Alexander Moorhouse
LANCE WRITER


The idea of sharing the page with a co-author is enough to make many writers’ nightmare into an undesirable reality.

However, some of the most influential literary pursuits in history have been the product of writing as a collective: The Communist Manifesto, The Declaration of Independence, and the King James Bible were all produced by the efforts of multiple authors. So, having been convinced that writing with company may not be so bad, and possibly even desirable, it was completely unsurprising when Tastes Like Human ended up being outrageously funny.

Tastes Like Human is authors Noel Boivin and Chris Lombardo’s second comedy book, and it truly is a riot. The book is a compilation of hilarious lists that range from “Top 10 Easiest College Majors” to “Top Five People who Married Animals.” Granted, the previous comparisons may be a tad on the strenuous side– it would probably take someone with a strong philosophic disposition to see anything funny about the King James Bible– but it’s clear that Boivin and Lombardo’s newest book wouldn’t have been as humorous with¬out the pair collaborating.

To try and explain why something is funny almost always kills the joke, but perhaps some examples of the book can be given. Particularly entertaining lists range from the absurd: “Top 10 Horniest Cult Leaders of All Time” to the pragmatically helpful “11 Elevator Etiquette Guidelines.”

The list format gives the book the advantage of being short and quick with its punch lines living up to the old saying, “brevity is the soul of wit.” Further, Boivin and Lombardo are able to seamlessly navigate between high brow and lowbrow humour, which keeps the book from becoming monotonous and predictable. A salad of the blasphemous and profane, with a dash of cynicism and ironic self defamation make for a comic light read.