One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B. J. Novak

One More Thing is a collection of short stories by that guy who played Ryan on The Office. At least that's how some of you will know him. He also wrote fifteen episodes of the show and this book proves that he's just as funny and insightful a writer on the page as he is for the screen.

All of Novak's stories have a twist that takes them outside the realm of reality. He explores the problem with Heaven being paradise for all its residents, explains the origin of that train-based math problem that everybody knows, and in the final story takes a jab at the publishing industry itself. A recurring element is the sarcastic "Discussion Questions" that appear at the end of a few of the pieces, presenting disturbing queries such as "Do you think Johnny Depp should have driven his motorcycle off the mountain highway to his death? Why or why not?" Sometimes it feels like Novak is mocking  the whole idea of a short story collection, including with the book's subtitle. You would not want to read this book out of order because there are a few recurring elements and characters, which I didn't expect.

Some of these are very short stories, often less than a page or a few lines. With these, he makes his point and moves on.

I highly recommend listening to the audio version of One More Thing, mostly read by Novak, with help from his celebrity friends Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, Jason Schwartzman, Lena Dunham, Katy Perry, and more. The various narrators add variety and immersion to the experience. There's one story called "Closure," as voiced by Novak and Kaling, that one could imagine the broken-up couple being Ryan and Kelly from The Office if they had different names. Except that is, when it takes a turn that is too off the wall and dark to be on the NBC sitcom. Another story features a young girl with a desire to go to Niagara Falls "because a couple from a television show she watched got married there" which is a clear reference to Jim and Pam's wedding. But overall, the author doesn't ride the coattails of his well-known series too much.

B. J. Novak has blazed his own path with this collection, which some readers will call "weird" but I call hilarious and original. Sometimes you can determine exactly what question he asked himself that inspired a story, but other times you wonder where he comes up with this stuff. In either case, he takes things in directions I didn't see coming. I look forward to seeing what else he has up his sleeve in the future.

For more about the author and this book, visit bjnovak.com.

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

When young people seek companionship in the twenty-first century, it's different from how their parents and grandparents had it. Today's technology and increased population make the options for romance occasionally overwhelming. In his first book, comedian and actor Aziz Ansari takes a good look at what modern romance really consists of.

This is not the typical book that you might find written by a celebrity. It's not a memoir or a quick cash-grab, it's a well researched look at love that Ansari wrote alongside sociologist Eric Klinenberg. At the same time it does contain numerous bits of the comedian's sarcasm and a few examples of his own struggles with finding a mate. Some of the topics that he examines come from conversations with audience members at his standup shows, such as when he asks them to show him their text message conversations.

Ansari and Klinenberg take a look at the paradox of choice that daters face. With the advent of online dating, there are so many options available that someone might worry that they're not with the "best" person possible. Ansari contrasts this to how his father had an arranged marriage, which he also addresses on his Netflix show Master of None. The authors took trips to Tokyo, Buenos Aires, and Paris to see how those countries handle dating, in comparison with how Americans do. Ansari found that in Tokyo men were usually too shy to approach women, while in Buenos Aires the males were perhaps too aggressive with their advances.

Aziz Ansari has a signature way of pointing out the absurdities of his generation's behavior while admitting he falls into the same habits. It seems that researching and writing this book gave him insight into not only other people's behavior in relationships, but also his own.

I recommend Modern Romance to anyone in their 20s or 30s who's curious about the subject and doesn't mind Ansari's sense of humor, as there are points when he'll exaggerate or go on a tangent for the sake of a laugh. A side note, the audiobook version has some added content at the beginning and end. At the start of the first CD in specific, Aziz berates the listener for being "too lazy" to read the text and lamenting that he has to "read it to you". That was a surprise that gave me a good chuckle.

To buy the book or learn more, go to book.azizansari.com. However, the site hasn't been updated since it still talks about preordering the book despite it coming out last June.

Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

You notice the cover right away because you admire the actor Neil Patrick Harris. Ah, the esteemed star of the Harold and Kumar movies and How I Met Your Mother, as well as, you're told, some doctor show in the early 90s, has written a book about himself. The cover has a design that looks familiar. Oh Choose Your Own Autobiography, based on the concept of "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, you loved those! Now with your interest piqued, you open the cover and start reading.

What an unique concept for structuring an autobiography! You are told you will assume the role of Neil Patrick Harris, and choose a path through his life with a series of options at the end of each short chapter. You soon discover that while most of the chapters are true stories, some of them quickly turn into deathly situations similar to those in the childrens' books.

You have to admit that reading about someone else's life in the second person present tense takes some getting used to, especially when the book tells you that you're a proud gay man with a husband and two children. You are decidedly not a gay man, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Occasionally the book's choices direct you to magic tricks to follow along with, or drink recipes to imbibe. There is always the worry in the back of your mind that you might miss an important detail about Harris's life or one of the hilarious asides, so you always keep one finger or bookmark at the last page you left so you can read the path you didn't take the first time. Huh, that's probably exactly the effect that the author intended.

You greatly enjoy this book and you make sure to type out a post on your blog to tell everyone that it's well worth their time.

You can find the website for the book at nphbook.com, or follow Harris on Twitter @actuallyNPH.

Fool and The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

 I first encountered Christopher Moore with the book Lamb, which Liz reviewed earlier this year. In that book, the protagonist Biff gives us an irreverent and sex-obsessed view of Biblical times. In Fool and The Serpent of Venice, the jester Pocket provides a similar look at a more Shakespearean era.

Fool is basically a retelling of King Lear from the jester's point of view. Pocket is in love with Lear's youngest daughter Cordelia, and when she does not get a share of the kingdom that is left to her sisters, Pocket schemes to exact revenge on the king and win Cordelia's heart. If you're not familiar with Shakespeare's original play, well I'm not going to go into the whole plot here. Suffice it to say, in Fool it turns out that Pocket (with help from his dimwitted apprentice, Drool) was behind most of the tragic occurrences and jealousy among the three sisters, as he shags the lot of 'em. He obtains three doses of a love potion from the witches of Macbeth fame, and uses these to manipulate the women to desire whoever is most convenient.

The more recent novel The Serpent of Venice combines elements of Othello and The Merchant of Venice with the Edgar Allen Poe story "The Cask of Amontillado." Pocket remains our main narrator, though some passages are told in third person, and an omniscient Chorus pops in to introduce certain scenes and otherwise annoy the other characters in a fourth-wall-breaking manner. Not long after finding out his beloved Cordelia has died, Pocket's misfortune continues when he's thrown in a dungeon.

These books will appeal to Shakespeare fans who don't mind the idea of the Bard's plays being ripped apart and thrown together by a prankster. As I have implied, both are occasionally sexually explicit when Shakespeare was subtle about such matters. It's a sense of humor that will appeal to the naughty teenager in you. I don't think Christopher Moore is for everyone, but for those who like a combination of highbrow and lowbrow, there is nobody like him.

For more about the author and his books, check out Christopher Moore's website.

Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman

For his second book, Nick Offerman wanted to bring attention to some of his favorite Americans, some of whom have been long dead and others he has had the enormous pleasure of meeting in person. In Gumption, each chapter is dedicated to one of these individuals, giving a brief biography of where they came from and what they're known for, followed by Offerman's personal reflections on the person's significance and how their ideas can make our country better.

The first section, "Freemasons," brings up founding fathers George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison, as well as slave-turned-orator Frederick Douglass. The second part is titled "Idealists" and runs the gamut from two separate Roosevelts, to a few great authors. Then the third section, "Makers," has the widest scope, from woodworkers to entertainers. The book is sprinkled with several mentions of Offerman's show Parks and Recreation and his wife Megan Mullally but this doesn't overshadow his point. He also uses humor to make the pill of biographical insight go down easier, though the repeated joke in the Jeff Tweedy chapter that the singer is his husband, is one bit that falls flat.

Even as a fan of Offerman and his writing style, I struggled to get into this book at first, as historical figures aren't usually something I find fun to read about. When he profiles Thomas Lie-Nielsen (owner of a tool company), Nat Benjamin (maker of wooden boats), and woodworker George Nakashima, I couldn't help feeling that Nick was being self-indulgent (he actually admits that one of the reasons for writing this book was to meet some of his heroes), and to be honest I largely skimmed those chapters.

In contrast, his words about Wendell Berry, Michael Pollan and George Saunders made me decide to seek out the books written by those fine gentlemen. One may find themselves with a newly evolved opinion of Yoko Ono, and a realization that Willie Nelson has more to him than his love of marijuana. I also learned about a few notable Americans I'd never heard of, like the Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmstead, and Laurie Anderson, a performance artist with an incredible array of talents.

I think this book turned out exactly as Offerman intended it, even if it does fall a bit outside mainstream interests, and for that I admire his gumption. He clearly feels strongly about the issues he raises and that these people deserve recognition, and with that I agree. However, I think implying via the title that all of them are "gutsy troublemakers" is a bit misleading. They are simply Americans who each did something worthwhile, and were modest about their accomplishments.

Except Conan O'Brien, that blowhard.


For more information about Nick Offerman, his books, or his woodshop, visit offermanwoodshop.com.

Funny Girl by Nick Hornby

Several of Nick Hornby's books have been adapted into movies (High Fidelity, About a Boy, A Long Way Down, and Fever Pitch), and he's written a few screenplays himself. Funny Girl (no relation to the Streisand musical) is his first novel to not take place in the modern age, deals with the act of writing itself, and in my opinion would make a good film.

In the mid-1960s, Barbara Parker wins the beauty pageant in her hometown of Blackpool, England, but would rather be known for her sense of humor over her looks. She takes off for London with the goal of being a comedic actress like her idol, Lucille Ball. Her agent encourages her to change her name, and they settle on Sophie Straw. She soon gets an audition for an episode of BBC's Comedy Playhouse, which has long been a springboard for full-series orders of sitcoms.

When the writers of the episode, Tony and Bill, ask Sophie what she really thinks about their script Wedded Bliss?, she prompts them to throw the whole thing out, and on the spot they decide to write a new version based around her. Ironically, they decide the female character should now be named Barbara and hail from Blackpool. Then they change the name of the show to Barbara (and Jim), the parentheses (or "brackets" in Brit-speak) indicating the dominance of Sophie's character over her husband, which does not please her vain co-star, Clive.

Barbara (and Jim) becomes successful enough to run for four 16-episode series (seasons). The lives of the writers and stars are used for inspiration for the show's plots. Sophie and Clive begin a relationship and eventually become engaged. Tony is in an uncomfortable marriage until he has a baby with his wife around the same time that Barbara and Jim have one in the show. Co-writer Bill is a closeted homosexual who writes a novel based on his outsider status, and producer Dennis gets a divorce and realizes he's in love with Sophie. There is some intersection with real events, like when Lucille Ball is shooting Lucy in London, Sophie gets an underwhelming conversation with her idol.

The last couple chapters jump forward to present day, but I won't say any more since you should discover the circumstances for yourself. Funny Girl is a purely entertaining book that explores whether entertainment itself should have a deeper purpose, or if it's "enough" to be writing something that people enjoy.