Will every joke and funny story in Demetri Martin’s This Is a Book (Grand Central, $14.99) leave you writhing with laughter? No, probably not. The cumulative effect, though, of reading Martin’s observations, such as that “99.99% of all castles in America are located in fish tanks,” cartoons, palindromes, stories (one about a bee sting told from the points of view of the target, the bee, the rolled up newspaper, a squirrel, a tree, etc.), a scene detailing the arrival of an alien commander who refuses to speak with anyone except Miss Universe, lists, graphs, and many strikingly peculiar contributions, including an ingenious crossword puzzle where every answer is the same letter, will stimulate wonder, awe, a little head-scratching, and yes, very likely, a few laughs.