Flutherites, care to suggest some good books to read?

Calvin and Hobbes the complete collection. Any Dilbert books.

I’d suggest anything by Tom Robbins, even though I’ve only read a few of his so far (Still Life with Woodpecker, Jitterbug Perfume and Skinny Legs and All). It’s not at all “mindless” reading – he’s actually pretty deep sometimes. But he has a wicked sense of humor, a fantastic vocabulary and a wonderful style.

I only recommend TR to those with a brain, so don’t let me down here.

PS: I love reading him on the Kindle, where I can effortlessly look up the words he uses that I don’t already know, or his alternate versions of words that I thought I knew. Like Donald Trump, I have an excellent vocabulary. Huge vocabulary. You’d love it. People often tell me – people from all over the world, in fact, and very intelligent people – these people would blow your mind with how smart they are – what a great vocabulary I have. And it’s true. Big, big vocabulary. Many esoteric and utilitarian words in it. Very eclectic, even antediluvian and antebellum. Even so, I don’t mind admitting that TR’s is better than my own. I would name him to a Cabinet position: Secretary of Vocabulary.

You can get Something Under the Bed Is Drooling: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection for $0.01 plus shipping on Amazon. I just bought one copy. For free you can sign out a humor book from your local library.

Revenge of the baby sat. Is funny too. It’s another Calvin and Hobbes book.

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean
Allegedly found in the ruins of a bombed-out dog kennel in France during World War I, then brought to Los Angeles by Lee Duncan, the soldier who found and trained him, by 1927 Rin Tin Tin had become Hollywood’s number one box-office star.

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
For sixty years, Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a “temporary” safe haven created in the wake of revelations of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. Proud, grateful, and longing to be American, the Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant, gritty, soulful, and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish.

The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage
A colorful tale of scientific discovery and technological cunning, The Victorian Internet tells the story of the telegraph’s creation and remarkable impact, and of the visionaries, oddballs, and eccentrics who pioneered it…The telegraph gave rise to creative business practices and new forms of crime. Romances blossomed over the wires. Secret codes were devised by some users, and cracked by others.

Zarafa: A Giraffe’s True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris
In October 1826, a ship arrived at Marseille carrying the first giraffe ever seen in France. A royal offering from Muhammad Ali, Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, to King Charles X, she had already traveled 2,000 miles down the Nile to Alexandria, from where she had sailed across the Mediterranean standing in the hold, her long neck and head protruding through a hole cut in the deck. In the spring of 1827, after wintering in Marseille, she was carefully walked 550 miles to Paris to the delight of thousands of onlookers.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Under the streets of London there’s a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

I agree with @RedDeerGuy1 about Calvin and Hobbs. I bought them some of their books and it was hysterical. I’ve held onto the books now for at least 20 years. Everytime I think I’m going to get rid of it or donate it, I catch myself reading them and decide to hold on to them longer. They are huge colorful collector books.
If you want really light reads, pick up some small romance novel. From Harlequin Romance. LOL They usually have a small plot that unravels quickly since the books are made more for a weekend read or 1 day, depending on how quickly you read.

Janet Evanovich and/or Robert B. Parker. Fluffy, witty, fun, but IMO not worth paying full price for.

Spooner by Peter Dexter was charming.

How about the good old Diary of a Wimpy Kid? At least the font is large and there are illustrations to easily follow. The story itself is light-hearted enough for a quick casual read.

And if you want to venture further, I suggest you try Le Petit Nicolas. It’s basically the same thing as Wimpsy Kid, with a school setting and minus the misfortune. Still a good quick read.

The Humans by Matt Haig
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Both British authors and light but interesting and funny reads

Just because I didn’t see you on the towel thread, and the book’s been in my mind since then—if you haven’t read Douglas Adams’s Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, it’s well worth the read… Delightfully lighthearted, which is an accomplishment considering some of the events that happen in it. Absurdly witty.

Why Do Men Have Nipples: Hundreds of Questions You’d Only Ask Your Doctor After Your Third Martini

It’s a lovely combination of informative and humorous, and makes for fun light reading. The sections are short so it’s good for a frazzled attention span. I read it while laboring in the hospital with my son.

Thank you all! I’m at the bookstore now and I am sad to report that the books in English are only on one shelf or two here in Norway… Thumbs down! Trying out the next bookstore but I’ve been told its probably the same! I might have to order some of the books you guys suggested through Amazon.

I see some Bernard Cornwell in there. And Ken Follett. Both good authors.

If the Bill Brysons are English, by all means go with those! He’s funny and irreverent, and his stuff is intelligently written. Not fiction, but absolutely worth your time.

I was going to say I see Bill Bryson there on the shelf, “A Short History of Nearly Everything”. If you like science for the general public that could be good.

Also this looks promising:

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Jonas Jonasson
Hitman Anders, recently out of prison, is doing small jobs for the big gangsters. Then his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a female Protestant vicar (who also happens to be an atheist), and a homeless receptionist at a former brothel which is now a one-star hotel. The three join forces and concoct an unusual business plan based on Hitman Anders’ skills and his fearsome reputation. The vicar and receptionist will organize jobs for a group of gangsters, and will attract customers using the tabloids’ love of lurid headlines.

Won’t Amazon deliver to Norway?

I saw All the Light we cannot see on the shelf. This is an amazing book. Not light by all means but a beautiful sad story about ordinary German and French young people during WWII

Probably a bit late now, and again not sure if you’ve read these or not… but Haruki Murakami and Khaled Hosseini jumped out at me from the shelf—they are good and pretty popular—not necessarily “lighthearted” but enjoyable. Also, if you like JK Rowling, her first (I think it was her first) publication after Potter is there; it’s a good read, too.

Why you didn’t start with the photo of the bookshelf – minus your hand blocking several of the books! – I cannot comprehend.

If you enjoy “light” yet informative reading, then you wouldn’t go far wrong with any Bill Bryson book. I have not read The Short History of Nearly Everything, but I would pick it up if it were available to me.

And the Mountains Echoed was a great book. Fiction, also not exactly ‘light’, but worth the time.

THANK YOU GUYS. I picked up four of the books you guys suggested. @CWOTUS ordering Tim Robbins from amazon now!

Well, Tom Robbins. If you’ve ordered any Tim Robbins books, I can’t vouch for the quality of his writing, as I’ve never read him.

@CWOTUS Woops I meant Tom***