Humor Books

Author Karen Salmansohn has created a wonderful book that is truly a gift to mankind.

In a time of growing economic challenge, with significant personal impacts for so many people, this book is a treasure trove of profound wisdom, great ideas, and worthwhile exercises for helping one bounce back from adversity.

Got a friend who is struggling? Give this book as a gift. You will help your friend, and lift your own spirits at the same time.

Bravo Karen Salmansohn...job well done!

This book is necessary for any person who had had disappointments in their life or who has faced adversity and defeat (like all of us!). As a psychologist I can attest to the fact that too many people accept defeat and tend to get depressed. Karen Salmonson's book says "Don't do that". She presents great strategies for rebounding and taking charge of your life. A must read for everyone! Well written, practical and psychologically sound advice.

Bernard Katz, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist

How appropriate that a book titled "The Bounce Back Book" would be so, well, uplifting. From its fun rubberized cover to its clever, quirky illustrations, Karen has created another jewel. In it she includes 75 strategies (and all research-based, I'm happy to say), that the reader can use to mend and shine after life's inevitable hard times. The beauty with her many techniques is that if you can't relate to one, you can always try another (My fav is tip #57). In this book, Karen has neatly packaged the latest info from positive psychology, neuroscience, cognitive therapy and Buddhism to create the ultimate handy dandy life guide. As a teacher of emotional wellness, I think The Bounce Back Book is a gem!

The Bounce Back book is a treasure of useful ideas to help people bounce back from tough experiences. Salmansohn has a great ability to distill the very best from academic psychology, combine those insights with the spiritual perspective of Eastern philosophy, and convey all this with humor and panache. But what is most moving about the Bounce Back book is the very real and human voice of the author - so authentic that you feel she is sitting in your kitchen and talking with you about these ideas over a cup of coffee. This book is a great gift to give yourself or to anyone you care about who's trying to cope with a difficult time in their lives.

Salmansohn's advice is whitty, sharp, and oh so helpful. She gets to the heart of issues and helps you get through whatever it is you're dealing with. Great tips, excellent writing, and a true pleasure to read. Highly suggested!

Planet Nine strikes again! Bruno the Bandit is tall, dark, and luckless from a family of bandits. Even though he's in his thirties, Bruno is still living at home with his mother, father, companion/sidekick/will rat him out in 5 seconds micro-dragon Fiona and "Uncle". A firm grasp on pop-culture is necessary to get all the gags, jokes and jabs as Bruno seeks ancient books of forbidden knowledge, endures prison, his world's version of Peoples Court and daytime television and even marriage...to an another man. I'm not going to ruin any plotlines, so you'll just have to pick up a copy to find out the rest!

If you stumbled across Sluggy Freelance and liked it, give Bruno a try.

Bruno is really one of the better strips there is on the net. Its great he got a book out, too.

This is definetly one of the better comic strips out there. Bruno the Bandit is completely original, and fresh, the main character contiues to surprise me. Bruno is not only a dumb crook, murderer etc, but also greedy, selfish, and at times meaner than his enemies. It makes hime very interesting to read about, you'd think he would rather save the world than make a few gold sovergeins, but not Bruno. He kills baby unicorns, and clubs baby seals, all to further his own ends and this makes the book very refreshing from other strips, for he continues to save people, usually out of shear stupidity! I recommend you to purchase this book!!

Like many internet comics, I stumbled on this gem by accident. I read the strips abounding with weird wizards, sassy micro-dragons, clumsy rouges, goat-headed Goddesses, bartending demons, and various other oddities, laughed so hard my sides hurt, and got addicted. Unlike certain other reveiwers who have no basis for their mindless dislike, I think Bruno is one of the best internet comics out there, parodying everything from pop culture to classic fantasy stories. Ian McDonald has terrific insight, and I hope the strip continues to be successful for many years to come.

This is the "typical" story of your rogue that has it all done by brute force and not necessarily the smartest way. That would not have been anything special if we hadn't got Fiona, the always present Micro-dragon sideckick. With her inteligence, sarcasm, and great humour that turns this stupid/smart robbers pair in one of the funniest around.

I have been a faithful FoxTrot reader for years. Roger, Andy and their kids Peter, Paige and Jason are always good for a reality check with a large dose of laughter. I've got two girls and let me tell you, I see a lot of my kids in Paige with, I believe, even a healthy dose of Jason thrown in. And they have Peter's bottomless stomach. Of course, they're faithful FoxTrot readers too. I used to read the strip to them, explain what was going on, but now they get it just fine and we three all laugh together. Then my girls try and explain the strip to their dad, who pretends he doesn't get it.

The FoxTrot folks are a great family, one we sort of got used to checking up on every day, so we took the news that Mr. Amend was going to cease daily distribution of his wonderfully funny people and turn his strip to Sunday only, with a bit of sadness. Still, we have these terrific FoxTrot books to keep us going with our FoxTrot fix. Mr. Amend is to be commended for his great gift to our culture and his great gift to so many lives. I truly believe a laugh a day, helps keep the blues away and the FoxTrot gang are always good for a laugh. Heck there are a lot of laughs in the FoxTrot books. I know, I have them all and I am, along with my girls and my hubby dear, eagerly awaiting the next one.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, we don't have an iguana, but my girls do have a pet gecko and, you guessed it, his name is Quincy.

I've been a Foxtrot reader for a long time and personally I think there is something suspiciously wrong with people who don't find Bill Amend's characters funny as all get out. If you want a good laugh, check out Bill in your local newspaper, or better yet, get one of the Foxtrot books. They are all great, really, they are.

Like many of Mr. Amend's fans I'm a bit disappointed he's switching his strip to Sunday-only, but fortunately I can still read him daily in the Foxtrot books. Get them one and all and you can keep right on a laughing.

I get so engrossed in all foxtrot books, but I think this one defenitly topped my list. It was hysterical from cover to back. Keep up the good work!

I loved this book! It was just one hilarious comic strip after another! Absolutley a must-have.

I liked this book, especially because you went in to Jason and his iguana, Quincy. I think that when they harass Paige, the way she gets back at them is hysterical. Thanks for all the books, please make more, and keep the good work up. ~Brittany~

The Garfield Day- to Day Calendar is a great thing to look forward to every morning because it gives you a laugh and wakes you up.

Garfield is the best cartoon in the world im his #1 fan. I have been since i was born. they should have a lot more of garfield.......one more thing...GOD BLESS AMERICA......

The pictures are cute,after you read you must be a Garfield fans

This book is hillarious, and if your not a morning person the comic strips featured in it will wake you up with laughter. I definatly recommend this book to all Garfield fans!

The Garfield Day- to Day Calendar is a great thing to look forward to every morning because it gives you a laugh and wakes you up.

"FANS OF ADMIRAL GALLERY'S UNIQUE BRAND OF SEA YARNS WILL LOVE IT." -- Herman Wouk

"Vintage Gallery humor! As long as Fatso lives, the U.S. Navy will Survive." -- WILLIAM J. LEDERER

"The U.S. Navy doesn't need a whole fleet in the Mediterranean. All it needs is a 70-foot motorized barge -- LCU-1124 -- commanded by a resourceful Boatswain's Mate First Class like Fatso Gioninni ." -- THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW.

"It would take half the page to do justice to this ferociously funny novel... The imperturbable malice Admiral Gallery uses to spoof everything from the way the Navy is run to the poverty program is an exercise in risible ingenuity. This is one of the most hilarious sugar coatings over hard core of fact I have read and if it isn't made into a movie or serve as the nucleus for a TV series, there is no justice!" -- Jefferson Parish Times, Metairie, LA

"FANS OF ADMIRAL GALLERY'S UNIQUE BRAND OF SEA YARNS WILL LOVE IT." -- Herman Wouk

"Vintage Gallery humor! As long as Fatso lives, the U.S. Navy will Survive." -- WILLIAM J. LEDERER

"The U.S. Navy doesn't need a whole fleet in the Mediterranean. All it needs is a 70-foot motorized barge -- LCU-1124 -- commanded by a resourceful Boatswain's Mate First Class like Fatso Gioninni ." -- THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW.

"It would take half the page to do justice to this ferociously funny novel... The imperturbable malice Admiral Gallery uses to spoof everything from the way the Navy is run to the poverty program is an exercise in risible ingenuity. This is one of the most hilarious sugar coatings over hard core of fact I have read and if it isn't made into a movie or serve as the nucleus for a TV series, there is no justice!" -- Jefferson Parish Times, Metairie, LA

Cap'n Fatso
"FANS OF ADMIRAL GALLERY'S UNIQUE BRAND OF SEA YARNS WILL LOVE IT." -- Herman Wouk

"Vintage Gallery humor! As long as Fatso lives, the U.S. Navy will Survive." -- WILLIAM J. LEDERER

"The U.S. Navy doesn't need a whole fleet in the Mediterranean. All it needs is a 70-foot motorized barge -- LCU-1124 -- commanded by a resourceful Boatswain's Mate First Class like Fatso Gioninni ." -- THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW.

"It would take half the page to do justice to this ferociously funny novel... The imperturbable malice Admiral Gallery uses to spoof everything from the way the Navy is run to the poverty program is an exercise in risible ingenuity. This is one of the most hilarious sugar coatings over hard core of fact I have read and if it isn't made into a movie or serve as the nucleus for a TV series, there is no justice!" -- Jefferson Parish Times, Metairie, LA

Cap'n Fatso
"FANS OF ADMIRAL GALLERY'S UNIQUE BRAND OF SEA YARNS WILL LOVE IT." -- Herman Wouk

"Vintage Gallery humor! As long as Fatso lives, the U.S. Navy will Survive." -- WILLIAM J. LEDERER

"The U.S. Navy doesn't need a whole fleet in the Mediterranean. All it needs is a 70-foot motorized barge -- LCU-1124 -- commanded by a resourceful Boatswain's Mate First Class like Fatso Gioninni ." -- THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW.

"It would take half the page to do justice to this ferociously funny novel... The imperturbable malice Admiral Gallery uses to spoof everything from the way the Navy is run to the poverty program is an exercise in risible ingenuity. This is one of the most hilarious sugar coatings over hard core of fact I have read and if it isn't made into a movie or serve as the nucleus for a TV series, there is no justice!" -- Jefferson Parish Times, Metairie, LA

This is a very well written story set in the US Navy of the 1960's. There are fascinating insights into the operation of the Navy -- how aircraft carriers work, how navies are supplied, how spying missions are flown, how American and Russian navies get along on the high seas.

But at a deeper level, it's a story about how the US Navy can be a family to its sailors. The main plot is the hell that Cap'n Fatso can raise, when his fleet abandons him and sails for Vietnam. Intertwined with it is a story about how Cap'n Fatso mentors young sailors, protecting them from harm -- he even sets up a casino, serving beer, so that young marines won't be corrupted by landside attractions.

I enjoyed it.

We love this book. I read a review of it in one of my sons turtle magazines and knew I had to get it. Even though the story is about a girl, this is a must for all boys who love gross things. My son took it to show n tell at preschool and it was a huge hit with all the kids and teachers.
We read it over and over and never stop laughing.

My five-year-old LOVES this book. Aside from the laugh-out-loud humor and engaging characters, the illustrations are fabulous. I can't wait to see more from this author/illustrator team!

The story and illustrations of this new and refreshing book make Carmen's Sticky Scab fun and enjoyable. Ginger has done a wonderful job capturing events surrounding a pesky scab...situations that we can all relate to (in one way or another). This book is well written and illustrated. One that can be enjoyed over and over. Carmen's Sticky Scab is MUST for your library! Thumbs up on this great book! Let's hope it's the first of many from this wonderful new author!

This was so cute and funny - any kid would love this story and read it over and over. The kind of ending that will have any kid (or adult) laughing out loud. Anyone with children in the family should pick this book up

Scabs, sharks, bossy grown-ups, and a boy named Andy who apparently doesn't eat enough . . . I would never have expected to love a book about scabs. But the humor won me over. My kids love this book and my 1st-grader wants to read it to me at least once every single day. For every kid who's ever had a scab and the grown-ups who love them--buy this book and prepare to laugh!

I love this book! I may buy more for friends. It arrived on time in excellent condition.

Alas, Bernard "Hap" Kliban is gone, but his genius lives on in "Cat", a book of cartoons that captures the personality of the cat as seen by cat lovers. Strangely enough, Kliban was a cartoonist for "Playboy", contributing cartoons for that publication until his death. The cat cartoons were discovered by a "Playboy" editor and the 1975 book "Cat" was born.

Kliban's cats are rotund bug-eyed creatures with a smile on their faces that says the joke is on you. The cartoons include the cats doing nonsensical things as well as performing deeds that you always suspected they might be guilty of as they interact with dogs, mice, people, and in some cases impersonate people. Included among the cartoons is a cat playing a banjo singing a tune of his own making with the lyrics "Love to eat them mousies. Mousie's what I love to eat...". For those that can remember the days when a television was a heat emanating device that invariably attracted napping cats there is a cartoon of a couple sitting in front of a television with a transparent cat standing in front of the screen. Their comments: "We enjoy the television set now that we got ourselves a transparent cat!". Interspersed among the "Kliban cats" are truly beautiful and elegant drawings of Kliban's own real-life cats, to whom he dedicated this book.

If you enjoyed Gary Larson's "Far Side" series and you are a cat lover I'm sure you'll enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.

ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR
"Get ready for a year of Cat gluttony and sloth, mayhem and misadventure, and--as always--a fine disregard for the law. (Laws governing physics and animal behavior come in for especially vigorous abuse from these feckless felines, as well as the law Thou Shalt Not Swipe Thy Neighbor's Sushi and that other law, Don't Juggle With Kittens.) ¶ Now in their third decade of worldwide popularity, the Cats show not the slightest sign of starting to behave like adults. Or like small-c cats, either. They will do whatever it takes to send you through 2006 with a smile on your face. Even if it means hugging a big, smug fish. Even if it means taking a bath. Even if it means missing a meal. Well, perhaps not that last one. ¶ 112 page, spiral-bound weekly engagement calendar with 53 reproductions, and clear plastic covers. Size: 6 5/8 by 8". Calendar features 53 weekly grids and full-page 2006 and 2007 yearly grids. Includes international holidays and a page for notes. ISBN 0-7649-3049-4 . . . Other calendars: wall, mini-wall, and 365-day. Additional publications available in our Kliban Gallery."--© Pomegranate

WALL CALENDAR
"The debauch continues. Cats have a go at Abstract Expressionism (and simultaneous inadvertent body art), feed a wild variety of birds from a park bench with nary a thought to their own nominally predatory nature, doze in the soporific vapors of a plate of pasta, and pop furtively and in sizeable numbers from the tall grass at the rustle of a sandwich being unwrapped. Other hi- and low-jinx take place as well. ¶ 13 x 12" wall calendar (opens to 13 x 24") with twelve full-color reproductions. ISBN: 0-7649-3053-2 . . . Other calendars: weekly engagement, mini-wall, and 365-day.Related items available in Kliban Cat Gallery."--© Pomegranate

I bought this book by accident. Well, not really, but I allowed another reviewer to seduce me into buying the new Kliban Cat Calendar and I saw this book listed as well on the calendar's detail page. I saw the words 'anniversary edition' and decided to order it. It was only after I received it that I discovered that seventeenth anniversary of "Cat" was in 1992, two years after Kliban's death. So 2002 is really the 27th anniversary. All that being said, I want to state that this little book would be fantastic no matter what it's age is, or what the age of it's reader is either. I love this book.

There, I've said it, this crusty old man goes all soft hearted when he leafs through a 25 year old book of cat cartoons. As well he should! Kliban captures something entirely different from other feline cartoonists. They aren't kitten cute, nor are they wicked Garfields, as Art Spiegelman points out in his introduction. Instead they are the light hearted chubby denizens of a world of whimsical, good natured self-interest. They relax at the beach, dream of the stars, and steal cheese sandwiched with equal aplomb. They exchange traditional concepts of cat beauty for an enticing comfyness which only a cat lover could understand.

Love is an important and operative word in this little volume. Not one of Kliban's cartoons is made at the expense of cats. Instead, each opens a door to the essential nature of our furry friends, and the non-judgmental affection that they display to those in their circle of trust. A snarl turns into a lick, a meow into a purr and then all is well. Kliban is the only artist I know who has managed to really capture the feline Mona Lisa smile. You know, the one that cats use to melt their owners. Cats forgive with a grace from which us humans could learn a great deal. And Kliban captures it all. Many of the cartoons are not really cartoons, but innocent studies of the artists own cats, drawn with genuine affection.

Art Spiegelmann, artist and author of MAUS, provides a short and delightful introduction to the anniversary edition, and there are 16 pages of Kliban's color work for our further delectation. Everyone who likes cats needs to have this book around. Placed somewhere so that it will fall to hand in those irritating moments when we need to look at cats in order to remember what it is to be human.

This book is my absolute favorite, I have recently decided. My B. Kliban legacy goes back, way back, to my grandmother (we call her "Darling") who fell in love with the Qats back in the seventies (now keep in mind this is not some frumpy old lady. At the time she was the coolest little activist hippie this side of South Street.) Then there's my mother, who, out in San Fransisco around the same time used to roll with laughter at the Cat cartoons with her zany friend.
Enter me. As a kid, I never really understood Kliban--I also didn't have a cat yet. Then I did--first came Serena, then Zubi, and finally Torquil Hevoir James (AKA Booboo Kitty.) And so I loved B. Kliban. And this book is the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. Now that I'm going off to college, I think I'll frame some pages for my dorm room. And place them randomly around the campus. Most people I know who don't have cats really don't get it, but that's okay. I mean, the drawings are beautiful and whacky enough to get anyone. And the concepts--what was this guy on? Catnip, I believe. Whatever the inspiration, Cat is definitely the besties and the greaties.
P.S. I don't actually have this particular edition of the book; I didn't even know it was still in print. I have Darling's hardcover copy from 1976, and I love the cover: "Cat" in huge red letters with two of Kliban's pen-and-ink cats looking at it from below. Beautiful, beautiful.

If he was seen in a town where all of America`s charming "eccentricities" are concentrated (any L. Ron Hubbard High School alumni out there?), if he was spotted giving a diatribe on logical, rational thought, then it could only be The Champion of Reason!

A well-paced and thought-out book, TCoR is a lot of fun to read. It takes place is a town that is a microcosm of American insanity, and depicts one man`s struggle as a superhero who fights foolishness. He certainly has an uphill battle ahead of him.

One of the best aspects of this book is the characterization. The major characters are unique and interesting, especially when shown against the backdrop of the sheep-like inhabitants of Addleton. People are unique and interesting, and are able to hold your attention throughout the book, so that you wind up cackling madly at the misfortune of some while holding your breath to see if others will get through unscathed.

As with "The Geographer," Jim Riva has skillfully blended humor with genuine emotion. While it is very easy to laugh at his book, it is even easier to connect with characters, no matter how nasty or low some may seem. Also as with "The Geographer," some of the writing stretches the boundaries of believability - The Champion`s multi-page speeches are a prime example. That much aside, however, it is still worth a read. Buy it, read it, and give it to someone who needs an intervention from The Champion of Reason... or perhaps to another would-be Champion.

Ever felt the urge to strike a blow against ignorance and stupidity? Then the Champion of Reason is your kind of guy. I chuckled (also snickered and guffawed) as the Champion campaigned to free the world (or at least one Midwest town) from banality and small-mindedness. Riva aims his wit like a bull-exploding-raygun and invariably hits the bullseye of the bull.

I am reminded of Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow ( though The Champion Of Reason is not nearly as dense) and Vonnegut's classic novels. Has anyone secured the film rights to this yet? It could yield a dandy script. But don't wait to see the movie. Read the book.

One of the few books I have read that gives me reason to bust out loud laughing by myself. With tears in my eyes, I can confidently offer this selection to the harshest of critics. It's too bad more books don't get this far but I guess that's got more to do with the writers then the readers.

'Champ' is one of my favorites, a laugh-out-loud book with a lot to say about the state of social thought and behavior. Jim Riva has a definite (if somewhat unconventional) knack for telling a tale (check out his 'The Geographer'), and his major characters are unique, to say the least, and likeable in an eccentric-relative sort of way. In the course of this romp through small-town America (or is it? ), the 'superhero' Champion of Reason takes on the small-mindedness of every dogmatic thought system plaguing modern society. Riva draws things together in a satisfying way, and when you finish you'll be ready to start again.

This book is a sleeper. No, it will not cause yawning, boredom, nodding, and snoring. Quite the contary. It is a sleeper in the sense of something unnoticed that could suddenly become popular. If this story of a super hero preaching logic and reason ever gets into the hands of a good screenwriter then look out. This sleeper will awaken! Read this for laughs and get some real lessons or vice versa. You will not avoid getting both. Just don't get insulted because the story will point out a likely shallowness in some area of your life, proving then, that the Champion of Reason lives, and not even kryptonite will harm him. Long live the truth!

Gary Larson knows how to add humor to any creature on any planet

My Grandpa has this book and every time I visit his house, I read it. If I get finished with it and his other Far Side book, I read them all over again! This book is awesome!

This 1993 compilation collects about 361 Far Side illustrations. I found this collection to be a bit less riotous than some others of Larson's collections, and in many cases I had to think more to understand the joke.

For example, there is an illustration showing workers in a chicken processing factory. It took me a moment to realize that there was a basket on the wall with a "GIZZARDS" bucket below the basket. There is another illustration of the famous "Larry of the Lemurs," who was significantly less famous than his African counterpart, Tarzan.

I also thought there were a number of illustrations that were very funny. Adam calls Eve to ask her out on a date and the first thing she thinks is that she doesn't have a thing to wear. Another good one is the lady walking through the sinister woods with a vacuum cleaner and the caution that nature abhors a vacuum.

A few illustrations failed to tickle my funny bone. The image showing a dog hallucinating about cat mirages went no where with me. Another one about shortening Dodge Ball City to Dodge City after the arrival of the Earp brothers fell flat for me as well.

Gary Larson always offers an "outside the box" view of the world. Often his images offer a new twist on a cliché, either reinterpreting the cliché with an image, such as two robots sitting side-by-side, noting that each knew how to push the other's buttons. Sometimes Larson changes one word to achieve a new variation on an old phrase, such as when Jeannie Jeannie Eatszuchinni testifies against her brother, Mr. Pumpkineater. Regardless of how well each image or caption works, you can be assured that this book will stretch your mental muscles, and perhaps you will be able to look at the world in different and more humorous way.

Larson released this collection in 1993 and it has more than stood the comedy test of time. The Chickens are Restless is about 2/3rds the height of an A4 bit of paper, all Far Sides are in black and white and are either full page or two to a page. Classic Far Sides inside include the classics Ernie getting a wrong number call from God then for the rest of his life telling his friends he had talked with God, Popeye on the Dating Scene, Death seeing his girlfriend in the movie theatre with Dr Jack Kevorkian, dumb painter in hell holding the work order upside down, Edna being forced to sell her brussel sprouts house, Hookhand telling the tale of "The Two Evil Teenagers", testimony against Mr Pumpkineater being given by his sister Jeannie Jeannie Eatszucchini and the cow sitting on the electric fence saying to the others, "Look if it was electric could I do this" as the angry farmer is about to flick the switch.

Every Far Side Collection is a must own but if you are strapped for cash the better value for money option is usually the larger Far Side Galleries which are a collection of three of these smaller books.

Mutinous canines, alien-spotting rednecks, dung beetles, and all the assorted occupants of the spaced-out mind of Gary Larson are here in this fun-filled compilation.

Larson is one "acquired taste" that I am glad to have developed.

bienísimos...a veces pasaditos de color, pero JAMÁS DE MAL GUSTO !
Si quieres comprar una tonelada de carcajadas, LEE ESTE LIBRO...NO LO LEERÁS UNA SOLA VEZ, SINO MUCHAS ! TE LO RECOMIENDO

Y eso que yo leo todo lo que encuentro de chistes!
Estos me encantaron, me hicieron reít..
¡TE LOS RECOMIENDO !

QUE TENEMOS UN BUEN SENTIDO DEL HUMOR..
Y para las que no lo tienen, tambíén: NO DEJARÁN DE CARCAJEARSE CON ESTOS CHISTESÍSIMOS !

NOME GUSTAN porque es como si el lenguaje estuviera encadenado por LA CENSURA..

ESTE ES ULTRA BUENO !

PERO EXCELENTES PARA NOSOTROS !
Te ríes y te ríes, que ya casi te descoses...