Books to share with your friends who have an unusual sense of humor, or, my friend told me I had to write about this book

This photo of a Halloween decoration is a picture from Kevin Cotter's book, 101 Uses for my Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress.  When his wife left him, one of the things she left behind was her wedding dress.  When he asked her what to do with it, the response was along the lines of "whatever you want". Following the many and varied suggestions of family and friends, that is exactly what he did.  While it may have started out as a cathartic activity with the goal of finding 101 uses for the discarded dress, the quest became a hilarious blog which then segued into an extremely funny book.  Not only has the author reached his goal of over one hundred uses for the dress, he continues to take suggestions from his blog readers.

Doesn't that look comfy?

Although one may surmise that the book is going to be bitter and nasty, the author has managed to take a painful, life-changing event and create something incredibly funny.  His attempts to use the dress for a multitude of activities may be interpreted as his own method of (cheap) divorce therapy.  This "therapy book" comes with photographs and provides plenty of laughs for the reader.
The author was also left with all of the candles and accoutrements from the wedding.  Use # 75, Puppet Show Curtain, is not to be missed.  It contains a sock monkey, the dress, a doll wearing a replica of the wedding dress, and a Darth Vader mask.  The format of the book allows you to browse topics and uses randomly so that the reader can pick their favorites to share with friends.  The author's blog appears to still be going strong even as he moves forward with his life.  The list of suggested dress uses continues and readers submit their own divorce and wedding dress horror stories.  On the happily-ever-after side of things, the blog also contains a list of charitable organizations that use or resell wedding dresses for a variety of good causes.

There are other blogs that have become books for our perpetual enjoyment. STFU, Parents by Blair Koenig is a book created from the author's blog which speaks out against atrocities that occur every day on social networking sites.  A few of the categories she addresses are "MommyJacking" (the art of telling someone who is proud of their accomplished goal that they haven't accomplished anything until they've been a parent), "Bathroom Behavior" (posting awful photos and graphic descriptions of your child's bodily functions), and "Bun in the Oven" (featuring photos of pregnant bellies that should only be shared with close family and friends).
Another humorous blog that has made the transition to book format is Please fire me:  posts from the revolting workplace by Adam Chromy.  The blog is a list of reader-submitted posts by people who cannot leave their job and are dealing with awful bosses, co-workers, or working conditions.  Some of the posts will make you laugh out loud, others will send you searching for your hand sanitizer.  On the lighter side of things, there are also comic blogs such as The Oatmeal whose author has had a number of his comics turned into books.  Even a non cat-lover can find something to laugh about in How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you.  In fact, Matthew Inman's book may hold more appeal for those people who are instinctively cautious around cats and their secretive ways. If your neighbor's cat is acting suspicious, this is the survival manual you are seeking.
Don't live in a state of perpetual feline fear.  Find the information you require at the library.  (No cats allowed.)

Bad Beginnings

Yummers! was one of the books that I read repeatedly as a child.  I can't say that there was any one specific thing about the story or illustrations that inspired me to revisit the story over and over.  The friendship between the two main characters (who accept one another despite their vast differences in diet and exercise philosophy) may have been the main attraction.  However, I believe that there was more to it.  As a child, I would study the illustrations and imagine that Eugene was casting longing, loving looks at Emily even as she gorged herself on a variety of foods.  Emily was completely oblivious to this simmering attraction.  To my child's mind, this was a lesson in unrequited love.  How could one not feel sympathy for Eugene who clearly cared about Emily and liked her just the way she was?

Mary Kay Andrews' often creates situations for her characters that seem almost insurmountable.  She uses a uniquely poor start to a relationship in her latest, Ladies' Night, an enjoyable, fun read.  The two main characters meet in a court-ordered divorce recovery group. The author surrounds her main characters with her trademark variety of oddballs who provide a perfect foil for the developing love story between the two "normal" characters.
Grace Stanton, a successful lifestyle blogger (think Martha Stewart), is betrayed by her philandering husband with her personal assistant.  She ends up locked out of their home which is in a gated community with very few personal belongings.  Her only option is to live with her mother in an apartment over a bar.  Instead of receiving her share of their property and income as the wronged party, Grace is sent to what she terms "divorce camp" because she made one tiny, little mistake when she discovered her spouse's infidelity.  As with most of her books, the author mixes in misunderstandings and intrigue to keep the story moving along.  Unlike Emily and Eugene's story, this one has a happily ever after ending.

An author who creates unique female characters is Jennifer Weiner.  In The Next Best Thing, her main character is less than perfect physically and painfully aware of that fact.  With the loving support of her grandmother (and The Golden Girls sitcom characters), Ruth Saunders moves to Hollywood to pursue her dream of writing for TV.  Things don't always go Ruth's way as she learns how to navigate Hollywood and its people.  After a few small successes, she manages to pull together support for her own sitcom about a "normal" girl trying to make it on her own.  Unfortunately for Ruth, between the studio and the actors, her creation becomes the complete opposite of her vision.  Although the Hollywood stereotypes seem to come directly from Susann Jacqueline's Valley of the Dolls, the author manages to create characters with enough depth to keep the reader caring.  Ruth and her true friends persevere and she finds happiness with a man who, like her, is damaged physically but internally intact.
Unfortunately for Emily and Eugene, James Marshall never wrote a book about their simmering attraction for one another.  We will never know if the turtle and pig managed to work things out.  What we do know is that books by authors like Jennifer Crusie, Susan Anderson, Elizabeth Lowell, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Nora Roberts hardly ever let us down because unlike real life, things turn out the way we want them to even if they start with a bad beginning.

These pickles taste like love

More pickles please!

As a child, one of my favorite treats was the pickles my grandparents made.  We would usually visit my grandparents at least once a week.  Before we left our house, my mother would make sure to feed us so that her parents weren't burdened with feeding a bunch of hungry kids.  (We were also admonished not to ask for anything to eat.)  However, when we arrived, it didn't matter whether she told them we had just eaten or even if we had brought food with us, they didn't feel the visit was complete unless they fed us.  Sometimes they shared a big meal with us, more often it was a buffet of snacks. What we all looked forward to most was their homemade pickles.

Save it now to savor it later

Grandma and Grandpa's pickles were so delicious, they would give each of their grandchildren a $5 bill and a jar of pickles for Christmas and we all would jump for joy.  Their pickles were super-sour, extra-dilly, and very spicy.  (They would "sizzle" when the jar was first opened.)  We loved them.  Since I was known for eating my jar in one sitting, my extremely thoughtful grandparents would sneak an extra jar or two to my mom on the side.  I never got a stomach ache from those pickles (despite numerous warnings from the adults around me) nor have I found any that are as delicious.  Even though we have Grandma's recipe, no one in my family has been able to replicate those pickles.  I suppose the missing ingredient is my grandparent's love.  I don't recall Grandma or Grandpa ever eating very many of their own pickles.  I'm pretty sure they made them mostly for us.

Jams, jellies, pie filling and much much more

Pickles weren't the only things they made.  Grandpa used us as laborers when we visited them. He would send us out to pick raspberries with the admonishment to put more in the bucket than we put into ourselves. I'm positive we tried to obey, but I can't vouch for how much success we had in restraining ourselves. According to my mother, they made the best raspberry jam on the face of the earth.  They also put up jars of pickled watermelon and sweet pickles, both of which were an abomination to me as a child.  Watermelon was supposed to be sweet and pickles were supposed to be sour.  Occasionally they would find the time to make dilly beans which were a very close second in my eyes to their pickles.
I cherish those memories of sitting at my grandparent's table playing cards and snacking on their homemade treats.  They didn't have much, but what they did have they wanted to share with us.  Every time I taste a pickle or bite into a dilly bean, I think of them and their kindness, love and generosity. Taking the time to preserve the best of the harvest and share it with others is how sweet memories are made.  It is an art that has not been lost.  It continues to grow and expand as more people recognize its value.  The delicious tradition continues.       

Enjoy the goodness all year round

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice....I turn off the TV

Who can forget PeeWee's infamous line in Eight Men Out?  "Say it ain't so Joe.  Say it ain't so." Wisconsin baseball fans are undergoing a similar disappointment with a fan favorite.  To add insult to injury, the Milwaukee Brewers as a whole have had a less than stellar season.  How to combat this empty ache inside that used to be enjoyment of the game of baseball?  Maybe it's time to focus on the lighter side of the sport.
in the movie
In 1976, the original Bad News Bears film featuring Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal was a surprise hit.  This is a comedy about the "dark side" of Little League baseball.  It featured characters that would probably be toned down or rewritten for the moviegoers of today.  Walter Matthau is a drunken, beer swilling coach of a team full of hapless baseball misfits.  (Matthau's character keeps his full beer cooler full and on hand throughout the movie.)  The team is so bad, they forfeit their first game because they can't get an out in the first inning.  In an attempt to make his team competitive, Matthau recruits a smart-mouthed girl who becomes their ace pitcher and a Harley riding troublemaker who happens to be the best athlete in the area.  The influence of the better players and their desire to win stimulates their teammates' growth.  The best part about this movie is that it doesn't end with trophies for the team and that's a good thing.  This absurd kid comedy masks a movie which is about the joy of baseball, teamwork, and learning about sportsmanship.  (If you've forgotten how funny and shocking this movie can be, click on the link to watch the trailer.)
The Sandlot appeals to the outsider kid in everyone.  Here again, baseball is more than just a game.  It is a way of life, or for some characters, a way to deal with the challenges of their lives.  Full of funny and poignant moments, the movie has a similar tone of adventure and camaraderie as Stand By Me.  The baseball game is a way to make friends, prove your worth, and test your mettle.  The game is a testing ground for the real game-life.
There are many uplifting and serious films about "America's game".  The list includes many well-known titles like The Rookie, Moneyball, 61*, A League of Their Own, Bang the Drum Slowly, Field of Dreams, The Natural, Bull Durham, The Babe, Mr. Baseball, Mr. 3000, and most recently 42.  Some of these films are based on true stories like The Pride of the Yankees.  This is a story that shows baseball and its players in a positive and noble light.  Other films, like Rookie of the Year are about baseball dreams and possibilities. For those fans who just can't bear to watch anymore baseball this season, there's always golf.