From the creator and star of the “deeply funny, unexpectedly informative” (The Daily Beast) Netflix mockumentary Cunk on Earth, a helpful guide covering every single topic in the known universe, from Adam and Eve to Top Gun."

My daughter shared this engaging and endearing show with me and this book was just as enjoyable. Many, many laugh out load moments filled with off-beat and at times thought provoking ideas.

Super fun read! Definitely for cunk fans though, I can see being confused if you were to just pick this up. Overall I really enjoyed this!

A collection of short chapters covering various subjects like literature, politics, sports, and love can be read in any order or skipped entirely or skipped if the subject is uninteresting. The book is perfect for reading or listening, or whenever the mood strikes for a good laugh.

Cunk on Everything by Philomena Cunk is written in the style of Cunk’s popular TV documentaries, where she asks absurd questions and makes absurd observations. The book is full of funny and sarcastic humor, as well as some surprising insights and truths. A fun and easy read that will make you laugh out loud and think differently about the world around you.

If you are a fan of Cunk on Earth on Netflix, then this book is for you. If you have never watched it, you will be very confused. Luckily, I have seen it so I was able to read it in her voice and it was very funny. There are a lot of references that went right over my head since they seemed uniquely British but still very enjoyable. I think I would prefer it as an audio book.

"By reading books, the ideas someone else put in the book travel up your eyes and join your own ideas in your head. It feels weird at first, but I'm told you get used to it."

I loved the Cunk on Earth series, so there was no way I was letting this book slip by unnoticed.

CUNK ON EVOLUTION:

"The first people on Earth were animals that lived in the sea, until one of them--we don't know his name--invented legs.
The way that one animal revolves into another explains why there are so many different sorts of creature, but doesn't explain it very well. Why don't monkeys turn into crabs? If a fish an decide to have legs, why can't it decide to have four extra faces or a propeller?"

CUNK ON FAKE NEWS:

"Actually, fake news is all right, really, because real news is boring. So nobody reads it. But fake news is better, because its stuff you already think, so you don't have to read it. Just the headlines. So you have time to read more of it. Which you don't."

CUNK ON MEDICINE:

"Before this first medicine, people believed that sickness was caused by evil spirits, like Freddy Krueger, so it was a relief to find that what caused people to be ill could be killed without requiring sequels."

There's some pretty hilarious stuff here, and I did my best to try to read it in Cunk's accent, though it's really not the same without seeing her walking and talking in front of a green screen, I mean, walking and talking in front of a historically significant location.

This was so funny and charming. Philomena Cunk is such a wonderful character and I think that this book is a perfect testament to her.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. Very funny.

I have never heard a person say so many wrong things one after the other, consecutively, in a row - and yet somehow manage to teach you something. It’s so wrong that it’s circled around into being right!

If you’ve seen the show Cunk on Earth, you know what you’re in for - an absolutely ridiculous, hilarious romp of a time.

The short, encyclopedia entry style for the topics is absolutely the right format for the book of this comedic style. I could read a few entries here and there between books or when I had only a few minutes to read.

I WILL be buying this for multiple people for Christmas this year. Absolutely brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

With everything going on in the world, sometimes I just need a good laugh - and this book delivers! She does poke fun at current events in her classic straight-faced gullible manner, which makes it even more hilarious. I have watched some of her shows so as I read these short encyclopedic essays, I visualized her face and her voice reading them. It's not a book you have to read cover-to-cover, but rather pick it up and read a few at a time to have a great laugh!

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

Philomena Cunk is hilarious!! Her youtube channel and Netflix special are the stuff of legends! This book was right on topic for her, funny, witty, outrageous! A very different kind of coffee table book but one that will have everyone talking (and laughing!). Definite recommend.

I needed a palate cleanser after all of my Spooky Season reading, and what better book to cleanse my palate than an encyclopedia, written by none other than THE greatest thinker of our times: Philomena Cunk.

Like most Americans, I was introduced to Philomena Cunk (played by Diane Morgan) through Instagram reels of her appearances on a BBC show. When Netflix released the mockumentary Cunk on Earth earlier this year, I became a full-on Cunkaholic. Cunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena is Cunk's take on all kinds of topics, expounded upon with her trademark deadpan delivery. I paired my reading with the audiobook read by Cunk herself, and while I did find myself reading the text in her voice, I much preferred hearing her voice read it to me. She's just so funny and her comedic timing is perfect.

Nearly every entry had me chuckling or rolling my eyes or full-on snorting with laughter, but the one thing I missed was Cunk's interaction with real experts. One of the funniest things about her bit is when she asks ridiculous questions of real academics; seeing them try to figure out what's happening and whether she's serious is just fantastic. Several of the entries in the book do end with Cunk asking some ridiculous unanswered questions, but I missed that interactive aspect that makes the show such a gem. This is also very British, obviously, so a few of the names and references went over my head.

If you aren't familiar with Philomena Cunk and you find any of the following quotes funny, you may want to give both the show and this book a chance!

Cunk on the phone book: "You could look up your friends in it or, even better, you could look up yourself, and find out where you lived."

Cunk on Jesus: "After Jesus was killed by the Romans, he [SPOILERS] came back from the dead, like Freddy Kreuger. But instead of cutting everybody up with scissors fingers, he flew up into the sky, where he lives to this day, with his dad. It's unusual for a father to get custody, but that's God for you."

Cunk on medicine: "The word 'medicine' comes from the Latin word 'medicina,' which means 'medicine A,' or 'first medicine.'"

Cunk on Vikings: "They were basically a load of Hagrids on a stag weekend."

Cunk on Wars of the Roses, The: "Firstly, it was the basis for Games of Throne, except that the man who wrote that, Sir George RRRRRR Martin, changed the names so he wouldn't get sued, and made it more realistic by filling it with dragons and dwarves and loads of t*ts."

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S CUNK ON EVERYTHING ABOUT?
Funny story (well, a story anyway), last week I was in my doctor's office briefly and the nurse was being nice while she prepared to stab me with a knife (or maybe it was a tiny needle, the witness accounts vary) and she asked me what I was reading. I responded with, "Have you seen that show on Netflix called Cunk on Earth?" She hadn't. Which made the whole small-talk pitch so much harder.

Because if you have seen the show (even just a clip or two), this is easy—it's Philomena Cunk's take on just about everything. History, culture, science, art, philosophy, religion, sports, food, and some of the important individuals in those areas. Presented in her idiosyncratic way, of course.

Now, if you haven't watched the show—because you're a reader, or something rare like that—this is trickier. Cunk's approach to the documentary specials on TV or the encyclopedia entries in this book are a combination of naïveté, misunderstandings (especially in mispronunciation/misspellings), and cynicism.

Miscellaneous Observations
I don't know how to talk about this book—especially as it's essentially 1-5 page entries on a wide variety of topics (and that page count is just a guess, I couldn't tell you from my eARC). The topics range from Alexander the Great, the Alphabet, The Alt Right, The Dark Ages, Democracy, Fake News, "Fullosophy," Hair, the iPhone, The Mystery of Life, Sausages, "Weeing in Public," and so on. So, right—forget trying to cover this all intelligibly.

In lieu of that, here are some miscellaneous observations:
* The pacing is a bit odd—the "H" entries are around the fifty percent mark—I've come up with a dozen half-baked ideas/theories/jokes to explain it. It really doesn't matter, but I thought it was odd. I don't care—but it was something I noticed.
* The entry on Jazz is just fantastic.
* There are a couple of running jokes—derogatory comments about the idea of books throughout, repeated use of "Frankingstein" (to describe a certain Mary Shelley character), and that the moon landing was faked. This book doesn't really feel like a vehicle for running jokes, but they work so well.
* The first paragraph about The Oedipus Complex is one of the best things I've read in 2023—the last sentence of that paragraph made me almost laugh out loud (but I was in the waiting room of that doctor's office, so I had to swallow it to prevent strange looks)
* I really didn't think that you could make many jokes about triangles. The authors of this book proved me wrong—and most of them were really funny, too.
* You are going to hear Diane Morgan's deadpan delivery in your head whether you read this or get the audiobook. Just know that going in. (you likely assumed it that already, so know that you're right).
* Mozart and Shakespeare are frequently the targets of jokes—it's not surprising to see them both as topics here. Some of the funniest things I've seen written about both of them are here, too.
* The entry on Xylophones is fantastic—it covers the instrument, the usage of it in alphabet books, the silliness of using it in them (given the pronunciation), and more.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT CUNK ON EVERYTHING?
I didn't see (but maybe overlooked) the writers behind this book listed anywhere—but whoever they were, they deserve a round of applause. Or two.

I chuckled and laughed out loud a lot while reading this. There's really not much more to say—that's what they were going for.

My daughter and I have spent months sending various Cunk videos back and forth to each other. But now I've transitioned to reading her bits and pieces of this as I worked through it. I'm not nearly as good as Morgan at delivering the material, I realize. She's probably glad I'm finished. But, man is this a quotable read—it's virtually impossible to resist the urge to share this material.

Whether you go from cover to cover, or dip into it here and there (probably for longer than you intend to)—these brief entries are almost certainly going to be a burst of entertainment for you. Not all of them are going to work for every reader—but never fear, just turn the page and you're probably going to come across one that will.

I had a blast with this—putting this post together took longer than you'd think based on the brevity of it because I kept getting distracted by the book and re-read large chunks of it. I think you will, too.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

Fans of Philomena Cunk and historical satire will delight in this collection of humorous and “educational” encyclopedia entries. From science facts about the “Large Hadron Colander” (no you can’t take a ride in it) to Climate Change (previously known as the “Oz One layer”) to historical facts (before the electric chair, it was probably called an “acoustic” chair), this book is the equivalent of at least 5 or 6 college degrees.

We also encounter thought provoking questions (Were the dark ages really dark? When we think, are we using our brains or our minds? Where does your lap go when you stand up?) and rumination on literature and pop culture (“Frankingstein” isn’t the name of the monster. It’s actually the name of the book!) as well as financial advice (“computer money” is vulnerable!) Be sure to take plenty of notes!

Cunk’s quirky and hilariously misguided takes on historical events are sure to keep you giggling. As a fan of her tv shows (Cunk on Earth and Cunk on Britain), there is some overlap with content, but there are plenty of new gems to be discovered as well.

This is a pretty good bathroom book, but I wish they had updated the content before rereleasing it. A lot of the references were outdated.

Cunk on Everything is a witty and occasionally scathing alphabetical encyclopedia of observations by Philomena Cunk. Originally published in 2018, this hardcover reformat and re-release is from Hachette on their Grand Central imprint. It's 304 pages and is available in this edition in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the e-book format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

"Philomena" is a comedian/actress and writer and she gleefully skewers everything from Adam & Eve (having only men around must've been dead boring, hence Eve was needed, and why didn't the almighty just put a post-it on the apple like normal people do to their food in the office fridge?) to Zombies (if they'd only turn vegetarian and stop eating people, the zombie apocalypse would be a non-starter).

This is for reading in limited snatches, not really for cover-to-cover perusal. It is quite funny, and very much in the same vein as her other media work. Fans of her TV specials and film work will enjoy this very much.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The voice of Philomena Cunk is so cutting and audial in this read. I shouldn't have been surprised, but it is really well-written and very beautifully conveys the exact same tone of the show by the same name. Really fun, quick read!

I first became acquainted with the unhinged genius that is Philomena Cunk through her TV series, Cunk on Earth, and this utterly bonkers book with Philomena's take on - well, EVERYTHING - did not disappoint. I can't pick a favorite entry because there are too many things to cackle about in each and every one. This was utterly hilarious, glorious nonsense, and I can't get enough of it.

And I'm really looking forward to giving this to my dad for Christmas because he's going to lose his mind. Perfection.

This was a fun, amusing book to read. I knew that I enjoyed the author's sense of humor from watching Cunk on Earth, so I was glad I got to experience more of it. There were a couple times I actually laughed aloud.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read! I was so excited to read the book because I loved the show. You could really hear her voice in the book.

My husband and I loved Cunk on Earth, the hilarious Netflix series she did about human history. So I knew I had to read this book, and it did not disappoint.

The encyclopedia style of describing everything is fun and she alternates between making good points and ridiculous ones. It was easy to jump in and out of, and had me literally laughing out loud. It was a fun change from the books I normally read. I both read the ebook and listened to the audiobook. It is great in either format, but I definitely recommend picking this one up in audio!