Things I Want to Punch in the Face

by Jennifer Worick Narrated by Rebecca Gibel

Overview

Jennifer Worick had a bad day. And then a bad week. She channeled her aggravation into creating the blog Things I Want to Punch in the Face, which became a sensation. Although her bad week passed, she has continued to take note of the little irritations that torment us all daily, from old guys with ponytails to twenty-minute coffee prep, bizspeak to vanity plates, celebrity baby names to emoticons. Now, just in time for the holiday season, the book showcases more than one hundred of Worick's most punch-worthy aggravations, rated on a scale of one to five fists. She rants, she vents, and she amuses with little factoids about the things that annoy the crap out of us. In short, she has created a hilarious gift book that has something for everyone to hate, from the last swig of beer, to mashups, to Ed Hardy clothing, to packing tape.

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2013 - AudioFile

Based on the popular blog of the same name, this audiobook features Jennifer Worick’s rants against everything from old guys with ponytails to people who don’t believe in television. The premise is simple: “Crap that chaps my hide.” Narrator Rebecca Gibel injects a bit of venom into each of the selections, which are given a ranking (number of punches) based on how annoying they are to the author. Gibel definitely manages to communicate both the author’s irritation and her humor, but the long list of punch-worthy items from the blog starts to feel tiresome after a while, and the entries start to blend together. Nonetheless, listeners will certainly chuckle in recognition at some of Worick’s cannily described annoyances of modern-day life. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

"Anger is like an essential vitamin and Jen has given me even more reasons to be angry. I couldn't be happier or healthier."

-Lewis Black, stand-up comedian, actor, author, and regular on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Library Journal - Audio

Blogger Worick has made a science of the 21st-century pastime of using the Internet as a forum to complain by assigning degrees of annoyance to each of these 101 items that "chap [her] hide" (one punch for minor infractions warranting a simple head shake to five punches for those requiring nothing less than decapitation). From stupid celebrity baby names to tennis bracelets to jazz, just about everything pisses her off. VERDICT Although they are undeniably funny, Worick's choices will have listener both applauding and booing in equal measure. This is the audio equivalent of bathroom reading—it's best in small doses. The entries often seem overwritten; she's trying so hard to be clever that the wordplay is more annoying than what she's carping about. Narrator Rebecca Gibel reads with an appropriate balance of humor and vitriol (note that many of the entries feature quite strong adult language). Fans of the blog (jenniferworick.com) will have a blast, but if listening to someone endlessly complain chaps your hide, then pass.—Mike Rogers, Babylon, NY

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169690552
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged

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