Showing posts with label chelsea handler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chelsea handler. Show all posts

Monday, April 13, 2015

Uganda Be Kidding Me (audiobook) by Chelsea Handler - Paul's Review

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Title: Uganda Be Kidding Me
Author: Chelsea Handler
Year Published: 2015

Narrator: Chelsea Handler and friends
Audiobook Length: 5 hours 14 minutes


Synopsis: Wherever Chelsea Handler travels, one thing is certain: she always ends up in the land of the ridiculous. Now, in this uproarious collection, she sneaks her sharp wit through airport security and delivers her most absurd and hilarious stories ever.

On safari in Africa, it's anyone's guess as to what's more dangerous: the wildlife or Chelsea. But whether she's fumbling the seduction of a guide by not knowing where tigers live (Asia, duh) or wearing a bathrobe into the bush because her clothes stopped fitting seven margaritas ago, she's always game for the next misadventure.

The situation gets down and dirty as she defiles a kayak in the Bahamas, and outright sweaty as she escapes from a German hospital on crutches. When things get truly scary, like finding herself stuck next to a passenger with bad breath, she knows she can rely on her family to make matters even worse. Thank goodness she has the devoted Chunk by her side-except for the time she loses him in Telluride.

Complete with answers to the most frequently asked traveler's questions, hot travel trips, and travel etiquette, none of which should be believed, UGANDA BE KIDDING ME has Chelsea taking on the world, one laugh-out-loud incident at a time. 

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Review: If you're familiar with Chelsea Handler, you know exactly what to expect. Unlike her earlier books, Chelsea's well-deserved celebrity is at the front and center of this book. The book follows a few of Chelsea's ridiculously crazy vacation stories from Africa to the Bahamas. Her inability to function as a lone human being is at the forefront of this book. Her reliance on others makes for many of the jokes. 


Listening to this audiobook at work, I found myself stifling many laughs although a few ear-to-ear smiles definitely escaped. I love when comediennes read their own audiobooks. Chelsea even imitates accents and the voices of her friends. My life has been missing some Chelsea handler in it since her show ended so this audiobook filled that void. 

I give this audiobook a 4/5. I highly recommend it to fans of Chelsea Handler. If you're not as familiar with her, you'll still find a lot of laughs in this book. 


--PAUL

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Girl Walks into a Bar... by Rachel Dratch (audiobook) - Paul's Review

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Title: Girl Walks into a Bar . . .: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle
Author: Rachel Dratch
Year Published: 2012

Narrator: Rachel Dratch
Audiobook Length: 5 hours 12 minutes


Synopsis: Anyone who saw an episode of Saturday Night Live between 1999 and 2006 knows Rachel Dratch. She was hilarious! So what happened to her? After a misbegotten part as Jenna on the pilot of 30 Rock, Dratch was only getting offered roles as "Lesbians. Secretaries. Sometimes secretaries who are lesbians."

Her career at a low point, Dratch suddenly had time for yoga, dog- sitting, learning Spanish-and dating. After all, what did a forty- something single woman living in New York have to lose? Resigned to childlessness but still hoping for romance, Dratch was out for drinks with a friend when she met John.

Handsome and funny, after only six months of dating long-distance, he became the inadvertent father of her wholly unplanned, undreamed-of child, and moved to New York to be a dad. With riotous humor, Dratch recounts breaking the news to her bewildered parents, the awe of her single friends, and the awkwardness of a baby-care class where the instructor kept tossing out the f-word.

Filled with great behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Dratch's time on SNL, Girl Walks into a Bar... is a refreshing version of the "happily ever after" story that proves female comics-like bestsellers Tina Fey and Chelsea Handler-are truly having their moment.


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Review: I absolutely loved SNL in the late 90's and early 00's. I probably didn't get most of the jokes, but I would stay up every Saturday night with my dad and watch every episode anyway. Rachel Dratch had some pretty hilarious characters. Since SNL, I've loved her guest spots on 30 Rock


This book catches you up on what Dratch has been up to since her SNL days in the spotlight. I love reading awesome comediennes' books that have behind-the-scenes stories of SNL

One thing that I wasn;t that keen on was how much Dratch uses self-deprecating humor. It happens a lot, but I guess that is just her style. 

This book not only packs the funny, but also the heart. There are many stories that really delve into Dratch's insecurities, dating adventures, and how she came to be a mother. 

If you have enjoyed other funny books by comediennes like Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Chelsea Handler then this book will be perfect for you. I listened to the audiobook and I love hearing the actual author reading her own work. 

I give this book a 4/5. If you are familiar with Dratch only as a former SNL cast member, you should pick this up and learn more about her life. 


--PAUL