Comfort Reads discussion

Do you have a book that puts a smile on your face or makes you laugh out loud every time? Please share it with us.

I find that humour (yes, notice the Canadian spelling, eh) can be found in many genres. One series that I often revisit if I want both a combination of humour (satire and parody) and fantasy is the "Thursday Next" series by Jasper Fforde. And, for light comic book reading, I often read and reread the "For Better or for Worse" collection by Lynn Johnston.

I loved For Better or for Worse. There's something comforting about comics in which the characters age and change. I like Fables: Legends in Exile and Dykes to Watch Out for for that reason as well.

Here's a few from my funny shelf:

Anything by P.G. Wodehouse.

Queen Lucia is the first in a great series by E.F. Benson.

I also got quite a few laughs out of Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons when I read it last year.

Oh, so many, including many I could put/have put in other genres, but I think my very favorite is The Complete Far Side 1980-1994.

Any Calvin & Hobbes compilation.

One of the funniest stories I have ever read is The Black Bonspiel of Willie MacCrimmon by W.O. Mitchell. Even if you don't care much or know much about curling, the story of Willie MacCrimmon's curling bonspiel against the Devil (and his team of Judas, MacBeth and Guy Fawkes) is hilarious; I almost die laughing every time I reread it.

I have to say Terry Pratchett. When he's funny, it's laugh-out-loud.

I've got to read some of Terry Pratchett; that's one author I have heard so much about, but never tried. Any suggestion about which book to choose for an introduction?

Gundula, thanks for mentioning the curling book. It looks so funny. I've just added it.

I'm a fan of Pratchett as well although I haven't read as much by him as I would like.
Generally speaking, most Pratchett readers discourage anyone starting with the two first books in the Discworld series (The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic) but then it's all about taste. I would suggest Mort, Guards! Guards! or Going Postal.

Going Postal, The Truth and Thief of Time are all stand-alone books that give you a good idea of how Pratchett writes. The easiest introduction to Pratchett would be his YA books The Wee Free Men or The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents.

I concur with Christina about his earliest books, they aren't his best. Her other suggestions are good, too. (I love Pratchett!)

Thanks for the recommendations, and I hope you like the curling book. I think that it has also been released as both a radio play and a theater play, but I have only ever been able to locate the book I mentioned.

I've added the curling book to my tbr list. It sounds funny. Never seen a book about curling.

I mentioned this somewhere else, but any Pratchett audio books read by Stephen Briggs are fantastic. He is a great performer, especially for the Wee Free Men.

Jeannette, I had never before seen a book about curling, either, and it was hilarious. And, you can enjoy it even if you don't know much or even really like curling. I've added a few of your and Christina's Terry Pratchett book suggestions to my ever expanding, forever growing and evolving to-read list. I just joined GR in November, and already my book list is out of control (and I have not even added all of the books I have already read).

I know what you mean about the tbr pile! I have also been reading books for various groups' discussions, but now I've decided just to read books that sound enjoyable and skip most of the discussion groups that began to dictate what I was reading. This group that Lee started has really suggested a lot of good books!

I grew up in Detroit, so I actually watched curling on television when I was a kid (on CBC). I also remember watching a lot of Bowling, too. lol I hope my local library has the book.

I have to admit that the group discussions are still better than dry academic readings, and it is nice to get some information, discussion etc. flowing between individuals (they might see something that you don't). However, I would also not be keen on joining a very dictatorial discussion or group (too much like school or university).

I hope you're able to find the book.

I knew I worded my post awkwardly. I just meant that I have gotten so many great book suggestions from GR that I want to start reading them and stop trying to read books for discussion only. I will, of course, continue with Jane Austen to discuss Emma. And, I am having a discussion on the Terry Pratchett fansite "Cult of Anoia." I just think I'll pass on the rest of the discussion groups and stick to commenting on threads like this one! Too many books and not enough time in the day! :)

Oh, I know, and I would love to join the discussion on Emma, but there is no way I am going to be able to finish (or even start) that because I cannot even remember where I've put my copy.

We will be discussing the newest BBC adaptation, too, so you can join in there, too! I'm looking forward to it.

I recently finished That's Me in the Middle: Volume Two of the Bandy Papers by Donald Jack. I laughed so hard that my family thought I was going over the edge. My husband is reading it now, and can't keep from giggling either. I'm trying to locate the first one in that "Bandy" series, but haven't been able to yet. Despite the humour, the book has serious undertones about WW1 and the carnage wrought by incompetent leaders.

For me, it's Dave Barry. He makes me literally laugh out loud!

Chandra, Do you have specific Sedaris or Twain books (other than Huckleberry Finn) that are particular favorites?

One of the funniest Mark Twain books I've ever read is his travel book about Europe, A Tramp Abroad. I love the part about "the awful German Language." I've used photocopies of this when I was teaching German as a teaching assistant; it always got plenty of howling laughter (but, some of of my professors did not like us T.A.'s doing this, I guess they had no sense of humour).

I thought it was hilarious. I've also always loved word jokes or books about language bloopers. My two favourites (in English) are Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language and More Anguished English: an Expose of Embarrassing Excruciating, and Egregious Errors in English by Richard Lederer. They never fail to leave me giggling helplessly.

Gundula, I read the first Anguished English book and really enjoyed it. I'll definitely consider reading the second book.

Gundula wrote: "One of the funniest Mark Twain books I've ever read is his travel book about Europe, A Tramp Abroad. I love the part about "the awful German Language." I've used photocopies of this..."

I love the bit where he discusses verbs with their prefixes at the ends of extremely long and complicated paragraphs!

Yeah, too funny, but so true as well (as anyone who has ever read Thomas Mann in German will verify).

I adore Adrian Mole! The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole are the first two. Very dated, and very British so a lot of references might be strange, but the bits about family relationships and first love are timeless.

Gundula wrote: "Yeah, too funny, but so true as well (as anyone who has ever read Thomas Mann in German will verify)."

I haven't read his works, but have seen passages from the Magic Mountain in German. Impressive!

Gundula wrote: "I thought it was hilarious. I've also always loved word jokes or books about language bloopers. My two favourites (in English) are [book:Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Up..."

I love those too! The section about what kids wrote in their exam papers always make me laugh.

Excerpt :

"It is truly astounding what havoc students can wreak upon the chronicles of the human race. I have pasted together the following history of the world from genuine student bloopers collected by teachers throughout the United States, from eighth grade through college level. Read carefully, and you will learn a lot. - RL

ANCIENT Egypt was inhabited by mummies, and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere, so certain areas of the dessert are cultivated by irritation. Early Egyptian women often wore a garment called a calasiris. It was a sheer dress which started beneath the breasts which hung to the floor.

The pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain. The Egyptians built the pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube.

The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?"

God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Montezuma. Jacob, son of Isaac, stele his brother's birthmark. Jacob was a patriarch who brought up his 12 sons to be patriarchs, but they did not take to it. One of Jacob's sons, Joseph, gave refuse to the Israelites.

Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyamde to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.

David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times. Solomon, one of David's sons, had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines.

Later came Job, who had one trouble after another. Eventually, he lost all his cattle and all his children and had to go live alone with his wife in the desert."

More from : http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi...

I love those too Sandybanks! I like the bit about David fighting with the Finkelsteins!

Hayes wrote: "I love those too Sandybanks! I like the bit about David fighting with the Finkelsteins!"

They're side-splittingly hilarious, aren't they?

More:

WARNING : don't read this if you're currently drinking something that might spill on your keyboard.

"THE greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. Shakespeare was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter.

In one of Shakespeare's famous plays, Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy. His mind is filled with the filth of incestuous sheets which he pours over everytime he sees his mother. In another play, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill the King by attacking his manhood. The clown in As You Like It is named Touchdown, and Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Romeo's last wish was to be laid by Juliet.


Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.

During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe.

Later, the Pilgrims crossed the ocean, and this was called Pilgrim's Progress. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this.

One of the causes of the Revolutionary War was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. During the War, the Red Coats and Paul Revere was throwing balls over stone walls. The dogs were barking and the peacocks crowing. Finally, the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis.

Delegates from the original 13 states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin invented electricity by rubbing two cats backwards and declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead."

Chandra wrote: "O-MY-GOSH! I love this kind of thing! While my husband was working on his Masters he was a TA for college level history classes for three years and NO JOKE this is the kind of thing he would have..."

He should have collected those in a book!

Sandybanks wrote: "Chandra wrote: "O-MY-GOSH! I love this kind of thing! While my husband was working on his Masters he was a TA for college level history classes for three years and NO JOKE this is the kind of thi..."

A friend teaches history of Architecture here at University and she too has a collection of howlers.

My daughter is a junior in high school and she's getting ready to jump through some hoops to get into a good college. Reading these posts makes me sad. How are these kids even getting into, let alone staying in college? I know that proper spelling is disappearing, but you would think there would be some minimal writing level expected for college classes. unbelievable

"Another one: 'sir walter raleigh came from england, he had a boat, that's who he was' "

LOL!

Wow, unbelievable is right. These examples are very funny and I can see how some of these could be produced by grade 8 students but College students? It's kind of scary.

I had a book of German bloopers once (don't remember the name, unfortunately), and there was a section of bloopers (some just incredible) done by university professors. It was priceless and shows that bloopers etc. do not just happen to children and/or students.

And, Sandybanks, I think you missed the one where Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 200 foot clipper (ouch).

An acquaintance of mine who teaches anthropology at college once got an essay that kept mentioning the James Bakery. She finally figured out the the student meant the James Bay Cree, a First Nations group in Northern Quebec which is being negatively affected by hydroelectric development.

Chandra wrote: "Well, don't be tooooo discouraged. These were for freshman level history classes. And here's the deal - number one, the first essay or paper is a BIG wake up call for a lot of these kids. A lot ..."

Well, I feel a bit better now. We homeschool and sometimes I feel a little more pressure on my daughter to "prove" that's she is college material. And then I see these types of papers (maybe some of the kids were just being "clever") and think, my daughter can write rings around these people and they have been admitted! Just baffling to me.

Chandra wrote: "Also, I wanted to add that at our college the history department ran a highly writing intensive program and so many of these kids had never really had to write an essay on the spot (most were used ..."

I have noticed that colleges are adding Writing Across the Curriculum to their programs. Maybe the public high schools are spending too much time "teaching to the test"?

Sorry for being the wet blanket. This would be funnier, if i wasn't into college search mode right now. :)

At our high school, the teachers (not because they wanted to, but because they were forced to) started "teaching to the test" when the province of Alberta introduced province-wide departmental examinations for grade twelve graduation. Before, our teachers (especially in English) were able to choose interesting works that might not have been as common, but once the tests were in place, it was strictly by the curriculum (boring). And, I remember that for my grade 12 English departmental essay question, I chose a relatively obscure short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne that I had read on my own because it fit, but I lost a lot of marks because it had not been covered in the "official curriculum" (talk about stifling though and creativity).

"And, Sandybanks, I think you missed the one where Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 200 foot clipper (ouch)."

Oh yeah, I remember that one! It's also on that site that I gave the link to.

A website, not a book, but just as hilarious : http://engrish.com/

Check it out.

I just laughed myself silly over those student remarks. Thanks for posting those, Sandybanks. I taught high school history for a short time many years ago, and remember one remark from a student - that the native North Americans came across the Bering Strait by train!

Maybe the student meant a dog train (still, very funny).

Oh, the Adrian Mole books! Sooo funny! What I particularly remember about these books is how Adrian never realized things that were blindingly clear to the reader. As I recall, this happened *all the time* to pretty hilarious effect.

Yes, Dave Barry is great too (though after a dozen books or so you begin to wonder if there are actually any new jokes anywhere to be found).

I loved the book Learn Me Good by John Pearson! It's a comedic memoir of an elementary school teacher's first year in the classroom and it is a laugh-out-loud book if ever there was one.

Gundula wrote: "Maybe the student meant a dog train (still, very funny)."

Unfortunately not. I can't recall the exact wording, but she said that the train was how they spread to various parts of of the continent as well. Mind you, this was in a vocational school where there were too many kids with learning disabilities, in the days before those were really recognized and dealt with, and there could be up to 40 in a class.

I really enjoyed the Mapp and Lucia books by E.F. Benson. The TV series was really well done as well.

40 children in a class, that's horrible. Even in the best possible conditions, learning would be problematic and student/teacher interaction close to nil.

Yup...I had 35 in a class my first year teaching (Yes, this century!) and learning was quite problematic to say the least. It doesn't surprise me one bit that so many young people are leaving the teaching profession when they realize it's not anything near what it's cracked up to be.

'sir walter raleigh came from england, he had a boat, that's who he was' Well, true enough, I guess--haha!

"Napolean: a short, dead dude." We just watched "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" last night. I think I must have been influenced by this thread!