Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People

Definitely a do not judge me by my cover book! Sedaris delivers situational irony at it's best.

America's most delightfully unconventional hostess and the bestselling author of I Like You delivers a new book that will forever change the world of crafting. According to Amy Sedaris, it's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In her new book, SIMPLE TIMES, she sets the record straight. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters.

From the start I loved the wit and humor in this book. I certainly was expecting a seriously boring crafting book on how to glue popsicle sticks together correctly. I was very surprised and found my way laughing at times out loud. Then at other times thinking, is she really serious? This book is fairly large and I must say I found a need to take a break here and there to compose myself. Especially when I got to erotic chapter on fornicrafting;) Believe it or not there are some useful craft ideas and recipes in this book. Give her credit as Selaris does keep within theme of the title of her book "Simple Times" with her theatrical scenes and costumes.

The illustrations alone are entertaining and keep you turning to the next page to see what comes next. This book is certainly not for everyone and you might find yourself hiding it the closet away from your children and mother-in-law. It is adult humor that gives a break from the sometimes mundane world of crafting. I must say some would find this book highly offensive, if they let it get under their skin. I however laughed and shared with my husband wacky art and ironic ideas that left us feeling we are glad we don't take everything seriously, while feeling sorry for those that do. Life is too short for that. The title alone should clue you as to the satire and irony in this book. A book not for everyone, but if you would find it fun to make a doorway curtain out of candy corn and string for Halloween, then this book is for you. The candy corn curtain however is my idea and not in the book, so don't get to excited. Just a little ironic inspiration that came to me after reading Simple Times.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Crafting for Humor

I found myself smiling and chuckling aloud as I read through this book. Almost every page contains color illustrations and photographs showing comedian Amy Sedaris' wacky sense of humor. She tells the reader how to: "make something that doesn't exist and nobody has ever thought of or even dared to dream about. An object so exceptional that it cannot be described by words because there is nothing of this earth to compare it to." The inclusion of some chapters left me perplexed. "Crafting for Jesus" and "Making Love" appear to be inserted only for shock value. I did not find them at all funny. There's a dress code for craft clubs which includes "elastic is good" and "no straw hats." It seems they cause fires! Real recipes for fudge, cookies, and sausage are included. You don't need to be a crafters to enjoy this book. Note: contains profanity. Thank you to Karen Ukraine at Hachette Book Group for my copy.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended

This is a humorous book for adults and not a "how to" book for kids. People, look inside a book before you give it to a child. Titles are frequently written with tongue-in-cheek and especially so with a comedian such as Amy Sedaris.

horrible!

this is NOT a craft book and should not be "advertised" as such. Do not allow your children to see it.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

not up to expectation

I adored Amy Sedaris' bizarre guide to entertaining I Like You and expected the same brilliance with Simple Times. Maybe the crafting world doesn't lend itself to the same wonderful silliness but I was disppointed in Simple Times.

It is beautifully produced and the recipes will be tried but overall I'm not as impressed as I was with I Like You.

A Rollicking Good Time from Cover to Cover!

I'm almost never compelled to write online reviews, but I feel like I need to write one for Simple Times because it's an absolute gem! If you enjoyed Amy's first foray into the world of how-to, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, you will love Simple Times. Everything that made I Like You such an immensely entertaining romp is back with a vengeance! It's comprised of the same kind of humor and the exact same kitschy, homemade style that makes I Like You such a blast. Take the brief crafts chapter at the end of I Like You, and imagine if it had continued. That is exactly what Simple Times is: A sequel to--a continuation of--Amy's first book. There are a couple differences, however. I Like You is a very real hospitality guide (in addition to being my go-to cookbook) and contains a lot of very real information and useful tips in between the jokes. The informational/text portions of Simple Times, on the other hand, are mostly jokes. You will garner some real information from it (particularly the chapters on rabbit care and making sausage, if you're into those things), but by and large, the text is humor. I read it cover-to-cover and was constantly busting up laughing. As far as the crafts go, think of crafts you made in scouts or Bible school as a kid. This is mostly what you'll find in Simple Times. Some are jokes (i.e. using a plastic sandwich bag as a condom), but most are very real, and if nothing else, will act as a springboard for inspiration and ideas... which leads me to the instructions. When flipping through the book, make sure you don't skip reading the craft instructions. Many of them are uproariously funny! Some of the instructions are vague, but that's kind of the point of Simple Times--not necessarily to teach the reader step-by-step, but rather to inspire ideas and imagination. Visually, Simple Times is identical to I Like You. Colorful photos jump off of every page, and Amy portrays an array of characters, from Jesus, to a hormonal teenager, to [my personal favorite] a crotchety old candyman, all with incredible costumes and special effects make-up.

If you're buying Simple Times with the expectation of a serious, Martha Stewart-esque tome that will teach you how to create extravagant centerpieces for your perfectionist sister's wedding, you will be completely foiled. But that would just be your own fault, because if that's the type of book you're looking for, then what on earth are you doing with an Amy Sedaris book in the first place????? Notice how this book is listed not only in the crafts & hobbies section, but also under PARODIES. Sure, Simple Times is a crafts book, but mostly it's a rollicking good time.

The only other thing I want to mention is about the audiobook. The audiobook is FANTASTIC. Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello read on it together, and it is crazy entertaining. That said, if you're looking at purchasing the audiobook, make sure you get the hardcover to go with it. Simple Times is all about the visuals.

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