Short & Sweet Treats discussion

"April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four." ~Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson, 1894

Hello, Short & Sweeters...
Welcome to the April Fool's Nominations. In the spirit of April Fool's Day, our April genre will be books that make us laugh!

Nominate one book from our Funny Bookshelf.

Please refer to this shelf of Books Already Read so we don't nominate previous selections.

Nominations end on the 7th at which point voting begins.

Feel free to elaborate on why you nominated your choice!

I'd like to nominate A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut. He's an author whose humor also has the same "bite" that is found in Mark Twain.

These are some reviews from Amazon:
"Part memoir, part rant and part joke, Vonnegut's latest book is as elusive as it is beguiling. Throughout this slim volume, the author walks a fine line between despair over our deteriorating world and a consummate entertainer's urge to amuse." Sunday Times

"Vonnegut's A Man without a Country is pure late Twain, darkly funny, never less than enraged at corruption and greed, and overflowing with compassion for the powerless. We've never needed him more." Russell Banks

The book is just 160 pages long, and this is Wikipedia's entry:

"A Man Without a Country (subtitle: A Memoir Of Life In George W Bush's America) is an essay collection published in 2005 by the author Kurt Vonnegut. The extremely short essays that comprise this book deal with topics ranging from the importance of humor, to problems with modern technology, to Vonnegut's opinions on the differences between men and women. Most prevalent in the text, however, are those essays which elucidate Vonnegut's opinions on politics, and the issues in modern American society, often from a decidedly humanistic perspective. In January 2007, Vonnegut indicated that he intended this to be his final work, a statement which proved to be correct with his death in April 2007. This stood true until a short-story collection of his unpublished work was published posthumously in 2008 titled Armageddon in Retrospect."

This is Vonnegut near the end of his life--like Twain, a disappointed idealist who still uses humor to convey his frustration.

Julia wrote: "I'd like to nominate A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut. He's an author whose humor also has the same "bite" that is found in Mark Twain.

These ar..."

I normally don't decide so early on, but I second your nomination.

I like one of the descriptions on GR

"From his coming of age in America, to his formative war experiences, to his life as an artist, this is Vonnegut doing what he does best: Being himself."

I nominate Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Alicia wrote: "Can we add The Cat Rule Book to the funny shelf please? Although it's probably too short for a monthly selection, but it is amusing.

I'll probably vote for Julia's choice."

I think it's fine to add The Cat Rule Book to our shelves :-) It has 94 pages, and one of my favorite books from last year was The Testament of Mary with 96 pages (and it was a finalist for the Booker Prize!)

Hello everyone!
I'd like to nominate by

Anneke wrote: "Hello everyone!
I'd like to nominate by "

Hmm, nothing showed up, Anneke--hope to see your selection soon :-)

Julia wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Can we add The Cat Rule Book to the funny shelf please? Although it's probably too short for a monthly selection, but it is amusing.

I'll probably vote for Julia's c..."

both books added!

Thanks Julia, for letting me know! Apparently I have not caught the hang of how to add html links. I wanted to nominate My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse.

No problem, Anneke--just go to the tab above the comment box that says "add book/author". Put in the title and then click "add", and the link will show up :-)

My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

thanks Julia!

polls are up! https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

Ans the award goes to... My Man Jeeves!

love a freebie!