And Wry, Scotch, Underwood

I got the book because it was free and other reviews were good for it. It looked funny with a grumpy professor as the endearing main character. It started off good, but by the end I just wanted him to pay for all his consciousness and stupid mistakes. That would give me more satisfaction than having him walk out of the court yelling to all his students "drinks are on me!". I just couldn't take the rock star professor when I was all done. It was a short read though so I didn't have to take him too long.

I really did like this story....but I read this story just a couple of weeks ago....with a different title. I searched through my library on my Kindle and could not find it so I got this one. I just started reading it and knew that I had read it previously

Brian, I'm sad. You know I love your Henry Wood books, and when I got this one by mistake instead of the latest Henry Wood, I gave it a try. It's well-written. I can relate to the premise- I'm a middle-aged professor, myself, struggling with students who say things like 'Email is so 2008!'
But I couldn't enjoy Arthur's antics, because there's something wrong about a professor who has serial sexual relationships with his students. To a lesser degree, there's something wrong with a professor whose plan is to BS through his lectures. I couldn't get past thinking that if Arthur were a colleague, I'd turn and scuttle down a side hall if I saw him coming. He's not a hero, he's not a typical man of his time, and he's not someone I can cheer for. I wish I'd liked the book better...but frankly, it made me feel icky.

(disclaimer: I 'know' Brian from having reviewed his work in the past, and his having graciously replied; we are not real-life acquaintances)

The hero gets out of his predicament by proving that his public sexual exploits were not with students, claiming that he "no longer sleeps with students," while keeping a secret student lover on the side. Not heroic, but rather quite pathetic. Could have been a decent read.

I've not read Brian D. Meeks before (although I have all his Henry Woods books in my [very long] Kindle queue), so I can't say UNDERWOOD, SCOTCH, AND WRY is unlike (or even like) his usual work. I did find it an easy and fun read, finishing it in one night and the following morning.

Like its protagonist, I am what the 21st Century calls a Late Adopter (and what earlier centuries called a Luddite). I recently tried, and grew increasingly bored with, Facebook. Twitter, to me, is still something cartoon characters hear after being hit on the head.

So I felt a kinship with the confusion felt by word-dry-author/college-instructor Arthur Byrne when his college administration (all in need of a radical stickectomy) assigns him the chore of teaching Social Media Science 301, in the hope he will fall flat on his face and they'll be able to fire him. Bryne, who has not produced a book in two decades, protects himself with walls of arch observation (some would say sarcasm) and a moat of booze. He fortunately has a number of teaching assistants, whose academic careers will rise or fall with his, to ease him into the 21st Century.

This is all handled lightly. We stay on the side of he-who-must-fight-unreasonable-expectations. We're helped by the fact, as trenchant as he may be, Arthur Byrne IS funny, his attitude toward those in authority and his interaction with his young T.A.s is funny. (You know how hard it is to be light and humorous instead of sounding elephantine and forced? Ask someone like P. G. Wodehouse who seriously worked at being effortless.)

But what I came away from reading with was that Meeks accomplished several things at once. He balanced humor --"Iowa City was crawling with women who were pretty, charming, and dead set on getting their advanced Mrs. degree after four years of sorority life." -- with some serious questions about social media --"'I don't understand how people can ignore the facts and go straight to hate." He gets a little inside the heads of those who mean malice.

But what I liked best was the moments when he got inside the head of someone who writes, lifts the veil a little on the process of word-smithing. Like the moment an author, writing a scene between two characters who've just met, has them continue their conversation on a trolley car and discovers, unbeknownst to him, that the characters live in San Francisco. Or during a long rainy drive, on what could be the worst night of his life, his mind, trying to stay awake, free associates not about what has or will happen, but about where and how the story he's writing will go.

Stephen King, in ON WRITING, wrote of the healing process of writing. Meeks displays here, more lightly, something of the sort.

Yes, the book is light, hitting the anticipated beats this kind of story expects. But it has some deeper currents, and displays an assured talent.

Recommended. Four stars 'cause, as much as I enjoyed this one, I'm sure I'll like some later work of Meeks' better.

At first I enjoyed the wit and constant banter, and then it began to feel kind of trite and formulated. Just when I decided it was going to be a loooong read, POW! Epiphany! (Not for me, for Arthur!) What a blast this turned out to be!

The literary references were a delight, The take on social media and youth culture was hilarious. (Said by the Social Media Manager who is "slightly" older than most.) The plot moved right along and the characters were painted in living color. What more could I ask? A deeper meaning, maybe? A statement on our culture, or campus, or authorship, or... Well, I wasn't really disappointed there either. You'll have to read between the lines to find them all, but delivered with a little Scotch and Wry, I think you'll find everything you're looking for here.

Unless you read the modicum of one star reviews which accuse misogyny and sexism. (Caveat, I'm a female in a male dominated STEM field.) Is there a cardboard cutout stereotypical female character? Indeed. She is not, however, treated with any more disrespect than she brought on herself. In fact, the reader is inclined toward pity, not derision. Is our hotshot campus celebrity a little pompous and irresponsible? Um, did you read his own description of himself? (And for those who didn't quite make it through college, a TA is no longer a student.) Lighten up, people! This isn't political commentary, (much) and isn't dishing morality. It's just a fun trip down a side aisle with some colorful folks who will amuse you, if you let them.

While I can't say the ending was a surprise, it really couldn't have gone any other way and still been a good story. The point wasn't the predictability, but the way we got there and the fun we had seeing it through.

I'm harsh with stars, reserving five for the true masters. This is also outside my normal genre by a reasonable distance. (Yes, I'm one of those nerds in a Wookie T-shirt hiding out in the back of the Pit.) Heinlein this is not, but it's danged near as much fun as certain Cat who is known to Walk Through Walls. And yeah, this one even has a cat. COOL!

I'll be looking to see what Killing Hemingway turns out to be like too, and I'll be keeping an eye on Brian D. Meeks, er, Arthur, er someone. There may be a five star master in here yet. All in all, Well DONE, sir! I really enjoyed this one.

Ah yes the world of academia so very well presented. The sentence structure of each characters' thoughts is beyond wonderful. It is as if I can hear them talking. The sarcasm hits me....and it hits just right. This is my kind of humor....usually subtle; causing me to think a wee bit and then laugh right out loud. At my age, the entire computer conflagration is perfect. Oh ya SNARKY and total FUN. But it also presents a learning experience as well. Read it and discover what you may learn from a professor , a bunch of snooty "higher ups" and a group of students who????????????????????

The treatment of social media is pretty annoying -- it treats the reader like they've never heard of Twitter, etc (just because your character is learning about social media, we do not need a lecture).

The main character is too much of a mary sue -- a guy who loves showing off a large vocabulary (a trait which seems to apply to many characters too), who gets all the women, and of course comes out on top despite some rather troubling behavior.

Spoilers will probably follow.

I find the author's use of women problematic. The primary villains are all women. A female reporter behaves bewilderingly just to spice things up with a false rape claim (don't worry, the feminists leave disappointed when it's proven false). Women are often portrayed in very poor light or just dumb. They are generally speaking props that the men use for pleasure or for plot points with no real motivation behind them. The main character, a famous author, stops writing because a woman (we find out) lies to him.

I am no professor - sadly as I'd love having a secure existance. But while I am a bit more technical than Arthur is, probably due to being a decade younger, this book was the best I have read in ages. As a writer I deply enjoyed the language used. I totaly git why he adopted the cat almost against his will, butmost of snything I kearned. About The Who's 70s music and other cultural references I looked up on Wikipedia. I also learned more about social media and still decuded thst I will stay away from Twitter if I can help it, but made a menral note of others introduced to me here. I kearned slso from Meek to spend every day a few minutes on writing my book to get it finally done after many years (a reference to another book I saw listed. It motivated to get my backside up and starting to set my life to rights after hitting what I'll xall the Arthur hole. Wondering if paralell things happen to all of us in midlife. True some bits are morally questionable but human and while I wouldn't say I would make friends with the book's hero, he proves to be s very good teacher indeed. As soon as I have digested sll tge social media bits into practical existsncr, I look forward to reading the sequel to learn what I can along with him on self-publishing. Also serioysly considering Arthur'rs Killing Hemingway book, because I never had big admiration for that one. Much prefer his wife Martha who left him because he tried to undermine her being a war reporter in WWII. Actually stole her comission. She went anyway. As freelancer. Managed to get there before he did and to get where it mattered. She was one of the first to report about the concentration camps by the way. My thanks to Arthur for letting me see that even old mules can learn new tricks and that old stories are still worth telling, just maybe in a different way.

Brian Meeks once again has captured my attention with his latest release. To be honest I actually learned something about tweeting. In someways I was like the professor having a tweeter account but never using it. Now I have a tweet board set up and it is easy to follow tweets. I highly recommend this book, maybe you will learn something while enjoying a good read of a satire.

This is an entertaining book, although not the book I was expecting. The narration is kept through the pathetic life of a witty university professor that is funny enough to keep my interest in the story. Throughout the first half of the novel one can even learn some new things about the practice of social-networking that can be considered unfruitful by non-millennials and people who might consider it as only a pastime. But the arguments that are revealed by the characters in the first half of this book show that this is not the case because, if done with accountability and assertiveness, social-networking can become profitable and may even bring one to explore new fields of knowledge and revelation. Spiritual transformation through social-networking doesn't seem to me an implausible idea any longer after reading this entertaining book. A good take-home-value that I took from this short read was to give Twitter a new opportunity since I lost my interest in it when in the past I wasted precious time reading uninteresting tweets from random losers: it's up to me to improve the quality of my social-networking experience. And I learned this through the sense of humor of this author.

This is a fun read with a nice satiric undertone. A burned-out academic with a best-seller in his past, who hasn't written a thing in years, is assigned to teach a class in social media. Which he knows nothing about. His department's administration has assigned him this class in the hope that he will be induced to leave the school (voluntarily or involuntarily). As you may guess, complications ensue.

It's a little tough to believe that there is a professor in the 21st century who never uses the computer or the Internet, but if you can get past that it's rather fun to watch this cranky guy change through his interactions with his teaching assistants, students and a cat he picks up somewhere along the way. He even starts to write again. The scene in which he gives his first lecture is particularly well done. The reader has to believe that this character has potential for redemption, that he can in fact teach well, and the author pulls this off. Recommended.

Hooks you from the start. The writing is witty, dry and sarcastic it's a great chage of pace. I haven't liked a book this much in ages. Arthur the luddite professor dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century is wonderful. Watching the character adapt and accept the changes he has inadvertently set in motion is priceless. Meeks is an exccellent wordsmith.

Walter Bryne, a professor, watches the generation he teaches from his house porch, feeling superior in his methods of technology and achievement. However, Walter’s successful achievement comes from a book he published years ago. He has not been able to write another. He’s becoming an intellectural “has been”, growing old, and creating, by his lack or willingness to change, a deeper divide between himself and the world. It’s an order from his dean to teach a class on technology and communication that begins to sort out his insecurities, enlighten his world view, and set right his muse. While Professor Bryne’s actions are not what any college might look for in their instructors, Meek’s look at the old taking on the new is fun and rewarding.
--also reviewed on Le Coeur de l'Artiste

Author Brian Meek has managed to create a character in Professor Arthur Byrne -the protagonist of "Underwood, Scotch, and Wry- a Social Media Satire' as one who is both a joy to hate and pleasure to cheer on. The Professor is snarky, obnoxious, sarcastic and pompous-all while remaining devilishly witty and charming. In life we all have that one friend whose friendship we find ourselves having to constantly explain to others, that one friend who is really a great guy/gal if we truly get to know them, in the novel Arthur, is such a friend . Eric, who in the story is one of Arthur's few friends, allows the reader a glimpse of Arthur's serious and quite likeable side also adding to the layers of this otherwise would be ornery character.
A complete romantic mess this socially awkward professor is! Ironically no one better to teach the importance of social media adding a cynical view and a fresh perspective.
The novel's quick-witted humor is pretty impressive as is the depth of each character and the attention to detail that makes this satirical novel paradoxically lighthearted and deep. A true joy to read.

This is fun for those who in academia who relate much better with their students than with their colleagues. Also fun for students, specially TA(s) who relate better with their mentors than with their student peers. The dry humor displayed throughout the book as an untech savvy professor is dragged by events and students into the social media crowded present is superb. The politically correct crowd will not appreciate the Meeks humor but also will be unable to decide whether our professor actually opposes political correctness or whether he is just chiding the mindlessness of its blind adherents. For those readers disturbed by ethical improprieties of student-professor relations, context of the incidents described should be examined, otherwise you get dumped on the pile of the sightless politically correct crew. The humor in this work is so weird, twisted, inventive, and well done that I hope I won't be disappointed as I go on to read other books by Meeks. (I am sure I won't, I will get the samples first). I read this book through the unlimited plan and was impressed enough to buy the book after I returned it.

Brian D. Meeks wrote a cute, trite but mostly fun and entertaining short novel or long short story. The main character is a professor of English, a one book author who has lost his way in drink over a bad romance years ago. He is assigned a class teaching computerized, internet social media designed to get him fired. Our hapless professor does connect with a brilliant and beautiful coed teaching assistant that brings him up to date with technology and brings him loves him to boot. This trite storyline is mostly predictable but fun to scan. A minor technical problem with the professor's car, a 1957 TR3, he "rolls up the window" but in reality the TR3 never had the luxury of roll up windows, rather it had sliding plexiglass panels in its side curtains. Lots of almost too cute dialogue with snappy jibes and jokes. I was glad to have it draw to a happy but prdictable end.

This book is just plain fun! Brian Meeks creates a fabulous main character full of snappy attitude you can not help but like, cheer for, and laugh with. He is a sharp intellectual who attracts his female TA's on a yearly basis; a witty regular joe who relaxes with a cold one at the local hangout; a snarky tenured professor who is frankly bored with his classes deciding his favorite pastime is to irritate the dean; and an unsatisfied author of a one-hit-wonder published years ago, wanting to write again, but struggling with an absent muse. He also has a past to resolve.

I have read quite a few other books written by this author with a few in my "to read" queue. He is fantastic in
his storytelling, be it a gumshoe detective at work or talking guinea pigs. His word crafting ability, voice, and style shines through in all of his books.

This book will entertain you from page one until the end and a pure delight to read.

If I could give this book a 10, I would. I read approximately 350 books a year, out of which about 10 of them are exceptional. This was one of the 10. Arthur, the main character, was unique, loved his sense of humor, as well as his child like joy at discovering the techno world of the internet. Other than the laugh out loud moments in the book (there are many) and Arthur's ability to make full use of the English language, I really liked the idea that Underwood, Scotch and Wry would appeal to people from college age to seniors. To be able to reach such a wide audience through fiction is a genuine gift, one that Brian has mastered! Can't wait to read the sequel.

Hooks you from the start. The writing is witty, dry and sarcastic it's a great chage of pace. I haven't liked a book this much in ages. Arthur the luddite professor dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century is wonderful. Watching the character adapt and accept the changes he has inadvertently set in motion is priceless. Meeks is an exccellent wordsmith.

Walter Bryne, a professor, watches the generation he teaches from his house porch, feeling superior in his methods of technology and achievement. However, Walter’s successful achievement comes from a book he published years ago. He has not been able to write another. He’s becoming an intellectural “has been”, growing old, and creating, by his lack or willingness to change, a deeper divide between himself and the world. It’s an order from his dean to teach a class on technology and communication that begins to sort out his insecurities, enlighten his world view, and set right his muse. While Professor Bryne’s actions are not what any college might look for in their instructors, Meek’s look at the old taking on the new is fun and rewarding.
--also reviewed on Le Coeur de l'Artiste

Author Brian Meek has managed to create a character in Professor Arthur Byrne -the protagonist of "Underwood, Scotch, and Wry- a Social Media Satire' as one who is both a joy to hate and pleasure to cheer on. The Professor is snarky, obnoxious, sarcastic and pompous-all while remaining devilishly witty and charming. In life we all have that one friend whose friendship we find ourselves having to constantly explain to others, that one friend who is really a great guy/gal if we truly get to know them, in the novel Arthur, is such a friend . Eric, who in the story is one of Arthur's few friends, allows the reader a glimpse of Arthur's serious and quite likeable side also adding to the layers of this otherwise would be ornery character.
A complete romantic mess this socially awkward professor is! Ironically no one better to teach the importance of social media adding a cynical view and a fresh perspective.
The novel's quick-witted humor is pretty impressive as is the depth of each character and the attention to detail that makes this satirical novel paradoxically lighthearted and deep. A true joy to read.

This is fun for those who in academia who relate much better with their students than with their colleagues. Also fun for students, specially TA(s) who relate better with their mentors than with their student peers. The dry humor displayed throughout the book as an untech savvy professor is dragged by events and students into the social media crowded present is superb. The politically correct crowd will not appreciate the Meeks humor but also will be unable to decide whether our professor actually opposes political correctness or whether he is just chiding the mindlessness of its blind adherents. For those readers disturbed by ethical improprieties of student-professor relations, context of the incidents described should be examined, otherwise you get dumped on the pile of the sightless politically correct crew. The humor in this work is so weird, twisted, inventive, and well done that I hope I won't be disappointed as I go on to read other books by Meeks. (I am sure I won't, I will get the samples first). I read this book through the unlimited plan and was impressed enough to buy the book after I returned it.

Brian D. Meeks wrote a cute, trite but mostly fun and entertaining short novel or long short story. The main character is a professor of English, a one book author who has lost his way in drink over a bad romance years ago. He is assigned a class teaching computerized, internet social media designed to get him fired. Our hapless professor does connect with a brilliant and beautiful coed teaching assistant that brings him up to date with technology and brings him loves him to boot. This trite storyline is mostly predictable but fun to scan. A minor technical problem with the professor's car, a 1957 TR3, he "rolls up the window" but in reality the TR3 never had the luxury of roll up windows, rather it had sliding plexiglass panels in its side curtains. Lots of almost too cute dialogue with snappy jibes and jokes. I was glad to have it draw to a happy but prdictable end.

This book is just plain fun! Brian Meeks creates a fabulous main character full of snappy attitude you can not help but like, cheer for, and laugh with. He is a sharp intellectual who attracts his female TA's on a yearly basis; a witty regular joe who relaxes with a cold one at the local hangout; a snarky tenured professor who is frankly bored with his classes deciding his favorite pastime is to irritate the dean; and an unsatisfied author of a one-hit-wonder published years ago, wanting to write again, but struggling with an absent muse. He also has a past to resolve.

I have read quite a few other books written by this author with a few in my "to read" queue. He is fantastic in
his storytelling, be it a gumshoe detective at work or talking guinea pigs. His word crafting ability, voice, and style shines through in all of his books.

This book will entertain you from page one until the end and a pure delight to read.

If I could give this book a 10, I would. I read approximately 350 books a year, out of which about 10 of them are exceptional. This was one of the 10. Arthur, the main character, was unique, loved his sense of humor, as well as his child like joy at discovering the techno world of the internet. Other than the laugh out loud moments in the book (there are many) and Arthur's ability to make full use of the English language, I really liked the idea that Underwood, Scotch and Wry would appeal to people from college age to seniors. To be able to reach such a wide audience through fiction is a genuine gift, one that Brian has mastered! Can't wait to read the sequel.

A delightful and wryly humorous tale of a curmudgeonly author and literary professor and his belated introduction to social media. Arthur has a major case of writer's block and his Dean is maneuvering to get him fired for cause. His rediscovery of the world around him erases the block and he begins to write a new novel, but then a drunken Homecoming party and a consensual affair with one of his Teaching Assistants blossoms into a scandal. Arthur has to fight to save his position and combat media attacks orchestrated by a bitter reporter and his conniving dean. I won't spoil the ending for you, though.

I received this book by mistake when I downloaded Brian D. Meeks book Edge of Understanding. I am so happy that the author made that mistake because I just loved this story. It was funny, sassy, witty, sarcastic, and an easy read. I had a smile on my face on every page. This story is about Literature Professor Arthur Byrne, who has to lead a class on social media. The man doesn't even own a cell phone or a computer. With the help of his TA's (teacher assistants), he starts learning about Facebook, Twitter, etc, and becomes an instant success. There are problems along the way, but he manages to stay on top of the situations. You can tell that the author loves to use words and it's so refreshing, if not a bit difficult at times, to read. I've learned a lot of new words reading this book! Thank you so much Brian for a wonderful read and keep up the great work! I'd give this story 10 stars if we could!

I've enjoyed Brian Meeks's Henry Wood series and was glad to see the announcement of what I hope will be a new series about a college instructor named Arthur Byrne. Arthur was an author in an earlier life but has had writer's block ever since. This affliction does not hamper his creativity as a conversationalist with a sense of humor nor as a speaker to a large class. Serious readers will appreciate the literary references, and today's social network afficionados will laugh at themselves.

I was not two pages into the book when he arrived at a meeting with the president of the fictitious Beckerston College and the dean of its literature department. Scolded for being late, Arthur pointed out that it was only 4 minutes after noon. When reminded that the meeting was scheduled for 10, his reply was, “I am unfamiliar with this ten thing of which you speak.” I was hooked. The book is full of quotable remarks by the irreverent novelist/instructor, some that would make a delightful cross-stitch on the wall, like "How long can one be miserable before it loses its appeal?"

The course forced upon the professor of literature was tailor-made to drive him off, as his unorthodox approach to teaching and his disdain for authority made his dean uncomfortable. With almost no time to prepare for the new semester, he was given the course Social Media Sciences 301. Having no computer skills himself and nothing but contempt for communication through tweeting, posts to Facebook and the various apps on the iPhone 5, Arthur could have been doomed to failure without encouragement from such unlikely supporters as his 5 teaching assistants. Of course, the opportunities to make fun of bloggers and tweeters abound and Meeks doesn't let any of them escape.

The book is fun while Arthur has a serious dilemma to resolve because of his weaknesses and ego. The reader worries for the lovable but flawed hero, just as we worried for Henry Wood and his friends in that murder mystery series. Nobody dies in this book, though there are some villains and my wish from the beginning for certain heads to roll. I give the first in the Arthur Byrne series 5 enthusiastic stars for believable characters, beautiful sentences, delightful quips and description that pops images right in front of me. I also give the book points for making me think about the spontaneity in writing and communicating that social media applications encourage. Thanks, Mr. Meeks for making me laugh so much and even think a bit.

This was easy reading, though a bit messy in details. While we can all appreciate a snarky college professor and the antics of his students, it's hard to like Prof. Brynes as he shortchanges his students by faking his lectures, I also can't get past the serial womaniser -- especially in this day and age -- where this is treated with humour. Creeps like this should be let go. As much as I couldn't stand the characters of Mary and the Dean, I'd have to side with them and be happy to see Professor Byrne fired for his antics. There's no heroics in being a bully or a serial womaniser.

Storyline and characters aside, I enjoyed the book despite the issues above. With so few real heroes these days, it's a shame when an author tries to make a hero out of a schmuck!

Hey, I'm no prude, I can handle a good sex joke but seems the joke has been on me. I love'd the first half of this book. Old dude (like me, I'm 67) gets up to snuff with social media (which I hate but enjoyed learning about tweeting, not enough to get sucked in though) At 50% into this book all of sudden the youthful aspect of this Luddite/brilliant author in a dry spell goes all to hel*. Enter the plot to ruin him with a sex scandal. Now there's a unique tool to use-NOT to me!
I'm at 71% and deleting this from my device. Well, wait, maybe I'll just let it sit and come back after I read several Leslie Charteris Saint books, Ok, I'm done bit*chin.

I was SO excited to read another Henry Wood novel -- I couldn't wait to see what item from the future was going to passed into the past. First day of vacation, I sit back and start to read...and I am confused. When does the murder happen, Who is going to die? Where is Henry?! I read on ... and on... reminded myself that Henry may show up, or not. But I needed to have a "beginner's mind" and stay present with the book. After all, it WAS pretty good! I read it in 2 days! I could not put it down. I forgot that I had been waiting for Henry Wood! I so enjoyed the reclamation of Arthur's journey. You did good, Brian Meeks!

I can't say enough great things about this book. In an age of thrillers and rogue assassins, Meeks is able to write a compelling story about your everyday, yet extraordinary college professor. Arthur Byrne is that professor that you wanted to hang out with in college. He is the man you wanted to grow up to be, but weren't cool enough. And yet, we discover that being cool for that long tends to come at a cost. I loved this funny, witty, addicting novel and already have my copy of the sequel!

Clever, hilarious, held my interest from start to finish. I read it in a day- couldn't put it down! Arthur is FANTASTIC. The love story is unexpected and very Georgette Heyer with the young (but not THAT Georgette Heyer so not THAT young) gal who is spunky and intelligent, and the slightly older charming rake. Who doesn't love a flawed dashing bad boy who is kind to kittens, laughs at misguided authority, and comes out of sticky situations like Teflon? The creative plot, laugh-out-loud witty dialogue, and fantastic supporting characters make this a MUST read!

As a ploy to remove a disliked employee, a professor/author was forced to teach a class on social media ... he knows nothing about social media ... look at the cover photo ... he uses a typewriter. Even if you don't like the novel, you will be amazed at how cleverly he handles the first class. That class is amazing. Full disclosure: I set a Guinness Book World Record in 1976 for the fastest computer. I know supercomputers but I am a rank beginner at social media.

This is a quick read, but very interesting. Arthur, the main character, is a college professor who has lost his soul secondary to his past. In an intriguing interesting manner, the story unfolds to expose this past, demonstrates his ability to move past this and discovers his future. Arthur is a complex character that I enjoyed. His journey was well written and the book definitely make you laugh with his wittiness and cringe with his choices at times. I enjoyed the book and would recommend.

I had no idea what this book was about but the title intrigued me. For me this was a so, so read. The only character that was really developed fully was the main character a curmudgeonly middle aged college professor. He clings to the partying days of his fading youth by having flings with young college co-ends. As a main character, I actually found him quite morally despicable. The plus is it was refreshing to see an author willing to create a main character that wasn't completely likable. Overall I would say this was a mildly entertaining light read.

Absolutely delightful. Curmudgeonly literature professor meets social media. I read this in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. Hilarious. I have recommended this book to everyone I know !

I will first start by saying I am a tough grader and hardly ever give a book five stars, but this one deserved it. It was a good change of pace and had very good characters, who were easy to remember when once done with the book. I liked that it was not a recycled story and it was pretty original. A sequel would be nice but sometimes that is not possible. I say go ahead and give this book a chance.

It is easy reading and fairly clever in regards to social media. It ends there. I didn't understand why he negatively called the women who protested against the Professor as Feminists. As a feminist, I don't automatically assume that a woman of consenting age has been taken advantage of by a man, unless she has indicated otherwise. As a feminist I know women are very capable of making up their own minds. However, all adults should be wary of a college instructor who acts as ridiculous as this man. As an aside, the growth of the Professor, as well as the storyline, would have been better served with him not having a relationship with the new TA.

I'd start by giving it TEN stars, but then I would have to take away five of them because the book was just too short! Although it isn't heavy, serious reading, it's not a book to be skimmed. Go too fast and you'll miss some of the fabulous snarkiness and incredibly witty banter.

I don't often plunk down 5 stars and am no literary expert but this was fun and witty and just plain fun! Of course including a cat in Arthur's life is always a plus for me . A nod to Buttons in the Henry Wood series.

Very funny . This will keep you laughing. The characters are very engaging. You will keep reading and not put it down. I purchased this book unintentionally the cover was a mystery by the same author. I still read this book in one setting. At first I was thinking when does the mystery start but I soon didn't care . I was too engrossed in the story.

I really enjoyed the humor but could have done less with the F bomb when other words would work as well. I would have given this book 5 stars except for that. I'm going to try the next book and hope its just as good .

This wasn't a book I generally would be drawn to, but it grabbed my attention and I'm so glad. The storyline was appealing, the characters were quirky and relatable, and, overall, the whole book was endearing and just plain funny.

I loved it. I finished it in less than 24 hours. Not only was it entertaining but it was also educational. I just bought an iPhone so I saw his struggle. The characters made me laugh out loud. Hope there's a sequel.

Everything about Unerwood, Scotch and Wry exceeded my expectations. The characters were three -dimensional, the good guys were likable and the villains were amusingly misguided. The plot was not predictable and the narrative flowed.

I like books that teach me something. From this one I understand tweeting so much better! Also, I felt empathy with the main character and wanted to kick him in the rear to get him going. Entertaining. Good characterizations throughout. Amusing, too. Glad I read it.

There are so many wonderful quotes I will take with me from this book. Cleverly written and thoroughly enjoyed. I immediately went and got Jell-O shots and Underwood Scotch and Cry.

Top shelf Mr. Meeks.

This was a great story. An electronically challenged literature professor and author with writers block is assigned to teach a class on electronic media. I enjoyed the sarcastic dialog and watching the progression in his personality and professional life. Looking forward to reading other works by the same author.

In the pond of free Kindle books, you've got to kiss a lot of frogs to find a Prince. Underwood, Scotch, and Wry was worth wading thru all that pond scum. My first belly laugh erupted by page 2 so if it's your kind of entertainment, you'll know right away. LOVED this book-will be reading more Meeks!

Funny. Witty and short.

Book was fanatics. No a whole lot of character development for anyone but the main character and well, I think that's fine. It's not meant to be that way so I honestly think it was great.

loved this book. it reminded me of starting out on the internet (not having been born into this generation of computer whizzes). some of the questions were mine too!!!!! The writing was superb with references to actual written works.

I enjoyed this book. The writing is light. Quite good comic timing. The reluctance to move to technology is probably true for that age group. Oh well. There is a serious theme - sexual relationships between students and teachers - and although it is no laughing matter, the writing in this one is quite funny.

Really enjoyed the snarkiness of Arthur. From his technology apprehension, to his nicknames given to his grad students, Arthur made me laugh. When I read passages out loud to my husband, that means I must be enjoying the story.

I really enjoyed this book; a nice break from mysteries. The characters are wonderful. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because there were a few spots in the reading that I skipped over because they were a bit tedious

If you love snarky writing, you will love this book. I knew before I finished the first page that it would be worth the read. Not many can get two pop culture references and snark in two lines but Brian Meeks manages that and so much more!

This book and its sequel are above and beyond the funniest, snarkiest, cleverest written books I've have the pleasure to read in a long time. Arthur , the main character, is a hoot and a half in an effortless way only brilliant writing can shape a person on paper. Read these books, you'll thank me in the morning.

Brian is an excellent writer who has a way of telling a story. All of his books have been very readable and Underwood, Scotch and Wry is no exception. It's true to life how the baby boomer generation was slow to embrace the world of social media, but for those who did it was like a whole new world for them.

This was a very witty and entertaining book; I would recommend taking the time to read this and getting to know Brian's style; he'll owe me a round of golf when he become's 'somebody' and his book tour swings through Central Florida.

I received this book by mistake - and the store has replaced it with the real Henry Wood book - but I totally loved Underwood, Scotch, and Wry. It is amazingly delightful. I am a very geeky person I guess, but I was enchanted

This was a complete and pleasant surprise. I was looking for a light, humorous read and stumbled across this book. The ratings were high, but I have been disappointed many times by highly rated books. Not this time! Very humorous writing, with a good mix of subtle and not so subtle references. Clever dialog, snarky but not juvenile. A quick, completely enjoyable escape.

Found this book from the store recommendations and absolutely loved it! Great characters, outrageously funny dialogue and Incredibly well-written. I actually took half a day off from work to finish reading second half. Thank you, Mr Meeks.

This was a complete and pleasant surprise. I was looking for a light, humorous read and stumbled across this book. The ratings were high, but I have been disappointed many times by highly rated books. Not this time! Very humorous writing, with a good mix of subtle and not so subtle references. Clever dialog, snarky but not juvenile. A quick, completely enjoyable escape.

Found this book from the store recommendations and absolutely loved it! Great characters, outrageously funny dialogue and Incredibly well-written. I actually took half a day off from work to finish reading second half. Thank you, Mr Meeks.

This is my first Brian Meeks book. Purchased on impulse and thoroughly enjoyed the snark and political intrigue. The book is set in a smaller college and provides delicious insight into politics of academe.

What a fantastically fun book. Could not stop reading but dreaded getting to the end. Arthur is the perfect mix of smartass and curmudgeon dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Exactly my kind of humor. You won't regret picking this one up. Will be checking out more of Mr. Meeks' work!!!

One of the Best Books I have read in a long long time - and I am an avid reader - funny , thought provoking , witty , sarcastic ... Well Snarky!! Well Done Mr Meeks - this reader is totally looking forward to reading ALL of your books! Thank you for the joys of getting lost in your words

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. The book takes in the politics of Universities and how they deal with high tenure of a writer, (professor), who can't be bothered to do things "the normal way" they are done.

This is how i wish i thought and, even more so,could write. I am proud to say I understood al references and laughed out loud quite a bit. Well done Mr. Meeks. I shall be keepinbg my eyes open for more offerings fraught witb quick wit and harsh disdain for all things common.

I have admitted that I felt unimpressive about the introduction. But I am hooked after reading the first part. It is a relaxed and witty novel. I like the personality of the main characters. I will recommend it to anyone who want to enjoy a easy and funny story.

Underwood, Scotch and Wry was entertaining, funny and captivating. It kept me reading with heightened interest and even a few Laughing Out Loud's which I don't often get from a novel. Looking forward to reading his other creations. I rate this a Great four!

Love the dry/kiss my ass attitude. Really reminiscent of several main characters from a couple books from one of one of my favorite authors, Nelson DeMille. Don't be afraid to blaze your own trail, great entertainment, and that's what I read for.

I really liked the main character. He was witty, smart, imperfect, and very well written. The reason that I'm giving it only 3 stars is that I didn't feel like there was any tension in the plot. The point that I assume was supposed to be the climax just didn't create any excitement in me.

This book gives the impression that the author has seen too many "B" movie comedies and has not read enough books. Too many cliches, too little true comedy, predictable and condescending. Well there! Too much of a fluff piece to warrant much notice even the main character's literary quips suggest freshman affectations and the cultural ones are simply moronic.

Mr Meeks would do well to read a little Kingsley Amis or Max Beerbohn.