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Post by Beautiful Zelda on Mar 10, 2008 11:44:33 GMT
Since we all like silly music. What about silly books? My favourites would have to be the Flann O'Brien (real name Brian O'Nolan) books. The most famous thanks to Lost being The Third Policeman. There are others and if you can get a hold of the collection of his columns, written under his other alias Myles na gCopaleen from The Irish Times, even better. Robert Rankin has copied him quite a bit, so if you've read and like them you'll like the original Flann O' Brien
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Post by Nancy on Mar 10, 2008 12:18:50 GMT
Spike Milligan is good if you like silly literature, I found a great book in a charity shop called "The complete Spike Milligan" which has loads of different stuff including transcripts of the Goons. I haven't had a chance to read it all yet but I loved his poetry when I was a child I had a book of verse by him.
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Post by Beautiful Zelda on Mar 11, 2008 11:57:22 GMT
I've got The essential Spike Milligan, that was brought out after he had died and I've read his autobiography. I know you don't like to read those but Spike's is incredibly funny and he's drawn daft pictures as well, it does have sad bit though.
I've still got books of his poetry for children and adults he was a very talented man. For some reason I've never read Puckoon, I have tried but just couldn't get into it.
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Post by graytart on Mar 11, 2008 19:39:51 GMT
Spike's long-time manager/friend/maid of all work published a book of his letters that was very amusing (the book was endorsed by him BTW). And I am rather interested to read Box 18
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Post by gwood on Mar 12, 2008 1:07:24 GMT
John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces, is quite silly, but also thoroughly literary, and one of the few books that just about everyone who reads will probably like. Run, don't walk. This is a good one. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confederacy_of_Dunces
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Post by graytart on Mar 12, 2008 9:53:00 GMT
John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces, is quite silly, but also thoroughly literary, and one of the few books that just about everyone who reads will probably like. Run, don't walk. This is a good one. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confederacy_of_DuncesThis is a great book, although I'm not sure I'd call it silly. Sad real-life story though. Toole was unpublished in his lifetime. He committed suicide, and his mother arranged for posthumous publication of A Confederacy of Dunces, which ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize.
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Post by Nancy on Mar 12, 2008 14:23:06 GMT
I've got The essential Spike Milligan, that was brought out after he had died and I've read his autobiography. I know you don't like to read those but Spike's is incredibly funny and he's drawn daft pictures as well, it does have sad bit though. It's not I don't like autobiographies it's just people people seem to be writing them younger and younger these days, not enough has happened to the people for a book about their lives to interest me. I'd like to read Spikes though he had an interesting life, he was in the army and had bi-polar disorder afterwards etc. And hanging round with Peter Sellers and co must have made some interesting stories to tell.
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Post by Beautiful Zelda on Mar 14, 2008 9:59:51 GMT
I thought you might not because you said you didn't like comedians autobiographies because they are quite tragic. Spike's is when he first suffers post traumatic stress.
I can't recommend Spike's highly enough though, it is very funny. It is a series of books though, starting with 'Adolf Hitler my part in his downfall'.
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Post by moosehead on Jan 7, 2010 19:44:30 GMT
I'm surprised that I can't find any mention on this forum of Jasper Fforde (actually not that surprised, I can never find anything anywhere ). I love his books as they're not only very funny in a dry British style, but hugely imaginative. The Thursday Next books inhabit a world where people have access to the world of fiction - Ms. Next is a detective who hunts down people messing with the classics from the inside. Anyone who has read and enjoyed Jane Eyre needs to read at least The Eyre Affair. Anyone else should read them all. The Nursery Crime series (well the title says it all really)... And I'm currently halfway through Shades of Grey, the start of a new series set in a post-apocalyptic world where society is ranked by the colour shades that a person can perceive. It's out in the States already, but is due out here this month. So, being stuck in all day by massive snowdrifts is no problem, as long as you've stocked up on a few of his books. Getting to a bookshop, however, may be a problem.
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