The Book Lover's Joke Book is published today
It's the funniest book about books you'll ever read, according to the British Library
Today is one of every writer’s red letter days, publication day (for me that is, but also for my friend Emma). I’ve been trying bits of The Book Lover’s Joke Book on people all week and although it’s hard for me to gauge how hilarious they are - especially having seen them for the nth time after writing, redrafting, and proofing - it’s gratifying that they all seem to laugh and groan in the right places.
Rather than a full blown post this week, I thought I’d treat you to a few of my favourites from it…
His new novel is called Nagb. It’s pretty controversial. In fact it’s bang out of order.
A man talks into a bar. You’ll have to leave, says the landlord, we don’t serve your typo in here.
My enormous plate of spaghetti got into the Guinness Book of Records. I’m having a devil of a job cleaning it off.
What do cows shout if they don’t like a play? Moo
How many Dylan Thomases does it take to change a bulb? None. They just rage, rage against the dying of the light.
- I fancy a curry tonight I think I’ll go for a Tarka Masala.
- Don’t you mean a Tikka Masala?
- Nope, it’s quite similar, but it’s just a little ‘otter
This morning I forgot the French word for strawberry, so I had to look it up in a fraise book.
Louise Glück, Patrick Modiano and Kazuo Ishiguru go into a pub and order three pints of beer.
“That’ll be £21 please,” says the barman. “You know,” he says proudly, “we don’t get many winners of the Nobel prize for literature in here.”
“At £7 a pint I’m not surprised,” says Ishiguru.
I couldn't find the Mills and Boon section at the library so I asked the librarian and she told me I’d been looking for love in all the wrong places.
CONGRATULATIONS!