Booknote: Seriously. . . I'm Kidding

Ellen DeGeneres, Seriously. . . I'm Kidding. New York: Hachette Audio, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-60941-041-4.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: autobiography, humor, celebrities
Format: audiobook on CD
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

Much of her humor is observational humor. We also get some silliness along the way. The book has 57 chapters, mostly short segments ranging from one minute to about six minutes in length. The reading time runs for about three hours. The topics she discusses range from bits of her life to observations about people in general. Fans of her show may like this book.

Let me highlight a few elements of the book that stuck with me:

• In the opening, she does her best to be warm and personal, bringing a bit of the charm she uses in her show. In the first chapter she talks a bit about her experiences, including the difficulties of writing, even as this is her third book. She does not just read the book; she performs it. On writing and words, she states: "It's not the size that counts. It's the way you use them in sentences, paragraphs, and slam poetry." 
• In chapter 9, we get some musings from her journal. This is again more performance as she talkes about her then new talk show and later hosting the Oscars. Later on she gives some insights on her time being a judge at American Idol. Yes, as she tells us, there is a difference between watching the show at home and actually judging contestants in person.
• She talks about the overall laziness of people and reality shows. She sees a day coming where there will be a reality show to elect the U.S. President. Given the 2016 Presidential Election in the U.S., we may not be far from that vision. 

Overall, she has a very pleasant reading voice; it can be a bit calming at times. The humor is light, but there are times when she is clearly pushing a bit more. In other words, she seems to be out of things to say, so adds some filler in. The book is all in all a very mellow and lightly entertaining read. I liked the book, though it feels more like an extended monologue.

3 out of 5 stars.

This book qualifies for the following 2016 Reading Challenges: