Paula Poundstone

Paula Poundstone has a memorable voice, so when I selected this audiobook, I was quite thrilled that she also narrates it. It made it very enjoyable. Besides that, her experiments in happiness had me giggling out loud many times. I did not know anything about her personal life, but I could see my kids in the anecdotes she told. Her kids are a hoot and act like normal kids everywhere, especially when it comes to the way they react to their mom. She is amazing in taking a normal life event and show more telling it in such a witty way that will have you laughing. She is also very good at self-deprecating humour. She does a great job of getting the listener to laugh at some of her simple mistakes and bigger gaffs without making it seem that you are laughing at her. I enjoyed seeing how many "Heps of Happiness" she received from each of her endeavours. I think the one I laughed at the most was the Lamborghini experiment. It was not a long book, only about 7.5 hours but I would have listened to more, I liked it a lot. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys comedy, especially if you like Paula Poundstone. show less

Happiness is trending these days. Its pursuit is enshrined in the US Constitution. Countless ads tout products guaranteed to make one happy. Countless books seriously promise to show the way. Gretchen Rubin with her "The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun", has practically made a cottage industry out of increasing the happiness quotient.

Into the fray wades comedian Paula show more Poundstone, hilariously recounting her seven year journey in "The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness." Long time fans, and listeners to NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me ..." will instantly recognize her wry, ironic voice and self-deprecating humor. She invites us along as she (with often disastrous effect) attempts to find happiness in activities such as dancing, hugging and positive thinking. Some projects are far more successful than the others. There is as much humor in the failures as anything else. Hers is not the unfailingly optimistic and chipper voice in other 'how to' books. Life sometimes is tough, and the mere attempt at happiness is heroic in and of itself. Applaud Poundstone her willingness to open her vulnerability to the world. This is a witty addition to the genre. It gave me many heps of happiness! show less

Having rediscovered my love of Paula Poundstone through NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me…, I couldn’t wait to read her new book, The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness. It didn’t disappoint. The same quirky, sometimes hilarious, sometimes head-scratching humor that fills her responses on the show, fills this book. Only, instead of commenting on world events, she comments on the search for happiness, at home. And she takes her research very seriously! show more Poundstone commits to 12 different experiments that she suspects may increase her happiness. The reader gets to observe the effects while witnessing the Poundstone compound in all its glory: 3 kids, 16 cats, 2 dogs and one very harried adult.

It’s no spoiler to reveal that Poundstone doesn’t find a magic happiness pill hidden in her scientific endeavors, but it’s the process that matters more than the product. I laughed loudly throughout this book, but I also groaned and cringed, quite a bit. I was even brought to tears, once or twice. Thank you, Paula Poundstone, for devoting yourself to science and taking us along for the ride! I hope you follow up with another - I’m anxious to see what the Poundstone clan has been up to!! show less

Paula Poundstone writes mini-biographies on historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, and Joan of Arc, but can't stop interjecting with anecdotes from her own life and commentary based on all kinds of everyday observations.

I quite randomly happened upon this book tucked away in a hidden corner at my library, and Poundstone's name jumped out at me. Like many other readers of this book, I've been highly entertained by her appearances on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me quiz show more show, so I figured it only made sense to give this book a try as well. I have to admit it when I first started the book, I was a little unsure. Poundstone begins by clearing the air of the elephant in the room -- her well-publicized court case in which she was charged with child endangerment after driving drunk with her three adopted children in the car. For starters, I had no clue about this court case as it totally slipped under my radar, so it was a completely unexpected subject for me, although I could see why Poundstone would want to address it right away. And then for seconds, this isn't exactly the lightest subject to start off a comedy book, although Poundstone does manage to find the humor in commenting on topics such as the absurdity of the legal system.

Most of the rest of the humor in the book comes firstly from Poundstone's experiences as a single mother and making observations about her children's schooling, relaying silly things her kids have said, and commenting on the ridiculousness of keeping up with all the "must have" childhood events, like taking "pre-piano" classes. A secondary source of humor is rants about anything that Poundstone finds unnecessary like chapstick, dishwashers, etc. This may not sound that funny when I describe it, but it's quite hilarious when Poundstone has her take on it.

Meanwhile, the historic parts are oddly informative while still being peppered with dashes of humor. The audiobook version is read by Poundstone, so the listener has the added bonus of getting Poundstone's tones and inflections, which really sell the humor. I recommend this book for those who enjoy Poundstone's comic mix of acerbic wit and amusing everyday observations. show less