Hi Readers! I just finished my 20th book of the year! I read ‘Seriously… I’m Kidding’ by Ellen DeGeneres. This is her third book, but the first one that I read authored by her. Please don’t hate me for this review. I love Ellen as much as the next person, but Ellen ‘ the author, is not my cup of tea.
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So, I decided to read this book based on a recommendation by Prajakta Koli (mostlysane) In her latest video, she recommended a few books, so I thought, sure, why not! You can’t go wrong with Ellen. So, I started reading it. Soon enough, I knew I was going to hate it. In this book, there are a lot of chapters, all different, all equally bizarre & random. But, the highlight of the book is that she has addressed it to all the different kinds of readers. There are chapters for children which are turned into a colouring book. There is a chapter for teenagers & adults. She has also dedicated a chapter for audio listeners of the book. Pretty cool, right? I loved the idea that there is something for everyone.
The key takeaways from the book are quite important. Ellen talks about happiness, success, failures, embracing weirdness, importance on health, making decisions, ageing, Planet Earth, trusting people & ourselves & Planet Earth. And, most importantly, how Pros & Cons Lists work! She also fixates on how we have forgotten our basic manners, how lazy we have become, how we shouldn’t believe in stereotypes, why it is important to make decisions even if it’s not always simple & how much she loves all her animals! While talking about these important matters, she always keeps it funny, so that it’s not serious. Like when she talks about getting something when you visit someone-
“There are some people who refuse to bring anything when they go to someone’s house. Here’s my solution for people like that. When you go to their house you take something. You bring a bottle of wine, you take their microwave. You bring a Bundt cake. You take their car. It’s yin and yang.”
Even I found this hilarious! So, even when talking about global warming & how we are going to die because of climate change, she manages to keep it hilarious. Yep. At times, there are entire chapters like this. No point, just rants. Some are lists, like “5 Extremely Easy Ways to Make A Lot of Money” or “Gambling Tips”. Something for everything.
~~FINAL THOUGHTS~~
I have rated this at 2.5/5 on Goodreads. While reading this book, it felt like I am reading a manuscript of Ellen’s stand-up comedy. Because I knew if she was doing a stand up of the book, it would be 10 times funnier. But, a book isn’t supposed to be a manuscript. It should be readable. The reader should be able to enjoy it even if you are rambling on. When it comes to reading, this rambling just gives a headache. There was a chapter named “Dreams” towards the end which was too much of a headache. I hated it. And, it has nothing to do with the fact that Ellen made me, the reader, into a Komodo dragon.
I had read 2 of Nora Ephron’s similar books & I had enjoyed them! It never felt like a manuscript. It was meant to be made into a book. It was even a lot funny at times. Maybe if I hadn’t read these books, I’d have found Ellen’s book funny. But, no. This book just didn’t do it for me. Have you read this book? Did you like it?
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content.
I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.
