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the funny thing is ...    by Ellen Degeneres Amazon.com order for
the funny thing is ...
by Ellen Degeneres
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Simon & Schuster, 2004 (2004)
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* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Suffering New Year doldrums? Humor is the best medicine and I recommend a dose of Ellen Degeneres' comic essays in the funny thing is .... In between flossing, she tells us that she'd rather write a book than read one - 'It's like reading, only you get paid for it.'

Ellen gives us her take on the meaning of life ('Floss, every day floss'); why prison wouldn't be so bad (no decisions to make, free food, time to read, pen pals); solutions to embarrassing moments (I noted the one on 'forgetting the name' and laughed over 'accidentally flipping off John Travolta'); a meeting with God over fondue and Chablis; gift exchange and the art of lying; how to make your life count (first 'buy an atlas'); how moving elevators, power bars, and CD packaging are destroying our quality of life; what to do about dieting advice from your personal trainer; meaningless phrases; fashion revivals; the tv channel 'crawl'; and a 'humble home' tour. There's a very short 'serious chapter' an even shorter 'controversial chapter', and a free 'bonus chapter' that explains world mysteries. And how about this definition of gratitude - 'appreciating the things we can't have, like a talking dog.'

Degeneres gives us a wry, outside the box, perspective on all the things we take much too seriously in our lives - oh, and she's very funny too. Dose your blues with the funny thing is ..., a great pick-me-up at any time of year.

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