Seriously...I'm Kidding [Hardcover]

Ellen DeGeneres (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2011

I've experienced a lot the last few years and I have a lot to share. So I hope that you'll take a moment to sit back, relax and enjoy the words I've put together for you in this book. I think you'll find I've left no stone unturned, no door unopened, no window unbroken, no rug unvacuumed, no ivories untickled. What I'm saying is, let us begin, shall we?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ellen DeGeneres is a beloved stand-up comedian, television host, bestselling author, and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol in its ninth season in 2009.

DeGeneres has hosted both the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys. As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong, appeared in EDtv and The Love Letter, and provided the voice of Dory in the Disney-Pixar animated film Finding Nemo, for which she awarded a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first and only time a voice acting won a Saturn Award. She also starred in two television sitcoms, Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002. She has won twelve Emmys and numerous awards for her work and charitable efforts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (October 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446585025
• ISBN-13: 978-0446585026
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (154 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Entertainers
  • #100 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor

More About the Author

Ellen DeGeneres is a beloved stand-up comedian, television host, bestselling author, and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol in its ninth season in 2009.

DeGeneres has hosted both the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys. As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong, appeared in EDtv and The Love Letter, and provided the voice of Dory in the Disney-Pixar animated film Finding Nemo, for which she awarded a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first and only time a voice acting won a Saturn Award. She also starred in two television sitcoms, Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002. She has won twelve Emmys and numerous awards for her work and charitable efforts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

157 of 167 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A trip to a better world...amazing!, October 4, 2011

By 

galaxi21 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seriously...I'm Kidding (Hardcover)

Reading this book is like traveling to some beautiful alternative universe where people are kind, love is everywhere, and life is good. It's more than just a "funny" book. It's a complete experience of another, nicer and more intelligent way to view the world.

I felt different after I read this book. Smarter. Nicer. Stronger. Happier. The world looked a little bit different. And I felt better about everything. (And I was happy already).

But the book is not only uplifting and empowering. It is hilariously funny! Much funnier than her previous two books. They were light time passers. Good for a chuckle. But Ellen has matured since then. And this book is at a higher level in all departments. I found myself laughing constantly at how clever something was. And I rarely find a book laugh out loud funny. But this one certainly is.

Full of Ellens winning life philosophy...told in the form of funny stories. Some true, some not. There is love. Freedom of thought. Creativity. Inspiration. This book felt like more than a book.

It feels like an experience. An experience not to be missed. Recommended.

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leave it to Ellen to make the Audiobook Different than the print edition....., October 4, 2011

By 

Steven I. Ramm "Steve Ramm "Anything Phon... (Phila, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seriously...I'm Kidding (Audio CD)

This is the third book for comedian/talk show host Ellen Degeneres and, if ever there was a book that should be "read by the author", it's one by Ellen. She honed her craft of comedy by doing "stand-up" and she actually "performs" the audio version, more than just reading it. Ellen talks fast and so the 3 hours on the three CDs literally fly by! And the words aren't all the same as the print edition (which I also read through). She re-wrote parts of it to "talk to - you - the listener" and even adds a chapter (Chapter 29) just for the audiobook. Speaking of chapters, the print edition does not have numbered chapters for these short essays. But Ellen announces a number before each one. Since I started with the audio version first, I wondered - when I got to the chapter titled "Meditation", which contains 20 seconds or so of silence - how she'd deal with this in the print edition. So I looked and there were three blank pages. The reverse holds true for the chapter titled "For the Children" where there are full-page illustrations to color. For the audiobook, Ellen tells the listener that there is a .pdf file on the CD with the illustrations - though I haven't checked that out yet.

The print edition is 240 pages with short chapters and plenty of space between the lines so you can easily pick it up and put it down as time permits. These are short essays of observations on everything from being judge on American Idol to being married to her wife Portia. Either format will entertain you - it did me - if you are an Ellen fan (I am). The Print version allows you to go back and read - or share - a special chapter., while the audio version allows you to hear her voice and timing.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out Loud funny, October 4, 2011

By 

Carla "Cbee" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seriously...I'm Kidding (Hardcover)

I don't normally write reviews but I had to review this book because I love Ellen and love this book and want it to be successful for her! Funniest most witty book I have read in a long time. You really have to know and appreciate Ellen's humor to read and understand this book. It very much reminds me of her stand up comedy dvd "here and now". It is a lot of the same humor and I can literally hear her voice and how she says things while I am reading this book. This book is not only hysterical but it also has really wonderful words of wisdom in it. She brings you back to a much simpler time and makes you realize how ridiculous life has gotten with laziness, busy-ness, and technology to name a few. I read this book in a day and it was amazing from the first word to the last.