On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of A Sex God

I had so much fun with the last post that I decided to do a similar one.  Plus... I couldn't put down the series.  I'm going to examine a different element of comedy in the first three books, then take a break from the series before revisiting in another month or so.  Plus, I got an iPhone which means I can now read my egalleys from netgalley.com away from the computer (and the kindle feature should be back soon).

A quick summary of the hilarious second book, On the bright Side I'm now the girlfriend of a sex god: Georgia is the girlfriend of the Sex God.... he decides she's too young and suggests a new boy (my favorite character Dave the Laugh!)... Georgia is once again the girlfriend of a Sex God.

Comedy Rule: Sometimes what you don't say is funnier than what you do.
Explanation: Set up your joke and sometimes it's funnier to skip the punchline and go right to the reaction.  That hilarious moment is funnier in our minds than it could ever be if it is given straight too us.

The first time I heard this was when I was watching Donnie Darko with the commentary on.  I couldn't find a clip with the commentary, but this is the clip.



It's been years since I watched this, but I still think this scene is one of the funniest I have ever seen.  In the commentary they said they had filmed more of the scene with Donnie's actual response, but in editing they realized it was funnier if they just cut straight to the reaction.

In On the bright side, I'm now the girlfriend of a sex god does something similar in quite a few places.  One of my favorite examples is on page 158, where Jas is telling (and showing) Georgia how excited she is about the return of her green-grocer boyfriend, Tom:
5:00pm
...
She went on and on about what she was planning to do.  Even though I found some matchsticks and put them over my eyelids so it looked like they were holding my eyes open.  Eventually I said, "look, why don't you do a nice vegetable display for him?"


midnight
Honestly, Jas is so touchy.  And violent.

On page 168, instead of cutting out the punch line, Rennison hints at it, giving our imaginations room to come up with endless funny punchlines....
Georgia to Jas: "Yes, but your dad is normal.  He's got a shed.  He does DIY.  He fixed your bike.  When my vati tried to fix my bike his hand got stuck in the spokes.  We had to walk to the hospital.  I don't see why I had to go with him; everyone was calling out in the streets.  And they weren't calling out 'What a brilliant dad you've got!"

In both of these examples, the build up is hilarious and then then cut to the the reaction pushes it over the edge.

On the bright side, I'm now the girlfriend of a sex god counts toward the following challenges: Read Me Baby One More Time, 100+, and 7 books in a series for the Hogwarts Reading Challenge.  Track my progress at my 2011 Reading Challenges Page.

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging

Even though this is a reread and I've posted about some of the books in this series, I haven't actually reviewed Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging on the blog.  But I want to talk about comedy in this post, so I'll leave the review to this:

It's funny, it's charming, and it's one of my go-to books when I'm having a terrible, terrible day.  Seriously, Georgia's boy-chasing antics and the full cast of quirky characters make this one of my all-time favorite series.

Now that you know how much I love it, I want to talk about one aspect of comedy, because it is something done so well in this book... Comedy is setting up the joke and then delivering the unexpected.  This doesn't mean that if you want to be funny, you should fill your writing with non-sequiturs, although they do have a place (how funny is the comic Non Sequitur?  Very).

Take this example from the very beginning of the book, where melancholy Georgia lists all of the tragedies of her teenage life.

There are six things very wrong with my life:
(1) I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.
(2) It is on my nose.
(3) I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.
(4) In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuher Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic "teachers".
(5) I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.
(6) I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.


This passage is funny from the very beginning.  Note the timing at the very beginning in points one and two.  In point three, a child peeing in a hidden corner is funnier and more unexpected than a pet.  I love the way Georgia is over-dramatic about school in point four, which allows point five to be funny.  We know she exaggerates and is moody so the fact that she is so ugly she needs to go to an ugly home is hilarious in a way it couldn't be if we thought it might be true even in the slightest.

But point six is the part that gets me every time.  It's so unexpected and matter of fact.  It's calls to mind memories of surreal moments where you can not believe that. just. happened.  And because I've had so many moments like that, I'm instantly connected to Georgia and want to know more about her most embarrassing moment ever.  Rennison makes us wait a few pages for it and by then I'm so curious about the whole thing that it's even funnier than it would have been if I hadn't read that one sentence first.

Another example of where Rennison makes me laugh by delivering the unexpected is on page 145 (in my 1999 paperback edition).  Fyi... Angus is Georgia's HUGE cat who is half Scottish wildcat.

Gym.  Discovered Angus had stored his afternoon snack in my rucksack.  There are hedgehog quills in my sports knickers.


Again.  It starts out funny.  We get this image of Georgia grossed out by a dead animal in her gymbag while she's trying to change for gym.  Then we find out it was a hedgehog and there are quills stuck in the knickers she has to wear.  It is unexpected and takes the humor to the next level.

Those are the only two examples I'm going to use, because I'm afraid I made them unfunny, but this was exactly the reminder I needed while working on my current project.  Also, the cover shown is my favorite incarnation of covers for this series.  I couldn't find it on amazon (I lent mine to a friend over a year ago), so I'm stuck with a more muted cover that is just not as cool.  I will have to scavenge at Borders.

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging counts toward the following challenges: Read Me Baby One More Time, 100+, and 7 books in a series for the Hogwarts Reading Challenge.  Track my progress at my 2011 Reading Challenges Page.

Twenty Boy Summer

Twenty Boy Summer is the story of a girl mourning the (literal, not metaphorical) death of her first love while finding new love and growing up over one summer at the beach.

I definitely connected to the characters.  They were fully fleshed out and easy to relate to.  My heart broke for all of them at the very beginning with the death of the boyfriend/brother/son.  I was on the verge of tears most of the way through this book.

However, the book felt a bit too nostalgic for my tastes.  It was like a memory fondly remembered like an old home movie--soft and fragile, in shades of yellow.  Even though it was easy to connect to the characters, I felt removed from the story.

By the end, the main character, Anna, found closure, but as a reader, I didn't.  I've said it before, but I love books that completely break you in the beginning so that they can fit the pieces back together by the end and leave you changed.  With Twenty Boy Summer I felt more broken at the end than I had at any other point in the book.  Some books are supposed to leave you devastated... I don't think that was this one's intention.

Even though it is not the sort of book I usually go for, I'm glad I gave it a try.  I found this book using What Should I Read Next, by putting in Perfect Chemistry, so it fulfills book 7 on my Take A Chance Challenge.  It also counts toward 100+ challenge, Library challenge, and Muggle Studios for the Hogwarts Reading Challenge.  Track my progress on my 2011 challenges page.

Perfect Fifths

What I'm loving about the Harry Potter perfect mini-challenge is that I'm trying new books and giving myself permission to put them down if I'm not that into them.  Usually, if I don't like a book,  I force myself to keep reading and it ends up slowing down my total reading consumption, since I'm not the kind of girl who has several books going at once.  But the perfect mini-challenge allowed me to change my reading habits, at least for a month.

The first book I picked up, Perfect Chemistry (blog post), I had been meaning to read for months, and I was ecstatic to finally have an excuse to do so. The second book, Perfect (blog post), ended up suiting my tastes better than I expected.

The third book, was a harder choice.  I grabbed Perfect by Sarah Shepard out of the library.  I'd been meaning to read it for some time, but even with it sitting there on my counter, I just couldn't get myself to start it.  Those books don't move and now that they are all out, I can go have all my questions answered on the wikipedia page.

Then, I checked Almost Perfect out of my library, but it's a romance and it's February and I think I'm too cool for that.  My last option was Perfect On Paper: The Misadventures of Waverly Bryson, about a twenty-something who is afraid she will never get married and constantly finds herself in ridiculous situations.... it sounds promising, but if I want to read about my life, I'll stick with Stephanie Plum, because at least there I also get action and that Morelli boy.

That's when I remembered Perfect Fifths.  It was my least favorite book in one of my all time favorite series.  With two days left in the mini-challenge, I knew it was my best option.

Even after reading it again, I can't decide how much I like it.  It is beautifully written, different, honest, and gives closure to a story that sometimes feels more real than my own life.  But...

The first four books are Jessica's journals.  They chronicle the life of Jessica Darling--and her relationship with redeemed bad boy Marcus Flutie--through high school and college.  It is funny and truthful and intense.  It is the main reason that I obsessively journaled for a year of my life.

Perfect Fifths is third person omniscient in part one, dialog only in part two, comprised of haiku poetry written by Jessica and Marcus in part three, and then back to third person omniscient for the fourth and final part.  I missed Jessica's unique voice and the way it allowed me to experience the story--as if I was living it instead of just reading about it.  Granted, Perfect Fifths allows us into Marcus's head for the first time.  Since he is completely beyond comprehension for much of the series, it is important to really understand how he thinks in order to find closure for the romance.  (Marcus Flutie is my gold standard for love interests.)

Other than that, the story seems to self-aware.  Jessica has always been hyper-observant, Marcus a bit of a wise old soul, but here it all seemed so... orchestrated.  The chance encounter, the Barry Manilow leitmotif, the dreams... Perfect Fifths is a good novel and certainly brought the series to a close that should have been satisfying, but I can't help but feel disappointed by the ending, because the whole fifth book drew too much attention to the fact that is all a narrative construct.

Megan McCafferty's next book (a dystopian--yay!) is Bumped, which comes out April 26.  Also, you can buy the entire Jessica Darling series together for kindle for only $9.99 (as of 2/13/11).  Perfect Fifths is my third book for the Hogwarts Challenge Perfect Mini-Challenge, counts toward 100+, and Read Me Baby One More Time.  Follow my progress on my 2011 Challenges page.

Perfect

Quick update before I get into my book.  I've been trying to stick to a posting schedule and thought I would be able to maintain it in the new year, but... it's the busy time of year at my job, which means I'm working harder every hour I'm there and working longer than usual on top of that.  I'm exhausted, but still need to prioritize my writing.  So for the next few months I'll be posting 2-3 times a week, with no discernible schedule.  As soon as things get back to normal, I'll figure out a schedule again.  Now, on to the real post....

Perfect follows Isabelle Lee as she deals with repressed grief from the death of her father and the resulting eating disorder.  It sounds like the kind of wishy-washy, touchy-feely storyline I don't usually like.  Usually is the key word here, because I ended up really enjoying it.

Isabelle has a strong voice that made me laugh.  It reminded me of Georgia Nicholson in the books by Louise Rennison (Georgia is one of my favorite characters!), if she had been obsessed with bulimia instead of boys.

The characters are all fully-fleshed out, as are the relationships.  Isabelle's long time infatuation with and ultimate disenchantment with classmate and fellow bulimic, Ashley Barnum, reminded me of Margo Roth Spiegelman in Paper Towns (another of my favorite books!).  The family dynamic felt real and painful.  Even the therapy sessions with Trish didn't feel forced.  This is so important because these relationships are the story.  Isabelle isn't trying to save the world, she's just trying to feel okay.

The only thing I don't like about books about eating disorders is... in general, they make you hungry.  Perfect counts towards my 100+ challenge and as part of my Perfect mini-challenge for the Hogwarts challenge.  Check out my progress on all challenges at my 2011 Challenges page.

The Agency 2: The Body At The Tower

Two weeks and one hundred pages into the book, I came to the realization that I do not like Mary.  She always seems to be whining or worrying.  I do that enough in real life, I don't want to read about a character who does it, too.

As for plot, the mystery seems so far removed from Mary that I couldn't get invested in the outcome.  Sure, she dressed up as a boy to go undercover, but even at the climax she was so much of an observer that I was barely interested in solving the mystery.

What I was interested in is Mary's past.  I expected at least some answers in this installment, but was disappointed, because it is never even brought up in anything more than a vague unease about her race.

Luckily James is funny and charming enough to keep me reading right to the end of The Agency 2: The Body at the Tower.  Back from India and poorly recovered from malarial fever, James is just as rude and confident and swoon worthy as ever.  His interactions with Mary are what made this book for me.  I'll be reading the next book, when it comes out, solely to see if James and Mary end up together.

As an aside, I love the cover.  I realize it ties in to the cover of the first book, but Mary is only wearing a dress in two scenes of the book, so I'm not sure how appropriate it is for the story.  Every time she is at the tower, she is dressed as a dirty twelve year old boy who is hungry and lives in cheap lodgings.

This book counts toward my library challenge, 100+ challenge, and the Hogwarts challenge (check out my 2011 challenge progress).  I'm adding it to Muggle Studies (+1) because the first book went there, even though this one can probably be classified as DADA.

Z is for Zombie

Z is for Zombie: An Illustrated Guide to the End of the World takes readers through the zombie apocalypse using the letters of the alphabet.  But in those letters it paints a pretty complete story, from A is for Apocalypse, the very beginning when you don't quite realize that anything is wrong, to F is for Fighting Back, all the way to the very end when you get bitten and Z is (finally) for Zombie.

It's dark and twisted and hilarious.  I especially love how it plays with genre conventions by applying heavy doses of reality to things we take for granted in zombie stories.  Yes, in the real world Zombie Apocalypse, even George Romero isn't safe.  As the writer says: "what, you thought they'd treat him with professional courtesy?"  And there's the hero, the backbone of the group, who always miraculously survives and saves everyone else on top of that.  In the real world when he gets just a little bite, you don't cry, you leave him behind!  But my favorite part is W is for War, when the last group of survivors make their final stand.  It rips into the part of movies (and books!) where the group of heroes is about to make their final stand knowing they will probably die.  Somebody always makes a speech at this point, but as Castro points out: "Anybody in the ranks who hasn't figured out what's at stake probably shouldn't have made it this far."

At first I wasn't sure how I felt about the illustrations--at times they're pretty gruesome.  But they grew on me and after I finished reading, i went back through the book again just to look at the pictures.  I especially loved P is for Putrid which featured two survivors puking off a rooftop from the smell of rotting zombies instead of fighting back.  The artwork complemented the story while having it's own kind of fun with the subject.

Long time zombie fans and anyone interested in genre will love this book.  I read an electronic copy received from NetGalley.  It comes out February 8th.

Guest Post: Why We Suck

My wonderful real life friend has agreed to guest post for me this morning, as I am desperately attempting to finish my screenplay.  I need to cut about 20 pages, make sure all of the minor characters are developed, and make sure my beats hit exactly where they are supposed to.  It's all I've been thinking about.  Lucky for me, I have the wonderful CaitieIRL to entertain you today with a book by one of my favorite comedians.

Denis Leary is offensive, vulgar, foul-mouthed and blunt. He is also, however, one of the most honest people out there. While may not like what he has to say, there is always a certain amount of validity to it.

As he says before you even begin this literary adventure, do not read this book, you will be offended. However, unless you have been living under a rock you know that with Denis Leary, there isn't any type of sugar coating in anything he says. And yes, there is going to be at least one time while reading this that you say "Hey wait! You know, I was right with you up til this point." But that's what makes this book so great. He points out why you, whining Joe American, are absolutely pathetic. And while there is probably hope for you, you probably won't take the time to actually put the adjustments in motion.

At it's core, Why We Suck is nothing all that different from No Cure for Cancer or Lock and Load. But that is what I love about Denis Leary. He is brutally honest because you actually need to hear these horrific soul-crushing truths and hey, he's just here to help.

Thanks Caitie!  I'm definitely going to have to check this out now!

And I'm leaving you with one of my favorite Dennis Leary moments... this is an anti-drinking and driving psa, but there's some language and content.  Funny language and content, but you've been warned.  Until Friday!

Webcomic: The Chalkboard Manifesto

Sorry this post is about half a day late.  I had a wonderful weekend in San Diego with my dad and am in major crunch mode trying to finish my screenplay draft by tomorrow night.  Today's webcomic, The Chalkboard Manifesto, is different from Questionable Content and Unshelved, because it doesn't have storylines or even characters, really.  Still, I love it.  Each comic is a chalkboard drawing.  Sometimes there is a joke (they can get pretty crude) or an insight into life.  I find it alternately funny and thought provoking.  Often, both.  Below is one of my all time favorite Chalkboard Manifestos.

It reminds me of a quote I keep next to my bed.  "I'm not going to be one of those people who sits around talking about what they're gonna do.  I'm just gonna do it.  Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia." Alaska Young in Looking for Alaska by John Green.