Comedian and Live from Here head writer Tom Papa, author of Your Dad Stole My Rake, tackles the modern condition in a heartwarming group of short essays. Tom Papa is a little worried about you. You seem stressed, overworked and, frankly, a little mixed up. Everyone is fighting an overwhelming feeling that things are getting worse, that we should be doing more, that we’re not good enough. Well, … more, that we’re not good enough. Well, life isn’t perfect. There have always been problems and there always will be. You can fight for the things you believe in, you can work really, really hard, but you shouldn’t lose track of the fact that while you’re doing all that, life is flying by at lightning-fast speed. If you actually take a breath and look around you’ll realize you’re actually doing great.
Here’s the thing: We live in an amazing time filled with airplanes, scooters, and peanut butter cups. We have air conditioning, blenders, and martini shakers. It’s time to refocus, enjoy it all, and stop waiting for something better! Relax with comedian and Live from Here writer and performer Tom Papa as he explores his favorite subjects in 75 essays, including:
You Don’t Have to Live Your Best Life
Don’t Open the Mail
I’m So Baked
I Love Your Love Handles
Don’t Go Tubing
Shut Up and Eat
Recalibrate, turn off your device, and open your eyes to a better reality: You’re doing great!
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You’re Doing Great!: And Other Reasons to Stay Alive is Tom Papa’s second book and actually the first book of his I read. The main message throughout the novel was just what the title suggests, that you are doing great. It did get a little self-helpy which wasn’t something I loved, but I understood what he was getting at and could appreciate it. Like his first book, this felt like an extension of his standup, and some stories were pure hilarity while others have the feel of a personal essay and are more informative and heartfelt. I loved that every chapter started with “Have you ever?” and then proceeded to tell the reader if he had done that certain thing or if someone he knew had. There were a lot of relatable moments for me, and I found myself nodding along to so much of what he said. I even got a little teary in this one!
I listened to the audiobook, and I don’t think I could ever get sick of hearing Papa speak. I mean, what could be better than a comedian reading his own book? I haven’t actually seen much of his standup yet, so I don’t know if You’re Doing Great! has any of his actual bits in it, but this was a very entertaining read, and I was so glad he narrates it. I also found out more about his life, including that he has a ghost! If you want to know what that means you better check this out. It’s perfect to listen to on a road trip which is what I did, and my husband loved it even more than I did. I really do think the audiobook is the way to go with this one, and it is a short, easy listen with plenty of dry humor and snark.
You’re Doing Great! is your no-nonsense go-to collection of essays to get you through the increasing noise and chatter of self-doubt and confusion in the new millennium. Tom Papa is a funny, empathetic guide and your new best friend.
When someone asks me to write a blurb for their book, I usually want to fake my death, but Tom is hilarious and this will be worth your time. Read it. Listen to it. Whatever, do what you want. According to Tom you’re doing great.
‘Tom Papa is a little worried about you. You seem stressed, overworked and, frankly, a little mixed up.
Everyone is fighting an overwhelming feeling that things are getting worse, that we should be doing more, that we’re not good enough. Well, life isn’t perfect. There have always been problems and there always will be. You can fight for the things you believe in, you can work really, really hard, but you shouldn’t lose track of the fact that while you’re doing all that, life is flying by at lightning-fast speed. If you actually take a breath and look around you’ll realize you’re actually doing great.
Here’s the thing: We live in an amazing time filled with airplanes, scooters, and peanut butter cups. We have air conditioning, blenders, and martini shakers. It’s time to refocus, enjoy it all, and stop waiting for something better! Relax with comedian and Live from Here writer and performer Tom Papa as he explores his favorite subjects in 75 essays, including:
You Don’t Have to Live Your Best Life
Don’t Open the Mail
I’m So Baked
I Love Your Love Handles
Don’t Go Tubing
Shut Up and Eat
Recalibrate, turn off your device, and open your eyes to a better reality: You’re doing great!’
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3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.
You’re Doing Great! is stand-up comedian Tom Papa’s second book. It is a light-hearted take on the popular self-help genre, in which Tom tells us we don’t have to continue to strive for constant improvement to attain perfection; we’re pretty great as we are already.
I’ve been known to read a self-help book or two and my biggest issue with them is that they can often come across as a bit preachy or give you so much to address that it leaves you feeling overwhelmed instead of inspired. But that is not the case in this book. Each chapter addresses something different that you might find yourself wanting to work on, but this book says: don’t sweat the small stuff! Tom gives examples from his own life in the form of amusing anecdotes. Most of the book is dedicated to helping people to accept themselves the way they are, that they are already great as they are. But there are a few chapters with some solid advice that you can follow, like not to do something because it’s someone else’s idea of fun; if you don’t want to do something, don’t.
I could recognize bits from his stand-up in the book, which I really enjoyed. I initially worried that his comedy wouldn’t come across through text, but I could hear Tom Papa’s voice as I read. I haven’t read his first book, so I can’t comment on if his voice is always this distinctive in his writing, but I would read more from him in the future when looking for something light and amusing to read.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing an eARC of You’re Doing Great! by Tom Papa with me for reviewing purposes. This is my honest review.