'Dear Alice' short on laughs

The title of this book says it all. "Dear Alice…: Rejected Letters to Advice Columns From Completely Insane Idiots" is insane and idiotic. Author Steven Ryniak purports the letters to be real, rejected from advice columns, but they are so contrived and ridiculous, this couldn't possibly be the case. \nRyniak attempts to make readers laugh at the stupidity of the letters, but while the first few letters inspire a smirk or two, the gimmick gets old fast. If these were published a newspaper, mixed with serious letters, perhaps they would be funnier. But that's doubtful, considering how outrageous many of the letters are. \nThe ludicrous incidents described in the book, such as going to work with a python wrapped around one's neck or unknowingly moving into a house on a marijuana farm, are so ridiculous they are unbelievable. Such acts, if deadly, would qualify the writers of these letters for the famed Darwin Awards. \nSome of the letters are incomprehensible, while others are just disgusting. Few are even remotely funny, and most, were they real letters from real people, would just be sad. There are much funnier ways to mock the stupidity of the human race, and Ryniak could do his funnybone a favor by reading The Onion at www.theonion.com or checking out the Brunching Shuttlecocks Web site, www.brunching.com. Even the aforementioned Darwin Awards does it much better. \nAt 103 pages, "Dear Alice...: Rejected Letters to Advice Columns From Completely Insane Idiots" isn't worth 89 cents, let alone $8.95. Flip through it in your local bookstore, but don't bother buying it. If you've read two of the letters, you've read them all.