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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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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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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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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Tiffany D.

Weirder Than Marshmallows is a collection of essays and observations based on the author’s life. Dan Fogg discusses everything from the stupid side of human nature to the very serious Columbine shooting.

What I liked most about this book is that it didn’t really feel like I was reading. It was more like Dan was sitting next to me and we were having a conversation about life and all the ridiculous things we come across. I loved that he brought up a lot of topics that I have thought about before and have even complained about. It took me only a little over an hour to finish although it felt like I breezed through it in minutes.

Since this is such a short book, it felt more like reading a magazine article or even a blog post. I think because I read this in e-format and online, it added to that feeling. I may have felt differently had I been reading a print version.

Even though I enjoyed the book, I did find a few topics repeating themselves. A topic would be discussed in the first part of the book, only to pop back up again later on to repeat the same observation. Perhaps if they were combined and edited, it would have made for a more engaging section. As it was, most chapters were only a page long. I really enjoyed the chapter about his father’s lack of common sense and found myself disappointed that it was so short.

Overall, I liked what I read. I’d recommend this to anyone who was looking for something quick and fun to read without having to invest too much time. I was very sad to see that Dan Fogg passed away before this was published. One can only wonder where he could have taken his writing had he had more time. However, I was happy to see that he has some fiction work that may eventually be published. I will definitely be looking forward to it.

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Mardesia C.

I recently was sent a copy of Weirder Than Marshmallows by Dan Fogg of NightFire Publications to read and review.

Before you break out the sticks and start the fires the Preface explains what the book is about: “But this book isn’t about marshmallows, despite the ramblings above. 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.”

From the moment I read the synopsis of this e-book, I knew that I had to read this book. There are people who are doing stupid and/or ignorant stuff and need to be ridiculed? Well then sign me up! My dear hubby has the nickname around our house of Sarcastro and I must admit that I could easily be Mrs. Sarcastro. What can I say, it’s my super power?

The Mr. Fogg definitely raises some interesting questions/observations in his 5 essays about the things that people do and the curious warnings found on product packaging. Many times I found myself smiling and nodding as I read his words.

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Leah S.

I was given the chance to review the book “Weirder than Marshmallows” by Dan Fogg. Put together with the help of Deborah Carney. The first thing that caught my eye about the book was the title!! Who doesn’t love marshmallows??? Each of the stories in this book are witty, sarcastic and true!!

Beyond the front cover and title there is nothing in this book regarding marshmallows. But inside you will find five essays that will make you laugh out loud and wonder how can people really be that stupid?? It is not the type of book that is leaving you hanging wondering what is coming next, but it is the type of book that will leave you wanting more!

This is perfect book for bathroom reading. A friend who is kind of down would get a laugh out of this book! And lets face it, who doesn’t love reading about someone else’s stupidity?

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Katie H.

I recently received the eBook Weirder Than Marshmallows by Dan Fogg from NightFire Publications to read and review. I really had no idea what to expect going in, but was pleasantly surprised at the well written and humorous take on things that Dan had.

The book itself is a compilation of essays and observations written by Dan Fogg that were compiled and edited by Deborah Carney. Dan’s life was tragically cut short in 2002, but his legacy lives on among his friends and family, and hopefully through the publishing of this book, society will also hear and read the words of a man who spent most of his life confined to a wheel chair, but observed the world around him with the eyes of a cynic and comedian.

Dan shows an obvious sense of humor and heart of a comedian in his take on life and random things around us. From his thoughts regarding the unusual warning signs on products and places in our lives, to the stupid actions of society in general at times, he looks at things with a cynics heart and what I consider to be a much more honest view than most of what we read and hear. His take on peoples disabilities and how there is a tendency for “groups” to stick together and make themselves stand out more rather than being diverse and incorporating into society really hit home. It was refreshing to see someone who himself suffered a disability be honest about how it is taken advantage of and exaggerated. Yet, on the same token, not discounting or overlooking the disability itself.

Overall, I was very impressed with this eBook. The quality of writing is excellent. Both Dan in his creativity and honesty and Deborah in her editing skills managed to pull together a great book of humor and well, weirdness that I truly appreciated. This book is long enough to read a few pages a day, or short enough to read in one sitting. My only complaint or drawback has to do with the use of foul language in a few places. Although I understood the placement and get the reasons behind it, I still felt it was unnecessary to get the point across in the book. This brought the book down to a 4 star for me.

Weirder than Marshmallows is definitely a great eBook to grab as a gift for the comedian in your family or just what I would call a “coffee table” book for yourself. Something light and fun to read when you want to unwind or could use a few laughs.

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