Die Happy: 499 Things Every Guy's Gotta Do While He Still Can [Paperback]

Tim Burke (Author), Michael Burke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2006

Attention, guys of America: It's time to get off the couch, turn off the PlayStation, and set down your beer (just kidding--never set down your beer). Your days of freedom are numbered. Every guy owes it to himself to do something audacious, ostentatious, hilarious, or just plain fun before it's too late. The time is now for the kinds of things that will be decidedly against the rules after you "settle down." Die Happy is here to help you create the kind of stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life. Stories about things like:

· How you spent your graduation cash: You start at Oktoberfest in Munich and wake up on a Thai beach (which is totally what your Aunt Edith had in mind). From Fantasy Fest to La Tomatina, here's a breakdown of the wildest parties and the craziest worldwide destinations.
· The best places to, ahem, explore other cultures (or whatever): Corfu's Pink Palace. Ireland's pubs. Amsterdam's Red Light District. Ibiza. Plus plenty of other fascinating events and locales, many of which also happen to serve booze.
· Getting a job (don't worry, not a real job): Jet Ski guy. Cruise ship bartender. Casino dealer. Lifeguard. Roadie. Where and how to earn the money to subsidize your fun, usually in some exotic location full of very friendly women.

At once a "How To," a "To Do," and a "We Did," Die Happy contains all the ideas, checklists, and insanely funny true stories you'll need to help you have as much fun as possible--while you still can.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two brothers combine forces to compile the ultimate guy's to-do-before-marriage list. Tim is married but still "fight(ing) the good fight" and Michael is "still a free man." They take advantage of their different points of view, banking on Tim's nostalgia for his bachelor days and Michael's determination to take full advantage of the time he has left. Whether offering predictable ideas, like traveling Europe by rail or "road-trippin' North America" with some buddies, or slightly more original plans like running with the bulls in Spain, throwing a mustache party, or pretending to be someone else for a weekend, they keep readers entertained. The writing style is conversational and candid, and its humor is aimed squarely at the guy's guy ("You're not going to meet your wife in Cancun, but you'll probably take home her slutty sister"). Though at times repetitive; the Burkes themselves happily acknowledge the role formula plays in their schemes: "if you're in search of a good story just get smashed in a different town" sums it up nicely. Though sure to irritate any woman who happens to pick it up (women are divided into two categories: kill-joy wives and drunken sluts), that shouldn't be a problem for the target audience. Most single guys under thirty will enjoy this title-and may even be inspired by it.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Brothers Tim Burke and Michael Burke both work in advertising and live in Chicago. Tim has settled down and is getting more responsible by the minute (which is lucky for his wife and son), while Michael is living it up and working on a lifetime's worth of wild memories. He regularly uses them to taunt his brother.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031235620X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312356200
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Like reading Maxim, without all the pretty pictures., February 16, 2008

By 

Gen Falel "Gen" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Die Happy: 499 Things Every Guy's Gotta Do While He Still Can (Paperback)

Do you read Maxim? Then you might enjoy this book. It will be redundant, however; 480 of the 499 things (I didn't count) are "How to go to Mardi Gras and get laid." (Step one: Go to Mardi Gras. Step two: Get laid. Real useful.)

The rare exceptions to the "Get drunk and meet hawt girls" entries (The Running of the Bulls, say) haven't enough practical information to fill the back of a postage stamp.

You've read the title of the book, and that's the high point of the experience. Getting out there and doing something that you can look back on fondly in your settled-down is a great goal. That goal will not be facilitated--at all--by reading this meandering dreck.

There is no information in this book, only ideas. If you want to go to TJ and get drunk and laid, you might want some advice on border crossing, what times of year to go, what to bring, and so on. In this book, you'd only get the chapter title "Go to TJ and get drunk and laid" and then a page of "yeah it's awesome you'll totally get laid just go there and stuff." Ideas are nice (the running of the bulls? I'm adding that to my list.) ...but you can get lists of ideas on the internet. Information? No. ...and most of the ideas are junk.

This book isn't good enough to prop up a table leg.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MUST read for recent male college grads, June 18, 2008

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C. Sods (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Die Happy: 499 Things Every Guy's Gotta Do While He Still Can (Paperback)

Being a recent college graduate who does not have a set plan for what he wants to do in life, this book was right up my alley. It appeals perfectly to a young guy who does not want to jump right into the cookie-cutter corporate world right away.
It gives the reader excellent insight, as well as many laughs, into some of the adventures that a rowdy, young, thrill seeker can experience with some motive and planning.
Besides the commonalities i've shared with the mindset this book promotes, I've had a lot of fun reading it and plan to use it as a motivator to get out there and make the world mine.

42 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a guy's book . . ., May 29, 2006

By 

Sarah - See all my reviews

This review is from: Die Happy: 499 Things Every Guy's Gotta Do While He Still Can (Paperback)

My boyfriend bought this book so I decided to check it out to see what kinds of things he "had to do" before it was too late. While this is definitely not written to appeal to me (the girlfriend) I found some of it quite funny. I could also see why it would appeal to my boyfriend and his friends. While I certainly hope he doesn't try everything outlined in the book (if he still wants to be my boyfriend) I think he would have a great time doing a lot of the stuff mentioned in it. I don't think I would ever buy this book for him but I would think about getting it for some of my single guy friends.