Main content

Humour

  • Author:
    Glenn, Joshua
    Summary:

    ""Dawdler."" ""Layabout."" ""Shit-heel."" ""Loser."" For as long as mankind has had to work for a living, which is to say ever since the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, people who work have disparaged those who prefer not to. Mark Kingwell's introductory essay offers a playful defence of the idler as homo superior, while Joshua Glenn's glossary playfully explores the etymology and history of hundreds of idler-specific terms and phrases, while offering both a corrective to popular misconceptions about idling and a foundation for a new mode of thinking about working and not working.' The Idler's Glossary is destined to become The Devil's Dictionary for the idling classes, necessary reading for any and all who wish to introduce more truly ""free"" time into their daily lives.

  • Author:
    Summary:

    The four co-creators of The Try Guys, one of the Internet's most popular and viral sensations, deliver their first book-an inspirational self-improvement guide that teaches you that the path to success is littered with humiliating detours, embarrassing offenses, and unexpected failures. Best friends and social media stars Eugene, Keith, Ned, and Zach are admired for their curiosity, humor, bravado, and fearlessness. But that self-confidence came from their willingness to take big risks-being open to try something new or unusual, even if they failed spectacularly in the attempt. To be our best selves, we have to challenge ourselves. In dedicating ourselves to embracing fear, foolishness, and embarrassment, we can learn to recognize the ways in which we often hold ourselves back. In The Hidden Power of F*cking Up, they swap some of their best stories and offer encouragement and hard advice to help you become a Try Guy too. Whether they're experiencing what it's like to be in labor with a pain simulation machine, marching on the streets of Los Angeles in heels, learning to dance ballet (with a professional dancer and some talented tots), replicating the ancient Olympics, or trying to bake bread without a recipe-their hilarious escapades are embolded by their "throw caution to the wind" attitudes, encouraging readers to become their best flawed and f***ked up selves. Throughout, Eugene, Keith, Ned, and Zach open the doors to the past, showing their fans how four nerdy, timid, self-conscious boys grew up into four super-hot-mega-babes secure in their insecurities. They offer key advice on what to do when faced with impending failure-and how to push through to the other side-provide anecdotes about their experiences curating their sure-fail philosophy and introduce each of their new challenges to the reader for the first time (Ned's impossible challenges as a first-time father and Keith's goal of curbing his fried chicken habit by going vegan).

  • Author:
    Farkas, Andrew
    Summary:

    Andrew Farkas reports on his bold explorations of the indoors--the waiting rooms, kitchens, malls, bars, theaters, roadside motel rooms, and other places that feature temperature control, protection from rampaging predators, and a higher degree of comfort than can be found outside. Farkas discovers that, just as the mannered and wonderfully (gloriously) artificial indoors influences us greatly, our lives are also controlled much more by fiction than by anything "real."

  • Author:
    McPherson, John, Canfield, Jack
    Summary:

    If laughter is the best medicine, The Get Well Book by John McPherson is just what the doctor ordered. Filled with inside laughs about the cures, the pills and the little indignities that doctors deliver, it will help heal the sick and make the weak whole again. In this sly, slight volume, patients will find a get-well present and greeting card all in one. McPherson's syndicated cartoon Close to Home captures the absurd and ludicrous details of everyday life, then puts a comic twist on them. Filled with 75 black-and-white Close to Home cartoons, The Get Well Book is the ideal pick-me-up for anyone laid up in the hospital, facing a medical procedure or just down with the flu.

  • Author:
    Aileen, Weintraub
    Summary:

    Guaranteed to make you gag! If you're up for some side-splitting and stomach-churning laughs, grab The Everything KIDS' Gross Jokes Book as fast as you can! It's packed with hundreds of one-liners and knock-knocks to make you turn green! Make your way through sick sections such as: The Gross-Store There's Grime in My Slime! Everybody Oozes Who Among Us Is a Fungus? Dead Fly Pie Chock full of puzzles, games, and activities, The Everything KIDS' Gross Jokes Book scores a perfect 10 on the Gross-o-meter! Knock Knock Who's there Consumption Consumption who? Consumption be done about the foul odor in here? Why did the bacteria cross the playground? To get to the other slide. Why was the cross-eyed teacher so upset? He couldn't control his pupils.

  • Author:
    Adams, Robert J.
    Summary:

    National Best Selling author Robert J. Adams takes you with him on his humorous real life journeys to exotic and not so exotic places in the world. Join Adams riding horseback with Shorty the rip snorten'est pack horse in the Canadian wilderness; fishing in Alaska where he discovers new meaning for the term Russian Red; on a weekend getaway to Las Vegas, where he finds himself a reluctant prisoner on a tour bus; in Mexico where the term, Don't drink the water, leaves a lasting impression; in Australia where Adams and his wife spend a luxurious week in the not so spacious caravan, and learn the true meaning of togetherness; or when he sets out on a self guided African safari only to have a show down with a defiant African elephant. No matter where in the world Adams takes you in The Elephant's Trunk, you are guaranteed adventure of hilarious proportions.

  • Author:
    Barth, Linda
    Summary:

    "Somehow names like Ashley, Michael or Elizabeth seem a little too stiff, a little too formal for a wild and woolly world filled with tractor pulls, trailer parks and 'Dukes of Hazzard' reruns." So how about calling the new babe Buddy, Fern or Billy Bob? Rednecks are coming into their own. This book is sure to be a hit with expectant redneck couples.

  • Author:
    Kinsey, Leonard
    Summary:

    Kinsey reveals all of the tips, tricks, scams, and stories that THEY don't want you to know about! Unabashedly unafraid of offending the family-oriented audiences catered to by other Disney travel guides, he gives intrepid travelers access to the seamy, raunchy, and often hilarious underbelly of Walt Disney World.

  • Author:
    DuQuette, Lon Milo
    Summary:

    Traditional Qabalistic sources (or Cabalistic, or, indeed, Kabbalistic-listen to this book to find out what the difference is...we know you've always wondered!) tend to be a bit, er, dry. Lon Milo DuQuette spices up the Qabalah and makes it come alive, restoring the joy of learning the fundamentals of this admittedly arcane system by using simple, amusing anecdotes and metaphors. This account, written psuedepigraphically (fictitiously attributed to a supposed authority), allows DuQuette as Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford to soar to outrageous heights and, when necessary, stand apart from the silliness to highlight the golden eggs of Qabalistic wisdom nested therein. Sure to be a revelation to those who think that learning about the Qabalah needs to be tedious and serious, The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford shows that great truths can be transmitted through the medium of laughter. A supplemental PDF is included with this audiobook. Copy and paste the following link into your browser to retrieve downloadable PDF: https://files.dreamscape.media/pdf/DuQuette_Chicken%20Qabalah_Bonus.pdf

  • Author:
    Branden, Victoria
    Summary:

    Are you a snob? Then why not learn to do it right? Study this revolutionary work and become a Canadian Snob of Distinction! Victoria Branden has traced the history of Snobbery from its pre-human roots to our own era, in our own country, and has enunciated the definitive Theory of Snobbery. She examines its evolution from its crude beginnings to its present confused state, with detailed study of the most important types of snobbery, distinguishing Goodsnobs from Badsnobs, experts from fumbling amateurs. Snobbery has influenced history at least as much as the invention of the wheel or the printing press, which were probably actually inspired by snob instincts. Always staunchly patriotic, Ms. Branden has given particular attention to Canadian Snobs, who have been until this time gravely neglected in both life and literature, and has provided Canadian Snobmodels by which we can be guided to higher and better levels of Snobbery. She finds a certain lack of professionalism among Canadian Snobs: Snobbery is not acknowledged as an Olympic contender, and has received no recognition in this year's "black budget." So there is much to be done, urgently! Branden has thoughtfully provided Snobexercises (video later) by which you can develop Snobmuscle. Careful study, with diligent practice and iron self-discipline, will help you to achieve great heights of Snob-expertise, using techniques and materials particularly suited to the Canadian climate and social mores. Other how-to books claim to "make it easy" to succeed. We do not. Achieving Snob-distinction is hard, gruelling, and incessant work - but the rewards are incalculable. Any jerk can be a snob, and usually is. But to be a truly Great Snob, an upper-case Snob, a Snob who will go down in history like Beau Brummell or Oscar Wilde ah, that is attainable only by the few.

  • Author:
    Crozier, Lorna
    Summary:

    In a series of playful and startling prose meditations, celebrated writer Lorna Crozier brings her rapt attention to the small matter of household objects: everything from doorknobs, washing machines, rakes, and zippers to the kitchen sink.

    Operating as a sort of literary detective, she examines the mystery of the everyday, seeking the essence of each object. She offers tantalizing glimpses of the household's inhabitants, too, probing hearts, brains, noses, and navels. Longing, exuberance, and grief color her reflections, which at times take on the tenor of folktales or parables. Each of the short portraits in The Book of Marvels stands alone, but the connections are intricate; as in life, each object gains meaning from its juxtaposition with others. Crozier approaches her investigations with a childlike curiosity, an adult bemusement, and an unfailing sense of metaphor and mischief. With both charm and mordant wit, she animates the panoply of wonders to be found everywhere around us and inside us.

  • Author:
    Patterson, Steve
    Summary:

    Steve Patterson's The Book of Letters I Didn't Know Where to Send is a collection of — wait for it — letters, written by award-winning stand-up comedian — you guessed it — Steve Patterson. The host of CBC Radio's The Debaters since 2007, Steve Patterson has become a household name, with more than 700,000 listeners tuning in each week. He has performed at several of the Just for Laughs prestigious televised galas, including one hosted by Steve Martin. Considered to be the highlight of the show by the audience and critics alike, Patterson's performance prompted the legendary Martin to quip, "If I'd known he was going to be THAT good, I would have cancelled him." Patterson's letters, long a staple of his stand-up comedy routine, address a number of recipients, from real people, to groups, to inanimate objects and concepts. He airs grievances, offers support or creates just plain confusion in unplainly humorous prose. From the political to the personal, from the philosophical to the mundane, no subject — or target — is off limits. Patterson's letters may not change the world, but frankly, it's too early to tell. In these letters, he pleads, begs, cajoles, grovels, and always makes a compelling argument. He would like men to stop wearing Spandex bike shorts. He would like airlines to stop selling seats they don't have. He would like gluten to explain itself. He would like his nine-year-old self to know everything will be all right . . .

  • Author:
    Bryson, Bill
    Summary:

    Bill Bryson, bestselling author of A Short History of Nearly Everything, takes us on a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human body. As compulsively readable as it is comprehensive, this is Bryson at his very best, a must-read owner's manual for everybody. Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body-how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Bryson-esque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, "We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted." The Body will cure that indifference with generous doses of wondrous, compulsively readable facts and information.

  • Author:
    Summary:

    Contains a collection of American and English humor from such outstanding contributors as Woody Allen, Damon Runyon, Trumon Capote, Groucho Marx, Art Buchwald, Roy Blount, Jr., Fran Liebowitz, Philip Roth, and Eudora Welty

  • Author:
    McManus, Patrick F.
    Summary:

    In this collection of essays, McManus ponders the strange allure of the RV, a thirtieth-century hunting trip, the art of wrestling toads, the existential implications of being lost, the baffling tendency of animals to outsmart those who wish to hunt them, the singular pleasure of doubling the size of every fish one doesn't catch, and what happens when a bear named Pooky decides to hibernate in the attic.

  • Author:
    Dorfman Jones, Jessica
    Summary:

    Jessica Dorfman Jones delivers proven tactics to help anyone cheat successfully through life. She shows how to creatively enhance a resume and beat a drug or polygraph test. She also reveals how to file fabricated tax and insurance forms. Each of her 32 chapters introduces the scam, reveals its risks and rewards, and describes the time-tested techniques for pulling it off.

  • Author:
    Dickison, Stephanie
    Summary:

    The 30 Second Commute is a comic narrative about the real life of a full-time writer. Stephanie Dickison had been successfully publishing features and articles for over a decade while working a full-time job, but in December 2005, she left the secure world of a 'real job' to tackle completing a manuscript that was close to five years old and to take on freelance writing full time. Drawing on her years as a book and pop music critic, she delves into food writing and becomes a restaurant critic for a big city website. She starts a blog about new products and services and soon, she and her fianc' have to consider moving due to the product piled up behind the bathroom door. Celebrity interviews, feature articles, and offers to speak about writing are just some of the highlights of what can happen when you get to live your dream. There are also the cautionary tales of what happens when you're your own boss, saying yes to every offer that comes your way and typing hunched over a rolltop desk for 14 hours a day, but mostly it is a celebration and exploration of a writer just trying to make her way in this crazy world ' one word at a time.

  • Author:
    Corr, Tom.
    Summary:

    ENJOY THE MOST HILARIOUS QUOTES OF ALL TIME Presenting the best of the best from AllGreatQuotes.com, this uproarious volume features gems on every topic, from sex and money to spouses and politics. Bringing together clever remarks from celebrities, politicians, thinkers, comedians and generally funny people, this collection of snappy quotes will leave you in hysterics. God gave man a penis and a brain, but not enough blood to use both at the same time. -Robin Williams Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery. -Spike Milligan Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. -Oscar Wilde The answers to life's problems aren't at the bottom of a bottle, they're on TV! -Homer Simpson When I eventually met Mr. Right, I had no idea that his fi rst name was "Always." -Rita Rudner Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. -George Burns

  • Author:
    Guy, Ray
    Summary:

    That Far Greater Bay is the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal winning collection (1977) of Ray Guy’s best and most vitriolic articles that have appeared in newspapers and magazines countrywide. Aunt Cissy Roach, Sylvester Codpiece, and other immortal characters make their long-awaited encores, and even Premier Joey Smallwood returns for more punishment from a master satirist at the top of his game. Of course, no collection of Ray Guy’s works would be complete without his stories of sentiment on outharbour life and days long past.

  • Author:
    Jacobs, A. J.
    Summary:

    The idea was deceptively simple: New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs decided to thank every single person involved in producing his morning cup of coffee. The resulting journey takes him across the globe, transforms his life, and reveals secrets about how gratitude can make us all happier, more generous, and more connected. Author A.J. Jacobs discovers that his coffee-and every other item in our lives-would not be possible without hundreds of people we usually take for granted: farmers, chemists, artists, presidents, truckers, mechanics, biologists, miners, smugglers, and goatherds. By thanking these people face to face, Jacobs finds some much-needed brightness in his life. Gratitude does not come naturally to Jacobs-his disposition is more Larry David than Tom Hanks-but he sets off on the journey on a dare from his son. And by the end, it's clear to him that scientific research on gratitude is true. Gratitude's benefits are legion: It improves compassion, heals your body, and helps battle depression. Jacobs gleans wisdom from vivid characters all over the globe, including the Minnesota miners who extract the iron that makes the steel used in coffee roasters, to the Madison Avenue marketers who captured his wandering attention for a moment, to the farmers in Colombia. Along the way, Jacobs provides wonderful insights and useful tips, from how to focus on the hundreds of things that go right every day instead of the few that go wrong. And how our culture overemphasizes the individual over the team. And how to practice the art of savoring meditation and fall asleep at night. Thanks a Thousand is a reminder of the amazing interconnectedness of our world. It shows us how much we take for granted. It teaches us how gratitude can make our lives happier, kinder, and more impactful, and it will inspire us to follow our own Gratitude Trails.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Humour