I think this is my first ever iBook recommendation here on iPad Insight – but I’ve been reading more and more books on the iPad in iBooks so I guess it’s about time.
I Suck at Girls is by Justin Halpern, the guy who created the massively popular and and always funny @shitmydadsays Twitter account that lead to a book and even a TV series. This book proves that as funny as the Twitter account and Halpern’s dad are, Halpern is a very funny and talented writer who can keep us laughing throughout nearly 300 iBook pages – not just in 140 character chunks.
The book is a hilarious look back at Halpern’s youth and his efforts to find the right girl – from terribly awkward elementary school efforts right through to meeting the woman he ended up married to. Halpern writes with sharp, often self-deprecating humor that had me laughing out loud early, often, and consistently while reading. He reminds me a little of Nick Hornby (author of titles like High Fidelity and Fever Pitch) who is one of my favorite contemporary authors.
Of course there are healthy doses of Halpern’s dad – and his profanity-laced wisdom – throughout the story. I found it very hard to turn away from this book right from the opening chapter and read it in just a couple evenings this week.
I bought the enhanced edition – which includes a few photos of Halpern and a handful of short video clips with he and his dad talking about the book and generally reminiscing and having a laugh together. The respect and affection between the two is obvious and fun to see.
Halpern’s comical turn of phrase is shown off even in the photo captions. This one is my favorite:
The caption reads:
Senior year of high school. Finally put on some weight. Just starting to get a receding hairline. Well played, God.
My only complaint about the enhanced edition is that there isn’t more of the photos and particularly the video chats with his dad. The book itself is just a great read, full of laughs. I can’t wait to see Halpern’s next book and I may well pickup his Sh*t My Dad Says iBook as well.
Here’s an iBookStore link for I Suck at Girls; it’s priced at $9.99. The enhanced edition goes for $11.99.
© patrickj for iPad Insight, 2012. |
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