Here's the unfortunate truth, which I'm putting right up top: Mindy Kaling's new book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), is not laugh-out-loud funny. It's more...amusing. Maybe you read the excerpt from the book that was published in The New Yorker a few weeks back? Like that. Interesting, humorous, and written in a strong voice, but just not hilarious. Bear in mind, please, that I say this as a big Kaling fan. I generally find her to be the funniest part of The Office, and she's often the best (bit) part of the crappy movies she appears in.

And there's nothing wrong with being amusing. It's not Kaling's fault that her book was published immediately after Tina Fey's hilarious Bossypants. (Kaling all but apologizes for not being Fey in the first chapter.) Hanging Out is less like a standup routine and more like a memoir, with off-topic comedic interludes. Kaling addresses (with a fair amount of candor) what it was like being a young female actress/writer in New York City in the beginning of the new millenium. Her account of writing and producing her breakthrough play, Matt & Ben—about the friendship of Affleck and Damon—is great stuff. (Kaling played Affleck, and I would love to see that play one day.) It's a friendly, chatty, and charming book. But if you're looking to split your sides with laughter, you'll want to look elsewhere.

Kaling is signing Hanging Out today at University Book Store at 2 pm. She'll be a special guest at Rainn Wilson's big hootenanny at the Paramount tonight, too. She will be funny.