cover image Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex?: More Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Whiskey Sour

Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex?: More Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Whiskey Sour

Mark Leyner, Billy Goldberg. Three Rivers, $13.95 (263pp) ISBN 978-0-307-34597-4

The sequel to 2005's surprise bestseller Why Do Mean Have Nipples?, the latest from writer-physician duo Leyner and Goldberg is immensely readable and educational, but it's also crude and predictable. Like the first volume, this book is set up in a Q&A format, pursuing wisdom both odd (""Do animals commit suicide?"") and impolite (""Why do your eyes water when you poop?""). Unfortunately, the hit-or-miss formula is heavier on the misses this time around; many of the questions read like leftovers or magazine filler (""Can you get herpes from a hot tub?"" ""Why can we still not cure the common cold?"" ""Why do your ears pop on an airplane?""), while others serve only to debunk urban legends (""Do copper bracelets help with rheumatism?"" ""Is it true that you cannot die in a dream?""). The strange, quasi-fictitious chapter introductions return, as do transcripts of instant-message exchanges between Leyner and Goldberg, providing a break from the call-and-response format and serving to broaden the lovable doofus personalities of the writers; they also serve to erode the credibility of the authors, whose writing style-rife with bathroom humor and always searching for a punch line-may put off some readers. Though not for everyone, this should make an ideal gift book for fans of the first volume, or any other wiseacres on your list.