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Find out moreTitles to make you laugh out loud. Or just smile. Or both.
Alan Partridge can make a trip to buy a pint of milk into an epic dual with destiny so I’m surprised he’s managed to “trek” as far as he documents in Nomad. It must be the Amazon you guess, or possibly a lone trek across the searing Australian desert? But no, this duel with destiny starts in Norwich and ends at… Dungeness and he’s got the new scarf and safari jacket to prove it. A life or death struggle with the elements, a coming to terms with the past that deals with failure (inability to get into Tilbury Docks) and triumph on reaching the end without too much blood spilt. Only Alan Partridge could do this journey and survive to write about it – learn and laugh reader, learn and laugh... ~ Sue Baker Like for Like ReadingMolvania: A Land Still Untouched by Modern Dentistry, Santo CelauroThree Men in a Boat to Say Nothing of the Dog, Jerome K Jerome
Billions of you have watched their videos and millions of you have followed them on social media. So here we go; it's time to back up because YouTube superstars, The Sidemen, are finally here in book form and they're dishing the dirt on each other as well as the YouTube universe. There's nowhere to hide as KSI, Miniminter, Behzinga, Zerkaa,Vikkstar123, Wroetoshaw and Tobjizzle go in hard on their living habits, their football ability, and their dodgy clobber, while also talking Fifa, Vegas and superheroes. They'll also give you their grand house tour, letting you in on a few secrets, before showing you their hall of fame, as well as revealing some of their greatest shames. Along the way you'll learn how seven of the world's biggest YouTube stars started off with nothing more than a computer console, a PC and a bad haircut before joining forces to crush the internet. And they'll tell you just how they did it (because they're nice like that) with their ultimate guide to YouTube while also sharing their memories of recording their favourite videos as well as a typical day in the life of The Sidemen. You'll feel like you're with them every step of the way, smelling the 'sweet' aroma of the boys' favourite dishes in the kitchen, stamping your passport as you follow them on their trips around the world and kicking every ball as the boys gear up for the biggest football match of their lives. It's going to get personal. It's going to get intense, and JJ is going to have lots of tantrums, so take a moment to prepare yourself, because this is The Sidemen book you've been waiting for!
The Terry Pratchett Diary? Yes please! With thoughts of warmth, admiration, love and laughter from his family, friends and colleagues scattered among the months, you glimpse a new side, a different perspective, one that adds even more colour and vibrancy to what you already know about this very special man. Illustrations and quotes also creep onto, lurk menacingly over, or caper about the pages. There are no days to be found in this clever little diary, just dates, so it isn’t only for use in 2017, it could be used in any year (or every year if you write carefully in pencil and have a really good eraser). We hear how Terry Pratchett encouraged his daughter’s connection with the world around her, Colin Smythe writes of his genius, Paul Kidby about his creative energy, and Rob Wilkins asks that his words be treasured. I smiled as I read, felt inspired, felt a connection. Then, at the very last page, sits the final illustration, which brought a tear to my eye. Terry Pratchett’s words still swirl, swoosh and surge around us, Terry Pratchett’s words live on… ~ Liz Robinson
Here are just some of the light-hearted news items that have made it into the Times Diary Column over the past 50 years. Patrick Kidd has picked the best of the Column with items that will amaze and astonish, hard to imagine anyone reading this collection without laughing out loud every page or two. An absolutely essential Christmas stocking treasure for every Times reader. ~ Sue BakerLike for Like ReadingHas the World Gone Completely Mad? Unpublished Letters to the Daily Telegraph, Iain Hollingshead (Editor)I Think I Can See Where You’re Going Wrong: And Other Wise and Witty Comments from The Guardian, Marc Burrows (Editor)
Documents include the Trotters' family tree, paperwork from Rodney's school days, snapshots from family holidays, and even the first chapter draft of Rodney's novel. The book will be illustrated with never-before-seen memorabilia and ephemera, from Raquel's original dating agency form, from before she met Del, to a set of promt cards Del created for Trigger: 'DON'T let Roy Slater fit you up for stealing 3,000 Green Shield stamps ever again, even if you did get an electric blanket and a toaster when you came out of jail. DO try to remember that Dave is actually called Rodney.'
Pistache (pis-tash): a friendly spoof or parody of another's work. [Deriv uncertain. Possibly a cross between pastiche and p**stake.].
Packed with amazing photographs and jaw-dropping facts, and with an out-of-this-world 3D-effect cover, Ripley's Believe It or Not! 2017 offers a feast of information and entertainment. Prepare yourself for this year's collection of eye-popping oddities!
Insightful, tender and very, very funny, the images from the author's blog, The Daily Think, have become hugely popular, and the very best of them are collected together in this exquisite and hilarious gift book. The illustrations chronicle all manner of parenting fails and mishaps, plus a fair few sweet and poignant moments, and it will raise a giggle of recognition from beleaguered mums and dads everywhere. It's the perfect gift for a world-weary parent who's seen it all before, or a new one to let them know what they're in for!
As I Was Saying...is the seventh book in Jeremy Clarkson's best-selling The World According to Clarkson series. Crikey, the world according to Clarkson's been a funny old place of late...For a while, Jeremy could be found in his normal position as the tallest man on British television but, more recently, he appears to have been usurped by a pretend elephant. But on paper the real Jeremy remains at the helm. That's as it should be. For nearly thirty years he has been fearlessly leading the charge as one the best comic writers in the country. And in 2015, he shows no sign of slowing down. So, whether it's pondering If Jesus might have been better off being born in New Zealand, Why reflexive pronoun abuse is the worst thing in the world, How Pam Ayres' head trumps Gordon Gecko's underpants, Or what a television presenter with time on his hands gets up to, Jeremy is still trying to make sense of all the big stuff.
Featuring original Ladybird artwork alongside brilliantly funny, brand new text. Also available: How it Works: The Husband How it Works: The Wife How it Works: The Mum The Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life Crisis The Ladybird Book of the Hangover The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness The Ladybird Book of the Shed The Ladybird Book of Dating The Ladybird Book of the Hipster.
The correspondence collected here may have come from Dale Shaw’s imagination but there is a rightness to some of the inclusions (Dr Heimlich’s Other Manoeuvre or A letter from the table next to the Algonquin Round Table) that makes you question if, perhaps some of these letters and notes just should have been found crumpled up in some historic waste-paper basket. ~ Sue Baker Like for Like Reading. The Lost Diaries, Craig Brown. The Novel Cure: An A-Z of Literary Remedies, Susan Elderkin & Ella Berthoud
It seems there’s no end to QI facts or the public fascination for them. Here are another 1339 QI facts, a great gift for the person who has everything or perhaps you need a book for the smallest room or entertainment for friends and relations or even for your own personal enjoyment – warning, it’s addictive reading. ~ Sue BakerLike for Like ReadingQI: The Book of General Ignorance, John Lloyd and John MitchinsonAfterliff. John Lloyd and Jon Canter
Edward Estlin Cummings knew a thing or two (take a look at our Poetry Section if you don’t believe us!) and we have to agree with him. Humour is at the heart of human life and you’ll find it in fine form in this section. From favourite TV shows to quirky memoirs; hilarious novels to witty verse; books to dip into, books to devour. We know that humour is subjective and so we’ve spread the net pretty wide as we trawled the comedy oceans for the funniest fish. Un’shellfish’ly, we’ve compiled monthly lists of eclectic recommendations so that you can easily find whatever tickles your fins. There are books here to give as gifts, to savour on your own, or to enjoy with others. Books of laugh out-loud jokes and anecdotes to make you smile on the train, plane, bus or any other public place. After all, laughter is infectious. Spread it around.