other classic columns the infamous "Bad Song Contest." If you are a Dave Barry fan, you will enjoy this book, and if you haven't discovered him yet, this would be a fine place to start.

5 comments about Boogers Are My Beat: More Lies, But Some Actual Journalism from Dave Barry.

1. I've been a Dave Barry fan since he was writing columns about his (now twenty-something) two-year old son doing embarassing things in public places. Now Barry is on a new wife and has a brand new two-year old to write columns about. And he still thinks the word (and presumably the concept of) "booger" is funny.
   
   I picked up this book with mixed feelings. He seems to rely more and more on silly humor (boogers, exploding toilets, hilarious names for rock bands) rather than the classic columns of Dave Barry's Bad Habits (my favorite Barry book). And the jackets of his books always have him in some ridiculous pose. I keep saying, "This will be my last Dave Barry book."
   
   But Dave Barry always comes through. I read this latest book cover to cover. His comments on the Republican and Democratic conventions were scathing, his observations at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City were deadly, and the serious columns at the end reveal that there is more to Barry than adolescent humor. (His essay from an earlier collection, written after the death of his mother, is a masterpiece.)
   
   So I will ignore the goofy cover photos, the inane titles, and the wacky cartoons, and just read what Barry writes -- solid, mostly humorous, essays.



2. I always trust Dave Barry to provide me with some quality laughs, and this book does not disappoint. He covers the 2000 presidental campaigns and conventions, the Florida election counting debacle, the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and a bunch of regular weekly columns from that time period.
   
   Barry concludes with two amazing columns about September 11th. These are stunning. When I was searching for reading material/commentary in those days immediately post-9/11, I wish I had found these columns. His ability to write to Americans in the face of tragedy proves his true depth and talent as a columnist. (Yes, he actually writes about moore than just boogers.)



3. Dave Barry has written and selected an extremely humorous collection of his articles from The Miami Herald. There is a huge margin in difference of quality in Boogers are My Beat than in his initial non fiction books such as Dave Barry's Bad Habits. Boogers are My Beat is one of those rare books that once you start turning the pages you don't want to put down until the back cover. Dave Barry educates his fellow man on a diverse range of topics such as why you can't use the towels hanging in the bathroom, the Salt Lake City Olympics, babies on airlines, North Dakota, Bear in the Big Blue House and cell phones to name just a few.
   
   His article written the day after September 11 and one written a year after, about the Philadelphia crashed plane are also included which prove Barry could have been a serious writer if he had pursued that career. Thankfully he didn't because the rest of the book is hysterically funny as is his Carl Hiaasen style fiction novel Tricky Business. Big Trouble isn't bad either. Check them out along with his other non fiction novels as well.



4. I've been reading Dave Barry for years, and have developed my own impression of Dave's comic voice. It is laid back, dry, a little slow-witted and beer-addled, maybe. But it is not the bozo-clone, wacky-happy voice that was chosen to read this compilation of Dave's work. I can only assume that Dave was ball-gagged and duct-taped to his office chair when the auditions were going on. *My* Dave would never have allowed his work to be so hokily performed.
   
   Anyway, "Boogers Are My Beat" is another workmanlike effort from the master of modern comedy. Dave uses his standard comedic formulae (suggesting phrases as good names for rock bands, using outrageous numerical exaggerations and making self-deprecatory remarks about his lack of masculine skills) to actually write some decent material. In spite of Bozo the Narrator, it is still possible to get a few laughs from these columns, which is a testament to the quality of Dave's wit. Dave covers the 2000 Democratic and Republican conventions, where he beats up on silly demonstrators who shout on behalf of "the people.". He climbs a Florida trash heaps with Tenzig Norgay's son, samples the fine products of Grand Forks, ND (a baggie filled with peat) and describes life with his 2-year old Barbie-loving daughter. His piece on driving a new Hummer pokes fun at the price tag and at its hyper-macho gadgetry, including self-inflating tires. Dave avoids direct analysis of politics -- though his endless Bill Clinton jokes (Clinton is a philanderer! Ha! Ha!) seem dated and got on my nerves. But the Office of Homeland Security made a horrible faux-pas (literally, weasel poop) when it picked him, his wife and toddling daughter for an extensive airport screening. What better way to show the ludicrous nature of our screening procedures than to force the 2-year-old child of a famous humor columnist to crawl alone through a metal detector.
   
   Anyway, there are worse ways to experience the comic stylings of Dave Barry. Just kidding -- short of special rendition, this audio CD *is* the worst way. Get the book and record it yourself, even if you are just learning to read. Or just read it the old-fashioned way from the printer page. You'll thank me later.
   ______________________________
   On a more somber note, Dave ends of volume with two of his 9/11-related columns. While he's not a master of global nuance, his columns were full of heartfelt emotions for those who had lost loved ones in the attacks. His evocations of the spirit of Gettysburg (in his reflection on the experience of Flight 93, which crashed into Shanksvillee, PA) were somber and actually quite profound. Not bad for a guy who normal jokes about bodily effusions.



5. I purchased this particular book because I wanted the articles about Grand Forks, North Dakota. When I received it and read those specific ones first, then I went back and started at the beginning...and could barely put it down. Mr. Barry is one of our favorite writers and always has us in stitches about some of the things he comes up with.
   I wish I had his quick wit and fantastic humor. : )

5 comments about Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway.

1. The cover shows an irreverent funny man, and this book is written for macho men as he takes on any and everyone in the federal government from the president on down. It must be his New York years to make him look down on the important people who run the government in Washington, D.C. What he is forgetting is that the states elect those people and send them there -- at least, some of them.
   
   One truthful thing, which other columnists and nonfiction writers won't admit: "I sat around and made the stuff up." His chart explaining how Social Security works is informative, and just might be true -- truer than he thinks. He hates old people, thinks they're more interested in having sex than those able to produce a baby! Has he looked around and seen all that skin young people expose now in today's way of dressing?
   
   "To compensate for the lack of facts, I have included ... snide remarks." So true. Making fun of the words which came out of JFK's mouth into a parody "in the course of human events (that's Lyndon's thinking) it behooves us, the people, not to ask 'What can our country do for us. anyway?' but rather, whether we have anything to fear except fear itself" (FDR) -- the original phrase which moved the Sixties Americans came from a smart speechwriter.
   
   It wouldn't hurt the privileged of today to consider what they can do for this country. Dave Barry does his best to keep people laughing. Being too serious about serious matter we can't do anything about only causes you to feel bad. Who wants that?
   
   He should take on district, regional, etc. government offices, especially GSA, the glorified housekeeping department of the U. S. Govt. I've tangled with two in Tennessee who are tough old soldiers (one even had military training as a "Ranger" and now he spends his days worrying about how to get rid of pigeons). The other, his superior, in Nashville takes off to Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi (who really knows) to be deployed while leaving his Nashville office unattended. These are old men living off the government worse than welfare people.
   
   "Hitting below the belt" doesn't mean his crude, bathroom humor and words; it's what the Baptist preacher did when he attacked the Methodist ritual of sprinkling -- then says that only Baptists will get into Heaven. Seems I heard some other group say that in the past. I wonder if even Dave would go there.
   
   Other significang pardoies include DAVE BARRY SLEPT HERE, DAVE BARRY IS NOT TAKING THIS SITTING DOWN, and DAVE BARRY DOES JAPAN.



2. Dave Barry once admitted to being a libertarian in an interview for "Reason" magazine, and nowhere more than "Below The Beltway" does his libertarian cynicism shine through. The commentary is just plain brilliant, besides being side-splittingly funny. Not a single D.C. institution escapes Barry's razor --Democrat or Republican, Congress, the President, the Supreme Court, or any one of the thousands of alphabet soup agencies that nobody voted for; all are deservedly skewered with just the right blend of satire, cynicism, outright nonsense and --most distubing of all-- actual quotes and references from real Federal agency "mission statements." Barry even openly admits that most of his material is made up on the spot --he even steers us to P. J. O'Rourke's "Parliament of Whores" for anyone who wants an even mix of humour AND verifiable fact-- but every so often he'll get to a part that He Swears He Is Not Making Up. And that's when the reader really starts to see government for the out-of-control, self-aggrandizing, eternally-consuming beast that it really is. I note with some amusement that some Amazon.com reviewers are taking Mr. Barry to task for his unrelenting attack on the silliness that is the Federal government, and it is those reviews that I can only conclude are either written by big-government apologists or actual Federal employees. As Barry himself says, only in Washington, D.C. is the phrase "Federal Worker" not considered funny. This book makes the WHY all the more obvious. Bravo, Mr. Barry, and keep making fun of the government for as long as there's juice in your word processor (or until Homeland Security forcibly shuts you down, whichever comes first). I have no doubt the self-important denizens of the nation's capital will continue to provide you with a never-ending supply of fresh material.



3. Not as funny as his "Book of Bad Songs" -- nothing could top that. Not quite as funny as "Dave Barry Turns 40", but about on a par with "Dave Barry is Not Making This Up". Definitely a book that you won't want to miss, if you enjoy Dave's irreverent style (and who doesn't?).



4. Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway is funny for the Washington-themed humor. Add to this a section on the history of our government, a pinch of South Florida politics, and add the great, great narration, and you will laugh, laugh, laugh.
   
   As Dave Barry states, if he wanted this to be a real good book on Washington politics, he'd have to spend a lot of time in Washington. So this is not going to be a really good book!
   
   The jabs at the US Department of Agriculture (not sure whether it should be permitted to call dried plums "dried plums"), the driving habits of older Floridians, and the Clintonian escapades are all fair game to Barry. And wait till you hear the attorney arguments in the 2000 elections!
   
   Read it and weep... from laughter!



5. If you love Dave Barry, you'll love this book; very, very funny look at America's political system and how it really works, or in most cases, doesn't. If you're a Dave Barry fan but not into politics don't worry, Dave can make anything funny!

5 comments about Babies and Other Hazards of Sex (Unabridged).

1. Just not funny, I returned the book and got my money back.



2. I have always been a fan of Dave Barry.
   When my baby's mama got pregnant I spent the better part of three months in a drunken haze. "WHAT WILL I DO?!" I constantly asked my friends. None of them knew. I had just barely turned twenty one and none of my friends were or ever had been in the same boat.
   Truth of the matter is, nobody can tell you what to do in this circumstance. The object is to go with the flow, from the time that chick of yours gets pregnant to ... forever.
   I was THRILLED when I found this book, and it did not dissapoint. Without it I may have lost my mind and killed that chick with a hatchet.
   Very funny, and it will make you forget that you are in HELL! Must have for suprised "expectants."



3. This book is very funny, weirdly prophetic and difficult to read if you've got 8lbs of baby pressing down on your bladder!



4. Purchased as a gift for a close friend shortly after they found out they were expecting, because I purchased this 5 years ago when our son and his wife were expecting and living a great distance away. Both men found this book a laugh a minute. Dave Barry at his best.



5. This book should be the bible for those considering having kids. I bought more copies of this for gifts then I can count. It's too funny and I highly recommend it.