Humour
Meeting Summary: Feb. 6, 2009
Goldie provided us with both food and photos from the old FVRL days. A great evening was had by all. The next meeting is at Linda's on April 24. Topic is, appropriately enough, friendship.
We read the following books. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to add emoticons in this blog, so they aren't there. However, everyone except Ada, Kathryn, Pat and Linda gave their books a thumbs up. The Guernsey Literary Society was LOL.
Aunts Aren't Gentlemen by P.G. Wodehouse Ada
Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella Kathryn
Bachelor Brothers Bed & Breakfast by Bill Richardson Goldie
Queen of the Dustballs by Bill Richardson Goldie
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Kerry and Rhian
by Mary-Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows
No I don't want to join a Bookclub by Virginia Ironside Teresa
Pontoon by Garrison Keillor Barb
My Family and other Animals by Gerald Durrell Wendy
Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles Pat and Linda
Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton Patterson Ingrid
Labels: Humour
posted by Kathryn at 9:47 PM
5 Comments:
Sorry I missed the meeting! I look forward to hearing about these books. I LOVED The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society when I read it. I liked the format and the story.
Shopaholic and Sister begins with obsessive shopper, Becky Brandon, returning from an around the world honeymoon. At home in London she is dismayed to discover that her best friend has found a new best friend, her husband is unhappy with her many extravagant purchases abroad filling their apartment, and her usually devoted parents seem preoccupied with ... something. The something turns out to be Becky's newly-discovered half-sister. Becky pins all her hopes and enthusiasm on her new sibling, only to find that, amazingly enough, she hates shopping.
Yikes. Why do people love these books? While Becky manages a few redeeming qualities during the last 2 chapters, she is, for the rest of the book, one of the most annoying fictional characters imaginable. The writing is like listening to a very silly 15 year old. And it is only rarely funny.
Thumbs down on this series.
While Garrison Keillor's stories and radio shows featuring the fictional Lake Wobegon have a delightful subtle humour, it doesn't seem to translate well into novels. The book Pontoon features a cast of rather odd characters and various plot lines including one about a women who leaves her daughter instructions that she wants her ashes placed inside a bowling ball and dropped into the lake.
While Garrison Keillor's stories and radio shows featuring the fictional Lake Wobegon have a delightful subtle humour, it doesn't seem to translate well into novels. The book Pontoon features a cast of rather odd characters and various plot lines including one about a women who leaves her daughter instructions that she wants her ashes placed inside a bowling ball and dropped into the lake.
Dear American Airlines by Jonathon Miles is classified as humour but it is in fact a tragicomedy. More tragedy than comedy in my opinion. The novel takes the form of a long rambling complaint letter to American Airlines written while protagonist Benjamin Ford is stranded at O'Hare airport. He is on the way to his daughter's wedding which is significant because he has been estranged from her for years mostly due to his own failures including alcohol addiction. The long layover gives him ample opportunity to unleash his anger at the airline as well as to reflect on his own life and failures. While this is mostly a rather depressing story, there is a note of hopefulness at the end. A quick read, not badly written, but not to be read for the humour which mostly comes from the witty nature of his invective against the airline.
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