The inside scoop on fools for April

It’s April and although April Fools’ Day has passed, we are still in the deep dark of tax season and, apparently, winter weather.  We could all use some laughter in our lives, so I asked the Tech Services staff to tell me about their favorite “fools” or “jesters”.  Their go-to-guys-or-gals for whenever they need a smile.  So here are a few miscellaneous April Fools. Enjoy! - Amy

The first thing I thought of when I came up with this blog topic was the 1956 comedy “The Court Jester”.  Danny Kaye is masterfully hilarious as a medieval court jester who has been hypnotized into believing he’s an assassin.  Unfortunately for him, (but fortunately for the audience), the change in personality is triggered by the snap of anyone’s fingers; which leads to one of the most brilliant slapstick sword fights in movie history.  This movie also includes the “the pellet with the poison/ flagon with a dragon” bit that still gets stuck in my head on random occasions.  (Like now- d’oh!)

Hmm… Will Lisa D. give us some recommendations about cats or about knitting?  Aha!  She’s got BOTH!

At knit’s end : meditations for women who knit too much by Stepanie Pearl-McPhee

It’s a book by Lane Smith

Simon’s Cat!  Simon Totfield’s online animated feline can also be found on our shelves: Simon’s Cat & Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence

“Well of course my favorite fool is my ex-band – Fools in Paradise. We kind of claimed that day for ourselves. Both libraries have our cd…  And it has really nice cover art. ” —Erin

Pam has suggestions for those craving a quick comedy fix.  Did you know that you can get a belly full of laughs from reading just one chapter of Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country?   Try Chapter 4 (on Sydney) the next time you need a quick laugh.  But of course if you have time for a whole book, definitely do not miss Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods.  Another good single chapter on Pam’s list is How I Flew 9Gs in an F-16 and Only Threw Up 5 Times from Wry Martinis by Christopher Buckley. 

Rita writes: “I Love Lucy!  The old TV shows always make me laugh. Her antics are just so un-sensible, unrealistic and unreasonable.  The movie the Long, Long Trailer (1953) with Lucy and Desi is one of my favorites. You get to see beautiful scenery (in color) while laughing. When the movie first came out, of course my family went to see it. Parked outside the theater was the trailer (or a reasonable facsimile) from the movie and we could actually walk inside and tour it. What a thrill!  I recently visited the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, and DesiLu Playhouse in Jamestown, NY, Lucy’s birthplace.   I have grown to respect her as a great comedian with perfect timing as well as a sharp business woman who ran the DesiLu Production company for many years.”

And then taking the term “fool” completely literally, there’s Bozo Sapiens: why to err is human by Michael and Ellen Kaplan.  The Kaplans teamed up previously to write Chances Are: Adventures in Probability—which is certainly the only funny page-turner about probability and statistics I have ever encountered.  In Bozo Sapiens, they cover the human mind and its many, many, many ways of tripping us up and getting us into trouble.  If you are interested in the subject matter of Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, but are daunted by the holds queue or the page count on that book, the Kaplans might make a good breezy alternative. — Amy

Check a few of these titles out or share your own in the comments section! 

 

Off the Shelf: New Graphic Novels for December 2011

We’ve had a number of interesting additions to the adult comics collection over the past month or two.  These comics range from fantasy to western to martial arts hybrids.  Take a look at what new items have come in and see if there’s anything to your liking.

Joe the Barbarian - Grant Morrison
Joe enters a fantasy world in his own mind when he forgets to take his insulin shot and must battle various foes as the savior of his fantasy world.  By acclaimed and imaginative writer Grant Morrison.

Orcs – Stan Nicholls
You will never look at orcs again the same way after reading Nicholls’ unique take on the work horses of nearly every plot hatched by an evil fantasy overlord.

The Death-ray - Daniel Clowes
Teen outcast Andy finds that he can do anything after taking a puff of a cigarette.  Clowes weaves a subversive tale of mayhem in this new work.

Manara - Milo Manara
Acclaimed Italian artist Manara gets the superstar treatment in this special edition collection of his past works.  This volume features stories set in the American West with writer Hugo Pratt.

THUNDER Agents – Nick Spencer
Spencer updates an old DC team book where the heroes accept that getting super powers will eventually kill them.  Yet they make the choice anyway.

A Zombies Christmas Carol - Jim McCann
The inevitable zombiefication of the Dickens classic arrives just in time for the holidays.

Infinite Kung Fu - Kagan McCloud
McCloud creates a dynamite, irreverent take on martial arts books with this genre busting comic that defies easy explanation.

      

Incoming: New Graphic Novels for grown ups – spooky edition

With October upon us, it’s a great time to take a look at what new, spooky graphic novels we have for adults.  Whether it be crime, horror, or suspense – there are a lot of intense, moody and interesting graphic novels that have recently arrived.

Petrograd - Philip Gelatt
British spy, Cleary, is assigned the task of planning and carrying out the death of Grigoi Rasputin, the cleric with influential ties to the Russian Royal family. Set in the time before the Russian Revolution, this is an fascinating fictional exploration of an interesting historical period. 

The Unknown - Mark Waid
Famed detective Catherine Allingham, is given 6 months to live, so she sets out to uncover the biggest mystery of all, what happens to us when we die?

Victorian Undead - Ian Edginton
What happens when Sherlock Holmes uncovers zombies and vampires?  Find out here.

Twilight Experiment - Justin Gray
When an experiment to create humans with superpowers fails, earth’s last best hope is the legacy provided by their children.

Books to Graphic Novels: Seeing is Believing

Did your favorite series leave you wanting more?  Not quite ready to give up the fantasy world that dragged you along for seven novels?  There might be more in store for the characters you love in a place you might not expect:  browse our graphic novels, and you might be pleasantly surprised.         

The Dresden Files – Welcome to the Jungle is a graphic novel written expressly by series author Jim Butcher for the comic format.  A grisly murder at the Chicago zoo leaves the wizard investigator Harry Dresden with only 24 hours to solve it before one of the loveable great apes is put down for the deed.  The book adds one more story to the Dresden universe, and offers a compelling full-color vision of Butcher’s magical Chicago that the television show just couldn’t quite capture.  Ardian Syaf has also illustrated a GN for the first book in the series, “Storm Front”, and plans to ink the rest.       

Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” Graphic Novels – With production on “The Gunslinger” movie in limbo, it looks like there might not be much opportunity to see Roland and his ka-tet in action any time soon.  But wait—you guessed it—there’s a graphic novel adaptation, and a quality one at that.  Starting with “The Gunslinger Born”, the series follows young Roland across the events preceding his journey to the Dark Tower and provides a rich, full-color history to the popular novels.    

Bram Stoker’s “Death Ship” – Horror writer Gary Gerani takes up the dark story of the doomed ship Demeter as it takes the infamous Dracula from Transylvania to England.  Originally a short and incomplete tale within Stoker’s suspenseful novel, the beautiful black & white images tell the story of the Demeter’s crew and the heroic captain as they discover the evils of the creature they unwittingly agreed to transport.  Fans of the original Dracula, vampires, or macabre stories will find “Death Ship” a satisfying expansion on the legendary monster.          

The inside scoop: Axe Cop Volume 1

Axe Cop #1

Written by Malachai Nicolle

Drawn by Ethan Nicolle

Axe Cop is a web comic about a super cop who fights crime (duh) and has an axe.  It’s drawn by professional comics artist Ethan Nicolle, but all the stories are written by Ethan’s 5 year old brother Malachai.  If just that was enough to make you cackle with anticipated glee, this is the book for you. 

Ethan’s art is hilarious, but he wisely lets Malachai’s stories take center stage.   It’s Malachai’s hyperactive “and then… and then… and then…” style of storytelling; random sidekick names (Flute Cop? Sockarang?); and arbitrary superhero rules that will get you laughing out loud in the break room or on the bus.  Also, this book contains several of the “Ask Axe Cop” advice columns, where Axe Cop answers reader questions about romance and crime fighting and staying motivated at work.  Watch for the next volume, Bad Guy Earth to come out later this year.