Humor

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Library: I've always found it fascinating that so many of our funniest artists lead such unhappy private lives: think comedians like Buster Keaton, W. C. Fields, and Lenny Bruce, or writers like John Kennedy Toole, and Dorothy Parker. So for last week's challenge to read about someone who intrigues us, I read the recently published biography of one of my all-time favorite seriously funny writers, Kurt Vonnegut.

But with this week's challenge, we want to lighten things up a bit. We challenge you to read something that makes you laugh, and HCPL has plenty of books that fit that bill. We've got nonfiction that will make you titter, snicker, giggle, chuckle, chortle, snort and guffaw, like Tina Fey's Bossypants, and David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

With the end of school right around the corner, this is usually the time of year when you finally get the chance to read something just for fun.  Below I’ve listed some newer titles that are just for fun or will have you laughing out loud.  How will you celebrate your fast-approaching summer?

Also featuring: Ultimate Tag Team Match Up,
and Are Squirrels Planning a Hostile Take Over of the Planet? The Facts You Need to Know!

 In his National Wildlife Magazine article “Crazy over Squirrels,” Michael Lipske observed that “Americans are schizoid about gray squirrels.” They are “a scourge to some, a delight to others.” He then goes on to profile representatives of each camp. It’s a good introduction to this heated national debate.

If you are a fan of television survival shows (such as Man vs. Wild or Survivorman) and you don't mind a little humor thrown in with your survival instructions, try a book from The Worst-Case Scenario series by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht. These handy pocket-size guides offer simple survival techniques for a diverse set of situations, such as wrestling down an alligator or fleeing from a volcanic erruption.