One More Thing discussion

So, I really love BJ Novak, I think he is hilarious and I loved him on the Office. I also love his humour. I am 17 and I'm just not too sure whether or not I would like his book.

What are your opinions? Did you like it? And do you think I would like it? Thanks :)

If you are unsure, borrow it from a library or friend.

Most of the "stories" aren't really stories. The majority are jokes - ranging anywhere from short one liners to a few that are longer in the tooth. Most of the time I was scratching my head as I tried to figure out why they were included in a book of "stories."

Many of the stories relied on name recognition. The jokes with Johnny Depp, Kate Moss, The Duke of Earl, and other celebtrities require some level comprehension for pop culture. I found Novak's stories that focused on celebrities to be among the worst in the collection.

But even among all the dross there are some decent little gems. "Sophia,"
"Missed connection: grocery spill at 21st and 6th 2:30 pm on Wednesday," “Kellogg's (or: The Last Wholesome Fantasy of the Middle-School Boy),” “The Best Thing in the World Awards,” “Great Writers Steal,” and “One of These Days, We Have to do Something About Willie” are good. I wouldn't buy the book to read them, though.

As for whether or not I think you would like it, I don't know. I think you may enjoy it if you approach it as looking for humor rather than looking for stories. The book has loads of humor but the structure and execution as "story" is lacking.

But was it funny? Enjoyable to read? Did you find it hard to pick up the book again? Sorry for these questions, but my library doesn't have this book, and none of my friends know about it, so I need to know if its worth buying.

I smirked at some of the humor. I puzzeld over why other pieces were even included in the collection.

I didn't watch The Office so I can't compare the humor from the television show to the book. I borrowed the audio version of the book to listen on my commute to and from work. Some of the stories were enjoyable to listen to (the one's I named) while some, such as "Romance, Part 1" and "Wikipedia Brown and the Case of the Missing Bicycle" made me want to just stop the audio while my distaste subsided.

I borrowed the audiobook looking for stories. I never heard of Novak before and the cover caught my eye so I borrowed the book on whim. The problem for me is that his stories aren't the short stories (like the short stories of O. Henry or Tim O'Brien) that I was expecting. They were the stories of a humorist working through ideas that popped into his head. I had a hard time shifting my perspective from my original expectations of the book to the book's actual nature.

I wish I could tell you that it is or it isn't worth buying. But I don't know your tastes well enough to provide a recommendation that specific. For me, it's not worth the purchase.

You are more than welcome to review my take on each piece in the collection (here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). But again, tastes differ.

Thanks :)

No it was atriciously boring and trite.

There are some 5.0 star stories in here. There are also some duds. You should totally read it. Not only is he funny, but he's smart and thoughtful. But there are some bad with the good.