User Review - Flag as inappropriateAbsolutely hilarious. I read the book cover-to-cover after seeing Hodgman's first appearance on the Daily Show. But even after finishing it years ago, I'll still pull it off the shelf and start reading passages at random. Far and away funnier than most of the books put out by comic writers today.
User Review - Flag as inappropriateIf you enjoyed the book, you will definitely love the audiobook edition. It is read, rather performed by Hodgman himself. The only word to describe it is surreal...
User Review - Flag as inappropriateThis is a fantastic book of wit and lies.
This makes it more interesting, quote:
"'Frederick Chopin was a Polish composer in the Romantic style who wrote primarily for piano.'
I guess this is sort of interesting, as most facts are. But history has shown us again and again that facts are not what most humans believe. They are not that which moves most men and women to love or hate or joy or crime.
Now COMPARE the following statement:
'Frederick Chopin was a Polish composer in the Romantic style who was obsessed with ladybugs, often letting dozens of them gallop over his neck, arms, and long, tapering fingers while playing the piano,'
Obviously the lie is a lot more compelling. It shocks the mind and plays on the readers imagination with ladybug-covered hands... I also finally explains how Chopin solved his terrible aphid problem."
User Review - Flag as inappropriateI've seen this guy on The Daily Show a few times, and every time I nearly soil myself laughing. If you don't know John Hodgman, he's currently playing the PC in the "PC vs Mac" commercials that are all over the airwaves right now.
He has a completely guiless face, and delivers his words with a tone that conveys the innocent delivery of common sense wisdom, like he cannot conceive of anyone disbelieving what he's telling us.
This is true, even when he says that the state motto of Oregon is "In Oregon, Where the Shadows Lie," and that only President Polk's geographimancers were able to wrestle it into its current borders, or that "Man Versus Cyborg" is one of the five fundamental conflicts in literature.
This is the kind of book that will make other people quietly get up and leave the room - mostly because of your cackling, but also because you will feel compelled to read aloud sections of the book to anyone in earshot. Trust me on this.
Review: The Areas of My Expertise (COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE #1)
User Review - Ethan D. - GoodreadsIf you've ever asked yourself “What are the greatest rivalries in the history of Dungeons and Dragons?” or about the best hobo names, you've found your home. John Hodgman in The Areas of my Expertise ... Read full review
Review: The Areas of My Expertise (COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE #1)
User Review - Michael - GoodreadsI read this because I know John from the Daily Show and he comes across as witty and my type of humour (although maybe a tad drier than I like). I really liked this book (although I am writing this ... Read full review
Review: The Areas of My Expertise (COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE #1)
User Review - Elizabeth - GoodreadsNeil Postman says in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death that American society has been drowning in trivial information since the advent of the telephone. But the truth is that we have always been ... Read full review
Review: The Areas of My Expertise (COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE #1)
User Review - Elijah Kinch Spector - GoodreadsIt is strange when you consider yourself a fan of someone's work, then realize that you have not actually experienced any of what they actually consider their work to be. I am a fan of Hodgman's film ... Read full review