This graphic novel had an interesting concept, it had the usual humorous/ relatable comic strips but it focused on knowledge. It was divided into the several science, it tackled art, biology, economy and so on.

The art was simple yet beautiful and it fitted the book perfectly.

Unlike so many other graphic novels of the genre, Book Learnin’ actually made me laugh aloud and I could see myself buying it as a gift for a friend.

I recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this graphic novel.

Book Learnin' by John McNamee was a quick and fun read that you can finish easily in one sitting.

I received this arc from Netgalley for an honest review. I guess I was hoping for more than I got with this book. I had hoped for some fresh and new comics but they were dry and nothing original.

I liked the comics in this book. They were funny and it was a quick pick-me-up sort of read. It was a lot of shorter narratives, which I don’t always like, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to read a quick funny comic on a busy day. I liked the art and thought it was cute.

I’d read one of these comic collections, and gave it my highest rating, so of course I took a chance on this one.
The first section is on art, very little of it memorable. The best joke was on hat fashion.
“Giraffe pimp” snuck up on me.
A whale singing about big butts is just wrong.
Don’t tell anybody I laughed at the car/plane joke.
Do make copies of the certificate at the end.
Unfortunately this volume wasn’t anywhere near as good as the first. Even on its own it didn’t bring that many chuckles.

These comics are okay, but nothing new or original. I was super disappointed in this book. It was all old, worn out humor to me. I expected to be dazzled and I wasn't.

This is another of those graphic novels with a lot of small stories. What makes it different from the others?

Well, like the others, it has simple drawings, but they don’t look lazy at all. And, unlike the others, this has lots of colour.

Not only that, this one is actually funny. Everything is ridiculous and caught me off-guard.

Also,t he themes themselves made it so that things were interesting too.

I’m glad I read this.

Rating: 4 stars

This collection of one- and two-page cartoons from McNamee’s Pie Comics is full of ups and downs. When it is at its best, it mixes high-brow humor and goofy comedy to make engaging jokes. When it isn’t at it’s best, Book Learnin’ is dry and drags on. Most of this collection is pretty solid, and overall it is a success, but the number of dud comics is a little too high for me to recommend it without a warning. This book shows heaps of potential, but it does not quite always fulfill it.

Review will be available at the provided link on May 16, 2019.

Book Learin’ by John McNamee is a intelligent and funny selection of comics. Great for a good laugh.

I'm generally a fan of comic strips. I like witty observations about the world, even if they're a little bit dumb. I like simple illustrations. So I'm cool with this book. It's not mind blowing but it's funny. There's a willful ignorance that comprises most of the punchlines that makes me smirk..

McNamee is a cartoonist and writer based in Los Angeles. Chances are good that if you have picked up this book, it's because you have seen his work in The New Yorker, Mad Magazine, The Onion and Clickhole. That or you're a fan of his webcomic Pie Comic and were looking for a collection. If none of the above is true, that's okay (I had no idea who/what this was until I started going through it, and then I couldn't quite stop), because this book is entertaining and I'm sure by the end you'll be following his webcomic online like I now am.

This book was good fun and intelligent. I really enjoyed some of the cartoons and recommend it for a chuckle.
I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

'Book Learnin': A Pie Comics Collection' by John McNamee is a collection of strips from a series I've seen online.

The cartoons are broken up in to sections like The Arts, Zoology, and Science and Technology. The gags are about all kinds of varied subjects. The drawing style is kind of basic because of an injury the artist suffered, but it's a decent enough style for this kind of comic. As a reward, the book concludes with a humorous certificate of completion.

I found the jokes moderately funny. Some were better than others. There is some bad language and subject matter involved, so it may not be a collection for younger readers.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I absolutely loved the previous Pie Comics collection, but here the jokes often fell flat. The jokes were often a bit twisted which I typically like, but I was just "meh" about the whole thing, unfortunately.
The book certainly wasn't saved by the art either, as it's stick figure level.

I’m not familiar with Pie Comics, but author John McNamee apparently contributes to the Onion and the New Yorker. His style is relatively simple, but with a biting wit – both aspects I find myself rather liking.

The book is split into several topics, including The Arts, Social Sciences, Zoology, Science and Technology, and Business. It’s a lot more fun than the school timetable that would make, though ;)

I’d say the topics range from the surreal, to the rather more profound than you’d expect from a simple comic. Not all of the ideas made me laugh – either not hitting my sense of humour, or I just didn’t get them – but most provoke at least a wry chuckle. Which might not sound like much, but in this day and age, every moment of “yeah, that’s how my brain and/or the world works” is not to be sniffed at.

I did like the collection format allowing for some multi-page continuations of a few themes, rather than limiting things to 4- or 6- panels. Overall, what’s not to like?

Book LearninL A pie Comic Collection by John McNamee is a stunning comic book. I start to tell you this. I fell in love for it, from the first page.
It's genial, intelligent, divided per chapters, you will find in these strips irony, benevolence, a good smile and laugh, what you need for re-balance your humor and your mood. And, can you believe it? This brilliant book was born when this cartoonist John McNamee suffered for a shoulder's injury. Horror! What to do? Because, you know, a creative can't stop thinking and elaborating the reality he is living in. Maybe, he thought, comics would have been, simplifying the work, a great answer. Sometimes geniality born from sufferance, mental and physical makes the difference because the brain under stress must find other "answers" for staying calm. John McNamee's works are published regularly in the Onion and the New Yorker. A strip: there is a youngster. He starts to tell: I don't trust my flag, I don't trust my parents, I don't trust the internet, I don't trust myself, the only one I can trust is this cock. Then the cock: he is reading a book: How to betray."

Highly highly recommended.

I thank NetGalley for this ebook.

This is a strange but funny book of some relatable and some not so cartoons and comics. This book will give you a good laugh and will give you some funny escapism.

John McNamee draws minimalist figures, usually in a few panels on stand-in pages.

Many of his observations are funny/wise, but he doesn't quite achieve full lift-off in terms of the punchlines.

Charming drawing and well worth a browse.

This book of cartoon strips will make you both laugh and think. I know that sounds like a cliché. It is a cliché. But it is also very true in this case.

The drawings are very simple. I read that after shoulder surgery, John McNamee had to simplify his drawing style, so that explains it. Simple can sometimes be better than overcomplicated graphic novels or comics.

Each page is its own cartoon strip so you can read this book very quickly, if you like, or you can read one or two a day and savour it.

Not all the comic strips in this book are laugh out loud funny, but the majority of them are. One of my favourite ones is about a killer whale bemoaning the killer part of his name. “Do you call eagles ‘murder birds?’” he muses. The last frame shows him in a tank with the caption “You made me this way!”

This book would make a good gift or a treat for yourself. It is very entertaining.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lion Forge for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Grade: A-/B+

This was just a cute collection of funny little comics. It would make a good gift for someone who likes a chuckle throughout their day. The comics themselves were sometimes relatable, and I did like the style of the art. Will definitely be using my Certificate of Knowingyness to own conversation though.