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[[Category:New Reviews|Humour]] __NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->{{newreview|authorclass-"wikitable" cellpadding=Fraser McAlpine"15" <!-- INSERT NEW REVIEWS BELOW HERE--><!-- van LENTE -->|title=Stuff Brits Like-|ratingstyle=4"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1683690346.jpg|genrelink=Humourhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1683690346/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  |summarystyle="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|= With over 100 chapters on different aspects of Britain and Britishness, this book is both fascinating and hilarious==[[The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente]]=== [[image:4star. Just looking at the list of subjects is enough to produce a sardonic twist of that stiff upper lipjpg|link=Category: the chapters cover topics that range from offal to curry{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]], from pedantry to banter, from conkers to rugby. There may be many chapters but this is no academic tome [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] Comic- each chapter is just two to three pages longCons are a place of wonder and sanctuary for many people, each is written with endearing affection, each is easy and satisfying when Comic book artist Mike Mason arrives at San Diego Comic- Con, he's looking for both that and quirkily funny - sanctuary with other fans and creators, plus the chance of maybe, just maybe reuniting with his ex. However, when his rival is found dead, Mike is forced to read.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1857886348</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author= John Samuel|title= What I Tell You navigate every dark corner of the con in the Dark|rating= 3.5|genre= Humour|summary=A man called Will is fighting fiercely against corruption order to clear his name – desperate from cosplay flash mobs and intrusive fans to expose zombie obstacle courses – Mike must prove his company's dodgy dealings to the press. Overcome with doubt innocence and fear, he goes to kill himself. Butin doing so, at the exact moment he attaches his noose to the back of the door, he is saved. By may just unravel a curious housemate or dark secret behind a concerned girlfriend? No, by an Angellegendary industry creator. Not the white[[The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente|Full Review]]  <!-- Coulton -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-feathered guardian Angel you may expect, but one who wishes to help Will achieve his ends, and so possess the body of the hapless Will in order to finish what he startedalign: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1473669588. It goes without saying that the Angel is hoping things go better than they did with the last guy he possessed – a hapless young man from Galilee called Jesus…jpg|amazonuklink=<amazonuk>0715650505<http:/amazonuk>/www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1473669588/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]}}{{newreview|authorstyle= John Niven"vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|title= The Sunshine Cruise Company|rating= 4.5|genre= Humour|summary= Susan Frobisher and Julie Wickham live in a small Dorset town[[Falling Short by Lex Coulton]]=== [[image:4star. Friends since school, they live fairly uneventful lives – Susan has a lovely house and a lengthy marriage to accountant Barryjpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]], [[:Category:Humour|Humour]], whereas Julie is doing slightly less well – living in a council flat and working in an old people[[:Category:Women's Fiction|Women's Fiction]] Lex Coulton's home. When Barry debut novel is found dead trussed up in a sex dungeonstory about mistakes, it transpires that he has been leading a hidden life for yearsfailures, and his expensive fetishes lead to the bank moving to take Susan's home. Struck by both desperation and a sense of injusticerelationships. The main protagonist, Frances Pilgrim, Sue and Julie conspire to rob is a banksixth form English teacher who has recently fallen out with her best friend Jackson, taking along their friend Jill – a devout Christian conflicted due to lack of money and a terminally ill grandsonwork colleague, and Ethel – a foul mouthed resident is grappling with the increasingly eccentric behaviour of her mother. This relationship is complicated by the nursing home longing for adventurefact that Frances's father disappeared at sea when she was five years old.[[Falling Short by Lex Coulton|Full Review]] |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0434023183</amazonuk!-- van LENTE -->}}{{newreview|-|authorstyle=Marie Phillips"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|title=The Table Of Less Valued Knights[[image:1683690346.jpg|ratinglink=4http://www.amazon.co.5|genreuk/dp/1683690346/ref=Fantasy|summarynosim?tag=Sir Humphrey has been demoted from King Arthur's Round Table to the Table of Lesser Valued Knights. thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The only way to get his comfier seat back is to redeem himself via a questCon Artist by Fred Van Lente]]=== [[image:4star. Therefore when damsel Elaine seeks help to find her kidnapped fiancé, Humphrey and his ward, the teenage giant Conradjpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]], eagerly set forth. Meanwhile in the kingdom [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] Comic-Cons are a place of Tuftwonder and sanctuary for many people, new Queen Martha has run away after a disastrous wedding to… a… well… disastrous Prince Edwin. She may not realise it yetand when Comic book artist Mike Mason arrives at San Diego Comic-Con, but she too will have a job he's looking for Humphrey!|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099555875</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Tim Flannery|title=The Mystery both that and sanctuary with other fans and creators, plus the chance of maybe, just maybe reuniting with his ex. However, when his rival is found dead, Mike is forced to navigate every dark corner of the Venus Island Fetish|rating=3|genre=Historical Fiction|summary=Meet Archie Meek. He's about con in order to leave the Venus Islands, where he's lived for the last five years, clear his name – from cosplay flash mobs and return intrusive fans to Sydneyzombie obstacle courses – Mike must prove his innocence and, where he'll take his office in the museum and fill it with all the cultural artefacts he's found and wildlife he's plucked or pickledin doing so, may just unravel a dark secret behind a legendary industry creator. That's not to ignore the fact he'll count as something quite alien himself, with his filled[[The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente|Full Review]] <!-- Curran --out frame, nearly all>|-over suntan and totemic tattoo, in amongst other changes to his body. But what's this| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1683690133.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1683690133/ref=nosim? When he gets back, he finds one of the main Venus Islands artefacts that caused him to go there in the first place, a huge, macabre ceremonial fetish mask, purloined as corporate artwork. And some of the curators he wishes to work alongside have vanished. Is the weird society of the museum hetag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[My Lady's returning to, perchance, even weirder, stranger Choosing by Kitty Curran and more violent than the cannibalistic society he's waving farewell to?Larissa Zageris]]===|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1922079308</amazonuk>}}[[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{newreview|author=Roman Dirge|title=The Cat with a Really Big Head|rating=3.5}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Humour|Humour]], [[:Category:Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]]|genre=Graphic Novels|summary= How many picture books You are there about cats? And how many do you know that you would really NOT prefer your children a lass of twenty eight. Plucky, penniless and in Regency era London the race is on to see? If the answer find a suitable suitor - or else doom yourself to the second question is life as an eternal spinster. Along your journey you'none – yet', scratch that last wordll be accompanied by Lady Evangeline Youngblood - a fiesty noble eager to save you from a life alone, and fired by a rogueish sense for adventure. The title piece in this collection isWhen it comes to suitors though, by the authoryou's own admission, his imagining of ll have to make the Joseph Merrick (ultimate decision between witty, pretty and wealthy Sir Benedict Granville, wholesome, rugged and caring Captain Angus MacTaggart, or the mad, bad and terrifyingly sexy Lord Garraway Craven. With orphans, werewolves, long lost lovers and ancient Egyptian artifcats along the way, it'Elephant Mans clear this isn') of the feline world – who struggles t going to sneak up behind a mouse when the shadow of his head is a total giveaway, and who can hardly even eat with dignity as bending down to his bowl would break his neckbe an easy decision... If that[[My Lady's too dark or oddball for you, try the second major piece, which has a most revealing foreword – ''Dedicated to a certain girl… I hope your life is filled with wonderful accomplishments, love and all the magic you desire… Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris|Full Review]] <!-- Jester -- But I hope your death is slow and horrible.''>|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782762876</amazonuk>}}{{newreview-|authorstyle=Val Hennessy"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|title=Not Far From Dreamland|rating=4[[image:Jester_Forever.5jpg|genre=General Fictionleft|summarylink=Ronald Tonks has reached that stage in life which I call upper middle agehttps: you've qualified for your pension but not yet got to the free television licence barrier//www.amazon.co. What Ronald ''has'' got is a roof that leaks (there's good reason why his home is called 'the shack'), a dog who is going bald (in patches) and money that's in very short supplyuk/gp/product/1510704361?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1510704361]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Forever After: a dark comedy by David Jester]]=== [[image:4star. On the plus side he has friendsjpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Paranormal|Paranormal]], mostly platonic and usually in much the same boat as Ronald. But are they downhearted? Well[[:Category:Horror|Horror]], they are occasionally, but mostly they're generously optimistic [[:Category:Fantasy|Fasntasy]] Michael Holland is a cocky and brash young man who dies and out to make gets made the most offer of what they've gothis lifetime; immortality. We follow Michael, usually bought from charity shops a grim reaper and jumble sales. ''Not Far From Dreamland'' is the story of his friends Chip (a year stoner tooth fairy) and Naff (2012) a stoner in the life of Ronald Tonks, his friends records department) as they grapple with their long lives and relativesfinding a clean surface to sit on in their flat.[[Forever After: a dark comedy by David Jester|Full Review]] |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0704373874</amazonuk!-- Stibbe -->}}{{newreview|author=Harry Harrison-|titlestyle=Bill, the Galactic Hero"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|rating=3[[image:Stibbe_Xmas.5jpg|genre=Science Fictionleft|summarylink=Meet Billhttps://www.amazon.co. He's a simple farmer – well, he ''is'' taking a correspondence course in being a Technical Fertiliser Operator – but fate has something else in store. And so does the mechanised, technological, industrial military, which needs several billion grunts to fight the Chingers, in mankind's first interuk/gp/product/0241309824?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-galactic war. Still, at least he gets medals just for signing up. After that it's all downhill, and the likes of Petty Chief Officer Deathwish Drang can only make that a straight line down. Really, what hope is there?|amazonuk21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=<amazonuk>147320531X</amazonuk>6738&creativeASIN=0241309824]]}}{{newreview|authorstyle=Ian Doescher"vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|title=William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace|rating=4.5|genre=Humour|summary= Join us, good gentles, for a merry reimagining of `Star Wars Episode 1' as only Shakespeare could have written it[[An Almost Perfect Christmas by Nina Stibbe]]=== [[image:4.5star. 'Tis a true Shakespearean drama, filled with sword fights, soliloquies and doomed romance…all in glorious iambic pentameter and coupled with gorgeous illustrations. Hold on to your midichloriansjpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category: The plays the thingHumour|Humour]], wherein you'll catch the rise of Anakin!|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1594748063</amazonuk>[[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]]}}{{newreview|author=Attaboy|title=The Book Christmas – the time of Hugs|rating=4|genre=Humour|summary=A hug's traditional trauma. You only have to think about the turkey for that – once upon a hugtime it was leaving it sat on the downstairs loo to defrost overnight, OK? You either do, or you don'tand if that failed the hair-dryer shoved inside it treatment was your next best bet. Some people might be a little more enthusiastic about the process whilst others are more elegant in the execution of the hug, but basically you just get on and do Nowadays it and then forget about 's all having to make sure it, right?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0867197978</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author= Christopher Fowler|title= Bryant 's suitably free-range and May organic – The Burning Man|rating=4|genre=Crime|summary= The Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) has but not too organic that you can go and visit it, and get too friendly with it to want to eat it. Christmas, though, is of course also a new set time of overlordsgreat boons. For reasons It's cash in hand for a lot of plump people who can hire red suits and beards, it was always a godsend for postmen with all the thank-you letters to aunties you saw twice a decade that were explored your parents made you write out in long-hand as a child, and as for the previous couple makers of outings Meltis Newberry Fruits – well, did they have been transferred to the City Of London Police. The Met are still the big players in the area. City even try and sell them any other time of London Police only police the old city, the square mile, the financial district in other words, that has very little in the way of street crime, because noyear? [[An Almost Perfect Christmas by Nina Stibbe|Full Review]] <!-- Doescher -->|-one lives there anymore and the people who work there are, by and large, either too rich to need to steal, or too smart to have to do so on the streets| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Doescher_Will.jpg|left|amazonuklink=<amazonuk>0857522043<https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/amazonuk>159474985X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=159474985X]]}}{{newreview|authorstyle=Catharina Ingelman"vertical-align: top; text-Sundbergalign: left;"||title=The Little Old Lady Who Struck Lucky Again! |rating=3.5|genre=Humour|summary=Following the success of [[William Shakespeare''The Little Old Lady Who Broke All s the Rules'', Force Doth Awaken: Star Wars Part the League of Pensioners are back – and this time, they’re in Vegas! I haven’t read the first book but it was on my list when the opportunity arose to review this oneSeventh by Ian Doescher]]=== [[image:4.5star. The idea of the League of Pensioners marching towards a fairer world through fun and frolics was hugely appealing to me and this is a stand alone novel so I thought I would dive straight in with this one.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1447274903</amazonuk>}}jpg|link=Category:{{{newreviewrating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Science Fiction|author=WinshlussScience Fiction]], [[:Category:Humour|title=In God We TrustHumour]]|rating=4.5|genre=Graphic Novels|summary=To start withA long time ago, in a galaxy far away, there was a rhetorical test. How about God and Adam playing badminton day in and day outman called William Shakespeare, until one gets bored and decides who was able to create Eve? Or the defeater a series of dramatic histories full of Goliath machinations most foul, rulers most evil and the saviour of the Israelites being one Conan the Barbarian? rebellious heroes and heroines most sturdy. Or this as a test – Jesus Himself failing to You may or may not have a successful session noticed the cinematic version of tequila slammers with Gabriel due to his original stage play for ''The Force Doth Awaken'', but here at last we get the holes through His hands? I barely need mention that actual script, complete with annoying-in these pages God does battle with Superman-different-ways-to-before droids anew, for you to have answered the test and put yourself firmly returning heroes from elsewhere in one of two camps for this book – one very much opposed to buying ithis oeuvre, and one very much people keeping it in favourthe family til it hurts.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0861662350</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=David Walliams and Tony Ross|title=The Queen And if you need further encouragement, don't forget his audience only demanded three parts of Henry VI – here the series is so popular we're on to part seven – surely making this over twice as good… [[William Shakespeare's Orangthe Force Doth Awaken: Star Wars Part the Seventh by Ian Doescher|Full Review]] <!-- Goss --Utan>|rating=5-|genrestyle=For Sharing"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Goss_600.jpg|summaryleft|link=The Queen felt trapped in the palace with all those stuffed animals which she has been given on foreign tourshttps://www. There are mountains of them and every night she would dream of escapingamazon. When her birthday drew near the family dutifully asked her what she would like as a presentco. The Prince was thinking of a gold, diamond encrusted stairlift whilst the Duke was considering a great big bottle of brandy. The Royal Baby had some decorated thimbles in mind, but the Queen became just a little snappish as she explained that what she really wanted was 'One's own oranguk/gp/product/1785942719?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1785942719]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-utan'. And she didn't mean a stuffed one, either.align: left;"||amazonuk=<amazonuk>0008135134</amazonuk>==[[Doctor Who: Now We Are Six Hundred: A Collection of Time Lord Verse (Dr Who) by James Goss and Russell T Davies]]===}}[[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{newreview|author=Jack Sheffield|title=Silent Night|rating=3.5}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Children's Rhymes and Verse|genre=General Children's Rhymes and Verse]], [[:Category:Science Fiction|summary=I read a couple of Jack Sheffield’s books about five years ago, and enjoyed them very much. They were written in a similar style to those popularised by, for instanceScience Fiction]], James Herriot or [[:Category:Gervase PhinnHumour|Gervase PhinnHumour]] Consider the Doctor. Just how many birthday and Christmas gifts must he have to hand out each year, told mostly were he to keep in the first person, describing the author’s first couple touch with even half of years as Headmaster at his companions? He would certainly need a small village primary school in Yorkshire. The village few novelty gifts for some of Ragley is fictionalthem, say, for example, as are most whimsical books of verse that pithily encapsulate the characterslife of a Time Lord and that of some of his friends and enemies. As luck would have it, but he has the incidents and situations encountered are based on the author’s experience.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0552167045</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=J Robert Lennon|title=See You In Paradise|rating=3|genre=Short Stories|summary=Lennon writes with a relaxedspace in his TARDIS to stock up in advance, easy style so my advice to him – sorry, her – would be to pop along to his local Earth-based book emporium and his characters are instantly recognisable as people from everyday walks of life, without being in any way stereotypicalget himself ready. Many of the people in these stories are dealing And if you're working on a shorter timescale, with normal frustrationsa shorter lifespan, and Lennon thinking perhaps just one gift season ahead, well my advice is cleverly detached enough not to make them individuals that you're obviously supposed to root for (pretty much the only exception is the industrialist in the eponymous tale, who is an archetypal capitalist fat catsame. [[Doctor Who: Now We Are Six Hundred: A Collection of Time Lord Verse (Dr Who)by James Goss and Russell T Davies|Full Review]] <!-- Ingram -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Ingram_Kammie. There are some very clever characterisations – in ''Weber’s Head'', for example, the narrator is a flawed individual whose opinions of his housemate are gradually revealed to be unreliable and unfair. For me, the most unsettling story is ''No Life'', because it portrays a decent couple at the mercy of people more powerful and influential than them. There is no supernatural or bizarre element at work here, just ordinary characters at the mercy of social power.jpg|left|amazonuklink=<amazonuk>1781253358<https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/amazonuk>}}1785451995?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1785451995]]{{newreview|author=Lynne Truss|titlestyle=Cat out of Hell"vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"||rating=3==[[Conversations with Kammie by Annie Ingram]]===|genre=Horror[[image:4star.jpg|summarylink=Meet Alec Charlesworth. He's retired and decamped to an isolated coastal cottage with just his dog and loving memories of his colleague wifeCategory:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Pets|Pets]], now that she has died before [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] It was something of a relief when I encountered Annie Ingram and her timecocker spaniel Kammie. But the fusty librarian cannot rest too You see, Annie knows something which has been self-evident to me for a long before engaging in exploring some unusual computer files that were pinged across by someone at the college he worked at, time: dogs are perfectly capable of communicating with humans and not just before he left. Bizarrely they show photographic and audio evidence on a level of a talking cat called Rogerfood!, replete with Vincent Price voice – although they are also damaged by being included alongside some bad screenplay attempts about said catwalk! or play!. WorryinglyYou do require extensive training to become fluent, we soon see what at the but most only a few of the characters can, that this cat dogs will be perfectly willing to give their time to teach you and all you have to do is being accompanied by unusual listen. Annie has studied hard: Kammie has trained her well and unexpected death – much like Alec's wife. It's only when Roger testifies the pair have allowed us to having been pushed through the ends share some of endurance and out the other side that we begin to doubt where the true evil in this story lies…their conversations. [[Conversations with Kammie by Annie Ingram|amazonuk=Full Review]] <amazonuk>0099585340</amazonuk!-- Harris -->}}{{newreview|-|authorstyle=Jimmy Hansen and Mychailo Kazybird"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Harris_Glass.jpg|titlelink=Wallace & Gromit http: The Complete Newspaper Strips Collection Vol 2//www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1908943823/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  |ratingstyle=4"vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"||genre=Humour|summary=For me there are two important areas =[[The Breaking of the cover of this book where three letters are arranged in meaningful waysLiam Glass by Charles Harris]]=== [[image:3star. The first is with the S-U-N in their obligatory red jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]], [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] Teenager Liam Glass is mugged and white fontstabbed yards from his Camden flat. No minor paper could hold Wallace and GromitAs the boy lies comatose, their adventures have to be desperate journalist Jason Worthington scrabbles for the inside scoop, tired police officer Andy Rockham searches for a missing tape, harried politician Jamila Hasan fights for re-election, distraught mother Katrina Glass waits by her son, and gym-owner Royland simply finds himself in what is (unfortunately) the most widely read tabloid in wrong place at the countrywrong time. And elsewhere is C-B-EWe follow this host of ensemble characters in a bleak, suggesting that even the storytellers at Aardman Animations who are not household names are feted and revered as artistic experts, raising many laughs and much money for the country courtesy kaleidoscopic satire of their creative outputmodern media. Together these short collections [[The Breaking of letters show just how much WaG are major creations, and if the proof was needed this much longer collection of their daily comic strips provides it in spades.Liam Glass by Charles Harris|Full Review]] |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782760822</amazonuk!-- LENTE -->}}{{newreview|title=Dear Committee Members-|authorstyle=Julie Schumacher"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lente_10.jpg|ratinglink=4http://www.amazon.co.5uk/dp/1683690222/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] |genre=General Fiction|summarystyle=Jason Fitger (Jay) is a Professor of creative writing and literature at a small university in the American mid"vertical-align: top; text-west. He is also a frustrated novelist with a colourful personal history, much of which bleeds into his professional life, with interesting results.align: left;"||amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007586345</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|title=Mapp and Lucia Omnibus|author=E F Benson|rating[[Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery by Fred Van Lente]]===3.5|genre=Humour[[image:4star.jpg|summarylink=Miss Elizabeth Mapp rules the town of Tilling - she is Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] Nine comedians are invited to a remote Caribbean island under the centre guise of the social lifeworking with Dustin Walker, and spends her days enjoying bridge, polite conversation and civilised paintinga comedic legend. When Mrs Emmeline Lucas arrives in town (known to all as Lucia)Each fits neatly into one of the archetypal comic stereotypes: Steve, Miss Mapp finds her life truly shaken the washed-uphas-been who has fallen far from his early days; Zoe, as the culturedrising female star with a new stand-up special coming soon; Dante, fashionable and progressive Lucia makes her home who went from being a kid on the streets to the hardest working road comic in the townbusiness; Oliver, and swiftly rises to the top of child-like prop comic who can't get any respect from his peers; Janet, the ranks amongst insult comic who is past her prime; TJ, the social scene in Tilling.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849908478</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|title=Encyclopedia Paranoiaca|author=Henry Beard nightly variety show host with a reputation for harassing his female colleagues and guest acts; Ruby, the ultra-feminist YouTuber and Christopher Cerf|rating=4|genre=Popular Science|summary=WeBlogger with a chip on her shoulder; and William, whose redneck character ''Billy the Contractor''re screwedis a far cry from his real personality as a posh millionaire. Wherever we lookOf course, whatever we think of doing, there is a reason why we shouldnall nine agree because 't be doing it, 'when God almighty walks down on a beam of light and people to back that reason up with scientific data. Take any aspect of asks for your daily life – help, what the hell else are you eat, how you work, how you rest even, what you touch – all have problems that could provoke a serious illness or worse. And outside that daily sphere there are economic disasters, nuclear meltdowns, errant AI scientists and passing comets that could turn our world upside down at the blink of an eye. Perhaps then you better read this book first – for it may well turn out to be your last…going to say?'' [[Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery by Fred Van Lente|Full Review]] <!-- Scott -->|-|amazonukstyle=<amazonuk>0715649213</amazonuk>}}{{newreview"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|title=Diary of a Mad Diva[[image:Scott_Eliz.jpg|authorlink=Joan Rivers|rating=3http://www.amazon.co.5|genreuk/dp/1788037006/ref=Humournosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  |summarystyle="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===The late Joan Rivers was[[Elizabeth, without a doubt, a characterWilliam... Actress, comedian, writer, director, presenter, she was well known in the USA and beyond for her sharp tongue and no holds barred personaand Me by S Lynn Scott]]=== [[image:4. This was the last of the dozen books she published, her final title before her death in September 20145star.jpg|amazonuklink=<amazonuk>0425269027</amazonuk>Category:{{{rating}}}{{newreviewStar Reviews]] [[:Category:Humour|title=The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - The Nearly Definitive EditionHumour]]|author=Douglas Adams|rating=5|genre=General Fiction|summary=There are few series that have garnered such Ally is an ordinary woman with teenage children, a husband and a cult following as 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'job. Whether Then comes the fans have come from day when ordinariness flies out of the radio series, window. It's not a coincidence that it's the (impossibly hard) computer game, or same day she finds Queen Elizabeth I in the (well intentioned but not particularly good) film, they are everywhere. Ask a room of people what pantry and the meaning Bard of life isAvon in her bath. What's she going to do? Well, Elizabeth and you can be pretty sure a good few will pipe up with '42' as the answerWill have their own ideas about that! [[Elizabeth, William... and Me by S Lynn Scott|Full Review]] |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0434023396</amazonuk!-- Rodford -->}}{{newreview|-|titlestyle=Quick Pint After Work"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|author=Luke Lewis|rating[[image:Rodford_Surgeon.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178565005X/ref=nosim?tag=4thebookbag-21]]  |genrestyle=Humour"vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"||summary=BuzzFeed is one of the world’s best time sucks, and I’m regularly directed to the site ==[[The Surgeon's Case: George Kocharyan Mystery 2 by links from Facebook and Twitter, in between browsing the app on my phoneE G Rodford]]=== [[image:4star. According to jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]], [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] In the author bio on second instalment of this bookseries, BuzzFeed is 'Private Investigator George Kocharyan has been hired by a social news and entertainment company'well-known local man to track down some missing valuables. Bill Galbraith, which is a fancy way of describing lots of fun lists that speak to the readership (20 words that have world-famous surgeon at Cambridge's Addenbrooke's Hospital who hosts a completely different meaning in Manchesterpopular medical television programme, 30 Things all exhas had his briefcase stolen by his live-gymnasts know to be truein domestic servant, 40 Very British problems, yadda yadda yadda)Aurora. These list work well on line when you want a quick distraction, and they’re easy According to flip throughGalbraith, looking this briefcase contains confidential notes concerning an important patient of his at the attached photos or video clipshospital. The question thenGeorge agrees to look into the theft, is whether or not BuzzFeed the book assuming it will have the same appealbe a relatively easy and straightforward case – little does he know, he's about to enter a world of deceit and dysfunction.[[The Surgeon's Case: George Kocharyan Mystery 2 by E G Rodford|amazonuk=Full Review]] <amazonuk>0751557730</amazonuk!-- Jordan -->}}{{newreview|author=Graeme Simsion-|titlestyle=The Rosie Effect"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|rating=4[[image:Jordan_Tiny.jpg|genrelink=Humourhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1760293814/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  |summarystyle="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===Following inadvertent success with the Wife Project[[Our Tiny, Professor Don Tillman and his new bride Rosie have moved from Australia to New YorkUseless Hearts by Toni Jordan]]=== [[image:5star. Although Donjpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Women's Fiction|Women's position on the autistic scale is subjective, he still operates Fiction]], [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] As predicted by Caroline and Janice's mother on a daily basis of structured proceduresCaroline and Henry's wedding day, their marriage is over, lists albeit 15 years and logictwo daughters further along than predicted. Rosie can generally handle that but there are choppy waters aheadIndeed, this is definitely not a good weekend for Janice to be babysitting at Caroline's house. With There's the split and the patter awkwardness of tiny feet imminent logic goes out the window as she struggles with her PhD while Don struggles to find his place in girls' schoolteacher being the baby production process. other woman for a start. Then there's that mistaken identity moment involving the neighbours. At least he has his drinking buddies to support him – an aging rock drummer Janice is well adjusted and a friend whose wife has thrown over her ex-husband Alec. She still dreams of him out for infidelity. What could possibly go wrong, yes, but it's so over! Just as well really… guess who's at the door?[[Our Tiny, Useless Hearts by Toni Jordan|Full Review]] |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0718179471</amazonuk!-- Taylor -->}}{{newreview|-|titlestyle=Burnt Tongues"width: 10%; vertical-align: An Anthology of Transgressive Short Storiestop; text-align: center;"|author=Chuck Palahniuk, Dennis Widmyer and Richard Thomas[[image:Taylor_Scilly.jpg|ratinglink=4|genre=Short Storieshttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178475515X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  |summarystyle="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===Saying certain things out loud just don’t sound right. Some things are so disturbing or politically incorrect that you are best off leaving them inside your head, or better yet not thinking [[The Life of them at alla Scilly Sergeant by Colin Taylor]]=== [[image:4.5star. When these words are spoken they could lead to jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Travel|Travel]], [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] Meet the sensation Isles of Burnt Tongue; an aftereffect of knowing what you said was wrongScilly. Are you prepared (I know they should be called that – the author provides a handy guide to enter the world etiquette of Transgressive Fiction that aims to disturbtheir name, their nature and location, alienateetc.) For our more distant readers, disgust and question?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178329552X</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Sammy Looker|title=Something Nasty they're several chunks of granite rock out in the Slushpile|rating=4|genre=Humour|summary=I couldn't resist the title - a neat play Atlantic, where Cornwall is pointing, with just 2,200 permanent residents. They're big on [[Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons|Cold Comfort Farm]] tourism, and I'm sure that you'll understand that I was expecting some examples of big on growing flowers in the horrors to be found amongst tropical climate the mountain of unsolicited manuscripts which every publisher accumulatesGulf Stream bequeaths them – although the weather is bad enough to turn any car to a rust bucket within years. IThey'll confess I was expecting to gigglere so wee, even to groan and so idyllic- unkindseeming, I know - and I'd mentally shelved the book with the triviaespecially at night, or (hopefully) the humouryou can be mistaken for thinking there would be no need for a police presence. There But there is that element to the book– at least two working at any one time. And one of them in recent years has been Colin Taylor, but there's also something far more usefulwho has done his official duty – alongside maintaining a well-known online existence, which has brought to life all the whimsical comedy of his work. If you're thinking about publishing [[The Life of a book this should be required reading ''before'' you even go near a publisher.Scilly Sergeant by Colin Taylor|Full Review]] |amazonuk=<amazonuk>1472111028</amazonuk!-- Lloyd -->}}{{newreview|author=The Queen-|titlestyle=Still Reigning"width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|rating=4[[image:Lloyd_Twas.jpg|genrelink=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472125118/ref=nosim?tag=Humourthebookbag-21]]  |summarystyle=Anyone who frequents Twitter will know that it"vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[['s a mixed blessingTwas the Fight Before Christmas: A Parody by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees]]=== [[image:3. It's a mine of wonderful information and supportive camaraderie5star. jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] It's also - unfortunately - home Christmas Eve and Mum has arranged everything. All she now has to a lot do is await the arrival of people who take great pleasure in causing pain the relatives and the food shopping delivery. Little does Mum know that those two elements alone have the potential to othersruin everything. But in amongst all this are a few gems and one of them is [https['Twas the Fight Before Christmas://twitter.com/Queen_UK @Queen_UKA Parody by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees|Full Review]], a delightful satire on members of the royal family, celebrities, the political classes and the state of Her Majesty's nation <!-- Phinn -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Phinn_Virgin.jpg|left|link=http://www. Or, ''one's nation'' as Ma'am would sayamazon.co. 'uk/dp/1444779400/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Virgin Mary'Still Reigning'' is her second book, after ''Gin O'Clock'' and it's the sort of parody which leaves you wondering if the writer might not be someone ''very'' close to the originals Got Nits by Gervase Phinn]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|amazonuklink=<amazonuk>0715649132</amazonuk>}}Category:{{{newreview|title=Last Days of the Bus Club|author=Chris Stewart|rating=4}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Humour|genre=Humour|summary=I could well have been a near-neighbour of Chris Stewart. Not]], of course, near his current primary occupancy, an ecological farmstead just beyond the turning off from the back end of nowhere [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] Christmas in our house is the most rural of corners of southern Spaintime we tend to get on a plane and head to either sun or snow, anywhere that is far, but back when he lived in far away from the south-east of Englandmadness at home, being Genesis' first ever drummerlast minute dashes to the shops on Christmas Eve, and building bridges in the North Downsfood cupboard stockpiles that would imply supermarkets are shutting for a month, nor a mere 36 hours. The fact But I learnt do remember the latter from this book shows up several feeling of Christmas when I was younger, back when it was magical, and back when you knew exactly what the features season would bring with carol concerts and school nativities and Christmas parties. This book is an anthology of this warm-hearted 'travelogue' – those moments, and it took me right back to the fact that Stewart is never shy about portraying family details and history – given wonder of Christmas as a good map and a prevailing wind one child. [[The Virgin Mary's Got Nits by Gervase Phinn|Full Review]] <!-- North -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:North_Romeo.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0356508536/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Humour|Humour]] For all those who think tragedy plots are too restricted and prescribed, read on. In these pages you too will see that Romeo had lots of options en route to hitting the bottle. Likewise, she could find where he lives and descend on the farm, if one wished; and that while this might be on the travel shelves, the narrative is so fragmented it actually moves a lot more than any of the characters do.have turned away from her predestined path at no end of junctures. And to what result? Well, happy marriage and a kid called Ben, because the leads have just banged people's heads together and stopped the quarrelling, or Death by Tybalt (him) or a long life running an establishment curing murderous women, such as a Lady M (her). [[Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North|Full Review]] <!-- DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1908745436</amazonuk>}}