Life: The Odds (And How to Improve Them)

Rating:
Summary: Interesting stuff, and funny too
Review: I got this for birthday, after my sister read a review in the Chicago Tribune. I got a kick out of learning a bunch of cool facts, and telling people at work. Some chapters were really funny (dating a supermodel) but others were really interesting (the ones on space, like the odds of finding intelligent life in the universe, or the earth being destroyed by an asteroid). I thought the chaper on penis size was going to be silly, but the research was actually scientific. (Hint: the average is smaller than most people think.) The whole thing was pretty funny.

Rating:
Summary: Lifw the Odds( And How to Improve Them
Review: I saw a review of this book in my local paper and bought it. Whether the subject is the odds of sainthood or bowling a perfect game or celebrity divorce, the book convinces you that you are looking at the best possible analysis. But when you add it all up, you find yourself laughing your head off. I'm buying two for stocking stuffers.

Rating:
Summary: Really wonderful
Review: I was given this book as a present and I love it -- it's been a joy to read! I found it to be not only fun and VERY funny, but very interesting as well. It's the perfect holiday gift for smart friends and family, and for people who need a break from the more stressful side of life.

Rating:
Summary: Uproarious
Review: I'm still laughing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a quick and extremely funny read. The author's wry sense of humor pervades throughout this entertaining book filled with fun and arcane facts.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, not particularly "funny"
Review: I'm surprised other reviews qualify this book as riotously funny.

It isn't.

Case in point, discussing the odds of finding a four leaf clover, he describes a particular member of the plant's family as "a genetic mutation, like Carrot Top". Oh! Oh ho ho. A jab at Carrot Top! What wit!

The book is full of these weak attempts, and I don't recall a single one that made me laugh. A few chuckles, but it was almost painful, like watching a standup comic trying too hard. It wasn't even "So bad it's funny", it went beyond that, to the point where it's just not good.

The book IS interesting, and makes great bathroom reading (something the author seems a little proud of in the introduction), but it is entertaining despite the lame attempts at humor, not because of them.

Rating:
Summary: Witty and entertaining
Review: Life, the Odds is the perfect book to while away a few minutes or an hour contemplating whether you will ever date a supermodel or win the Medal of Honor. The book is very funny and yet, against the odds, seems to reflect actual research and analysis. If you liked daydreaming over the the Guiness Book of World Records when you were young, this is a great read for you now.

Rating:
Summary: Very funny book.
Review: The various odds are well researched and credible, and I learned enough interesting tidbits to last for a dozen parties -- e.g., the process for becoming a saint, how to improve your odds of avoiding hemorrhoids, the odds of a celebrity's marriage lasting. Same spirit as the Worst Case Scenario books, but with far more laughs.