Entertaining, Animated, and Evocative
The As Seen on TV Reader is tapped into pop culture and always curious about the people behind the personas. They are spending summer catching up on all the binge worthy media they might have missed because they love always sharing the new pop culture tidbits with the group chat. Whether it’s a thoughtful celeb memoir, a smart take on fame, or an a history lesson from a very funny friend, they gravitate toward books that blend entertainment with insight.
SNAFU by Ed Helms
“With his wry intelligence, Helms makes an ideal guide through these historical blunders… It’s a charming and irreverent alternative history.” — Publishers Weekly
From actor, comedian, writer, and host of the hit history podcast SNAFU, Ed Helms brings you an absurdly entertaining look at history’s biggest blunders, complete with lively illustrations.
History contains a plethora of insane screwups—otherwise known as SNAFUs. Coined during World War I, SNAFU is an acronym that stands for Situation Normal: All F*cked Up. In other words, “things are pretty screwed up, but aren’t they always?”
Spanning from the 1950’s to the present day, SNAFU features Ed Helms as unofficial history teacher with a loving tribute to humanity’s finest face-plants, diving into each decade’s craziest SNAFUs. From planting nukes on the moon to training felines as CIA spies to weaponizing the weather, this book unpacks the incredibly ironic decision-making and hilariously terrifying aftermath of America’s biggest mishaps.
Filled with sharp humor and lively illustrations, SNAFU is a wild ride through time that covers the head-scratching and occasionally inspiring blunders that have shaped our world and made historians spit-take. They’re the kinds of stories that not only entertain but offers fresh insights that just might prevent history from repeating itself again and again.
BIG DUMB EYES by Nate Bargatze
“One of the hottest acts in comedy.” — The Atlantic
A #1 TORONTO STAR BESTSELLER
AN INSTANT USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER
A GLOBE AND MAIL BESTSELLER
From one of the hottest stand-up comedians, Nate Bargatze brings his everyman comedy to the page in this hilarious collection of personal stories, opinions, and confessions.
Nate Bargatze used to be a genius. That is, until the summer after seventh grade when he slipped, fell off a cliff, hit his head on a rock, and “my skull got, like, dented or something.” Before this accident, he dreamed of being “an electric engineer, or a doctor that does brain stuff, or a math teacher who teaches the hardest math on earth.” Afterwards, all he could do was stand-up comedy.* But the “brain stuff” industry’s loss is everyone else’s gain because Nate went on to become one of today’s top-grossing comedians, breaking both attendance and streaming records.
In his highly anticipated first book, Nate talks about life as a non-genius. From stories about his first car (named Old Blue, a clunky Mazda with a tennis ball stick shift) and his travels as a Southerner (Northerners like to ask if he believes in dinosaurs), to tales of his first apartment where he was almost devoured by rats and his many debates with his wife over his chores, his diet, and even his definition of “shopping.” He also reflects on such heady topics as his irrational passion for Vandy football and the mysterious origins of sushi (how can a California roll come from old-time Japan?).
BIG DUMB EYES is full of heart. It will make readers laugh out loud and nod in recognition, but it probably won’t make them think too much.
*Nate’s family disputes this entire story.
MY GOOD SIDE by Scheana Shay
An intimate memoir from Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay, delving into everything from the origin story of the iconic show, to her struggles with fertility and pregnancy loss, and the behind-the-scenes moments that were left on the cutting room floor.
An intimate memoir from Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay, delving into everything from the origin story of the iconic show, to her struggles with fertility and pregnancy loss, and the behind-the-scenes moments that were left on the cutting room floor.
Before eleven seasons of record-breaking TV, Scheana thought that signing on to the Real Housewives‘ spin-off show, Vanderpump Rules, was a stepping stone to reaching her ultimate goal of becoming a successful actress in Hollywood. But from the very first season, Vanderpump Rules pit Scheana against her fellow cast members. Barbs were thrown, friendships dissolved, and Scheana was left in the rubble trying to parse fact from fiction.
On camera, she got used to being called every name in the book, from homewrecker to a pick-me and bad friend. But off camera, there’s always been a different side of Scheana, pieces of her she couldn’t share on screen or that were trimmed out of tidy forty-minute television episodes.
In My Good Side, Scheana pulls back the layers of who she really is and shares all sides of her—the good, bad, and messy—bringing readers on a wild nostalgia trip through the early days of Vanderpump Rules, while recounting jaw-dropping stories from her Hollywood black book, including setting the record straight on her relationship with Eddie Cibrian. She reveals how her outlook on love has evolved and led her to a daughter she was told she may never have.
From being bullied as a kid to being bullied by the Witches of WeHo, Scheana has seen it all, and together she and her fans can laugh, cry, and reminisce on all the drama, heartbreak, and celebrations over the years.
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