Maybe Life's Just Not That Into You: When You feel Like the World's Voted You Off [Paperback]

Martha Bolton (Author), Brad Dickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 2006

A Self-Help Spoof for the Life Impaired

Right here in this book store, you can find hundreds of them -- self-help books. They tell you how to improve your finances, lose weight, age gracefully, and influence people. But even after reading all those books, you're still a mess. It can only mean one thing: maybe life's just not that into you.

Once you open you mind to this possibility, you can quit beating yourself up. It's all about attitude. It's about the find art of whining. It's about losing your shirt, but keeping your dignity. It's about being dull and boring, but making it work for you. It's about losing friends and influencing nobody. It's about just saying no to dieting because, well, let's be honest, carbs just taste good.

A hilarious, good-natured spoof on more that fifty self-help books, this book will leave you feeling better about who you are and laughing your way to becoming the person God created you to be.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sharp, funny, satirical, and relevant. If there's such a thing as a winning book for 'losers,' this is it."

-- Doug Gamble, former writer for President Ronald Reagan and George Bush, now writes for various politicians and corporate executives

"These are very funny writers. Martha wrote for Bob Hope; Brad wrote for Jay Leno. No, if we could only get them to write for Carrot Top."

-- Jimmy Brogan, comedian, writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

"Martha and her witty pen amazed me even when we worked side by side those many years turning out wisecracks for Bob Hope."

-- Gene Perret, four-time Emmy award-winning writer for Bob Hope, the Carol Burnett Show, and numerous others

"I have fond memories of working with Martha on the Bob Hope Show specials in the 80s and 90s. she's one of a kind!"

-- Bob Mills, comedy writer, lecturer, radio host (www.hope-wrtier.blogspot.com)

About the Author

Martha Bolton is the author of more than fifty books of humor and inspiration, including The "Official" Hugs Book, The "Official" Grad Book, and The "Official" Friends Book. She was a staff writer for Bob Hope for more than fifteen years and has received both an Emmy nomination (for Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics) and a Dove nomination (for A Lamb's Tale, a children's musical). Martha has written for such entertainers as Phyllis Diller, Wayne Newton, Mark Lowry, and Jeff Allen and is also known as The Cafeteria Lady for Brio Magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (December 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582296596
• ISBN-13: 978-1582296593
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,177,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martha Bolton began writing when she was nine years old. She wrote a "book" about being the youngest of five. It was titled, "No Fun Being Young." It was never published because most publishers wouldn't talk to a nine-year- old. Besides, it was only about a dozen pages long.

Today, Martha is the author of over 80 books. She was a staff writer for Bob Hope for fifteen years, and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics. She has also written for dozens of comedians and entertainers, and received a Dove award nomination for "A Lamb's Tale", a children's musical co-written with Dennis Allen. Her popular series of books for middle-agers (Didn't My Skin Used to Fit?, Cooking With Hot Flashes, and others) have addressed the subject of growing older in a fun and fresh way.

Martha also wrote the script for the stage production of The Confession (music by Wally Nason). It is a moving musical based on Beverly Lewis' bestselling trilogy The Shunning, The Confession, and The Reckoning. For additional information about the musical, the team, its 2011 and 2012 tour and ticket info, please visit: theconfessionmusical.com

Her newest Christmas musical for children is Bethlehem or Bust, which she co-wrote with Andy Cundiff, Darrell Bledsoe, and Ted Wilson. For additional information on this new musical, visit www.bethlehemorbust.com

Martha also wrote the script for A Bear in the Burbs (music by Bill Bauer), a children's musical. For additional information, contact www.marthabolton.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HIDEOUSLY FUNNY, May 22, 2007

By 

Josh Stevens - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maybe Life's Just Not That Into You: When You feel Like the World's Voted You Off (Paperback)

A real "diamond in the rough" this book is hilarious from start to finish, with a little bit of a lag in the middle.

I do a lot of reading but seldom feel strongly enough about a book one way or another, to feel compelled to pen a review. This is an exception. I picked up the book from some bin at the bookstore and saw that one of the authors wrote for a guy I've never been enamored of - Jay Leno, whose comedy seems cruel and simplstic to me. But the book CRACKLES with more of a Jon Stewart-esque type of satire. Sharp, pointed and generally on target it takes some of the best known self help books - "The Rules", "Maybe He's Just Not That Into You", "Why French Women Don't Get Fat", etc and rakes them over the coals.

I think I enjoyed this book so much bedcause I am sick and tired of paying good money for self help books that leave me disappointed. This is a genre that was RIPE for satire, and the authors deliver in spades. There's more good material here than in a month of watching television comedy shows.

It's good, clean-but-pointed humor and made me laugh repeatedly. There's also more than a touch of social commentary as the writers deftly point out that society places too much emphasis on the self improvement experts.

Last but not least, this book contains some hilarious, off-the-wall cartoons and drawings that would stand alone as comics in a major magazine.

31 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A joyful heart is good medicine!, March 19, 2007

By 

Christian Book Previews "Christian Book Previews" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Maybe Life's Just Not That Into You: When You feel Like the World's Voted You Off (Paperback)

Well, all I can say is don't read this on the bus on your way to work because people will think you're nuts when you begin guffawing and holding your sides. Are you sick and tired of self-help books which earn a lot of money for the author and do very little for you? Have you noticed the ludicrousness of life, including yourself? Do you find that in spite of all your imperfections (which everyone and their brother are happy to point out to you) you have fun? Or, on the other hand, are none of these how you feel but you'd like them to be? Then Maybe Life's Just Not That Into You is definitely for you.

Name it, it's in here - farce, slap-stick, drollery, jocosity, comedy, ridiculousness, wittiness, zaniness. Maybe Life's Just Not That Into You combines humor, cheerfulness, color, a biting brilliance, and a lot of laughter-engendered wisdom. And it is all drawn from self-help books, providing a festival of burlesque. Here is a sample from "10 Affirmations for the Procrastinator": (1) Just do it! Whenever; (5) I never put off until tomorrow what I can do four weeks from now; I no longer procrastinate on voting; (8) First thing in the morning, I'm going to mail in that absentee ballot to elect Gore/Lieberman (p. 96).

Okay, I have to admit it, this is a secular book. No Scripture in here. But, once in a while something sneaks in that sounds familiar. Besides being a noted media comedy writer, Martha Bolton writes for Focus on the Family's Brio magazine. Brad Dickson writes for Jay Leno, and other media comedy areas, as well as the Jewish World Review Web site.

[...]. Remember Proverbs 17.22, "A joyful heart is good medicine," and buy this book. - Donna Eggett, Christian Book [...]

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Premise, Lousy Implementation, August 16, 2007

By 

J. C. Luce "copprtop99" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Maybe Life's Just Not That Into You: When You feel Like the World's Voted You Off (Paperback)

Remember all those times Carson would bomb a joke on the Tonight show? Notice how Leno tries to make a joke out of something by a statement 180 degrees from reality?

Then you already know how this book works out. Since the two authors were Tonight show writers, the whole book is very formulaic.

Too bad, the world of self-help books really deserves a bright sarcastic view... this isn't it.

I gave it two stars because there were a few bits that made me smile. Nothing out loud though and too much shaking of my head... I applaud the attempt but someone should have sent this back to re-write.