A funny and incisive collection of essays on oddities of life in the 1980s, from one of America's most cherished humoristsFirst published in 1985, Not Exactly What I Had In Mind is Roy Blount Jr.'s smart and witty examination of the era's most glaring absurdities—from the ever-growing deficit under then-president Reagan to the Game Theory–like levels of strategy required to pack for a vacation. In "Testimonial, Head-on," Blount offers a loving ode to the virtues of full-bodied beer. In "Who You Gonna Call?" he enumerates the indefatigable charms of Bill Murray. And in "What You Personally Can Do about the Federal Deficit," he proposes a brilliantly simple and populist way to reduce government debt—and probably make your neighborhood post office very happy in the process.Powered by Roy Blount's irresistible sense of humor, Not Exactly What I Had in Mind revels in Reagan-era topics, but with a humor that is truly timeless.

A collection of short pieces about everything from genius and God to socks and lentils, from one of America's most beloved humor writersOne Fell Soup brings together the reviews, diatribes, investigations, meditations, and poetry of Roy Blount Jr., a writer as insightful as he is funny. Culled from his many columns and magazine writings, this volume offers an unparalleled look at the varied interests of a writer the New York Times has compared to Mark Twain—albeit with a far greater demonstrated interest in love songs about gravy, ice cream, and mac and cheese."Chickens" celebrates the vast cultural importance—and criminal neglect—of the most abundant domesticated fowl. "So This Is Male Sexuality" examines the unsettling specter of sex researchers like Masters and Johnson looming over one's private thoughts. And "Merely Shot in the Head" ponders the absurd willpower of a man who finishes a full marathon after taking a bullet...