Home › Essays › Mike Nelson's Mind Over Matters

Mike Nelson's Mind Over Matters

by Michael J. Nelson

Comic essays on everyday rituals and modern absurdities

Regular price $18.51 USD
Regular price $28.93 USD Sale price $18.51 USD
Save 36%

Paperback New English

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

Comic essays on everyday rituals and modern absurdities

Mike Nelson gathers more than 50 essays that turn familiar irritations and social habits into subjects for comic scrutiny. The collection ranges from family nicknames, fashion, restaurant décor, and personal-care products to health-spa visits, big-box shopping, amateur musical theater, television history, and the author’s reflections on being a husband, father, and citizen. Its organizing thread is the incongruity embedded in ordinary life: the customs, consumer choices, and cultural artifacts that become stranger the longer one considers them. The essay format makes this a wide-ranging volume, moving among domestic life, popular culture, and public behavior rather than pursuing a single sustained topic.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Fans of humorous essay collections
  • Readers interested in comic observations about everyday life and consumer culture
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000 followers curious about Michael J. Nelson’s prose work

Themes

Everyday absurdityPopular cultureConsumer habitsFamily lifeSocial customs

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Why do some people retain cute baby-talk names for their relatives (like "Num-Num" and "Pee-Paw") well into middle age? How should a reasonable person respond when Olivia Newton-John sings, "Have you never been mellow?" Who's responsible for the sorry state of men's fashion, and is it the same guy who invented the jerkin? Is there any future in being a Midwesterner? Can you really enjoy your lunch when the restaurant is decorated to look like an African plain? How come women keep dozens of bottles and jars of moisturizers, unguents, and lotions around -- all of them half empty?
In more than 50 hilarious all-new essays, one of America's brightest young humorists -- the head writer and on-air host of the legendary TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- finds the fun in all aspects of the human condition, no matter how absurd. Join Mike Nelson on an angst-filled visit to a health spa; shopping sessions at Home Depot and Radio Shack; adventures in the very amateur musical theater; a gut-busting discourse on the history of television; ruminations on his roles as husband, father, and citizen; and much, much more.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews