Daily Archives: October 12, 2014

Humor Me

Any fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation is familiar with Lieutenant Commander Data, a Soong-type android who went through several episodes fruitlessly seeking to understand and feel humor. At one point, he confesses, “I am superior, sir, in many ways, but I would gladly give it up to be human.”

Humor is a peculiar human trait that can’t be learned or forced. It’s organic. It is harder to elicit laughter than to generate tears. In today’s world, humor is a precious commodity. With daylight diminishing during this season, humor can be as effective as sunlight to lift our spirits and maintain a balance in our daily lives.

Fortunately, humor is as accessible as a book.

What puts one reader in stitches may fall flat to another reader. To help you find books that have tickled many a funny bone, I’ve rounded up a dozen that appear on multiple lists as funny favorites:

A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
Three Men in a Boat – Jerome K. Jerome
Catch-22 — Joseph Heller
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Doug Adams
Bridget Jones’s Diary — Helen Fielding
Lamb – Christopher Moore
Me Talk Pretty One Day – David Sedaris
Thank You, Jeeves – P.G. Wodehouse
Dave Barry Slept Here – Dave Barry
The Importance of Being Ernest – Oscar Wilde
Portnoy’s Complaint – Philip Roth
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened – Jenny Lawson

Cheers!

Quotable

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. — Victor Borge

A day without laughter is a day wasted. — Charlie Chaplin

Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive. — Bill Cosby

The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter. — Mark Twain

You can’t deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants. — Stephen King

I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh. — Maya Angelou

Recommended

Beginning October 13th, Booked is delighted to rebroadcast its classic interviews and book reviews on UStream … because good books don’t have an expiration date. The shows continue to be accessible in the Booked Archives and book excerpts are also available on the website. First up on the rebroadcasts is my thought-provoking interview with transgender author Renee James, winner of several awards for her psycho-social thriller, Coming Out Can Be Murder.

If you’re in or near Milwaukee on October 18th, come to the charming Charles Allis Art Museum for an evening celebrating the Centennial of movie legend Tyrone Power. Film historian Dale Kuntz will interview Tyrone Power’s daughter, actress Taryn Power Greendeer. The classic 1938 movie, Suez, will be shown. The moving memoir/biography Searching for My Father, Tyrone Power by international star Romina Power will be on sale. Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited and reservations are suggested.

Congratulations

17-year-old Malala Yousafzai was accorded the Nobel Peace Prize this past week, the youngest winner of the prestigious honor in the history of the award. The author of I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban has inspired the world with her courageous spirit. Booked recognized Malala’s star trajectory in September 2013 when I posted Books Will Defeat Terrorism. Congratulations, Malala!