Fans of Ellen DeGeneres may find this audio version of her third book a bit of a disappointment. Despite some funny moments and a few flashes of brilliance-her take on opinion polls is splendid-this work feels like a standup routine or monologue that was turned into a book. Ellen's warm and familiar voice is pleasant, and as always she possesses great comedic timing, but the performance, like the book, lacks substance. These disjointed anecdotes might be best saved for extremely short listening sessions. If listeners are looking for a fun performance piece centered around random thoughts on everything and nothing, this might prove enjoyable. A Grand Central hardcover. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

The doyenne of afternoon comedy returns with more quirky reflections on life.The author's latest comes eight years after her last bestselling collection of humorous musings (The Funny Thing Is..., 2003, etc.), as well as after one wildly successful talk show, a brief stint onAmerican Idol and the founding of a record label. While the present work largely represents more of the same from DeGeneres, fans will not be disappointed. This hodgepodge of self-help tips, adult(ish) stories, coloring-book pages for children of all ages and one hilarious haiku"Haiku sounds like I'm / saying hi to someone named / Ku. Hi, Ku. Hello."displays throughout the author's gift for capturing the absurd hilarity of internal monologue. As such, readers will expect the audiobook edition to amplify the humor of some of these vignettes that, on the page, elicit little more than quiet smirks. Many of the passages, like her advice on "How to Be a Supermodel""Get those lips out there. Purse your lips like you're trying to sip out of a straw that someone keeps moving away from you...Be mysterious. Always pose with one hand in your pocket as if to say, 'I'm so mysterious, this hand in my pocket could be a hook hand. You don't know' "deliver their comedic punch unaided. One of the more refreshing aspects of this miscellany is DeGeneres' inclusion of her spouse, Portia de Rossi, whom she admires and gently chides as any partner mighte.g., her critique of de Rossi's lotion mania: "Each kind says it has something special in it for your skinaloe, shea butter, coconut, cocoa butter, vanilla, lemon extract. That's not lotion. That's one ingredient short of a Bundt cake."Though DeGeneres doesn't provide many laugh-out-loud moments, her trademark wit and openness shine through.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Now that Oprah sleeps with the fishes, DeGeneres might be the new queen of daytime TV, so this will be popular among her many fans, especially as she also narrates. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.