07-17-2009, 11:25 PM | #16 |
Frenetic
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Obnoxious Librarian from Hades.
I love this book and I laugh all the way through it. Blog at http://olfh.blogspot.com Its a free download at http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/2658/ |
07-17-2009, 11:42 PM | #17 |
curmudgeon
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Run off to the Baen Free Library and grab books from two series
Pyramid Scheme and Rats, Bats and Vats and The Rats, the Bats and the Ugly. All three books by Eric Flint and Dave Freer. All are humorous, free, and have No DRM. What's not to like? Xenophon |
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07-18-2009, 07:00 AM | #18 |
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From Pratchett, I found the Diggers/Truckers/Wings series much more funnier than the first Discworld books, so I'd have a look at them if I were you.
One book that is not comic per se but that actually made me laugh out loud is Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. If by any chance you saw and enjoyed the movie, run and go read the book (it's written with the scottish accent transcribed phonetically so it's strange, but I managed to read it even though English is not my mothertongue, by reading the beginning out loud to get a feel of how it sounded). |
07-21-2009, 05:13 PM | #19 |
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Someone mentioned Thurber's "The Night the Bed Fell In." This is part of a story collection called _My Life and Hard Times_, all very funny (most of what he's written is). Also, Farley Mowat _The Dog Who Wouldn't Be_.
Last edited by Cinnabar; 07-21-2009 at 05:15 PM. Reason: bad html |
07-21-2009, 06:55 PM | #20 |
Pensively observing.
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I don't know if anyone has mentioned Bill Bryson's *Notes from a Small Island*. Whenever I feel that I need a bit of a giggle, this is the book I turn to. I have it as a pbook. Cheers. |
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07-23-2009, 08:38 AM | #21 |
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Edit.
Last edited by dadioflex; 12-16-2010 at 03:36 AM. |
07-23-2009, 08:42 AM | #22 | |
zeldinha zippy zeldissima
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Quote:
(everyone, you've been warned, don't read these books late at night when people are trying to sleep !) |
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07-23-2009, 09:04 AM | #23 |
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This piece has been rolling around in my head since I downloaded a recipe from the NYTimes. Let me know if you think it's funny:
WITH MY FINGER ON THE SWISS CHARD PULSE © 2009, Libby Cone To:veggiedon@zmail.com From:nytimes.com Thank you for downloading the recipe “Swiss chard with garlic and pine nuts.” Would you like to: q see more recipes with “Swiss chard”? q receive email notification about “Swiss chard” in the news? q see other Web sites featuring “Swiss chard”? To:veggiedon@zmail.com From:nytimes.com Subject: “Swiss chard” in the news PYONGYANG-Dear Leader to import more Swiss Chard from Basel In an heroic speech devoted to the well-being of his beloved workers, Our Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il quashed reports by capitalist dog journalists alleging he suffers from cancer. “You all know of the health-giving properties of Swiss chard,” he roared, needing no microphone to be heard in the bleachers of the People's Stadium, “I am proof of its slimming qualities and its strength-building vitamins.” The crowd spontaneously cheered as he went on to announce an increase in the People's vegetable ration, thanks to our wise diplomats' efforts with the People's Friend, Switzerland, to increase seed imports of the vegetable, also known as “The Workers' Rump Roast” and “Fragrant Green of the Songun Revolutionary Line.” To:veggiedon@zmail.com From:nytimes.com Subject: “Swiss chard” in the news LOWER JEROBOAM, KY-Jesus seen in Swiss chard leaf “Praise the Lord, I almost boiled it!” cried Jewell Jo McReady, holding a large chard leaf (she had not detached its rib for separate sauteeing) up to the light. “My greens just did not grow well this year; I shoulda known it was God's plan. I bought that red Swiss chard up at the store; I ain't never tried it before, and then up pops Jesus.” She limned a shape with her fingertip, and this reporter could faintly descry a humanoid form emerging from the tracery of veins in the leaf of Beta vulgaris. “See His halo, and His little bleeding heart?” To:veggiedon@zmail.com From:nytimes.com Subject: “Swiss chard” in the news PYONGYANG-Condemn the anti-DPRK isolate-and-stifle plans of the Swiss capitalists! It was reported today that the faithless Swiss, the enemies of the Songun Revolution, have stolen the vegetable Beta vulgaris ssp cicla from the heroic cooperative farmers of the Peoples Democratic Islamic Republic of Iran, its land of origin. Wave the banner of socialism as our Dear Leader rights this wrong, robustly swinging baskets of Persian chard seed to be sown for the People (but denied to the clumsy diplomats who tried, but failed, to prostitute the Party to the greedy watchmakers; they will eat rice chaff and moldy spinach until they have been re-educated), so soon his healthy physique will be emulated by all! To:veggiedon@zmail.com From:nytimes.com Subject: “Swiss chard” in the news “Jesus” on Swiss chard leaf fetches $150,00 on eBay. Click here for more details. |
07-23-2009, 11:53 AM | #24 |
Crab In The Dark
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07-23-2009, 01:20 PM | #25 |
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Craig Shaw Gardner is funny. But these are not available as eBooks. But still worth the read in paperback.
Ebenezum 1. A Malady of Magics (1985) 2. A Multitude of Monsters (1986) 3. A Night in the Netherhells (1987) Wuntvor 1. A Difficulty with Dwarves (1987) 2. An Excess of Enchantments (1988) 3. A Disagreement with Death (1989) Cineverse 1. Slaves of the Volcano God (1989) 2. Bride of the Slime Monster (1990) 3. Revenge of the Fluffy Bunnies (1990) Arabian Nights 1. The Other Sinbad (1991) 2. A Bad Day for Ali Baba (1991) 3. Scheherazade's Night Out (1992) 4. The Last Arabian Night (1993) Also, I highly second the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Last night I finished the 15th book Lords and Ladies and was finding lots of groans and laugh-out-louds. The series is definitely going to make you groan and laugh. |
07-23-2009, 02:58 PM | #26 | |
zeldinha zippy zeldissima
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since i've just recieved the latest mail (N° 49) from mil millington i thought i'd share it here so you could get a taste of his style :
Quote:
Last edited by zelda_pinwheel; 07-23-2009 at 03:04 PM. Reason: that's "millington" with 2 L's, thanks. |
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07-26-2009, 05:57 AM | #27 |
Wizard
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Thanks everyone for the recommendations.
Though I may have gleaned some ideas from this thread so far, I'm not sure how many (if any) of the recommendations I'll actually check out. (quote and comment deleted, since it broke the spoiler farther down). I'm reading The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde now, and it has its cute parts and some creative wit, but I can't really call it "funny" by my definition. None of the Discworld novels I've read so far are especially funny, though I do enjoy reading them still. "Another Fine Myth" by Asprin was enjoyable (and I hope to come across more like that--Aahz was a good character), but not really funny. The thing is, these are all in the sort of genre I am most interested in, but the humor is quite tamed in most forms. Modern novelists offering situational irony and observational humor, especially in essays like Sedaris can be good, but I really am more into slightly more unified narratives. It's a nice, and sometimes effective style of humorist writing, but leaves me feeling empty. I think Pratchett has a lot of good stuff in it, but the humor is fairly contained. Often since there's a lot going on with different characters, it's hard to implement a lot of silly arbitrary humor. From Christopher Moore's Lamb: Spoiler:
Perhaps it doesn't have a tremendous amount of subtlety, but the random craziness that crops up just keeps me laughing. It does something to interrupt the linear narrative for a laugh without completely derailing it. I better keep looking. I hope people keep contributing to this thread. It'd be great to see why you find something humorous, rather than the fact you find it humorous. Since we won't all laugh at the same things, it's nice to know what the recommendations come from. Thanks again everyone! Last edited by LDBoblo; 07-26-2009 at 06:03 AM. |
07-29-2009, 11:13 AM | #28 |
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I just found out that a few books of my all-time favorite author are available in English. The author is Jeno Rejto, a Hungarian, who wrote his books in the 30s and 40s. The books are now in the public domain.
His books are very funny and the stories just flow. Very easy to read, lots of humor - but it is not by any means shallow. He is still immensely popular in Hungary, his books never go out of print. Here is the wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jen%C5%91_Rejt%C5%91 At the bottom, there are 3 links which point to the books. I particularly recommend The 14-Carat Roadster. Here is how it starts: "Ivan Gorchev, sailor on the freight ship ‘Rangoon’, was not yet twenty-one when he won the Nobel Prize in physics. To win a scientific award at such a romantically young age is unprecedented, though some people might consider the means by which it was achieved a flaw. For Ivan Gorchev won the Nobel Prize in physics in a card game, called macao, from a Professor Bertinus, on whom the honour had been bestowed in Stockholm by the King of Sweden a few days earlier. But those who are always finding fault don’t like to face facts, and the fact of the matter is that Ivan Gorchev did win the Nobel Prize at the age of twenty-one." |
07-29-2009, 12:05 PM | #29 |
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I can't believe nobody's mentioned Piers Anthonys' Xanth series yet
Very easy to read and full of puns and humorous situations definitely recommended. |
07-29-2009, 12:34 PM | #30 | |
It's about the umbrella
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