Today was Melanie Lauwer’s final time on “The Point”.  She is moving on to a new place to start a new phase of her life.  We will miss her and her great contributions to the book discussions each month.  So to mark the occasion, and to send her off on a high note, we wanted to talk about funny books (even though we feel like crying).  The show will be rebroadcast tonight at 7 PM on 90.1 FM WCAI or listen to the podscast on capeandislands.org. 

Next month, local mystery author Peter Abrahams, aka Spencer Quinn, will join Mindy and me to talk about mystery books. 

Funny Books

Melanie’s Picks

Encyclopedia of Jewish Humor: From Biblical Times to the Modern Age by Henry D. Spalding

The Snark Bible by Lawrence Dorfman

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast

I Hate Everyone … Starting with Me by Joan Rivers

Braindroppings by George Carlin

The Comedy Bible: From Stand-Up to Sitcom – The Comedy’s Writer’s Ultimate How-To Guide by Judy Carter

A Prairie Home Companion Pretty Good Joke Book (5th edition) by Garrison Keillor

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

How Right You Are, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Not mentioned but pretty funny!

Twitter: The Comic (The Book) by Mike Rosenthal (@VectorBelly)

Jill’s Picks

The Zombie Survival Guide: complete protection from the living dead by Max Brooks

One for the Books by Joe Queenan

An Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor edited by Bennett Cerf (1954)

The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis

How About Never – Is Never Good for You: my life in cartoons by Bob Mankoff

Kids Books

17 Things I’m Not Allowed to do Anymore by Jenny Offill & Nancy Carpenter

11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill & Nancy Carpenter

Wicked Big Toddlah by Kevin Hawkes

Not Enough Time For …

This is Ridiculous This is Amazing by Jason Good

How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book by Diane Muldrow

Confessions of the World’s Best Father by Dave Engledow

The 50 Funniest American Writers: an anthology of humor from Mark Twain to The Onion *according to Andy Borowitz

Russell Baker’s Book of American Humor edited by Russell Baker

Come to the GREAT HORNED OWL RELEASE

The public is invited to the Falmouth Public Library for an extraordinary FREE event on Saturday, February 4, at 4:00 pm.  Massachusetts Audubon director for the Upper and Mid-Cape, Ian Ives will present a slide show all about Owls.  Why?  A great horned owl (nicknamed “Screechie”) was severely injured in a collision with a big truck in the Hatchville area of Falmouth.  Falmouth Dept.of Natural Resources Officer Dan Donahue transported the battered bird to Cape Cod Wildlife Center where she has been treated by the Veterinary staff.  “Screechie” has recovered.  She is scheduled to be released back to the wild at dusk on February 4th, possibly at Shiverick’s Pond, where the public may view the release from the Mullen Hall playground behind the library.  The release will be facilitated by Dr. Roberto Aquilar who has supervised her rehabilitation.  However, he has noted that severe weather conditions could cause a change in plans.

This event is made possible with support from the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library.

The topic today was Cape Cod Authors, and what makes a Cape Cod Author. Here are the books we mentioned. No listener picks this time, because we pre-recorded the show.

Melanie’s Picks

Jus’ Restin’: a novel by Capt. Gary Wilder

The New England Connection by Larry Bernhardt

Anonymous Fox by Naomi Feigelson Chase

Gittel, the Would-Be Messiah by Naomi Feigelson Chase

Cape Cod ABCs by Leslie Hatton, with illustrations by Kate Wells

The Writing Circle by Corinne Demas

Martha’s Vineyard, Now & Zen by Susan Klein and Alan Brigish

Images of America: Cape Cod National Seashore: the first 50 years by Daniel Lombardo

The Ecology of a Cape Cod Salt Marsh: a tour through Crocker Neck by Gilbert Newton

A Short History of Cape Cod by Robert J. Allison

Jill’s Picks

A Place Apart: a Cape Cod Reader edited by Robert Finch

Punch with Care: an Asey Mayo Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor

Mating Season by Jon Loomis

Jewel of the Seas (vol. 1) by Ellen Argo

The Crystal Star (vol. 2) by Ellen Argo

The Yankee Girl (vol. 3) by Ellen Argo

Camp Edwards and Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts by Donald J. Cann & John J. Galluzzo

Scurvy Goonda by Chris McCoy

Simple Gestures: a cultural journey into the Middle East by Andrea B. Rugh

Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun: how families of children with autism or asperger syndrome can get the most out of community activities by Lisa Jo Rudy