Rating: 
Summary: It gets old
Review: I was required to read this for a Literature class suprisingly and this is the first Dave Barry book I have ever read. Although I probably will not subject myself to another one willingly, it was better than I had expected. I dredded reading the book but found myself laughing out loud a few times. If you are a Dave Barry fan you will enjoy this book and if you don't mind listening to quite a bit of history you will also; it just gets old after a few chapters.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of Barry's best
Review: I'm a big fan of Dave Barry's essays. This book, however, left me a little cold. Admittedly, there are many funny parts. But, there is also a very long winded section covering three decades of American (and personal) history that isn't much fun. If laughs are what you are after, try one of Barry's earlier compilations.
Rating:
Summary: Is it just me?
Review: Is it just me or was Dave Barry much funnier 10 or 12 years ago? It seems like it used to be when I picked up a column or book written by Dave Barry I was guaranteed to laugh out loud. Now, it just seems that I smirk a little and find myself reading lines that I swear he's written somewhere else before. Is it just me or has Barry really lost his edge? He was never a biting, witty type--always a good-natured, fun type of guy. But somehow he just doesn't seem that funny anymore. If you want a real laugh, get "Dave Barry Slept Here" or "Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need." They're much better than this one.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is about my husband...
Review: My husband bought this book because I was always berating him about reading Barrons and the Wall Street Journal on our vacations. He read this book by the pool, before bed, at the beach, everywhere. He never wanted to put it down... He laughed out loud on almost every page. He would read paragraphs to me and start laughing so hard he would be crying...I think the reason he really likes this book is because Dave Barry is one year older than he is. He, also, is accused of looking younger than he really is... No one believes he is over 50 until he starts talking about Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody--just like Dave does... He managed to get in the National Guard to get out of Vietnam and was very impressed with Dave's CO status. Jim had to get an ulcer to get out all together. I am so glad there is another guy out there that my husband can relate to. He is hanging out with too many young people now (like me.) He had to explain who Captain Video was to me. His first memory was begging his mother for a Captain Video helmet. Once he got it, he turned on the TV show and ran around in cirlces with the helmet on his head...(???) I am so happy Dave made my husband's trip so enjoyable. I promise I will read it myself to gain insight into his psyche. (Even though he has read over 3/4 of it aloud to me already.) Because of this book, I now know what to get him for Father's Day: the Collected Works of Dave Barry. I hope it comes in a boxed set suitable for giftwrapping. PS We used to get Dave in our newspaper (and my husband used to cut out the articles and send them to his friends....) but now that we live in Connecticut, we don't get his column in our Stamford Advocate (or the New York Times.) If his publicist is reading this, please see if we can get his column in the New York Times... Thank you... Dee Bragg deebragg@yahoo.com
Rating:
Summary: This book is about my husband...
Review: My husband bought this book because I was always berating him about reading Barrons and the Wall Street Journal on our vacations. He read this book by the pool, before bed, at the beach, everywhere. He never wanted to put it down... He laughed out loud on almost every page. He would read paragraphs to me and start laughing so hard he would be crying... I think the reason he really likes this book is because Dave Barry is one year older than he is. He, also, is accused of looking younger than he really is... No one believes he is over 50 until he starts talking about Buffalo Bob and Howdy Doody--just like Dave does... He managed to get in the National Guard to get out of Vietnam and was very impressed with Dave's CO status. Jim had to get an ulcer to get out all together. I am so glad there is another guy out there that my husband can relate to. He is hanging out with too many young people now (like me.) He had to explain who Captain Video was to me. His first memory was begging his mother for a Captain Video helmet. Once he got it, he turned on the TV show and ran around in cirlces with the helmet on his head...(???) I am so happy Dave made my husband's trip so enjoyable. I promise I will read it myself to gain insight into his psyche. (Even though he has read over 3/4 of it aloud to me already.) Because of this book, I now know what to get him for Father's Day: the Collected Works of Dave Barry. I hope it comes in a boxed set suitable for giftwrapping. PS We used to get Dave in our newspaper (and my husband used to cut out the articles and send them to his friends....) but now that we live in Connecticut, we don't get his column in our Stamford Advocate (or the New York Times.) If his publicist is reading this, please see if we can get his column in the New York Times... Thank you... Dee Bragg deebragg@yahoo.com
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: Never since Dave Barry Turns 40 have we had such a great book by Dave Barry about his aging. It's true that old writers never die, they just become cranky.
Rating:
Summary: Losing his touch
Review: Not as funny as "Slept Here" or the computer book from a few years ago. He seems to have lost his touch a bit. If you're interested in Barry, get one of his earlier books, which are laugh-out-loud hilarious, and skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Dave Barry - gut-bustingly funny - but not his best
Review: OK - are you a Dave Barry fan, or is this going to be your first Dave Barry book? If you like Dave, this is another of his never-ending series of incredibly funny books. You'll get a copy, of course, and it will be one of the funniest books you've ever read, of course, since no one else (except James Lileks) is even remotely as funny as Dave Barry is. Like someone else said here, even if this one isn't his funniest, it's funnier than almost any other 'funny book' you'll read. I'm not kidding when I tell you that I stopped carrying Dave Barry books to read on flights. It's not possible to laugh under your breath three times a minute, and I've noticed that people tend to stare if you laugh out loud three times a minute, for an hour or more. If you're not a Dave Barry fan already - this one won't be the best place to start if you want to decide whether to join the Dave Barry club or not. Read "Dave Barry's greatest hits", or the travel one (can't remember the name). After having read all of Dave's books, I must conclude that there is something fundamentally wrong with people who don't find him funny ... just kidding! But honestly, Dave's is a brand of humor that appeals to a surprisingly large variety of people; and this one (DB turns 50) is typical Dave.
Rating: 
Summary: still damned funny
Review: Okay -- having read every single one of Barry's books, I'd agree that this is not his absolute funniest, but I still laughed out loud every other page or so. I consider Barry the most hilarious writer alive, bar none. This may not be his funniest book, but it's still funnier than 99% of the other books out there.
Rating:
Summary: still damned funny
Review: Okay -- having read every single one of Barry's books, I'd agree that this is not his absolute funniest, but I still laughed out loud every other page or so. I consider Barry the most hilarious writer alive, bar none. This may not be his funniest book, but it's still funnier than 99% of the other books out there.
| 
