Funny. Cute. Relatable content. Super easy read.

Do red flags “look like confetti when you’re falling for someone?”  Did God create time “just to keep track of how long he could have sex”?  Have you learned that “the hardest part about managing other people is that you can no longer lie only to yourself”?  If you’re searching for a forever love, a reconciliation with your conservative, religious family, a job with pay and purpose in equal measure, or a breezy, funny essay collection by someone who can commiserate, check out Is It Hot in Here (or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)? by writer and stand-up comedian Zach Zimmerman.  In an assortment of far-reaching essays, Zimmerman imparts the professional observation that, “Two thirteen is a bad guess for pi and a good time for a nap, but it’s not a living wage,” imagines a hard-hitting conversation with God that asks, “How similar are the Garden of Eden and the Olive Garden?” and shares a bounty of personal stories that will inform readers on such critical topics as whether to  “push the Waterfall button” and when. 

This book kept popping up on my twitter feed so I had to buy it! I follow the author on twitter and  unfortunately think many of the essays would be better as tweets or even read on stage as stand-up (the author is a comedian). 

On the page, I did not find the level of depth or humor I expected in these essays. I sometimes smiled or paused to think but did not “laugh and cry out loud” as the inside cover prepared me for. 

Zimmerman is funny and certainly pulls out interesting poignant or thoughtful snippets from everyday life, but the writing made me feel like he wanted to hide or step away from life’s painful or weird or relevatory moments, not truly write to communicate them. I found myself longing for Patricia Lockwood’s “Priestdaddy.” 

My favorite pieces in this collection were “seven days of creation under capitalism” and “#2”. 

A funny and thoughtful collection of essays. I quite enjoyed it even if some of the described situations made me squirm (I have severe second hand embarrassment). But Zimmerman executes deeper contemplation with a quick wit that usually finds the mark (though sometimes it prolongs a difficult conversion that I would rather see concluded). I would be excited to read anything else written by him. The audiobook was read by the author and I thought he did a good job.