Rubber Balls & Liquor Available April 26 - Check it out!

WARNING: Videos contain adult humour. Proceed at your own risk.

Rubber Balls & Liquor is a new book by comedian Gilbert Gottfried and is available for purchase tomorrow, April 26th, 2011.It's being published by St. Martin's Press.

I've got three book trailers for you to check out and a review and giveaway will be coming up in the near future.







Check out book info on Gilbert Goffried's website and a competition for an exclusive Gilbert Gottfried ringtone and signed insert.

Speed Reviews - Adult Nonfiction

I have a bunch of books that just never got reviewed and I want to start fresh ASAP and review books within a week or two of reading it at the most. So I need to catch up on these reviews. Considering I read these over a year ago, I may not remember enough for a full review anyways.

Confessions of a Bad Mother by Stephanie Calman
Stars: *****

Summary: Do you feel that other mothers are "doing it properly" while you're getting it All Wrong? Do you give your children chicken nuggets for supper, herd them into bed and slump down exhausted for a drink? Do you wish there could just, please, be a little less pressure? If you try your best but frequently feel like a failure, if you - or your children - are in any way imperfect, then join the club: the Bad Mothers Club. Stephanie Calman has broken every rule and done it all "wrong". From giving birth with her pants on to making her kids watch more telly, she has persistently defied all accepted wisdom and professional advice.

This book is funny and a great stress relief read for moms who are worried they aren't good enough. Very humourous and the accompanying website is a great resource: http://www.badmothersclub.co.uk In fact the author has a new book: How (Not) to Murder Your Husband.

However if you are very adamant that how you parent is the ONLY right way, don't read this book.

Buy Confessions of a Bad Mother at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D.
Stars: *****

Summary: With humor, keen insight and proven experience, Dr. Phelan breaks down the task of parenting into three straightforward jobs: Job 1: Controlling Obnoxious Behavior, Job 2: Encouraging Good Behavior, Job 3: Strengthening Your Relationships

I'm not exactly still putting these ideas into practice but they are great ideas. If I wasn't busy reading other parenting books I'd read these one a few times over and fully put it into practice. As with self-help books, most parenting books do no good unless you put them into practice.

The book contains example narrations to show you how to use their advice. There are 1-2-3 Magic books for various topics and they have sold a lot. This book is the Winner of the National Parenting Publication Gold Award and a new, 4th edition has come out since I read this one.

Buy 1-2-3 Magic at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year by Esme Raji Codell
Stars: ****

Summary: Just as it says, a diary of a teacher's first year. She teaches fifth grade and has all kinds of creative ways to teach. She also includes 25 tips for teachers and teachers-to-be.

I remember liking this book a lot. I wanted to be a teacher at one point and so I've always liked reading teacher memoirs. I love when teachers have creative ideas. If you look at the reviews on amazon, they are quite split between 4-5 stars and 1-2 stars. The ones who disliked the books talk about the author being stuck up, focusing on how awesome she is or being obnoxious but I didn't get that feeling at all.

Buy Educating Esme at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

*All books were received in exchange for a review if I finished them. All opinions are honest and are my own. 

The Chimp Who Loved Me And Other Slightly Naughty Tales of a Life With Animals by Annie Greer & Tim Vandehey

Stars: *****

Diva Press (2010)
215 pages
20% of sales go to the ASPCA!

Summary: The Chimp Who Loved Me is a collection of true stories from the life and times of Annie Greer, a veterinary chiropractitioner, animal healer, radio host, speaker, farmer's wife and all-around magnet for bizarre animal behavior. [...] if you crave twisted tales of sex, poop, pee and death, where apes throw donuts at chefs during dinner parties and stoned veterinary students dispense bizarre advice to puzzled dog show contestants, then you won't be able to put The Chimp Who Loved Me down...until it hits you in the nose because you're reading in bed. - excerpted from thechimpwholovedme.com

This Book is Hilarious!

No, seriously. I'm so glad I review self-published books or I would have missed this one. To think all these stories REALLY happened to Annie Greer. Oh My Gosh. She really IS a magnet for weird animal behaviour. I must warn this book has some mature language. However it's not in an excessive, totally not needed sort of way. It's also not so much swearing as adult language such as sexual terms, although there is some swearing. Normally I hate swearing but if I was in that situation, I think I would swear too!

I cannot decide which story is my favourite, they were all great. I chuckled or laughed out loud a few times. I wanted to read passages to my husband but he hates when I do that so I restrained.

I'm not sure what else to say other than buy and read this book. I hope it gets picked up by a bigger publisher and gets put on amazon so it's more readily available.

Links of Interest: The Chimp Who Loved Me,
Other Reviews: NONE YET

The Chimp Who Loved Me is not available on Amazon.com [UPDATE: It will be on amazon.com in January, I will provide a link when I get it.] but you can buy it through Lulu. Remember: 20% of sales go to the ASPCA.

Lost Sock!: 200 Clever Ways to Use Your Single Socks by Cynthia L. Copeland with Anya Lewis

Stars: *****

Cider Mill Press (2008)
Reference/Humor
224 pages in full colour


Summary: It’s something we all can relate to: you open the dryer, match up your socks…and inevitably a few have mysteriously vanished into thin air. Where have they gone? We don’t know. But now once-happy pairs have become sad “singletons” with no purpose. Now, Cynthia Copeland—whose books regularly break sales records— comes to the rescue with a little gem of a book that gives new meaning to those left-behinds. Filled with Cynthia’s wonderful light-hearted illustrations, contains 200 surprising, clever, and fun uses for the remaining sock, along with humorous insights into where all these missing ones may have washed off to. - From Cider Mill Press

What a great last minute gift idea! This book is SO cute and funny but also useful. You may be thinking how can a book be a reference and humourous. Well it's possible. With over 200 uses for singleton socks plus lost sock anecdotes (such as quizzes, stories & brainteasers), ideas to stop you from losing them in the first place and adorable illustrations and diagrams.

The ideas are categorized by type: socks for pets, socks for tots, socks with a message, socks in the garden, socks at play, socks in the car, dolls & socks, healing socks, safety socks, socks to protect and many others.

Some sample ideas (please note: the following ideas are © 2008 Cider Mill Press.)

• Cut off the foot of two long socks and sew them to mittens. They'll tuck under sleeves and stay on better than mittens alone.
• If you are painting and want to keep your shoes from getting splattered, slip single socks over them.
• Frilly socks can be turned into Barbie doll clothes by cutting off the toe and making arm holes

Each idea is shown in point form and if the idea would be best with more colourful, pretty socks, it's marked by a special sock icon. For example making toys or decorations would be better with nice socks than plain white with faded grey heels.

Perfect for the thrifty crafter.

Links of Interest: Cynthia Copeland, Cider Mill Press,

Other Reviews: NONE YET

Buy Lost Sock! at amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

* I received a copy of this book from Cider Mill Press to review. All opinions are my own and are not affected by how I acquired the book.

Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates

Stars: ***

Summary: Jen Yates of the Cake Wrecks blog has made a book. The book isn't just the blog content regurgitated but has never before seen cake photos, information on Jen, the wrecks, the people who make the wrecks, the people who find the wrecks and more. If you aren't familiar with the Cake Wrecks blog, it displays professional cakes that were created wrong, fell apart, look horrible or are spelled wrong. Most are quite funny.

I must say that I had never seen the Cake Wrecks blog before I read this book so the whole concept was new to me. There has been some flack lately about books made from blogs and I do understand that to some degree but at the same time, it's a way to get the content out to those who don't read blogs. If I was a subscriber or regular reader of the Cake Wrecks blog though I wouldn't pick up the book unless I was a crazily devoted fan.

So about the cakes, they are quite funny, some are hilarious, some just make you shake your head. There is a few different categories:

Literal LOLs (the cake decorator took the instructions a little too literally.)
The Dreaded CCC (CCC stands for cupcake cake. I don't think they are all bad but these ones are.)
Beyond Bizarre (disturbing, weird, huh?)
The Poo Phenomenon (apparently most brown icing just looks like poop - seriously)
Oops (mistakes - mostly spelling)
Wedding Wrecks (wedding cakes gone bad)
What's That Supposed to Mean? (so confusing you can't figure it out)
Nuthin' To See Here.... (cakes for bachelor(ette) parties, cakes that shouldn't be dirty but look dirty and other not for kids eyes cakes)
Run Home Wrecks (sports cakes)
Baby Bottoms Up (cakes featuring babies, pregnant women and birth announcements)
Holiday Horrors (holiday cakes gone awry)
Random Wreckage (random of course!)

There are also a few other features. There are a few photos of kids making funny or quizzical faces at their cakes. The author shares some controversies the cakes she displays have created. Overall I think it was a pretty funny book that would make a great coffee table book. It does make me a little wary about ordering cakes though!

Links of Interest: Cake Wrecks Blog, Jen Yates story on Story of My Life, Interview with Jen Yates, Cake Wrecks - the Music Video, Cake Wrecks Twitter, Cake Wrecks Facebook,

Other Reviews:  Stuck in a Book, Piling on the Books,5 Minutes for Books,

Buy Cake Wrecks from amazon.com and support SMS Book Reviews

The Junk Food Companion: The Complete Guide to Eating Badly by Eric Spitznagel

Stars: *****


Ingredients: junk food facts and fallacies; tips on fast-food etiquette; quotes from celebrated snackers; quizzes for the junk food challenged; the true story of why Cheez isn't cheese; the wit and wisdom of Bazooka Joe; obscure facts from the archives of junk food history; and much more.


The Junk Food Companion is from Penguin Putnam but I just picked it up from a library book sale. I'm glad I did, it's hilarious and interesting.


It's filed under Popular Culture/Humor and the author states it's a satire. So while it's filled with true junk food facts, it's also full of humour and satire.


I just MUST share some facts with you:

"The Life Savers company has received some unusual customer
requests for flavors, including cucumber and tobacco." - from Candy
chapter

"General Mills once considered making a cereal out of
seaweed." - from Cereal chapter

"In 1997 a U.s. marshal shot a New York teenager for eating a
3 Musketeers candy bar. The marshal allegedly thought the candy was a gun." -
from Chocolate chapter

"The world's most expensive coffee, at $130 a pound, is an
Indonesian brand called Kopi Luwak. The secret ingredient in Kopi Luwak is
insect poop." - from Coffee chapter

"Before appearing in a Christmas print ad for Coca-Cola in
1931, Santa Claus was typically portrayed as a tall, thin, hollow-cheeked man."
- from Cola chapter

"Carrie White, named in the Guiness Book of World
Records as the world's oldest person, ate mostly Fig Newtons." - from
Cookie chapter

"When a young Madonna Ciccone moved to New York City she
immediately applied for a position at a Dunkin' Donuts. She got the job. Five
years later she had her first gold record." - from Donuts Chapter

"In 1997 a Dallas, Texas, police officer was suspended for
eating a McDonald's chicken sandwich taken from a crashed car at the scene of an
accident." - from Fast Food chapter

"Chewing gum can cause controlled expelling of intestinal gas
(otherwise known as farting)." - from Gum chapter

"Fickle Pickle ice cream, a Michigan invention targeted at
pregnant women, was a commercial flop." - from Ice Cream chapter

"Jimmy Dewar, the man who invented Twinkies, ate two Twinkies
every day until his death in 1985." - from Unidentified Foods
chapter

That's one quote from each chapter so you know what the chapters are. The Unidentifed Foods chapter also includes such foods as hotdogs, Spam and Cheez Whiz.

The book is really funny with a little bit of knowledge tucked in there. It's great for anyone who loves junk food (like yours truly.)

Thou Shalt Not Whine: The Eleventh Commandment by January Jones

Subtitled: What We Whine About, Why We Do It and How to Stop!

Stars: ****

Summary: Stop Whining – Start Winning! It’s not just you. Anyone who goes shopping, watches TV, or has children knows there is a world-wide epidemic of whining that is out of control! January Jones surveyed a wide cross-section of people to find out why they whine and what they whine about. Armed with this information, she wrote Thou Shalt Not Whine, a humorous look at why people whine and how to cure it. January reveals the top ten whines from all age groups and shows you how to deal with them using cures that work. Thou Shalt Not Whine is guaranteed to make you laugh at yourself and others. For anyone with family, friends, or foes who complain, this book is a must-read!

This is a hilarous book but it does have some good pointers too. If you're thinking that you don't whine, then you better think harder. Was your coffee not hot enough this morning? Did your kids take too long to get ready for school? Did the baby cry just when you were about to...., was the store out of what you went to get? EVERYBODY whines, it's who we are, but we CAN do something about it!

Thou Shalt Not Whine is part humour book and part advice book. It's separated into whines heard from the following groups of people: children, teenagers, parents, couples, singles, baby boomers, seniors, women, men, best friends and grandparents. At first I thought that meant that I'd go to the parents, couples and women section and read what I whine about and how to

stop it but no, that's not how it works. You read the section based on who's whining to YOU.

(e.g., you read the teenager section if a teenager is whining TO you, not if you ARE a teenager.

With the couples one this work both ways because if the other half of your couple is complaining to you, you're probably complaining about it too. It's more how to stop others from whining (which I suppose would eventually work with you.)

For example the couple's qualm about closet space:

Whine A: Your stuffs on my side.
Whine B: How many shoes do you need?Cure: The "separate closet" cure is the one and only one that works for most couples.

I didn't much like the layout of the whines though. Each one is as shown above but there is an explanation after Whine A and none after Whine B, only the cure. It's a little confusing.

For the most part I found January Jones to be funny but there was a "joke" I took a bit of offense to:

"Like most girls, I was born a natural whiner." - pg xii

However her next comment had me laughing:

"My second qualification [for writing this book] is that I'm a woman, which
means that i can be anything I want to be - and change my mind about what that
is whenever I feel like it." - pg xii

Again, for the most part, I liked her cures. Some were better than others but there was one (mentioned a few times) that I believe she should take out of her book for safety reasons:

"There are all sorts of great cures for turbulence [from an airplane] besides
saying your prayers. I have tried them all and my favorite one is the "pass out"
cure. You can accomplish this most expediently by taking sleeping pills or
getting drunk. I recommend the pills because they are quiet and painless." - pg 12

Now that I have read The Survivor's Club by Ben Sherwood, I know how dangerous this is.

Other's Reviews

The Book Zombie
A Peek at my Bookshelf