Nghiêm Túc Thì… Tôi Chỉ Đùa Thôi

by Ellen DeGeneres, Nhi Hexe (Translator)

Bạn sẽ tìm thấy gì trong cuốn sách này? Sự thông minh, hài hước không-thể-thiếu-được của Ellen – tất nhiên rồi. Những chiêm nghiệm sâu sắc về thiền định, cuộc sống, tình yêu, tuổi tác, giá trị thật sự của bản thân, … – chắc chắn có! Ngoài ra Ellen còn chia sẻ với bạn hết thảy các bí kíp cờ bạc, cách để trở thành tỷ phú, làm sao để tặng quà cho thật tinh tế,… (Và trong vài bản đặc biệt – bạn còn tìm thấy hàng trăm đô la tiền mặt nữa cơ. Có lẽ bạn sẽ muốn mua thêm vài cuốn đó).

Nghiêm Túc Thì… Tôi Chỉ Đùa Thôi chia sẻ rất nhiều suy nghĩ và góc nhìn của nữ MC nổi tiếng Ellen DeGeneres. Vì sao ta phải nói dối về tuổi tác của bản thân, trong khi hoàn toàn có thể tự tin với chính mình? Vì sao ta cứ phải “gắn nhãn” định kiến lên mọi thứ? Những khó khăn cô đã trải qua khi công khai là người đồng tính. Dù viết về chủ đề nào, Ellen luôn cho thấy sự dí dỏm, lạc quan, sống thành thật và hạnh phúc, đặc biệt là không dừng bước trước khó khăn.

Và, nếu bạn vẫn còn cân nhắc có nên mua cuốn sách hay không, hãy lắng nghe thêm một vài điều Ellen muốn nhắn nhủ tới riêng bạn nữa nhé:

“Cái áo bạn đang mặc đẹp ghê. Rất hợp với cuốn sách đó nha.” – ELLEN DEGENERES.

“Tối thích cái cách bạn cầm cuốn sách này. Như thể bạn sinh ra để mua nó và cầm nó mãi mãi vậy.” – ELLEN DEGENERES.

“[HÁ HỐC MIỆNG!]” – ELLEN DEGENERES. Khi lần đầu tiên để ý vẻ đẹp của bạn.

“Bạn là độc giả yêu thích của tôi. Nhất nhất, luôn luôn là thế. Suỵttt… Đừng nói cho các độc giả khác biết nhé.” – ELLEN DEGENERES.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Audiobook, Memoir, Biography, Comedy, Autobiography

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2011

About the author

Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and currently the Emmy Award-winning host of the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

She has hosted both the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys. As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong, appeared in Edtv and The Love Letter, and provided the voice of "Dory" in the Pixar animated hit film Finding Nemo. She also starred in two television sitcoms, The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002 and Ellen from 1994 to 1998. In 1997 during the fourth season of Ellen, she "came out" publicly as a lesbian in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Shortly afterwards, her character Ellen Morgan also came out and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues as well as the "coming out" process.

Ellen is married to Portia de Rossi.

Reviews

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: This is a review of the audio edition.

I love Ellen Degeneres. Seriously, I'm not kidding. I know what you're thinking: you can't truly love someone whom you've never met and probably never will. But I truly love her in the way you love someone — or something — that you know with your whole heart is making the world a better place to live. And I am positive of this fact when it comes to this woman.
After a hard day, her humor and generosity and overall love for people and life are a balm on the world's aches. This woman makes each day better for countless people just by being herself. Did you know that scientists have proven that laughter can increase your lifespan and even help you feel and look better?
This isn't to mention all of the people she's helped through her show. Cars, houses, miscellaneous gifts, money — all given to people who're probably much better off after having received these various gifts.

My library has shelved this book in the biography section, but in case there is any one wondering, let me be clear: This is not an autobio.
And although I laughed many, many times while listening to Ellen's words read in her own narration, I have to admit that a good deal of this book is, truly, just a bunch of babble.

At times, Ellen manages to mix philosophy and deep thoughts with spontaneous humor expertly:

There are very few things that wow us anymore. A child will see something as simple as a garage door opening and it's literally all they will talk about for weeks. As an adult, we will see a human person ride a bike, catapult over eighteen cars that are on fire, land on a skateboard, slid down a ramp, and end up in the backseat of a taxi, and be like,"Yeah, that was all right. But did you see the guy who pogo sticked over thirty-eight grandmothers?" I'm not saying we need to live like babies in every way. I mean, sure, it would be great to get carried around in a papoose. Who wouldn't want that? But I am glad I'm potty trained and I'm not always trying to eat my feet like babies do. I just wish we could hold on to that sense of wonder because sometimes we don't notice some of the most incredible things in the world. We walk by beautiful flowers and trees every day without looking at them. We rush through our day without even saying hi to most of the people we see. We take a lot for granted, and I think that's why some people say it's better to live each day as our last. That way we might start appreciating more things around us. Either that or we would immediately quit our jobs to go live in a yurt.

. . . and I love that. But — there were times when it leaned a bit too much on the babble side and I was thankful for having picked up the audio; if I hadn't, this book probably would've ended up unfinished.

In a summary, I enjoyed Seriously . . . I'm kidding. I didn't love it like I do the lady who wrote it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was a little girl, my grandfather once told me that when he spoke in front of a group, he often began with, "I know most people start their speeches with jokes, but I don't know any, so let's all think of our favorite joke and laugh." This book reminded me a lot of that joke.

While I don't watch Ellen's talk show, I do really like her and have read her other books. This one seems... gratuitous. One chapter is made up entirely of her making sounds. As in, mememememeeme. Or, bwabwabwa. A few chapters are short, fictional stories, similar to: "A woman walks down the beach, and sees the waves. Hello, waves. END." Several are meandering thoughts, a la her Nemo character. Another handful of chapters are set in a faux meditation class, where she pretends to be your meditation teacher but only leads to you picking out the bothersome parts of your session. Even she seems to realize it's sort of bland - each chapter begins with her exaggerating the number (chapter TENNNNNN! chapter tweeeeenty FIVE!), then launching into the text in a sort of bored voice.

If you're looking for interesting or humorous commentary on the world, on issues, on her life, this book is not for you. If you need to kill 10 minutes at the bus stop each day, this could work.

Chapters I've listened to since last posting:
Ellen ate an apple. (Crunch, crunch. That's it.)
A fake dream.
Ellen saying, "Yes, no, yes. Yes, no."

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you seen tumblr? I don't mean the pretty pictures. I mean this:









You get the point. This is what Ellen's book is like. It is filled with the most random, sparse and off tangent thoughts I've ever had the opportunity to read.

[Debbie W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I chose to read this book:
1. It's "HUMOR MONTH" for me!
2. Found this little gem at at my library's book sale. Since I enjoyed DeGeneres's book My Point... And I Do Have One, I thought that I should buy it.

Positives:
1. I love Ellen's special brand of humor! As she writes specifically with the reader in mind, she'll take mundane topics such as sleep, talking and boredom (sorry if these are not mundane topics to you!), and she'll go off on a tangent, with comical "asides" which I find hilarious! I can just picture her speaking to her talk show audience while I'm reading this book!
2. Some of my favorite chapters were "Journal Entries" and "Letter to Mall Security". The chapters titled "Inside My Head" and "Dreams" were so relatable in a funny way!

Teeny Niggle: I only wish that there was a Table of Contents so that I could find favorite chapters more easily!

I've been a fan of Ellen DeGeneres for many years! I appreciate that she is a philanthropist and shows a deep interest in others. Besides all that, she's incredibly funny! To sum it all up about how millions of people feel about her, I will share 7-year-old Canadian Coach Cal's motivational speech he gave Ellen during one of her shows on "The Farewell Season" (it brought tears to her eyes!):
"For nineteen seasons, you have given your all on this stage. You danced hard, you joked hard, you laughed hard, you cried hard and you gave hard. So when it's time to say goodbye and turn out the lights, just remember that you, Ellen, will always get the W cause you have given whatever it takes to be you! So just keep working hard and stay positive and making people laugh cause you are a legend! So let's get fired up and go out there and get the W - today and everyday! Let's go, Ellen!

[هدى يحيى · Rating 3 out of 5]

إيلين ديجينيريس
الوحيدة في هذا الكون القادرة على تحسين مزاجي في أي وقت
المرأة المذهلة والكوميديانة الجبارة
في كتاب صوتي خفيف الروح مثلها


من يصدق أن هذه العصفورة الشقية في الستين من عمرها
<3


متوفر على اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHpbt...
...

[Clumsy Storyteller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen DeGeneres is a beloved stand-up comedian, television host, bestselling author, and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, i enjoyed this book so much i love Ellen i watch her show she is so funny , one of my favourite chapters, “What Would Jesus Do?” All these polls do is make everyone so judgmental. And I don’t believe in judgment. Unless is judgment of judgment. I don’t think someone has to “wear something better” or have a better hairstyle. That’s why the word “different” exists in our language.



The wisdom she does have to offer is amazing for example her approach to aging, "I don't know at what age people stop wanting to be older," the 53-year-old writes. "It must be around 40, when you're 'over the hill.' I don't even know what that means and why it's a bad thing. When I go hiking and I get over the hill, that means I'm past the hard part and there's a snack in my future."

[Swati Tanu · Rating 3 out of 5]

"If someone ever says you're wired, say thank you. And then curtsy. No, don't curtsy. That might be too wired. Bow. And tip your imaginary hat. That'll show them."

Reading this book will be a treat if you know this lady and are already familiar with her wit and tongue-in-cheek humour. It is like having a casual, one on one conversation with Ellen herself.  There were moments when I (literally!) laughed out loud.

Having said that, I don't think I would have appreciated this book as much if I had read it rather than listened to it. It had very short chapters and, if I may say, the humour seemed forced! I recommend that anyone interested in giving it a try listen to the audiobook rather than reading it.

You might like to wander through a few artistic journals — they’re full of sparks and surprises.

[exploraDora · Rating 2 out of 5]

***2 stars***

I would like to start off by saying that I like Ellen a lot. That's why I decided to read one of her books. She's fun and seems like a genuinely lovely person. UPDATE: Lately, I keep hearing that she's actually not that great in real life?! Idk what to think..

Anyway

While listening to this, I felt like I was being messed with or mocked.
The audiobook is read by Ellen herself, which was nice. But 90 percent of the time I felt like she was just... rambling. To give you an example: for a whole minute, she talks about a word she wrote down in some notes and wonders what it says. From there she basically just says a bunch of random words with no meaning whatsoever, then asks herself if it even is her handwriting. All this to eventually end up eating an apple :/ So I listened to Ellen eat an apple for 28 seconds. WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?

I know that it's comedy and that it's all supposed to be taken with a grain of salt, I just couldn't help but roll my eyes and even cringe for the most part. It felt like she had no idea what to write in this book, so she just talks about meaningless things to get down to a certain word count.



You know?

Maybe I'm not getting it.
Maybe it's just not my type of humor. Idk, but I don't think this is a very good book.

Sorry, Ellen. I still like you and your show, though!

[Nada Elshabrawy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out so hard, God i love Ellen 💙

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

“It always helps to think about other people instead of ourselves.”

I picked up this audiobook in hopes of it lifting up my spirits while I had a cold. And for the first two (out of three) hours it did its job. I laughed heartily while getting to forget for a minute that I was feeling awful. And two passages in particular really stayed with me.

One for being witty: “Do things that make you happy within the confines of the legal system.”

And the other for being relatable: “Leaning forward in your chair when someone is trying to squeeze behind you isn't enough. You also have to move the chair.”


There's quite a few things I was to discuss, so let's start with the things I enjoyed:

• The comedic timing.
• The author sharing details and the behind the scenes of her talk show, interviewing guests and how she needs to keep talking and talking and talking for hours.
• how the audiobook had certain chapters that got background noises, such as beach waves, rain drops, casino noises...
• DeGeneres repeatedly mentioning her want for a Nemo sequel.
• when she talked about the environment, coming out, being happy, veganism, and becoming a cover girl.

But I feel like everything that was important was glossed over. Meanwhile, the topics that contributed nothing more than to pass the time were elaborated on more than necessary…
Real talk: you can quit listening after two hours because nothing meaningful is said after. We have chapters about:

• math equations and counting to “help” the listeners fall asleep.
• making up a dream where the listener is a reptile...
• deciding to eat an apple instead of reading the chapter about text abbreviations… really?!
• making strange noises with her mouth just for the audio listeners... I wish I were kidding, but I can't make this shit up. I had to put the volume on low so my mom wouldn’t think I was actually listening to someone making weird noises in an audiobook.
• also, on a totally separate note, I kind of hated how the author kept bashing social media and using the phrase “technology is destroying our social skills.” To quote this article, technology doesn't make us less social; it just changes the way we socialise. And I'd recommend watching this brilliant episode from the show Black-ish discuss this topic as well.
• And most importantly, her white privilege kept showing throughout without being examined...

Simply put, a lot of chapters felt like filler, which towards the end really got on my nerves. The more nonsense was said, the more fuming I got. And to be honest, this book doesn't really contribute anything new or exiting about DeGeneres. If you didn’t read Seriously... I'm Kidding, you would know the same amount about the author by watching the talkshow.

I personally haven't watched The Ellen Show in awhile, so the only thing that compelled me to pick this up was my feeling ill and desperately wanting to distract myself of it. So I appreciate this read more for making me feel a little better rather than for its content.

2.5/5 stars

Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Seriously... I'm Kidding , just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!


This review and more can be found on my blog.

[Kelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously...I'm bored. And shocked. This audio is not well read by the author (how is that even possible?). There is little affect, there are no pauses, and it seemed like even she was racing to get to the end. The content was all over the place. I really like Ellen and I've always found her funny. I guess her humor doesn't translate well to books for me. Reading it for audio, it didn't seem like she found it funny, either. Sadly, 1 star.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellen DeGeneres

I listened to the audio version of this book and it's a lot like watching Ellen talk on her television show - lots of casual, humorous observations about everyday life.

Ellen riffs on a wide variety of random topics, seemingly whatever pops into her head at the moment. For example: People who are late for dinner parties (it's rude and may lead to the hosts being in their pajamas by the time dinner ends).



Being a Cover Girl model - it's hard being beautiful.



Coming out as gay (she's "too gay" for some people and "not gay enough" for others); magazine polls that are bonkers (how far would you take the fashionable color green? all the way? half-way? would you marry it?); when will a sequel finally be made to the hit movie "Finding Nemo" (in which Ellen voiced Dory....of course a sequel has now been made. LOL); and much more.


Finding Dory - the sequel to Finding Nemo

My favorite chapter is Ellen's satirical, funny letter to the security department of a mall where - it's been suggested - she broke a vase in a Pottery Barn store. Her explanation of how this happened - and how it's not her fault - is hilarious. A tip: if you're in a mall, don't swipe a security guard's segway, "accidently" ride it all over the mall, try to return it to a dumpster out back, fall asleep on a sofa in Pottery barn, become startled awake, fall off, and dislodge cushions that fly off to break a vase. And that's not even the half of it.



This is a light, fun book, and the audio version is perfect for doing chores or listening to in the car.

You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/

[Debbie "DJ" · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I really like Ellen, I thought this book was pretty lame. Old material from past comedy shows, and random thoughts. I was hoping for just a little information on Ellen herself...no. Yes, it got a few laughs out of me, but seriously? Oh, she's kidding.

[Kristen Richeal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously....it wasn't funny

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick take, not a review…
Ellen doing what she does best, quirky musings and silly thoughts with droll delivery. It’s a bit of a hodge podge of subjects with little to tie them together, but still made me laugh and maybe because my brain works in much the same way (leap frogging thoughts that often leave me wondering where the string began), I enjoyed those chapters most of all.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite parts:
"It's so rare for people to actually set aside time to curl up with a book and read. By the way, I don't know you have to curl up to a book, but that's what people say. You can't just say you're going to read a book because then someone will ask, 'Well how are you going to read it? What position will you be in?'
'I'm gonna curl up.'
'Oh, good. So you're not gonna stand?'
'No, no. I'm gonna curl up.'
'Okay, good. Hey, you're not gonna lay on your side, are you?'
'No. I promise. I'm just gonna curl up.'"

And another:
"What's not so great is that this technology is destroying our social skills. Not only have we given up on writing letters to each other, we barely even talk to each other. .... It's even more awkward when we're face to face with people. It used to be exciting to make plans with friends because you could sit and catch up and talk about what's been going on in your lives. Now when you see someone there's nothing left to say. You've already seen the pictures from their trip to Rio on Facebook. You've read their tweets about the diet their on. And they already texted you about the pregnancy scare. So you end up just sitting and staring at each other until you both start texting other people."

I laughed and laughed and found that I wanted to continue on reading just so I could laugh some more. Ellen is one of my favorite comedians. Now that I have read her third book, I am going to go back and read her other two, My Point...and I Do Have One and The Funny Thing Is...

[Natalie Monroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Accept who you are. Unless you're a serial killer.”

Here's what you're going to do. You're not going to buy this book. You're not going to borrow it from the library. You're going to click on the nifty quotes section on the right and read through them.

Snort into your coffee. Laugh embarrassingly loud at work, or on the train, or wherever you are right now.

Then click out. Mark Seriously... I'm Kidding as read and check out a cute kitten video.

Because you're done. The actual book is disjointed, overly quirky, and not remotely an autobiography like its blurb suggests. Ellen DeGeneres is best experienced through cute quips. You'll be finished in a third the time and zero the annoyance.

[Rosie Nguyễn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bunch of absurd disorderly ideas. But it still deserves 4 stars. Why? Well because it makes me laugh and clap, which many other books cannot.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a kid I loved Ellen DeGeneres. I watched her ABC sitcom. I watched all her HBO standup specials. I just thought she was hilarious.

Now as an adult I don't get why she's so popular. I've tried watching her talk show and I find it annoying. I felt the same way I feel about her talk show that I feel about this book....

Ellen is trying to hard to be funny and likable.

Ellen really really wants us to like her and I think she tries too hard. Its painful.

I realize I'm in the minority, because most people seem to love her. Maybe what I find funny is just completely different as an adult or maybe Ellen is just boring and lame.

If you enjoy Ellen's show, then enjoy this book.

It just wasn't for me.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 GLORIOUS STARS!!! is what I wanted to give Seriously...I'm Kidding when I first picked it up. The peace and kindness message is great, but this lacks the funny far too much for an autobio from a comedian.

[Erin Hearts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ellen. After listening to this audiobook I still love Ellen! Some people don't normally find her that amusing. To those people I say, "You're stupid." Just kidding. If you didn't think that was funny, then you might not like this book. But to me, it was laugh-out-loud hilarity the whole way through. A few jokes were even so funny that I kept reliving them afterwards and going around town laughing sporadically. It is probably best that I just let people think that I'm laughing at them rather than explaining about how I'm laughing at Ellen's joke about "getting back on the horse" where she preteded she was actually getting back on those little merry-go-round pay coin-pay horses outside of the grocery store.
I love Ellen and I record her show every day because it makes me happy! The best is when SHE starts laughing. I crack-up forever. I'm seriously still laughing at this time when Debra Messing was on about 5 years ago and a recorder-playing man dressed in a soldier suit started cheerfully walking by. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amAl29... This clip doesn't quite do it justice because it doesn't show the interruption, but maybe it will make you laugh anyway. If you've read this far then you must be a friend or just have a lot of time on your hands! :0) (I kinda went off on a tangent!)

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres is a goofy, cute, and at-times comical book. Each chapter/section is random and does not make sense at some parts. If you like Ellen's brand of humour then this is a nice escape for a few hours. It's also a very quick read meant to pass the time. The book is supposed to highlight what's going on in Ellen's life but I'm able to pick out very little of what I think are actually real slices of her life when the rest is just meant to amuse and distract the reader.

This is not a memoir, a biography, or a serious book of any genre or nature. I'm not sure you can even classify it as nonfiction. I'm not sure if you're even supposed to say it's for adults or for children, or even teens. But if you want a break from something serious or heavy then pick up this book (I recommend borrowing from your local public library like I did) for you to focus on. I'm also disappointed because I expected something deeper/real from Ellen but she engages you in anything but her life, aside from minor tidbits that barely scratch the surface. The rest are just her jokes and ramblings.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only snickered a couple times while reading this. I wanted to laugh out loud! My favorite standard Ellen jokes are when she talks about not wearing pants or drinking too much wine.

I guess my expectations were a little off when I read this. I wanted to hear jokes or more about Ellen's life, but instead, I got chapters where she encouraged me to recycle, to be happy, and to meditate. She sounded an awful lot like Oprah. Not really. Ellen doesn't take herself too seriously. (See the title.) She even took a few jabs at Oprah in the book, which made me laugh.

In one chapter, Ellen mentions a time when Portia thought she discovered a new species of animal, but it just turned out to be a javelina. Javelina? I live in Oklahoma. I've never heard of a javelina! I had to get out of my comfy chair and walk over to my laptop and find a picture of a javelina on Google. I really would have appreciated a picture of a javelina in the book. It wouldn't even have to be the SPECIFIC javelina that Portia and Ellen saw. It could just be a stock photo. Other pictures from Ellen's stories would have been welcomed as well. She could have also added funny captions below each picture.

[Aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Listening to the Audio-book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

I really don't understand why there are so many poor reviews for Seriously... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres, this was such a good little audiobook!

There isn't anything too incredibly serious in Seriously... I'm Kidding, which I guess was to be expected. In true Ellen fashion this short audiobook was full of fun sound effects and lots of jokes. She didn't talk too much about her life in general so I am hesitant to call this book a memoir or autobiography, I might have to read her other books for that. I know the synopsis says the intent of this book is to bring everyone up to date on her life from her book eight years prior, but I found there to be more comedy than substance about her life. That being said, she did mention that she has a record label and got chosen as a CoverGirl multiple times. I am sure it was meant for comedic effect that she said it so many times, but I did think it was a little much.

Final Thought: Seriously... I'm Kidding is super short at only 3 hours and 6 minutes so I am going to keep my review short and sweet as well. I absolutely adore Ellen, and I think for the length this book was, it was really good. It definitely makes me want to listen to her other books as well, and if you love Ellen you will hopefully enjoy this book as much as I did!

[My_Strange_Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was pretty disappointing. I was hoping it would be a balance of funny and ‘real’ but it just felt like she was all over the place and never dove very deep.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 3 out of 5]

---
3.5 stars

Had read one of Ellen's books years ago and thought it was just 'okay.' It wasn't that I didn't like it, it just seemed her great personality and humor didn't translate as well to paper (I think I am in the minority there). I meant to read her other book but forgot until I saw this book of hers came out, but for some reason never got around to either one.

In my humble opinion, this is a better way to read Ellen's books.

Another case of 'Why not? Let's go for it :)'

Ellen's narration was a smidge awkward in the beginning but hit its stride not long after. There were times when my inner cynic popped up but overall this was alot of fun. The "pointless" chapters were some of my favorites :).

“Beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It's about knowing and accepting who you are.”

“True beauty is not related to what color your hair is or what color your eyes are. True beauty is about who you are as a human being, your principles, your moral compass.”

“What’s not so great is that all this technology is destroying our social skills. Not only have we given up on writing letters to each other, we barely even talk to each other. People have become so accustomed to texting that they’re actually startled when the phone rings. It’s like we suddenly all have Batphones. If it rings, there must be danger.

Now we answer, “What happened? Is someone tied up in the old sawmill?”

“No, it’s Becky. I just called to say hi.”

“Well you scared me half to death. You can’t just pick up the phone and try to talk to me like that. Don’t the tips of your fingers work?”

“I'm just saying we can all work on our manners. We can say please and thank you. We can be punctual. We can just be nicer to one another. It's something we have in our power to do. It reminds me of that Margaret Mead quote: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
----

I did agree with Ellen on alot of things in here but the jokes about the college kids, maybe she didn't mean anything by it but I didn't find that one funny in the slightest.

This more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny, it's a bit all over the place but that's half the charm really :).

One of the shortest audiobooks I've read but it did lift my mood so mission accomplished? Would recommend, especially if you are a fan of Ellen, but I would recommend borrowing it from the library or a friend before you commit to buying it.

Ellen is one of the people I want to adopt as friend/family... hopefully will meet her one day *crosses fingers*

Review Spotlight:

Crystal's review

[La-Lionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, the book was wonderful. It had so many laugh-out-loud moments. What made it even better, was that there were many great advices. Humor aside, Ellen Degeneres is a very cool woman and is easy to relate to. Aside from the fact that she is rich and famous :).

The reason I'm taking away one star is because some of the jokes just didn't translate as well on the paper. Without her tone of voice and facial expressions, it's just wasn't the same. I've been a fan of her show forever, and on TV, she's a beast. It's all just minor hick ups, I would still recommend this book.

Go Ellen!

[☮Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously? This was nothing but Ellen's very random thoughts similar to her stand up routines in the old days, interspersed with many MANY reminders to watch her talk show. I found the audio version, narrated by Ellen herself, funny for about 5 minutes and then it was just silly. If you like silly, you'll love this!! If not, do something else for 3 hours, like watch Ellen reruns.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“So be who you really are. Embrace who you are. Literally. Hug yourself. Accept who you are. Unless you’re a serial killer.”

I was having a pretty bad day when I started this. There was a lot of driving involved that I wasn’t looking forward to and an unexpected blizzard to boot. I always like a good audiobook to keep me company I just didn’t think anything was going to be able to get me out of the funk I was in — but I underestimated Ellen.



I’m Kidding…Seriously aims at being a light-hearted advice manual with the main goal of just making you smile. She takes digs at her fellow celebrities and their hilarious lifestyles but becomes quickly somber when discussing the importance of being true to yourself and accepting who you are as a person. This isn’t your typical inspirational celebrity memoir on how to make it big in Hollywood but rather reads like an internal monologue with the author herself. If you’re an audiobook lover, do yourself a favor and listen to this one because Ellen’s tone and delivery make this all the more enjoyable an experience. If you’re a fan of her stand-up comedy routines, you’ll find much to laugh about in this. I know I did.

‘I feel bad for people December birthdays […] It’s not fair and I have a message for parents out there. Don’t do that to your kids. Plan your love. I’m not great at baby math, so I’m just gonna say in the early part of the year, maybe January until March, stay away from each other. It’s not gonna be easy. Those are winter months and you’re going to want to stay warm. But unfortunately one of you is going to have to sleep in a tent in the backyard.’