From the YouTube superstars and creators of Good Mythical Morning comes the ultimate guide to living a “Mythical” life, featuring stories and photos from their lifelong friendship, as well as awesomely illustrated guides, charts, and activities aimed at laughing more, learning more, and never taking yourself too seriously.
Thanks for reading this description. You’re obviously a curious person, which means you’ve already taken your first step towards achieving Mythicality. Lucky for you, opening this book is even more rewarding than reading about it online. Within its pages, you'll discover twenty ways to fill your life with curiosity, creativity, and tomfoolery, including Eat Something That Scares You, Make a Bold Hair Choice, Say “I Love You” Like It’s Never Been Said, and more. Along the way, you’ll also
• Embarrassing stories and photos we'll probably regret sharing • Character The Board Game • An important message from the year 2075 • A quiz to help you determine if you should get a dog • A eulogy you can read at any funeral • Grownup merit badges to earn • Contributions from Mythical Beasts, and much more
If you decide to read this book, be warned—there is a high likelihood of increased Mythicality in your life, which means you may soon find yourself laughing more, learning more, and not taking yourself too seriously. This mentality has been known to spread easily to friends and loved ones.
Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, raised in North Carolina and best friends since the first grade, are a comedy duo known for creating the Internet’s most-watched daily talk show, Good Mythical Morning; their award-winning weekly podcast Ear Biscuits; and the instant #1 New York Times bestseller Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality. They share an office at Mythical Entertainment, the company they cofounded, but live separately with their respective wives, children, and dogs in Los Angeles.
I'm a long-time fan of their morning show and when I found out they had a book (and were going for a tour!) I was over-the-mother-flippin-moon.
If you haven't already guessed, I loved (LOVED) this book.
Before Rhett and Link were massive creators on Youtube, they began their lives together much like everyone else - in first grade.
Rhett and Link met in grade school while being held in for recess (on account of bad language). They spent the hour coloring mythical animals.
Link wanted a best friend and Rhett loved sleeping over and poking around other family's refrigerators.
Thus began a decades-long friendship that started with crazy childhood adventures, to sharing a college dorm, to getting (and then quitting) their jobs as engineers, to creating one of the most popular youtube morning shows AND FINALLY culminating in publishing a book.
And this book provided so many fun anecdotes along the way.
From their earliest childhood games to their marriage proposals to their early YouTube days - we are able to get an in-depth view on their long friendship.
I snickered to myself nearly every chapter. This book takes all the things I love - longtime friendships, funny antics, general quirkiness - and combines into one extremely entertaining novel.
I had the pleasure of seeing their live book tour.
In a word: awesome.
I distinctly remember, when they opened with, "Good Mythical Morning," turning to my sister, clutching her arm as we both whisper-screamed, They are doing the thing. THEY'RE DOING THE THING!!!"
It's just SO COOL to read about a whole new perspective on their lives and to see the book tour!
Their humor just got to me in absolutely the right way and I honestly couldn't have imagined a better book by them.
There's nothing wrong with this book, but it took me quite a bit to read because I really wish I'd been able to find it on audio. I LOVE Rhett and Link, so hearing from their perspective was actually really fun and interesting because they're two youtubers who I don't know a ton about beyond their Internet personality. So seeing their backstories and how they grew up and embedding those stories into making viable points about living your best life was actually fun. I thought it was a good balance between narrative and infographics and interactive activities. Again, I think my reading experience would have been really enhanced by listening to this on audio though, because I often would put this down and not touch it for a few days at at time.
Shout out to this book and GMM in general for getting me through some of the toughest moments in my life. The past 2 weeks have been awful but being able to lose myself in this book and the show has helped so much!! Will have a full review up once I have more free time and things in my life have calmed down and sorted themselves out.
Thank you Hachette Australia for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Who doesn't love Rhett & Link? And if you love Rhett & Link - you will definitely love their Book of Mythicality ! It's a book filled with laughter and curious anecdotes and they hold a special place in my heart as my favourite "internetainers".
Rhett and Link are two of the funniest guys you've probably never heard of. They host the daily YouTube show Good Mythical Morning, the podcast Ear Biscuits, have appeared on Jimmy Fallon, and created the viral "NOPE! Chuck Testa!" local taxidermy commercial.
Amidst all the hijinx, there's also a very powerful tale of staying true to yourself, and a heartwarming story of two guys who have been attached at the hip since grade school making it against all odds.
The Book of Mythicality is a cross between a coffee table book, media companion, an activity book and a memoir. That is to say, there's something for everyone in here.
I read this book along with my 8 year old, and we were both laughing out loud the whole way through.
I've been watching GMM for years (and reached a point in which I can't go to sleep during work week without seeing it and I know how weird it is to watch a morning show at night but timezones are real, bro!). Anyway, when Rhett and Link announced they'd be selling a book, I had to have it. Now, the tricky part of this, I believe, is everyone's expectations. We love the show but can the mythicality be translated into paper format? Let's see. The book is divided into very easily digestible chapters each containing a different aspect of Rhett and Link's mythical friendship. I was treating myslef a chapter a day (and failed) because I believe the book could be devoured in one sitting otherwise and it would totally spoil the suspense (which was originally created by the frickin' pre-order martyrdom and amplified by the inability of international post services' cooperation to reach my mailbox in decent amount of time). Visually, the book is an eye-candy. It's colorful, there are photographs in it and the illustrations are to die for. Your inner child will have a blast, trust me, because there are interactive segments in each chapter which will keep your brain occupied for disturbingly long. Content-wise, the book follows the chronological order of the internetainers' friendship but doesn't feel like some heavy stuff you usually encounter in biographies. It's funny, after all. But the question is: is it as funny as the show? Well, for the most part it is. It's an incredibly creative piece of literature but I can't shake off the feeling that the show is funnier. The guys are, in my opinion, better at writing scripts for the show than at writing a book when it comes to fun level. But only by a little bit. I still enjoyed the book a lot.
I really enjoyed this and I love their shows on YouTube. I am a Mythical beast!
I don’t recommend this for anyone who is unfamiliar with Rhett & Link. I also don’t recommend reading this on a kindle (although I had to because I’m broke and can’t afford to buy the book and my library only had the kindle version available.)
Their book helped me understand their background more, but it was really just like watching one of their GMM episodes.
I am a fan of their YouTube channel called Good Mythical Morning. I also listen to their podcast (Ear Biscuits). It is the only podcast I listen to as I would rather use podcast time for book listening. At work however, I cannot multitask where I would work and listen to a book. Listening to a podcast and working is somewhat different. I don't have to necessarily follow a story. It works for me.
Anyway, these are two best friends since first grade that have gone through life together and are now sharing their (mythical) life story in this fun biographical format. It's filled with so many photos from their life journey together up to and including their rise to fame as "internetainers" on YouTube. What a cool way to make a living.
It was for me, a feel good story of partnering with your best friend throughout your entire life. Makes me jealous because I wish I could have stayed in one place long enough to keep a friend for life. On the other hand though, if I hadn't moved around, I would have so many friendships.
You're along for an enjoyable life journey filled with fun.
I am going to be honest with you all. The only reason that I finished this book this weekend is because I am trying to finish up the winter reading contest with one of my local libraries. I had completely forgotten that I had started it until I was looking at my "currently reading" list and realized that I hadn't renewed this one, inevitably sending it back to the void of the digital library.
My sister and I have followed Good Mythical Morning since the beginning. I know a lot of people probably claim that, but allow me to put something into perspective for you: we watched episodes of this show huddled around an original Gateway desktop computer. You read that right. They stopped making those in 2007.
The point is that, even though I've had lulls in watching GMM throughout my life, I've always come back to it magnetically through the recommended page and the perpetual need for humor in an otherwise bleak existence. When I entered my newest resurgence of Rhett and Link appreciation, I saw them reference this book many times in older videos and decided to read it. In retrospect, I almost wish that I hadn't, although I hardly think that it is fair to "regret" an anticipated book.
I truly enjoyed the segments where it was simply our co-hosts talking about their lives and misadventures growing up. However, every single chapter in this text is accompanied by vast pages of pictures and interactive games and otherwise annoying segments. I dreaded these sections each time without fail because they took me out of the narrative immediately. I understand the drive for eccentricity and "mythicality," if you will, based on their brand. But the inserts are merely not effective and had me yearning for dialogue amidst my annoyance. I also thought that some of the humor was incredibly questionable at times, or at the very least, notions of the past were not condemned enough. The duo continues to make jokes about OCD despite Link having OCD in a way that is not really appropriate. I was also pretty shocked to see how Rhett and his wife came together when she was still in high school. "Not dating" but still flirting and acting upon emotions is still an enormous issue. I'm glad it worked out for them, but such endeavors should not be normalized.
I am still trying to settle upon a rating for this book, but I was not fond of it despite my enjoyment for the creators' show.
I really enjoyed reading this book! I've only been watching Good Mythical Morning for maybe half a year now, but Rhett and Link are two of my favorite entertainers, and I was excited for this book. It's a great insight into the lives and worldviews of the duo, and it inspires a feeling of excitement and curiosity about life. Fans of the show will appreciate the stories about Rhett and Link growing up, and about things they've done to make their lives "Mythical". I thought this book was great, and came away from it feeling excited and just happy.
I picked this book to read while my daughter was in surgery and I needed something light and funny to keep my mind off of my worries. It is meant to be light-hearted and fun and I enjoyed reading through it. The thing I love the most about Rhett and Link is how they have been best friends since 1st grade. How many people can say that?! So I'd say that they are pretty much pros at knowing how to be a good friend and so if you read between the lines a little you can get a little glimpse into what an amazing relationship these two have.
My wife and I were introduced to Good Mythical Morning in 2018 (maybe 2017) by a friend that watched the show. Though my wife enjoyed makeup and parenting blogs on YouTube, I didn’t use YouTube for anything but music. GMM changed that. We now watch the show daily, even if it’s just on in the background. I purchased the duo’s first book - Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality - shortly after becoming a fan two years ago, but have only now gotten around to reading it. It was, more or less, what I expected, and that’s not a bad thing.
This field guide is a great coffee table book. You leave it out for all to see. It looks good there next to a small cactus plant and your shopping list. Sometimes, you use it as a coaster. Flip through it at random for ideas. Yes, this is that kind of book.
Inside, you will find various courses and stories, including “Make a Bold Hair Choice,” “Eat Something That Scares You,” and “Conduct a Weird Experiment.” Some of these chapters are funny and informative, others are okay to skip. Again, remind yourself this is a coffee table book - not every chapter is going to be of interest to you. There are pages that are designed to be eye candy - they are bright, colorful, and loaded with pictures and/or fun fonts - but were a bit boring to read. Skimming was a good friend of mine off and on in this book, and that is okay! It’s not like this book is disappearing onto a shelf - it will be right here in the living room for whenever I want to look up something.
One thing I learned from reading this book is that Rhett and Link are good at writing. Granted, I have no idea how much guidance and editing they received throughout the process, but they have a great narrative style that works perfectly for this field guide. They crack jokes often and, in general, write in an airy, comforting way. I am very curious to read their fictional novel, The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek.
It was also reinforced with me that these guys are comedians and musicians (not that we get much of anything music related in this book). They are funny to read, whether the duo is discussing something from their past or just telling us how to get unlost. The earliest chapters deal most in their childhood, so you can find their friendship-centered pages there. In the later half of the book, the guys mostly talk about how to throw a good party (they offer up some awesome ideas there) and how to build your character.
I will say my favorite sections of this book talked more candidly about the guys’ marriages, like how they met and dated. It was cute and consisted of anecdotes I didn’t already know from watching the show. I also particularly enjoyed the invention pages, and those that featured fan art. And even though it ended up being a pretty boring documentary, the book even directed me to a really early YouTube film the duo released years ago: Looking for Mrs. Locklear.
Now, for those unfamiliar with Good Mythical Morning, Rhett and Link try all kinds of crap on it, like eating bull testicles or learning how to sumo wrestle from a world champion. Some of their best episodes are “Will It ___?” in which their chef concocts specialized food experiments, such as Gushers French Toast. My wife and I love these episodes where the food is actually interesting and possibly good to eat. Of course, Rhett and Link also fill most of their episodes with disgusting things you would never want to eat. But I digress. Good Mythical Morning does a lot in food and experimentation. Yes, they also do other things - like yoga with snakes, or holding musical notes with 5 Seconds of Summer - but a lot of what they do involves eating. Unfortunately, this book does not feature a chapter of recipes for some of the wildest dishes they’ve made/eaten on the show. This is not only disappointing, but a bit of a slap in the face considering that’s one of the most important aspects of their show.
I was also hoping to get more of a biography about the show’s creation, including its early days, growing its staff, getting more advanced equipment, branching out into other shows (like Mythical Kitchen, which - to be fair - wasn’t a thing until after this book was written) and so on. Instead, you get some background information about Rhett and Link growing up - which is good and all - but very little about Good Mythical Morning itself. That was a bummer.
I think a sequel needs to be written, one that goes into detail on things I listed above as missing. I think that would be a book I enjoy more. This field guide is a bit too gimmicky at times. Still, I love Good Mythical Morning, and this book presented me plenty of laughable moments, great design work, and some fun ideas. And for that, I definitely recommend it for fans of the show. And if you don’t already know these guys, then this book might just help push you in the direction of Good Mythical Morning. Trust me, the show is much wilder than this guide.
What a fun listen. I don't watch Good Mythical Morning as much as I should, but I think listening to Rhett and Link was enough to make me do it more often.
Part memoir, part self-improvement book, this is an excellent choice for those of you who feel like you've lost a little bit of your curiosity and childlike spirit. It was a good reminder for me to put effort into the things that are important to me, and that I can devote time to my creative pursuits for the sake of doing them and for no other reason.
For the uninitiated that are interested in the book, I would recommend going to YouTube and watching a little Good Mythical Morning before diving in.
About a year and a half ago while looking for something on Youtube I clicked on a completely unrelated video with a catchy title and that video turned out to be an episode of GMM. I think I watched a couple hours worth of episodes that day and although I don't watch everyday (and therefore hesitate to call myself a Mythical Beast) Rhett and Link, and GMM are always a great way for me to unwind and have a chuckle. It is something of a guilty pleasure. This book was a great addition and continuation to what they do on the show.
I am a big fan of Good Mythical Morning and I think Rhett and Link are charming as hell. I was excited to read this but also slightly concerned their humor wouldn't translate to the written word. I don't think this is as funny as a top notch GMM video but it's definitely a worthwhile read for all mythical beasts out there. Rhett and Link tell a lot of stories about their childhood together, and include plenty of adorably awkward photos. I loved the chapter about them romancing their wives (or wifes). Other highlights for me were the "throwback thanks" postcards, the bulletins from the future, and the story of Link's broken pelvis and Rhett's shrunken shirts, and of course the food chapter.
There are a lot of bright, happy pictures/visuals in this book as well. A book isn't fully able to capture the joy of Rhett and Link riffing and bantering together (or Link retching ;) ) but this is still warm and witty and fun.
I went back and forth as to whether or not I should write a review about this book. I bought it myself, so there wasn't any pressure from publisher, etc. but I have a hard enough time reviewing non-fiction, let alone non-fiction I read by choice, for my own enjoyment. But I decided to write a review about this book, less in a critical sense, and more in an "I read this book for fun" sense, if that makes any sense.
If you are not familiar with Rhett and Link, you need to remedy that immediately. They are most notably known for their daily YouTube show Good Mythical Morning and are iconic for remaining best friends since elementary school. While I have been a fan and fairly religious watcher of their show for about 3 years now, I will admit, I was skeptical about this book. Really, what else was there that I needed, or wanted, to know about these two that they hadn't already talked about on the show. As it turned out, there was a lot I didn't know I wanted to know.
The book recounts the story of how their friendship developed, the shenanigans they were a part of growing up, college, meeting their respective wives, how GMM came to be. While these topics may seem benign and ordinary, Rhett and Link tell them in extraordinary ways. Through text, comics, graphics, quizzes, games, photos and guest-written appearances, Rhett and Link share not only their life story but ways to be more Mythical in your life.
I was shocked at how well the voices of each of the narrators came through. They use a collective narration for a large portion of the book, but there are sections where Rhett and Link are talking individually. Despite the helpful tabs to show who is who, I was able to hear their voices shine through. It was as though they were narrating the book for me.
Now, I mentioned at the beginning that this wasn't going to be a critique, so excuse me if it seems like I'm rambling on about how good this book is. But like their show, Rhett and Link have somehow captured the positivity and connectivity that they exude on the show and have put it in this book. I found myself laughing along with their antics, smiling with their heartfelt recollections of falling in love with their wives, and experiencing a bittersweet goodbye when the book came to an end. This may all sound cheesy but frankly, I don't care. In a world so full of negativity, it was nice to sit down and enjoy a little bit of light-hearted fun, and I think that is what makes them and the show so popular.
Overall, I do believe that whether you are a dedicated fan or if you are someone who has just stumbled upon this book, you will truly enjoy the stories Rhett and Link tell and will find yourself trying to make your life a little bit more mythical.
Let me start by saying I've been watching Good Mythical Morning for.. maybe two years before reading this book, so I was quite endeared by the two of them. I originally purchased this book for 3 reasons: the first was because it was a signed copy, the second because I wanted to know their secrets to building a strong friendship, and third because I was hoping that, somehow, their words could help me learn to better deal with my anxiety and depression.
I learned a lot about them that I didn't know and read some interesting experiences that they've had. There's actually a lot more stories than there are images, which kind of surprised me, but I'm not disappointed by that. I really enjoyed reading about their lives, and there were even a few interactive pages! For example, there was the LCT, or Laugh Compatibility Test, which I took with my mom and received a score of 3. There's also a Love Line Match Up, where you match quotes and lyrics to their respective speakers, along with a variety of other quirky things to experience!
I feel like this book got me thinking a lot about things. It spoke to me on a deep level and I feel like I've grown as a person just from reading it. I hope in the future I can apply some of their tips and tricks to help my own life be more mythical. You don't have to be a fan of their YouTube show, Good Mythical Morning, to read this book, though it does help. Even if you go into it knowing nothing about them, I bet you'll be a fan and want to check out their show afterward! They are both creative and inspiring individuals that have brought a whole new meaning to being mythical.
To that, I'm eternally grateful and will forever remain their fan, a true mythical beast.
Rhett and Link have a show on YouTube called Good Mythical Morning, as well as other podcasts and things. I have never watched anything of Rhett and Links. Really, I don't think I have even seen their Red House Furniture commercial, which went viral several years ago. My brother was a little obsessed with it for a while, so I don't know how I avoided it, but I'm pretty sure I did.
One of my sisters has recently started watching and listening to Rhett and Link and sought out the book when she heard about it. Of course, as with anything you enjoy, you want to share it with others, so she read me some snippets of the book. And it was hilarious, so I decided to give it a read myself.
There is something kind of magical about a friendship that has lasted 30+ years. Rhett and Link talk about their friendship in this book, highlighting some of the more ridiculous things they have done over the years, and give some surprising doses of wisdom along with the stories. It's always a good thing to be both entertained and inspired.
You would likely find this most interesting if you are a fan of GMM, but I don't think you necessarily have to be a big fan to enjoy it. And now that I have finished the book, maybe I will check out their show. Who knows.
Rhett and Link are YouTube Stars. I'm a bit out of the loop, as I thought they were fringe internet personalities, but when I told my friends I was reading this book they assured me that they were genuine celebrities.
I don't watch their YouTube channel, though I've stumbled on it a number of times (especially in my undergrad days), and so going into this book I didn't really know much of their lingo, inside jokes, and what their daily show is about. I'm definitely not the target audience - but oh boy did I have fun.
Part biography, part non-fiction thoughtful meandering, part story-telling exercise, this book is a collection of thoughts and anecdotes around the concept of Mythicality, which - as far as I can tell - is a word they made up to describe the kinds of things they like, enjoy, and find funny. If you have a similar sense of humor as the authors, you'll probably find the book really funny as well.
Scattered throughout are some very touching stories (chief among them, the time they filled a hot tub full of honey nut cheerios) and, if you squint really, really hard you might even find a valuable life lesson or two.
Audiobook was read by the authors, so that helped. I laughed, and I highly enjoyed this one!
Rhett and Link's Book of Mythicality is exactly what you would expect from the internetainers (internet entertainers), Rhett and Link. It is amazing. This book is all about how you can live your life with Mythicality. This word made up by the hilarious personalities mean "the quality or state of being that embodies a synergistic coalescence of curiosity, creativity and tomfoolery, ideally experienced in the context of friendship and intended to bring goodwill to the universe." They explain how to obtain Mythicality through personal stories that give insight on how to have fun and creative while making others happy. In my opinion, Rhett and Link's personalities seen in videos are translated here perfectly and capture what makes them enjoyable to watch in the other medium. Over all, Rhett and Link's Book of Mythicality really resonates with me and I think that it will for the rest of my life. I would recommend this read to anyone who has been feeling down or wants to be inspired because it definitely inspired me to think differently about almost everything.
I don't normally, if ever pick up non-fiction books, but I've been following Rhett and Link on GMM for about 2 years now and thought I'd give their book a shot seen as though I'm a fan of their show (and because I was gifted the book for Christmas).
I'm going to be honest and say that I was worried going in that it would be mostly just be background information on their friendship and life leading up to the production of Good Mythical Morning, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that while it did have that, it also had a bunch of other content such as Party Tips, Character Building: The Board Game, and A Letter From The Future, all of which made me feel like I was reading scripts for some of their episodes which I thought was pretty cool.
Overall, If you enjoy watching GMM and want to learn more about Rhett and Link and have some laughs along the way, I highly suggest you pick this book up.
This book has endearing passages of the lives of Rhett and Link and some funny passages. But it's also a reminder for me on how I should not buy books just because they have an incredibly good rating if the authors also have a very strong social following. I feel the current rating of the book (4.3) is probably only relevant to those already familiar with Rhett and Link. For me expecting an original "field guide to curiosity, creativity and tomfoolery" and then receiving what I felt was too much a recounting of their online personas and shenanigans was a bit of a let down. (I was promised tomfoolery, not shenanigans dangit!)
You have to be fans of Rhett and Link to read this book, or else, it won't really make any sense and you probably won't enjoy it and it won't be funny to you. But, me being fans of them and watching their show, GMM (Good Mythical Morning) for awhile, I understood this book and it was enjoyable as well as funny for me.
GMM is a really fun show and Rhett and Link are both two really fun guys, so this book was just packed full of fun, which I appreciated.
Overall, I really like this book and I recommend it to fans of them and/or people who watch GMM on a daily basis, or people who have at least seen GMM a few times and know a few things about them.
While not a long time subscriber to their Internetainment, I have been watching Rhett and Link on Good Mythical Morning for at least a year now. They post funny and entertaining daily videos that are a great way to start any day. It turns out that my brother also watches this show (we rarely have anything in common), and so when I saw he had the book I had to borrow it.
The main reason I gave this book 5 stars is because it is one of the only books I can read a billion times and not get bored with because of the funny stories the authors told about their childhood. I also gave this book 5 stars because the authors make my favorite YouTube show Good Mythical Morning. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys watching their show on YouTube because the book tells you how they make the show, funny stories from Rhett and Link's childhood, and more.
Absolutely love this book. I will definitely be rereading this at some point. This book made me feel nostalgic for the days when my friends and I would do the sort of weird, fun, goofy, ridiculous stuff that this book encourages it's readers to go out and do. It poked at the sleeping bear of creativity and now I just want to go out and do something. If you are a creative, or someone who likes to stumble away from the ordinary, or a human at all, read this book.