humor

As readers, we all understand the joy of browsing at a bookstore.  Shiny displays with the full book jacket in clear view; it’s like looking at bulk bins of candy. While browsing at a public library might not excite the same sense of wonder, I would like to suggest you give it a try. In browsing at the library, you stand a chance of finding the most wonderful of treats; the hidden gem.

At a bookstore, the author with the most powerful publisher is the author whose book you see on the table by the front door, at checkout and directly at eye level.  But at the public library, John Grisham gets

In The Complete Talking Heads, British playwright Alan Bennett has written twelve monologues about ordinary people dealing with personal crisis. First produced for BBC television in 1987, they were broadcast on American public television as part of its Masterpiece Theatre program. In "Bed Among the Lentils" a vicar's wife with a fondness for drink discovers happiness with an Indian shop owner. In "A Cream Cracker Under the Settee" an elderly woman, living alone,  suffers a debilitating fall and wonders whether the only place left for her is a nursing home. In "A Chip in the Sugar" middle-aged

H.G. Wells is best known for his works of science fiction but he also wrote domestic comic novels, one being The History of Mr. Polly. Like his author, Alfred Polly is born into the suburban lower-middle-class of early 20th century England , a class known for its conservatism, restrictiveness, and respectability. As a boy, Alfred attends a National School where he receives a poor education but at age thirteen, he discovers reading and its joys. Adventure stories and comics are his favorites. Then at fourteen, Alfred's father decides that his son needs to start earning a living so he is

Fans of Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck will be delighted to find the same wit and good humor in I Remember Nothing. For who, if not Nora Ephron, would name her cowlick Aruba after the Caribbean Island where the trees all grow sideways from the strong wind. You don’t have to have an Aruba of your own to appreciate Ephron’s Aruba. Nor do you have to have worked as a clipper, love buying movie tickets ahead of time online, or share your name with a meatloaf to find a little of yourself in Ephron’s essays.  Ephron herself reads the audio beautifully.

Kimberlee Auerbach is hilarious.  She won’t admit it, though.  Oh, sure, she’ll tell you about stalking a boyfriend’s ex, about an ill-fated high school campaign slogan, about constant reminders that she hates her job and is still not married, and, finally, about the tarot card reader she called on to figure it all out.  She’ll freely tell you about her neuroses and her most embarrassing moments (some are definitely, um, adult oriented), but she won’t tell you about her genius, her comedic timing, or her so beguiling self deprecation.  She’ll let you discover and read through those parts on

In this first book of what author Adriana Trigiani intends to be a trilogy (book two is already published), the reader is introduced to Valentine Roncalli and her large, boisterous Italian-American family.  Valentine is pass the age where she should have been married with children, according to most of her family, but she has decided to devote her energy to preserving the handmade custom shoe shop in New York's Greenwich Village that was established by her mother's grandfather when he immigrated from Italy.  This isn't easy, as the declining economy has taken its toll on the custom shoe

After an adult Halpern moves in with his parents, he starts tweeting things his Dad says. In short order so many people are following his tweets that the media contacts him for interviews and appearances. Those tweets are compiled and found in Sh*t My Dad Says.  While I found most of the things his father says hilarious, I appreciate that some people are disturbed, not only by the foul language he uses, but the manner in which he addresses his children. For me, what saves the book from condemnation is that when told in context, it is obvious that Halpern Sr. loves his children. This is not

Carter Finally Gets It is one of the funniest books I've read in some time.  The story is about a 14 year old boy and his struggles through his freshman year of high school. If you attended a public high school you will enjoy this story.    I'm glad I didn't read it while my sons where in highschool. I would have had nightmares.                                                            
From the back of the book there is a "WARNING: This book contains lewd humor, underage drinking, illicit fantasizing and very bad decision-making." It's also available on CD, the reader (Nick Podehl)

This is a silly book. While playing the trivia game of Balderdash, Englishman Rich Smith encounters a question concerning an obscure American law.  After a small amount of research, Rich decides to travel to America with his friend Luke Bateman and break some laws. Upon arriving in San Francisco, he and his friend rent a car and spend fifty days traveling across the United States while attempting to break twenty-five different dumb laws. They spend much of each evening visiting local night clubs. By the time they conclude their trip,  they succeed in breaking 18 laws. A few of the laws that

This Is Where I Leave You is about death, divorce and dysfunction and it is hilarious. Shorty after Judd's wife leaves him for his boss, Judd’s father dies and his mother announces that his father’s last wish was for the family to observe shiva, a seven day mourning period during which friends and family visit the home of the bereaved. Seven days is a long time to be cooped up in your childhood home. Judd and his three grown siblings revert to their familial roles and no one is safe from rehashing the humiliations and pain of adolescence. Jonathan Tropper reminds me a lot of author Pete Dexter

Major Pettigrew would never have a Facebook page. He would be absolutely horrified by the Jackass and Borat movies. Discreet, polite, always a gentleman, Major Pettigrew is a man to be counted upon. The Major is rather alone, recently widowed and infrequently visited by his son Roger who is most interested in clawing up the corporate ladder and pleasing his long-legged, American girlfriend. The Major's brother Bertie dies unexpectedly and leaves the Major to negotiate with his widowed sister-in-law over a pair of magnificent hunting rifles, very valuable hunting rifles that the widow and Roger

I have been a fan of Augusten's for quite some time. I have read all of his books and enjoyed almost all of those books. This latest memoir was a disappointment. I looked for the humor and the heartbreak that his previous memoirs had, but this one fell short. I found myself not wanting to continue, but I had to (because I am a librarian after all).
This memoir is one of Christmas memories-none of them memorable to anyone but Augusten.
I found myself bored and uninterested in any of the characters he wrote about. In fact, I think the most interesting story is about a French-speaking Santa Claus

So this weekend I went to see possibly one of the best movies ever!!! I might even go so far as to say that this is the best book-to-movie adaptation I have ever seen. But before I start fawning over it I will give you a quick background. Scott Pilgrim vs the World is based on the Scott Pilgrim books by Bryan O'Malley which I have blogged about before. Like all the classics this is the story of boy-meets-girl. 23-year-old Scott Pilgrim lives in Toronto, Canada. I am not sure that "lives" is the right word...he resides in Toronto but he is not really living. He has no job, no ambition and the

Jeeves and the Mating Season by P. G. Wodehouse
This title is one of many of Wodehouse’s Ask Jeeves titles. It has all the same elements of the other Jeeves titles with mayhem and mix up in the social lives of English gentlemen who have nothing better to do with their time than appease aunts, act in local drama productions, chase after their "one true love," steel pictures, and hide behind couches. This particular title has Bertie and his friends “trading places” in order to protect one of them from the wrath of the aunts. A fun, easy summer read that won’t disappoint the Jeeves lovers!

Set in small town Tula Springs, Louisiana, Modern Baptists is the story of middle-aged bachelor Bobby Pickens who decides to let his recently released ex-con half-brother move in with him. Bobby makes this decision because he thinks he is dying of melanoma and there will be no one to mourn his death. After half-brother F.X. moves in, Bobby learns that he doesn't have cancer after all. But it's too late to dislodge F.X., who has settled in for the long term. F.X.'s aim in life is to be a celebrity--preferably a film star but after getting caught selling cocaine while working at a dinner theatre

I read It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini years ago but the story has always stuck with me, I think it was something I could really relate to. It's about a guy who is at the top of his class at his public school. He is a pretty competitive person (at least academically) and he desperately wants to get into this very elite prep school, probably more for the challenge of getting accepted than actually going.

Well he makes it into the school, but unlike his public school this one is filled with geniuses. This is when he begins to think that perhaps he isn't all that smart, isn't all that

Ignatz Award winning The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and other stories is a collection of webcomics and newspaper comic strips from the inventive creator, Nicholas Gurewitch.

Unlike most comic strips there is no recurring cast of characters, no consistent art style, subject or theme. From generic cartoony figures to detailed Edward Gorey-esque drawings the artist varies styles to fit the subject or purposefully mislead the reader by contrasting art style and joke. The Trial of Colonel Sweeto covers a variety of subjects and isn't afraid to be risque. A lot of the punch of the strips come from the

I just finished one of the best series of graphic novels I have ever read, the Scott Pilgrim series. It began when I saw a preview for the upcoming movie and I thought, "gee, that seems interesting." So I checked out the books, I had no idea what I was in for. Although the series starts out a little slow, and it takes a little bit to recognize each character on site (helped by handy name tags every so often), it picks up quickly. It is a non-stop action and romance packed series about the poor, and unemployed Scott Pilgrim. Scott doesn't really have much going for him, he lives with his gay

Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) died April 21, 1910. A century later, the humorist, lecturer and writer continues to cast a long shadow over American literature.

The choice of the metaphor is deliberate. For while much of Twain's writing was funny, even hilarious, his work also displays a great deal of melancholy and pathos. The darker qualities became more prevalent as the author aged, partly because of personal losses (the deaths of two of his daughters and his wife) and partly because he developed a bleaker view of the human condition.

This Library of America edition, though, presents a

I suppose I should start by admitting that before I picked up this book I had no idea who Kathy Griffin is. And, having given a celebrity tell-all or two a try I am not usually drawn to them. In fact, I avoid them. Official Book Selection, however, is well worth making an exception for. I got hooked while reading the captions of the photos and belly-laughing in the relative quiet of the public library. I couldn’t put it down. Luckily, the audio was there and Griffin’s reading makes the book that much more enjoyable. Being a professional comedian lends itself to writing and reading an

Carl Hiaasen's children's book, Scat is written in the traditional Hiaasen flavor which blends humor, suspense, action adventure and heroism all thrown together in the Florida swampland. All of us, at one time or another, have encountered scary teachers and found ourselves in unfair situations. Bunny Starch, the biology teacher, struck fear in the hearts of every student until one day on a biology field trip to the Black Vine Swamp, she mysteriously disappeared. Nick and Marta, two of Bunny's students, set out to solve the mystery. Ed Asner narrates this 9 hour and 18 minute CD Audio. Both

Rhoda Janzen has it all. She has her Ph.D, her Prada and her lake house. She also has a very handsome husband, Nick, who has just left her for a man named Bob that he met on gay.com. If that isn't enough, Rhoda is involved in a serious car accident one short week after learning about Bob. How can this possibly be one of the funniest memoirs I've read to date? Well, Rhoda is also a Mennonite and although she long ago departed the faith, she wisely returns to her childhood home to heal. Her mother's unwavering love and the Mennonites devotion to serving others leaves Rhoda no time to sit on her

Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn is narrated by Chet the dog, sometimes known as Chet the Jet. Chet and Bernie are partners in the Little Detective Agency. Both have less than stellar law enforcement careers. Chet failed completion of the K-9 course—something to do with a cat and leaping, but the details are not revealed. As the tail (tale) begins, Bernie and Chet are experiencing a cash flow problem, when the mother of a missing teenage girl requests their services. Chet and Bernie are not fond of working domestic cases, but they agree to a least consider this one

There is a trend online to find your favorite unsung books, books that you love but aren't widely read. The criteria that I am using is to look at my Goodreads account and any book that I have given 5 stars to that has been read by less than 500 people. Here is my list of unsung books!

Swim the Fly by Don Calame

Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching

There were three reasons why I picked up Fancy White Trash. At first, the cover with a pink flamingo caught my attention and then I was intrigued by the title. When I found out that the book had been selected by the American Library Association's for their 2009 Best Books for Young Adults List and I made a decision to give it a try. As soon as I read the first couple pages, I was hooked.

This debut novel is a lighthearted and hilarious read. Fifteen-year-old Abby Savage is determined to find true love and especially not to repeat family's history of dating and getting pregnant. Therefore, she

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first of a series by Jeffry Lindsay. Dexter Morgan is not your average serial killer. His foster father Harry was in the police force, and recognized Dexter's dark side from an early age. Harry taught Dexter to live by a code that would keep his inner monster hidden from others, only turning it loose for the good of humankind. Dexter learned to only let his Dark Passenger satisfy its need for killing by letting it play with those who deserved to die; those who harmed and killed the innocent. Helping the law catch bad guys by day as a Blood Spatter Analyst

I gave this book 5 stars on my Goodreads account. Pete Dexter is a very funny writer. The opening scene of a botched burial at sea sets the stage. Even more wonderful is the character, Calmer who becomes Spooner's step-dad while Spooner is still a young boy. As him name implies, Calmer is a humble man of infinite love and patience whose steadfast dedication to Spooner and his family make all the difference in the world. If we could all nurture and influence one person in just such the way Calmer does Spooner our lives would not be in vain.

Oliver Watson is not your typical eighth grade student. He is actually a genius well on his way to world domination, and incidentally, unspeakably evil as well. Naturally, in order to protect himself, he must pretend to be a moron of vast proportions; and no one, neither his parents nor his classmates suspect a thing. Out of sheer spite for his father, Oliver decides to run for class president. In the end he discovers that the thing we loath the most in the world is the very thing that can bring us peace.

From the executive producer of The Daily Show and a Simpsons and NewsRadio contributor

Carter is ready to start high school. His plans include hooking up with all the hot girls (and loosing his virginity ASAP), being the kicker on the football team, and becoming the most popular guy in school. And things seem to be going along as planned, he is the kicker for the freshman team, he hasn't been shoved in a locker yet, and he has hooked up with "chubby" Abbey who isn't so chubby anymore.

But everything goes down the drain when Carter, in an attempt to impress his friends, takes some artistic liberties with his description of a date with Abbey. Word gets out and Abbey gets mad

Ok. I admit it. I am addicted. I was pretty skeptical when ABC Family announced that they were going to make a TV show out of one of my favorite 90's movies. I was ready to hate it. I almost didn't watch the premier. But somehow I ended sitting in front of my TV at 7pm on July 7th tuning into ABC Family. And even more unbelievable is that I liked it!I was ready to hate all the characters. Who could play Kat better than Julia Stiles, who could be Patrick Verona except the talented Heath Ledger? Lindsey Shaw does a great job playing a Kat who is both strong and lovingly stupid at times, Ethan