Posts tagged with humor
Money For Nothing, by P.G. Wodehouse
P.G. Wodehouse had his flaws. Even if one separates the art from the artist, his stories routinely feature contradictory character backgrounds, bewildering British-to-American editing choices, and a LOT of recycled one-liners. None of those put much of a dent in his reputation as the funniest English writer in history, but if you're fussy about details, you might be better off sticking with his standalone work...
Agaton Sax and the Diamond Thieves, by Nils-Olof Franzen
As a lifelong fan of detective stories written for children, from Nate the Great to Bad Machinery, I was excited to hear about the recent reprints of Nils-Olof Franzen's Agaton Sax novels, a beloved but long out-of-print Swedish pastiche of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I had heard of these books, but only found one vintage edition—Agaton Sax and the Diamond Thieves—that was both in decent shape and affordable...
Treasury of the Lost Litter Box, by Darby Conley
I really enjoyed Darby Conley's comic strip Get Fuzzy, which ran in my local paper for more than a decade, and my family still routinely refers back to his joke about how you can “verb anything”. Conley and his strip disappeared about five years ago, much to my chagrin, but when I recently ran across a copy of his Treasury of the Lost Litter Box collection...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Treasury of the Lost Litter Box, by Darby Conley
Our current Book Giveaway is Treasury of the Lost Litter Box, a collection of Darby Conley's late (or at least on indefinite hiatus) and much-lamented comic strip Get Fuzzy. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 11/09/19...
Another Fine Myth, by Robert Asprin
I hunted down a copy of Robert Asprin's Another Fine Myth after reading an absolutely glowing review of it on NPR. When I hear about a book described as a “joyous dad-joke fantasy”, I'm interested. Sadly, I found NPR's description to be a bit hyperbolic; Asprin's novel is more like a mildly amusing novelization of a D&D game.
That Ain't Witchcraft, by Seanan McGuire
That Ain't Witchcraft is the eighth novel in Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series, and the author deserves all the fun-book awards: she keeps trotting out installment after installment, each just as lively, imaginative, and entertaining as the others. I've read more impressive standalone fantasies, but I can't remember another series delivering so consistently and fast...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Bride Test, by Helen Hoang
Our first July Book Giveaway is Helen Hoang's The Bride Test, which sounds like a very ambitious romance novel: there's an arranged marriage! Multicultural characters! A hero on the autism spectrum! I have no idea how it will turn out, but I applaud Ms. Hoang for going big. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 7/5/19...
Yotsuba&!, Vol. 14, by Kiyohiko Azuma
It's been years since I read a volume of Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsuba&!, and even longer since I've reviewed one. Part of that is due to the author's extremely intermittent publishing schedule (there was a three-year gap between his last two books), but a lot of it was because it took me a long, loooong time to adjust to the editorial changes that took place between the fifth and sixth volumes...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Yotsuba&!, Vol. 14, by Kiyohiko Azuma
This week's Book Giveway is the 14th volume of Kiyohiko Azuma's universally beloved Yotsuba&!. It's taken me years, but I've finally adjusted (mostly) to the new publisher and their translation style, so I think I can give this a fair shake. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 7/5/19...
Young Men in Spats, by P.G. Wodehouse
The last book I reviewed left me convinced we're all about to die, so this week I wanted something soothing—and soothing, for me, usually means P.G. Wodehouse. I picked up a copy of Young Men in Spats, a collection of Drones Club, Mulliner, and Uncle Fred short stories, and, while definitely not the author's most impressive work, it did its anxiety-reducing job...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Young Men in Spats, by P.G. Wodehouse
After our latest Book Giveaway, I decided to balance things out with little P.G. Wodehouse: our current book on offer is his short story collection Young Men in Spats. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 5/10/19...
No, but thanks!
Well, this is nice: I was just wondering what Michael Buckley was up to, and the internet kindly provided an exciting answer! Apparently, Buckley and his young son Finn have co-written a choose-your-own-adventure book called Lenny the Lobster Can't Stay For Dinner...
Smooth Criminals: Issues 1 & 2, by Kurt Lustgarten and Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith
I had hopes for Smooth Criminals, the second comic from the creators of Misfit City. Unfortunately, there is an art to pacing a comic series that creators Kurt Lustgarten and Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith still haven't mastered, and...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Royal We, by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks
This week's Book Giveaway is The Royal We, by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks (of Go Fug Yourself fame). This book came out several years ago, and I've always meant to read it, but there was a long, drawn-out battle between my love for Ms. Morgan and Ms. Cocks' writing and my fundamental disapproval of royalty...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, by Christina Lauren
This week's Book Giveaway is Christina Lauren's new romance Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating. A full review will follow shortly, and please note: due to a bunch of overdue postings, this giveaway will run through October 12th...
Royals, by Rachel Hawkins
I have no idea if Rachel Hawkins timed the release of her new book Royals to coincide with the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or if it was just a happy accident, but either way people looking for a little more royal-wedding action have absolutely lucked out...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Royals, by Rachel Hawkins
If you're going through Royal Wedding withdrawal, we have just the book for you: we're currently giving away a copy of Rachel Hawkins's new YA novel Royals. Sure, this book is pure fluff, but it does feature embarrassing relatives, snotty aristocrats, silly hats, and an American/royal engagement, so the parallels are uncanny, at least as far as I'm concerned. A full review will follow shortly...
Wodehouse on Crime: A Dozen Tales of Fiendish Cunning, by P.G. Wodehouse
During a recent trip to Powell's Books in Portland, OR, I picked up Wodehouse on Crime: A Dozen Tales of Fiendish Cunning, an oddly packaged collection of P.G. Wodehouse stories edited by D.R. Bensen. Wodehouse on Crime features stories from all over the Wodehouse universe: Jeeves and Wooster, Mulliner, Lord Emsworth, Ukridge. Wodehouse was perhaps the furthest thing on Earth from a hardboiled crime writer, but a surprising number of his plots hinge...
A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears, by Jules Feiffer
In a world bursting with children's stories that feel like they were designed by an algorithm to appeal to the widest possible audience, Jules Fieffer's A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears stands out. It's a genuinely weird book, and I'd bet cash money it never would have found a publisher had it been written by a less well-known author...
Weekly Book Giveaway: A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears, by Jules Feiffer
This week's Book Giveaway is Jules Feiffer's 1995 children's book A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears. You'd be forgiven for thinking this is one of those deeply weird, self-published books (because that's what it looks like), but I promise that is only half true. A full review will follow shortly.
So useful!
If you have a spare moment, I encourage you to check out this handy chart that allows you to "describe yourself like a male author would". You no longer need to think up synonyms for "voluptuous"; this chart does it for you...
Nisekoi Vol. 1, by Naoshi Komi
Naoshi Komi's Nisekoi is the manga equivalent of vanilla frozen yogurt: a sub-par take on an already boring flavor. It's not wholly unreadable, but it would be so easy to find something better...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Nisekoi Vol. 1, by Naoshi Komi
This week's Book Giveaway is the first volume of Naoshi Komi's series Nisekoi, originally serialized in Shonen Jump magazine. The back cover promises a "laugh-out-loud feel-good" time. (Here's hoping this series can deliver on all those hyphens.) A full review will follow shortly...
Rivers of London: Body Work, by Ben Aaronovitch
Ben Aaronovitch has many of the same strengths and weaknesses as Janet Evanovich: his Rivers of London mysteries rarely make much sense, but they don't need to. His fans read them for the characters, his distinctive sense of humor, and setting, not the cleverly-laid clues...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Rivers of London: Body Work, by Ben Aaronovitch
This week's Book Giveaway is Body Work, the first graphic novel spin-off from Ben Aaronovitch's highly entertaining (if occasionally problematic) Rivers of London series. Body Work is co-written by Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, and illustrated by Lee Sullivan. A full review will be posted soon...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Duchess Deal, by Tessa Dare
And the last title in our month of romance-themed Book Giveaways is Tessa Dare's The Duchess Deal, the first installment in her 'Girl Meets Duke' series. (I fully approve of that series title, by the way. Evocative!) A full review will follow shortly, but already I feel confident saying that this will appeal to fans of Julia Quinn and Suzanne Enoch...
The Hating Game, by Sally Thorne
Sally Thorne's The Hating Game borrows heavily from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I applaud Ms. Thorne's taste in inspirational material, but her book serves as a reminder of how much more there is to Pride and Prejudice than than the romantic storyline. Don't get me wrong: I'm as big a Lizzy/Darcy shipper as the next nerd, but if you stripped their story down to a series of squabbles, mistakes, and inept courting, it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying...
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories, by Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris's The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories is a collection of nine short stories and a novella. I'm not sure how hardcore Sookie Stackhouse junkies will feel about this book, but as a casual fan I actually found it more fun than a full-length novel—it offers a tantalizing glimpse of Harris's characters and world-building, but you get to skim over all the tedious background drama created by thirteen books' worth of storytelling...
Weekly Book Giveaway: A Spoonful of Magic, by Irene Radford
This week's Book Giveaway is Irene Radford's latest novel, A Spoonful of Magic. I haven't even opened it yet, but the cover art features a smorgasbord of all the stuff I need to get through what is turning out to be an extremely wet, blustery day: a plaid shirt, glitter, and the suggestion of potential baked goods. A full review will follow shortly...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero
This week's Book Giveaway is Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids, which has a great cover and an even greater hook: it's being sold as a subverted, grown-up version of works like Scooby-Do, The Hardy Boys, and Enid Blyton's "Famous Five" series. I have no idea how well that combination will actually work, but it sounds like my idea of note-perfect Halloween reading. A full review will follow shortly...