Laughing With Aspergers

All My Friends Are Dead book review.

All My Friends Are Dead is funny in a sort of morbid way. 

Most of the jokes are about a dinosaur, an old guy and several others...and everyone they know is dead. 

And a tree. And all his friends are coffee tables. It is really funny. Even though it doesn't sound like it.

I'd say more but there isn't much more to say. It isn't that it isn't an interesting book. It is just that if this review went on any longer, it would be roughly longer than the actual book.

This book is for anyone who is into short books and dark humor.

I'd give it as a gift. 

Or you can just watch this British guy read it. The accent makes it seem a little less harsh. Maybe.

 

Book Review: The Book of General Ignorance

 

"Everything you think you know is wrong."

How many sheep were on Noah's ark?  (More than 2)

Who knocked off the Sphinx's nose?  (Not Napoleon)

What is the most dangerous animal on the planet? (Think small)

How many toes does the two toed sloth have?  (Please do not say 2)

Trust me, you need to know these things. You need this book.

I know some kids with Asperger's Syndrome like to memorize facts. But I think everyone likes to know cool facts.  Especially if other people do not know these facts. Or think that they know.

I like that I can just flip open the book to any page and read something interesting. Also, they guy who wrote this is pretty funny.

Book Review: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

 

I liked the book because a lot of the stuff in it I can relate to. And it wasn't too long.

This book is all about getting started on your ideas instead of just thinking about things. And I tend to think about things a lot. And then I don't actually do anything with all the things I thought about. And I kinda want to wait until I am good enough at drawing to get started on all my ideas. But this book helps me to see that I need to just get started on my goals and, in the process, I will get good enough. 

Since I read this, I bought a journal to write down my ideas wherever I am. (So I have to actually remember to take the journal with me everywhere. I'm working on that part.) 

I am going to keep a chart to make sure I draw every day. 

I wrote down my goals. 

And I made a list of things that inspire me. 

Mom asked if I want to go to any museums or anything. I said Comic Con. 

Here are the topics Steal Like an Artist covers. I think the be nice part is obvious, but clearly not everyone knows this rule. 

So, I recommend this book. And I am keeping it in my personal library and not with all the family books. If you know me, you know that means it is worthy.

 

Social Skills Book Review: 50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know

David's Mom:

50 Things Every Young Gentleman Should Know has been one of the best resources I have found for teaching social skills to older kids.

It is 50 short chapters about 4 pages long each with what to do and what not to do examples. 

All of the topics felt relevant and up to date. Here are a few examples: Accepting a gift you don't like, Meeting people with physical challenges, Ordering from a menu, Paying a compliment. 

The lovely thing about this book is it gives reasons why a gentleman would do these things. It explains what actions show respect, what actions may mislead someone and what actions may hurt someone's feelings. The reasons why certain things are considered polite really resonated with all 3 of my boys. And it played into David logical sensibilities. If A+B=hurting someone's feelings, he does not want to do that. 

A few times a week, I read a chapter out loud to my kids and had them illustrate what not to do and what to do in each situation. They really enjoyed drawing what not to do. A lot of David's early Social Skills Comics came from these drawings he did in his journals for this book.

There is a 50 Things Every Young Lady Should Know but we have not read that one.

Book Review: The Brick Bible as told and illustrated by Brendan Powell Smith

The Brick Bible: A New Spin on the Old Testament

and The Brick Bible: The New Testament by Brendan Powell Smith.

These books are the Bible interpreted in Lego picture format. Every story is broken into scenes photographed with Lego figures and background. 

I've never read the whole Bible so I don't know how it compares to the actual word for word version. But I have read a lot of the Bible stories and these seem pretty on track. In fact, they felt pretty real and brutal at times. 

I don't think this is for all kids mostly because of how brutal some of the images are. Circumcision, killing, child birth and battle are all in Lego form. I mean, if a little kid saw some of this, they may be weirded out. Or traumatized. I think this is best for 13 year olds and up. If people are interested in the Bible and Legos, they would probably find this pretty interesting. My point is, it isn't the tamer Bible stories like children's books. It is real Bible stuff in Lego form.

I usually read about 30 minutes of it or an hour, at most, and then read other things for a while. Sometimes I have to stop and just let my brain think about the stories.  Some of the Revelations images bother me.

One thing I appreciate is all the sets they made for these books. There was a lot of effort put into it. 

I guess I am recommending these with caution. They are helpful in visualizing scenes from the Bible. But then you have those images in your head. So there is that.

There are other, shorter Bible stories sold separately that may be more appropriate for younger kids. We also have Shakespeare: The Tragedies by Smith. It looks interesting...but I haven't read that one yet.