humour comes in threes
I grew up being told I was square and took myself too seriously. Yes, I agree with the second statement, to a degree. I was serious and wanted to have a different life than the one I was experiencing, if that meant being serious, then serious I would be. However, I always felt misunderstood. In my first few years of blog writing, a few commenters (remember them?) mentioned they loved my humor. This was a shocking revelation to me. It turns out I really was misunderstood as a child. The humor I enjoy, and occasionally employ, is much different then that I grew up with. I’m often mistaken for being British, that should help you place my humour.
I have a soft spot for a well placed pun. I’m not the best at coming up with them on the fly, but in general the stinkier they are, the better. Subtle wit and twisting well loved tales also make me happy. Several books I recently read (and in one case reread) fit this genre.
Engineering for Cats: Better the Life of Your Pet with 10 Cat-Approved Projects
by Mac Delaney
This isn’t a pet humor book. It’s a very well written book of DIY projects for your feline overlords. It steps you through building ten different projects of various skill and time-commitment requirements. Along the way there are adorable graphics and subtle wit. If you haven’t grown up around power tools and are nervous about adding a shelf, this book will help you understand the physics of why a cat-friendly shelf needs more reinforcement than one for your books. If the employees of Home Depot cringe when they see you, there are projects that will excite you. I just need to decide how I plan to convince my cats to use the exercise wheel.
Kill the Farm Boy
by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson
This is an imperfect book in many ways and that’s what makes it so very delightful. I’ve seen other reviews that say “if you like (Princess Bride|Discworld|Monty Python), you’ll love this!” Yes. It is full of verbal warfare and nothing is sacred or safe from the mot juste. I look forward to more Tales of Pell.
I received eARC of the above two titles (Engineering for Cats and Kill the Farm Boy) from NetGalley in exchange for a review. The FTC wants you to know.
The Callahan Series by Spider Robinson
Immediately after finishing Kill the Farm Boy, I downloaded my first reread of the year from the library. The Callahan Chronicals, Callahan’s Legacy, Callahan’s Key, and Callahan’s Con are available as audiobooks and I knew that they’d take the puns of Hearne & Dawson’s book and work to refine them to true art. It’s been a few years since I last enjoyed them and while I don’t know how long they will age with newer readers, if you’re of my generation (Gen X) you’ll understand the humor that the puns skewer.
While there is still a family member who insists I do not enjoy or understand humor (as I prefer humour), I hope these books will cause you to giggle. Often when the world is absurd and horrible what else can you do?