Share |

Saturday, June 5, 2010

These books are made for laughing


 Follow StrandMusic on Twitter

My blog the other day about laughter and television got me to thinking about my favorite funny books.

At times being a voracious reader, and at other times taking a sabbatical from reading, I admit that I sometimes forget books that I loved when I read them. In retrospect, I wish I'd kept a complete list as it's own journal, separate from my regular journals, dedicated solely to books read.

Alas, I'll just have to go off memory.

One of my favorite things is to take one of these funny books on a plane ride. I do enjoy a good movie on a plane, but if I'm into a really good book on a flight, time moves much more quickly. (I think it was Einstein's incomplete last law of time and space: Clever and funny book reading on a plane makes time and space move faster and leg room appear a few inches greater...)

  • Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. The movie starring Tom Hanks made the titular character of this book a household name, but the book is hilarious. Similar in many respects, different in others - the Forrest in the book is still hero, but slightly more...of a screw-up or something, but no less lovable. It's been years since I read this book, but I remember laughing aloud on several instances. I passed it on to my father who tells the story of reading it one night while my Mother was sleeping next to him, and he was laughing so hard he had to leave the bedroom to avoid waking her up. He went and cried (laughing) in the bathroom. (Note: This is the second story of my father crying in the bathroom in because of me - the first was the day of my birth - relief I was okay; the second - Forrest Gump. Those who know my Dad have a great image in this - retired football coach whose stature is as big as his heart crying in the bathroom of a hospital in relief that his first born child is alive and well, and crying in the bathroom of the home he built so as not to wake his sleeping wife. Sums my father up very well.)
  • Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore. Any book where the title makes you chuckle to yourself is likely worth looking into. This book does not disappoint from the title. Entertaining, clever, and a bit of a journey, I laughed, quoted passages to friends, and cried at the end (we all know how it ends, right?). Moore spins a tale of a missing disciple from the bible, Biff, who gets resurrected so that he can write his gospel. He was, after all, Christ's best friend. From fornicating so he can tell Joshua (another interpretation of Christ's supposed name) about it, to composing the sermon on the mount and leaving out "dumb-fucks," as one of the groups who receive something, i.e., "The kingdom of heaven," this book is pure adventure, pure hilarity, pure delight. Well done, Christopher Moore! (Warning: If you're easily offended or sensitive about the "facts" of the bible, you may not like this book but it may expand your horizons so I suggest you read it no matter what your religious persuasion.... Who the heck am I kidding? You wouldn't be reading my blog if you were a thumping bible-belter, would you?)
  • Dave Barry's Guide to Guys, by Dave Barry. It has been over ten years since I read this book. Writing this blog actually reminds me to go back and check it out when I need a little literary pick-me-up. What I do recall is meeting this girl Brooke at the Barnes & Noble in Manhattan while she was sitting on the floor laughing and reading this book. Or maybe my Mom met her for me. I don't remember, but she turned me on to Dave Barry, who, while simple and relatively easy to read, is also quite amusing. Unlike Moore, Barry isn't necessarily weaving an adventure, but he never fails to amuse. This book stands out in his collection for me, though I haven't read everything he's written. Probably a good summertime, sipping lemonade on the front-porch-rocker read. 
  • The Princess Bride, by William Goldman. Don't let the book-turned movie thing of this book or Forrest Gump dissuade you. There is more to the story than what the movie shows in both instances. This is one of my favorite books, without a doubt. I've given it away several times and I always replenish my copy. Goldman is a brilliant writer, and the characters get even more attention in the book - you get more background on Fezzik, Inigo Montoya (You killed my father, now prepare to die...) and his relationship with his father, as well as more interaction between Buttercup and Westley during their brief courtship - an amusing and heartwarming section of the book in it's own right. This is a great book for road trips, as I've read it aloud with people and they're always amused (much like Columbo's grandson, the Wonder Years kid, from the movie.) Of all the books on my list, this is an absolute, must-read!
That's it for today. If I think of more, I'll let you know and if you have any recommendations for me, please share.

Go, laugh - be it by plane, train, automobile, book or tv show. Bring a friend, too. Laughter is almost always better in droves.


 Follow StrandMusic on Twitter

More Interesting Katie Strand World Posts
New Music
&
Posts 
at
Katie Strand Music
Posted by Katie Strand at 11:59 AM
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Download Instructions

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS TO ALL SONG BUYERS:
After clicking on your song of choice, click ADD TO CART. You will then sign up for lulu and pay for song. Then follow this link or click here for

COMPLETE DOWNLOAD AT:
http://www.lulu.com/account/downloads.php