Book Challenge: Book 3 of 30 - Book That Makes Me Laugh...

Book 3: Book That Makes Me Laugh Out Loud

There are books that are hysterically funny, books that are filled with obvious and side splitting jokes but to make me laugh a book must be humorously witty in an unassuming yet page turning way. The book that makes me laugh, I am convinced, only works because of the talent and personality of the author who is an author that has promised me a pint of Guinness should I ever find myself in Belfast.

‘The Case of the Missing Books’ By Ian Sansom

Description (courtesy of Play.com):
Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse meets the no. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in the first of a series of novels from the author of the critically acclaimed "Ring Road". Introducing Israel Armstrong, one of literature's most unlikely detectives. Israel, a shy, passionate, intelligent, Jewish vegetarian has just arrived in Ireland to take up his first post as a librarian. But the library's been shut down and Israel ends up stranded on the North Antrim coast driving an old mobile library van. There's a lot of nice scenery, but about 15,000 fewer books than there should be. Who steals that many books? How? When would they have time to read them all? And is there anywhere in this godforsaken place where he can get a proper cappuccino and a decent newspaper? Israel wants answers ! Smart, funny and heart-warming, with a cast of brilliantly quirky characters, "The Mobile Library" is the first adventure of a reluctant hero to cherish.

Diary - April 23rd to 29th 2010

Diary – 23rd to 29th Apr

This week has been about three things…
1. Knights and Dragons and all that jazz,
2. Another addition arriving and wow his hands are big,
3. Stress.

As I mentioned last week I was ‘forced’ to move desks on Friday. I boxed up my things, again, and made an effort to be positive about moving to a desk with such a tiny amount of space around it that, which ever way I turn in my chair, I hit my arm / knee / head on something. It will be nice to have more people to talk to but at the same time I will miss my morning ritual of Sassy Curmudgeon and Heatworld. I will also miss the window and that certain person I could lock eyes on through it. The boss that I also got, the NASA one, left after three days. Shocker. Sarcasm.

I forgot to mention last week that I sent an email to the author Ian Sansom, enquiring about whether or not he was planning to publish more novels in his Mobile Library series. I never expected a reply, it was fun just to send it, but Friday morning I checked my emails and he had replied! A lovely reply too! With my email I had ‘made his day’ and because of it if I ever found myself in Belfast he ‘owed me a pint of Guinness’. This email amused me for days and as my week was horrific it has been my life line.

Saturday again saw my new ritual of Sun, coffee and a book. It also saw me with a hair cut and an amused expression as I came across the St. George’s Fun Day. I have posted photographs earlier in my blog. It was all a bit naff but fun all that same. I swear my town gets more like Stars Hollow as the years go by. Or maybe as the time goes by I, with increased age and amusement, view everything in a whole new cynically bemused light?

My bridesmaid, Rachel, had her little boy this week (24th) and they have decided to call him Thomas. No middle name, always a shame really but their choice I suppose. He was a dinky 5lbs 11oz so not so much the chubba after all. I have seen a couple of photographs so far, not the boy in the flesh, and he looks very cute and very quiet with the biggest hands I have ever seen on a new born. He’ll grow into them I’m sure… either that or he is destined to play Piano. I will report back when I have first hand knowledge of our latest boy. I was thinking about it actually; out of my group of friends and our siblings we have so far produced four offspring and they are all boys! Louis, Oscar, George and Thomas. I figure it is up to me and Samantha (Sam) to level it out with a couple of chicks.

I also had my first exam for my technical certificate and it was a lot harder than I had expected. Forty multiple choice questions which sounds easy but when each question has two answers that are perfect it gets a little difficult. I should get my results next week, I honestly have no idea how it went. Usually I know but not this time; plus I had forgotten to wear my lucky socks so that is making me nervous to start with ha ha.

The theme of this week has been ‘Stacy is a Pawn lets mess her about’ but I am still too upset / tired / bewildered to talk about it fully. Let me just say I am not impressed.

Next week… actually I daren’t even think about next week, how awful is that? :(

Diary - April 16th to 22nd 2010

Diary – 16th to 22nd Apr

This week has been about three things…
1. Solving crimes with an over weight half Jewish librarian,
2. Setting slimming goals of a competitive nature,
3. Listening to the vain bantering of others (says the woman who dishes out her diary on a weekly basis).

Saturday again saw me in the library but as the day was absolutely beautiful I checked out my books and headed to The Piece Hall. This is a building built in the late 1700s, in central Halifax, where people would bring their items, pieces, to sell. I don’t know a great deal of its history, which is shocking considering it is a huge part of the history of a town I have lived in almost all my life. I will research. Anyway, I bought a coffee, found a bench and sat for a couple of hours until my friend came to meet me. I got a little stiff and a little sunburnt but it was worth it. For I was reading an Ian Sansom novel…

Ian Sansom is someone, I admit, I had never read before but I took a chance and took out all three of his books that were available. ‘The Mobile Library’ series is a set of novels about a fantastic character (and he is a complete and utter character!) called Israel Armstrong. A hapless librarian who finds himself in Northern Ireland and embroiled in a series of unfortunate events that literally had me laughing out loud as I sat with my coffee and my bench in my public arena. I recommend them whole heartedly as I have not been this entertained in a very long time. Israel is the type of well rounded character that you almost feel you know outside of the written page on which he exists; someone you would say ‘Howdy’ to in the street with a smile but then wonder afterwards where you knew him from. Plus with Israel being twenty nine and having mad curly hair, a dry sense of humour and a craze for books…well… he could be my ideal man.

The rest of the week has gone by in a blur of deadlines, coursework, stressing, chauffeuring (still) and trying to stay wake. I have read when I should be working, rushed when I need to be calm and wanted to punch those whom I should view with authority. Same old, same old really.

Sardonic eyebrow raisingly - I got a new boss. Previous employment included working for NASA! In the four hours I spent in his company (the entire week!) he seemed an okay chap if a little talkative… about himself… a lot. He was off sick towards the end of the week, hopefully not from overindulging on his own hype. Oh and guess what; I have also been told that Friday I will be moving offices again. This is turning into a once a month trend. Not only is it ridiculous but it is turning into a bit of a farce. If my Harry Potter figure has to move one more time I fear he will do something drastic with that little wand of his (the spell binding one; I think he is like a Ken doll in the other respect).

Next week… I intend to purchase every Sansom novel that Play.com has to offer, which is all of them as rare luck would have it. :)