Victoria

Weirder Than Marshmallows Book of Essays has been the latest book that I have been reading. When signing up to be one of the reviewers for this book I was expecting it to be a quick and funny read. However, it turned out to be just the opposite. Not to mention the fact that since the book has so many good reviews I thought it was something that was actually going to be good. But, in my opinion this book is not a must read and it definitely was not funny. However, I can say that some of these stories were weird.

What I Didn’t Like About The Book and What I Liked

When reading the preface of the book I expected that it would be funny and weird as it explained what was the meaning of the title. However, by page 14 I was wondering just what this book had in store for me when I came across the phrase, “Because face it, kid’s aren’t bright. They’re dumb-asses. You know they are, we need to protect them, hell, we need to lock them all in cages til they turn 21″. This was something that I found to be rather disturbing. Maybe this is because I am a mom who would never refer to kids in this manner.

Reading further into the book though I did feel as though the author made some great points, however. For example, he states ” All people should be treated equally, we try to teach that everyday. Then we go home and separate ourselves into groups with common traits. In order for others to treat us as equals, we must treat ourselves as equals as well”.

Lastly, when nearing the end of the book I ran across something that really made me decide that this book was definitely not funny and not what I expected. This was when the author tells a story about a kid in school who wrote out a hit list and even listed how he would harm them. The author reveals that the story ends as follows, “The page has been removed from the net, the boy has been suspended from school. And parents want more. They want him expelled, or, better yet, thrown in jail. Let’s ignore the 1st Amendment Rights. This is still completely absurd”. That statement is not even the beginning of the worst. The author then reveals that he feels as though not all kids who say they are going to kill actually will and it is not something that can be prevented so there is no need to try to avoid this. I feel the total opposite. For example, if a child seems to be troubled and writing these sorts of things on the web as in the book something needs to be done. Innocent lives could be loss such as in the Virginia Tech shootings.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I would not recommend this books to other moms because of the points that I have pointed out above. Basically, I did not find it funny as others who have left reviews have stated. But, if you find the points that I pointed out in this review funny then it may be a good read for you. I just did not see the humor in them.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers

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jshallow01

I am always intrigued by how an author comes up with a title to a book. Sometimes they are pretty self explanatory and other times they seem more obscure. Until I dove in to this very quick read of essays, I wasn’t sure exactly what the title referred to. My curiousity as to the naming of the title was quickly answered when I read the preface and was asked to ponder why (white) marshmallows list the dye blue 1 as an ingredient. Yes, that does seem weird to me. And yes, I did check my own bag of marshmallows in the cupboard and saw it listed as an ingredient. So, I thought that this was a good start to the book and was interested to see what other essays and musings Dan Fogg had to share with us.

As I read though the section of “Do Not Stop On The Tracks”, I couldn’t help think about all the many baby products that I have read such warnings on, those warnings that were common sense and didn’t need to be spelled out but they obviously had to because more than one person lacked the common sense that was required to use such a product.

The book includes other sections titled “En Masse” “Technology Sucks” ‘That’s Just Freaky” and “Weird Stuff”. I did find some of the observations to be more critical and cynical than I am myself, but some of the other observations were entertaining to read. My favorite essay in the collection is called “The Vortex” and seemed to be the start of a movie. He did a good job describing the setting that allowed me to get a clear picture and understand his feelings. And I thought the most, shall we say – educational, was “Electile Dysfunction 2000: Heard from Florida Lately?”

I did enjoy reading though his collection of favorite quotes. Reading what inspires or provokes a person helps you to draw up a mental image of their character and provide a deeper insight to their writings.

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Jenn, Mom of Two Munchkins

I was selected to review Weirder Than Marshmallows by Dan Fogg and was surprised. Keep reading for my review.

I have to start by saying that this book was not what I thought it would be. It knew it was supposed to be funny but was expecting it to be more jokes and less real life. But I wasn’t really exactly sure what to expect.

This book was amusing and so very true. I found myself relating to many of the essays in this book. Especially on that was about elections. I thought that was had perfect timing. I found it interesting that many of my own rants were in the book. Made me feel like maybe I was not as crazy as I thought!

The book contains 5 chapters:

Do Not Stop on Tracks

En Masse

Technology Sucks

That’s Just Freaky

Weird Stuff

The first chapter immediately catches your attention and makes you keep reading out of pure anticipation of what will be said next. Brilliant!

I love how they describe the book and how the title got it’s name. “I could rant about marshmallows forever. But this book isn’t about marshmallows, this book is about stories. Stories, that are, like marshmallows, strange, mind boggling, but somehow appealing to the public at large. Hard to explain, impossible to ignore.”

I couldn’t have captured the book or marshmallows any better!

I love Daniel Fogg’s honesty throughout the book and how many of his points are things I have wondered about myself. It is a well written book that begs to be read.

Make sure you buy your copy of Weirder than Marshmallows today. This book would make a great gift or stocking stuffer!

Weirder Than Marshmallows was published by Nightfire Publications

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Kurisutsure

Hey all. Wow it’s been a long time! School has been hectic, and the only time I’ve taken a break from school really is when I’m browsing deals, entering contests, and spending time with my family, which isn’t as much time as I’d like. For the first time in a long time I took a whole day off yesterday, and it was a holiday! But I’m not trying to complain. I love school! It’s my outlet, it’s fun, and I’m learning. But suffice to say, I’ve been busy. I do have something I need to share with you right now though. It’s a review! A review on Black Friday?? Yep. And while we’re on that topic, I hope your Black Friday is going well and you are keeping safe (so many insanely good deals are online anyway, why go to a store unless you really must?) To the review!

Weirder Than Marshmallows – By Dan Fogg

I had the pleasure of being selected to receive a hard copy of the book, Weirder Than Marshmallows, By Dan Fogg. I took a picture of it with my phone, but I can’t figure out how to upload it (I have an LG) so please forgive me and accept this picture of the Kindle version:

Anyway, this book is awesome, but short. Why so short? Well, unfortunately Mr. Fogg passed away very young. I don’t know if he meant to add to the book, but he did write an ending. Also, the book is a collection of true essays, not a fictional story, so you won’t feel like a character isn’t developed or anything. Anyway, why do I feel it is so awesome? I love Mr. Fogg’s humor! He is very satirical and muses about the ridiculous things, like why must there be certain signs to accommodate those without any common sense?

It took me a couple hours to read this book, which is pretty good considering I feel like I have no time lately. And, the essays are very short, so you’ll be able to read one, then put it down (though putting this book down will be hard if you enjoy the humor as much as I do!)

Want to read it for yourself? You can buy the Kindle version here: Weirder Than Marshmallows Book of Essays on Amazon
And don’t worry if you don’t have a Kindle! You can get Amazon’s app for computers or other devices. To get there, go to the bottom of any Amazon.com page and find the link “Manage your kindle” (I believe you must be logged in for it to work however)

Or, you could buy the hard copy like the one I have. Here is the link for that:
Weirder Than Marshmallows: Musings and Essays by Dan Fogg

Want to see more books from this publisher? Go here: http://nightfirepublications.com

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Rita L.

I was sent a rough copy of Weirder Than Marshmallows to review. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but the book sounded like something I would be interested in. I have a unique sense of humor and find humor in things that many people don’t. I have that 90′s Saturday Night Live sense of humor that so many people hate. I think they hate it because they don’t get it. This book is like that. Some of the stories make you have to think about it before you get the humor. Some of them are really funny, others are ok but I don’t necessarily feel a book should have been written for them. This book is very short and I literally read it in about 35 minutes. I have placed it on the back of the toilet in our guest bathroom. It would make the perfect bathroom reader since every story is only one page. I think if the book was bigger, it would be more enjoyable. It was still a fun read even though it was short. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick chuckle.

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Becca

Have you ever done or said something stupid wish you hadn’t. Maybe you have been the witness to an act of stupidity. Well recently I was treated to the book Weirder than Marshmallows by Dan Fogg a series of essay that tackle why people do dumb things. This book was really entertaining it was like having the author sitting next to relating these tales to me. If you like a quick funny read then this book is for you. I give it two thumbs.

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A Wonderful Read

I couldn’t sleep last night, so I grabbed my kindle and began reading Weirder Than Marshmallows which contains a series of essays and rants by the Dan Fogg, who sadly passed away over ten years ago.

The writings are based on the author’s observation of the stupidity of humanity. In the preface, Dan talks about the ingredients of marshmallows and wonders why there is blue food coloring in it. After reading the ingredients, I’m never eating a marshmallow again.

Normally I don’t read essay books, but I really enjoyed reading Weirder Than Marshmallows as the author used common sense that seems to be lacking in our culture today. I’ve never noticed the “Not Stop on Tracks” sign at railroad tracks before, but I’ll look for them the next time I cross one.

I laughed aloud as I read each humorous essays that dealt with real life situations. I’m a Garfield fan, so I got a kick out of the incident with his mother’s Garfield watch. The essay about the girl who couldn’t figure out how to heat a Hot Pocket, reminded me of my cousin, who would have done the exact same thing. Dan must have been an intelligent and funny person to write a short, but perfect book. I’m sadden to hear about his passing as he had a bright future in writing. I recommend Weirder Than Marshmallows to everyone!

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