I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This! (2006)

Bob Newhart and Don Rickles are best friends! That was the most important information to be had in this book (don't get me wrong, that is certainly important to me.) It's one of the better comedy-memoirs I've read this year, though not earth-shatteringly insightful. Fun, though, for sure! ( )

Bob Newhart is a very funny guy. And he's written a very funny book.

I picked this up under odd circumstances; in the used book store next to the Boothbay Public Library. The funny thing was that I found it only seconds after finding a copy of [b:Dr Katz's Me at a Glance|1488608|Dr Katz's Me at a Glance|Johnathan Katz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184152910s/1488608.jpg|1479831]. What's the connection? I used to watch Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and The Bob Newhart Show (the one where Bob plays a psychologist) with a friend back in the 1990s. We loved those shows!

It's a nice, light read; Bob recounts some of his funniest bits and talks about his life and TV shows. The thing that surprised me most was that Don Adams (of Get Smart!) stole some of Bob's material. Apparently he was known for doing that sort of thing.

But the book isn't a tell-all or revenge book. It's just a good, light, enjoyable read with a lot of laughs. Thanks, Bob! ( )

Legendary comedian Bob Newhart, famous for his character-driven monologues, offers a breezy account of his life in his inimitable style in "I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This! And Other Things That Strike Me As Funny." Difficult to classify, the book is part autobiography, with a mix of some of Newhart's most beloved routines and an assortment of anecdotes. In some ways, the book reads like a written version of a full-length stage production of Newhart's life story.

Fans of Newhart will appreciate many of the routines and anecdotes included here; younger people may be surprised to learn about Newhart's history, including the uncanny – even unimaginable – success of his first album, "The Buttoned-down Mind of Bob Newhart." In particular, Newhart's description of an exchange with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" is both hysterical and highly revealing of Newhart's personality and the mechanics of his comedy.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book lacks similar depth, for the most part. Perhaps a lifetime of standup comedy, with a necessary detachment required of the comedian, prevents Newhart from offering more insight into his upbringing or his career; at times, though, it simply seems like Newhart is just trying to fulfill his book contract. Whatever the reason, the book feels like a missed opportunity to learn about the actual mind of Bob Newhart, recipient of the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Instead, the book is simply an offering of funny stories and funny routines, pleasantly written and fairly brief. The time spent reading it would likely be better spent listening to one of Newhart's albums or watching one or two episodes of his beloved eponymous sitcoms. ( )

Not very personal (like Steve Martin's autobio was), but still filled with pretty funny stories. ( )

I remember the Bob Newhart show as kind of a background TV program as I was growing up. The adults watched it, but I was too young to appreciate it at the time, & it was something I associated with the Mary Tyler Moore Show. And then I have somewhat newer memories of commercials for the more-recent Newhart show, with the "Darryl, and my other brother Darryl" shtick, but I never really watched that series either. Still, I was interested enough to give this audio a go. So for me, while it was moderately humerous, it was more of an informative audiobook, filling me in on the man I never really got to know. And so now I do want to go back & watch both of the Newhart series', as I think they're something I'd both appreciate & enjoy. ( )