Grand Central Publishing, $24.99, 269 pages
If you?ve ever seen Demetri Martin?s stand-up act or television appearances, you?ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect from This Is A Book: brilliantly off-kilter observational humor, peppered with wordplay and absurdities galore. In a relatively short period of time, he?s carved his own distinctive niche near those of names like Steven Wright and Mitch Hedberg.
?99.99% of all castles in America are located in fish tanks.?
For the uninitiated, you are in for a treat. This Is A Book is like a stand-up show you can peruse at your own pace. Family memories and short stories mix with comedy routines, lists, wild take-offs, and biting satirizations of Hollywood, modern life, and everything in between. Interspersed throughout are drawings and visual gags that will have you rolling.
Whether it?s Socrates dealing with his publicist, a Roshomon-style account of a bee sting from surprising observers, or the trials and tribulations of falling in love with someone who?s already dead, the pieces in This Is A Book are as eclectic as can be, unified by a single common thread ? they?re all pretty funny.
If you?re a fan of Martin?s previous work, you won?t be disappointed. If you?re a newcomer to his comedy, this is a terrific introduction.
Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Source: http://sacramentobookreview.com/poetry_short_stories/this-is-a-book/
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