Man, what a loss. What a career! The book is a great read, very funny and spry.

This was a pleasant surprise, mainly because I am not a big Bob Newhart fan. I'm not even a medium Bob Newhart fan. I got this book out of the library for my mother and was curious enough to read it for my own pleasure. And this is a pleasurable book to read for those of us who grew up during the 1970s and 1980s. You do have to be familiar with Bob Newhart's TV and stand-up work in order to get all of the in-jokes.

Newhart goes beyond simple autobiography and recopying some of his stand-up bits to explain his version of comedy and the comedians who have influenced him the most. This doesn't get five stars, though, because sometimes Newhart starts an explanation or story and then it just peters out or stops. Well, no one can be perfect.

I love, love, love Bob Newhart, but the book wasn't great. It was good and crossed the okay border, but it wasn't great. I'm not sure what I expected, but I think it was more of a narrative of life and less of his comedy bits. They were good, but it's not why I bought the book. Okay, maybe this is me being cranky. I've read a lot of biographies and auto biographies and books that aren't biographical but are written by the subject - not sure where this one fits.

Anyway, I'm not sorry I read it. It just didn't blow me away.

The title is accurate.

Bob Newhart is simply one of the greatest comedians of all time. So I was excited when I found out that he had written a book -- and an autobiography, no less! But the book is a major disappointment, eschewing the careful construction he puts into his comedy with unfocused rambling and filler. LOTS of filler. Not once, but over and over again, Newhart (perhaps to fill some contractual obligation regarding word count?) recreates his most successful comedic monologues word for word, without bothering to attempt to provide any insight or segue into the material. It's insultingly lazy as a writer, and worse, it repeatedly illustrates
how very different the two art forms are: comic routines that are brilliant as stand-up material on the stage or on a record album fall flat over and over in this book. Stand- up requires precise delivery and timing that just don't translate into book format ( or at least they don't in this book). Furthermore, the anecdotes are treated as an after thought. At one point, for example, Newhart tells an anecdote about a sketch he did on Saturday Night Live, and confuses Chris Elliott with David Spade. If his memory is failing with age, couldn't his editing team at least hire a fact checker?

This was a nice book. Not really an insightful book about Bob Newhart and what he thinks deeply about life, more of a comedy. I liked the book. I wanted to love it because I like Bob Newhart, but it missed something. He didn't reflect much on his childhood, but did go into detail about how he got into comedy. He focuses especially on his friendship with Don Rickles. He puts many of his comedy bits from the 'Button Down Mind' album, but when you read them in print, it misses something. Made me want to get the albums. He commented in passing on the slights and his dislike of some other comedians, which was interesting. I'd recommend this book and it's a quick read. It's a nice book. Not a great one, but a good book.

This was a surprise little-free-library find and I really liked it. The whole thing reads perfectly as Newhart's voice, and it's full of jokes, observations and even entire classic comedy routines. I laughed out loud a few times which reading this, and there are some great little stories, and it's completely unpretentious and affable. A little kids-these-days crankiness doesn't detract from how pleasant my experience with this book was overall. Thanks Bob!

I love Bob Newhart and his career, so it disappoints me to give his book a low rating. While it does have a few funny lines spread about, I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This! was dull, lack-luster, and mediocre.

My main problem was that it's not really a memoir at all. Bob spends %95 percent of time recounting transcripts of old comedy sketches (that would be more entertaining if performed and not in written form), stories from other people's lives, and hardly any reflection on his personal or professional life. I'm sure some of it would have been more enjoyable had I chosen the audio version instead. Newhart's iconic voice is largely what makes him funny, and comedy is all about voice and deliverance.

This made for a short read, and it was nice hearing about Bob's close friendship with Don Rickles, but I'm dismayed how he barely touched upon his life. Newhart is one of my favorite shows and I wanted to learn more about it, Bob's life, his co-workers, and other ventures.

I'd heard good things about this book, especially if you could get the audio version read by Bob Newhart. I couldn't get the audio, but I did read it and since I'm familiar with his comedy routine, I heard the bits in his voice.

He's always seemed a kind, pleasant person with a funny perspective and manner, and this book was consistent with that persona. There were no shocking revelations, no true confessions, nothing distastefule or even deeply gossipy. It was a pleasant read.

Very entertaining book from one of America's funniest men. This was when comedy was actually funny -- not lewd, not angry. Great read for a long plane ride.

I think I may be very generous in giving this book three-stars, its barely a 3, more likely a 2 star book.

My main issues with the book (A) Mr. Newhart spends a lot of time telling stories from other people’s lives instead of his own… an example: in one chapter Mr. Newhart notes people he wishes he had met (but that he didn’t, in fact, meet) such as W.C Fields… and spends three pages then telling stories from W.C. Field’s life ?!? Wait, who’s biography is this?

(B) Also, he includes verbatim transcripts of many of his sketches… which are only funny if he is performing them, not funny as written word… and said transcripts eat up so much space in an already short truncated book.

Bob Newhart was perhaps one of the most recognizable comics of the 20th Century. Notice the "was". It's not an understatement to say that the man is past his prime, but, as this book proves, he sure is still funny as hell!

Being a big fan of Newhart and his work, I was anxious to get my hands on a copy of this novel. The book itself recounts all of Bob's life beginning in windswept Chicago and ending in sunny Los Angeles. Bob's modesty definitely leaks through the pages and it becomes obvious very quickly that his ride to fame was certainly earned. While there are plenty of great moments at the beginning, the real gems come later on when Newhart goes into finer detail regarding the cast and some of his favorite moments on his two hit shows. It's those tidbits that make a book like this so enjoyable. The novel isn't lacking in material either. Newhart includes pages of his best routines and scripts that will leave a smile on your face anywhere you happen to be reading. I would've enjoyed more reflection on his more recent work, but let's face it, he hasn't done much for the past 30 years or so.

What's ironic about this book title is it's totally false. He totally should have wrote this and I'm glad he did! There has never been a better time to do so, what, with his recent Emmy win. I even saw his stand-up routine a few months ago, and mind you, to over 2,500 people. Keep it going Bob!

Today’s book review is for “I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This!“, written by Bob Newhart (2006©). The book is his autobiography. Mr. Newhart is a famous comedian/entertainer who’s been doing stand-up comedy/storytelling for over half a century.

Newhart is somewhat famous for never doing any “offensive” language or stories in his humor. He has a droll, dead-pan humor which is based almost entirely on timing and your (the listening audience’s) imagination. Most of his best skits are one sided conversations – usually over a radio or telephone – where he says something and then waits some length of time before responding to the person at the other end. Because you never hear anyone at the other end, Newhart’s next line is the one leading your imagination. Essentially, he is telling you what you “reasonably” just thought, and you agree, and laugh. This sets you up for the next response… and so on.

The problem is the book is not really funny. I am a Newhart fan and I enjoyed the book, not because the book is funny, but because I remember hearing the skits / stories as I was growing up. In a bizarre way, he has written a book which mimics his comedic style.

There is another (minor) problem with the book. It is incredible how much name dropping is done throughout the book. It’s almost as if Newhart is trying to describe his life by who he hung out with instead of what he actually thought or felt. To me, this is minor, because he has nothing bad to say about anyone and, as the reader, you are left with the impression that stand-up comedy is a very small clique and everyone really does know everyone else (and you hang out with each other). Or at least it was back then.

If you are not a Newhart fan, or if you are looking for insight into his life (juicy gossip) or what it’s like to be big star, or you want to better understand comedy in general, or his style in specific – forget it. You won’t find much (anything) here. In fact, I’d recommend that even if you are a fan, you should go to YouTube or wherever you look at videos and watch / listen to some of his old acts. You almost have to appreciate the art form, before you will be able to appreciate the autobiography.

Incidentally, I noticed that the videos of Newhart are a lot funnier than even the pure audios. Newhart’s facial dead-pan expressions are really what make him a genius. It’s still funny hearing his voice, but it’s not AS funny. Just as reading the skit portions in the book are still funny, but not AS funny as seeing him perform them. Truly a comedian made for TV and live performances.

Would I recommend this book? Tough call. If you are a fan; someone who grew up watching the two TV series; or you’ve spent a lot of time watching old reruns of Newhart’s TV-series, yes. Definitely! Again, not because the book is insightful or funny, but because it will probably remind you of when you first heard these jokes. The insight is about you and your memories not Newhart’s.