quippe | Entries tagged with blog book

The Blurb On The Back:

Hilarious stories about life’s mishaps from the creator of the cult blog HyperboleandaHalf.com

This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative – like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it – but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly.

“… some might say the book is full of stories …”

“… it could be claimed that this has more pictures than the dictionary …”

“… is great book.”

So I decided to just make a lost of things that are in the book:
- Pictures.
- Words.
- Stories about things that happened to me.
- Stories about things that happened to other people because of me.
- Eight billion dollars.*
- Stories about dogs.
- The secret to eternal happiness.*

These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated by sneakiness!

Hyperbole And A Half is a blog by twenty-something American, Allie Brosh. Her debut book – half new stories, half favourites from the blog – chronicles her ‘learning experiences’ and character flaws. It includes stories about her rambunctious childhood; owning a mentally challenged dog; and a moving comic account of her struggles with depression.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

I had heard of Brosh’s blog and seen some of the strips, but had never checked it out. As a result, all of the material in the book was new to me but those who do know the blog may find it old news. The comic strips are crudely drawn but that’s kinda the point and it’s amazing how much emotion Brosh manages to pack into the pictures – particularly those relating to her account of dealing with depression. I found it a hilarious and moving read and would definitely check out Brosh’s blog and any further books with the caveat that given how expensive the book is, I’d prefer to buy something with all new material rather than another collection.

The Blurb On The Back:

Have you ever wondered what's going on inside the ambulance you see screaming past with its sirens on and blue lights flashing?

Does it contain a heart attack victim fighting for their life, while trained medical professionals administer emergency treatment? Or have you considered that it might be yet another 'Matern-a-taxi' ordered by a woman who can't be bothered to book a real cab and who then complains she can't smoke on the way to hospital?

Meet Tom Reynolds. Tom is an Emergency Medical Technician who works for the London Ambulance Service in East London. He has kept a diary of his daily working life since 2003, first as a website called 'Random Acts of Reality' and now for the first time as a no-punches-pulled book. His award-winning writing is, by turn, moving, cynical, funny, heart-rending and compassionate.

From the tragic to the hilarious, from the heart-warming to the terrifying, the stories Tom tells give a fascinating - and at times alarming - picture of life in inner-city Britain, and the people who are paid to mop up after it.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Amusing, sad and thought-provoking, this is a book that will make you think about what EMT's do.