So we're going to have some laughs in July. Comedy won our theme so it's time to start nominating!

If you lead last month then it is up to you whether or not you choose to nominate this month.

Please can you give me all of the following:

The title, the author

Brief description of the book

**If you nominate a book I assume that you are willing to lead the discussion. It's not hard to do I promise!**

One nomination per person please. Thank you!

You have 3 days to nominate!

I'd like to nominate Wilt by Tom Sharpe. I read this book some years ago when I used to commute to London and it is the only book that made me laugh out loud on a packed train.

Wilt's mundane technical college existence (teaching day release gas fitters the joys of Lord of the Flies), is severely shaken when he stands accused of murdering his wife, an action which has dominated his fantasies for a number of years. This comes about when one night he dumps his rubber doll on a construction site. The day after, a construction worker thinks he's buried a real body and so begins Wilt's nightmare.......

Trust me this is a laugh a minute!

I'm still pondering.

It's a tricky one because what people find funny is likely to vary more widely than what sort of historical fiction or what sort of sci fi they like....

Well, since I am currently reading Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island I might as well nominate it. All of you members here from the UK might find it especially entertaining since it is about his farewell journey of England before heading back to the US after living aborad for over 20 years. Bryson is a travel writer who is very funny and likes to poke fun in a kind-hearted way.

I'd like to nominate 'Then We Came to the End' by Joshua Ferris. It's a subject close to my heart - the ludicrous nature of white-collar work. Its humour should have wide appeal but especially to those of you who've had experience off office life.

Stuart wrote: "I'd like to nominate 'Then We Came to the End' by Joshua Ferris. It's a subject close to my heart - the ludicrous nature of white-collar work. Its humour should have wide appeal but especially to t..."

I enjoyed that book. It does have lots of humor if you have worked in a corporate office environment. It is also dark in sections - not LOL funny in my opinion but highly comical. I would enjoy a discussion on it.

Then we came to the end was remarkably depressing for me. Esp since I got laid off right after I read that book. It was too too close for comfort.

Home from the Vinyl Cafe A year of stories
A collection of short stories that add up to a full story (i.e. the characters continue in each of the short stories). This is iconic Canadian humour.

From Publishers Weekly:
Colloquial, interlocking stories chronicle the ups and downs of a suburban Toronto couple in this warm-hearted latest by Canadian author and broadcast personality McLean (Stories from the Vinyl Café). "Holland" considers the courtship and marriage of Dave, the owner of the eponymous record store, and his wife, Morley; early differences in perspective (she thinks eating raw onions is gross; he can't stand those frou-frou chive snippets in his eggs) lead them to a spontaneous skating trip to Holland to cement their romance. "Sourdough" concerns what happens when a neighbor asks Dave to baby-sit the starter for his precious sourdough bread; the sweet, charming "Burd" charts the consequences of Dave's decision to feed an unlikely avian visitor. Dave's daughter and niece enter the picture in subsequent stories, and McLean includes funny scenes about holiday dinners and road trips as well as poignant thoughts about the inevitable failing of Dave and Morley's parents. McLean's natural flair for storytelling creates a highly enjoyable overall package.

I'd like to nominate Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. It is a collection of comic strips featuring a 6 year old boy and his stuffed tiger who comes to life in his imagination.

I would like to nominate The Bible the Old Testament According to Spike Milligan. I haven't read this book but I love Spike Milligan... An irreverent, but funny spoof of the Old Testament in which, in his own inimitable fashion, Spike Milligan gives his version of many of the best-known biblical stories.

Stuart wrote: "I'd like to nominate 'Then We Came to the End' by Joshua Ferris. It's a subject close to my heart - the ludicrous nature of white-collar work. Its humour should have wide appeal but especially to t..."

I have this on my to read shelf so would quite like this to get picked too!

Donna wrote: "I'd like to nominate Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. It is a collection of comic strips featuring a 6 year old boy and his stuffed tiger who comes to life in his imagination. "

Hmm. I'm not sure a comic book, however funny, is ideal fodder for a reading group, is it? (But I didn't like Then We Came to the End, so I need to come up with a suggestion of my own!)

I'm going to suggest The Uncommon Reader A Novella by Alan Bennett.

It's a comic novella about the power of developing a love of reading. It imagines the Queen slowly, and initially secretively, acquiring such a passion, along with the effect on courtiers, corgis and protocol. The books she chooses are carefully chosen by Bennett to illuminate her metamorphosis.

It's rather short, but worth reading slowly, especially so you can look up the books referred to if you're not already familiar with them.

C F S R wrote: "Donna wrote: "I'd like to nominate Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. It is a collection of comic strips featuring a 6 year old boy and his stuffed tiger who comes to life in his im..."

I was really struggling to come up with a comedy book and I did wonder that when I suggested it. If it is deemed unsuitable, I would like to suggest Pride and Prejudice and Zombies instead.

What about Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley. Good political satire skewering the tobacco lobby.

I think we'll have to leave the comic one out if that's okay Donna. Plus Pride & Prejudice & Zombies sounds very interesting!!!

Louise wrote: "I would like to nominate The Bible the Old Testament According to Spike Milligan. I haven't read this book but I love Spike Milligan... An irreverent, but funny spoof of the Old Test..."

This made me think of The Year of Living Biblically One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible - I have that on my to read list. Sounded entertaining to me. Yours does too.

I second molly's! I just finished the same author's book, the Know-it-all, and I LOVED it.

Molly wrote: "Well, since I am currently reading Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island I might as well nominate it. All of you members here from the UK might find it especially entertaining since it..."

I also second Molly's choice. 'Notes From a Small Island' would be great! I'm a UK reader and don't mind getting my leg pulled!!

I would like to nominate "The Queen and I" - Sue Townsend. It is about a Republican government getting elected in England and banishing the Royal Family. They wind up living on the dole in council houses in the Midlands. Harry, Will and the Corgies all running wild through Hell Close. Great fun!

Molly wrote: "Louise wrote: "I would like to nominate The Bible the Old Testament According to Spike Milligan. I haven't read this book but I love Spike Milligan... An irreverent, but funny spoof ..." I like the sound of that... there's also Yes Man which is along similar lines... I know I'm nominating too many here aren't I!!!!

Yes you are Louise :P

Although I fancy reading Yes Man so I'll nominate it!! Solves that problem :)

Recently single, Danny Wallace was falling into loneliness and isolation. When a stranger on a bus advises, "Say yes more," Wallace vows to say yes to every offer, invitation, challenge, and chance.

In Yes Man, Wallace recounts his months-long commitment to complete openness with profound insight and humbling honesty. Saying yes takes Wallace into a new plane of existence: a place where money comes as easily as it goes, nodding a lot can lead to a long weekend overseas with new friends, and romance isn't as complicated as it seems. Yes eventually leads to the biggest question of all: "Do you, Danny Wallace, take this woman . . ."

Yes Man is inspiring proof that a little willingness can take anyone to the most wonderful of places.