The Facebook Diet by Gemini Adams

Release Date: 30/01/12
Publisher: Live Consciously Publishing
Pages: 146
Target Audience: Adults
Genre: Humour

Synopsis: There are now 1 billion people on Facebook. That's 1 in every 7 people on the planet. And 34% of all users check their account before brushing their teeth or hair in the mornings! 

Everyone can confess to an addictive Facebook habit, whether it's stalking an ex, faking bathroom breaks to read news, checking-in wherever they go, or art-directing photo's for the perfect profile pic.

The Facebook Diet (the first in The Unplug Series) takes a tongue-in-cheek look at this love for social media, featuring 50 hilarious cartoons that pinpoint the more idiotic, embarrassing and cringe-worthy behaviors of this modern approach to communication.

It’s the ideal gift for Facebook junkies everywhere. Helping them find light-relief and the ability to laugh at this tech-takeover, which may inspire them to occasionally unplug with a tech-detox.

My Review: This is a funny and very short snappy read that you can fit quite easily  around your Facebook addiction and hopefully find a way to fit other things that aren't Facebook related into your life. How many of these cartoons did I relate too? Admittedly not many. This is because I go on Facebook to play a few games and chat to a few people rather than stalk ex's, however I do know a few people who popped into my head when reading this and I couldn't help but laugh.

The Cartoons were funny and slightly naughty in some cases and yet rung oddly true. How many people do you know who sneak off to the toilet just to check there Facebook feeds? I have to admit though, if you  have a partner/wife/husband who is threatening to cut the power cord to your computer due to your Facebook addiction then you probably do need a trip to Facebookaholics Anonymous. 

On a more serious note, and yes this book does have one, there are some helpful suggestions for things you could do instead of Facebook, some of which were honestly good advice. So if you know someone who spends more time writing on an imaginary wall than writing letters or who has started sticking post-it notes saying 'like' on people the maybe give them this book. They might find it useful. 

Failing that there's always the option of attacking that power cord with those scissors...

Retail Ramblings by Kevin Domenic

Release Date: 23/10/10

Publisher: Unknown

Pages: Unknown (Kindle Edition)

Target Audience: Adults

Genre: Non-Fiction/Humour

Synopsis: If, for some demented reason, you ever have the desire to meet the most disrespectful, unreasonable, selfish, angry, impatient, and unfeeling people in the world, you may want to consider a career in customer service. 

After a decade in the industry, I can safely say that humanity is at its worst when they walk through the doors of any retail establishment and cross that boundary that separates human from customer. It's a frightful transformation not unlike the transition of man to werewolf. Usually competent people become babbling idiots, loving mothers become haggling shrews, and kindly old men turn into vicious scavengers. 

Don't believe me? This book chronicles some of the most outrageous and unbelievable encounters I've faced during my years of servitude to the retail beast. Don't let the cover page fool you. A dark world lurks within. 

Have you ever worked retail? 

I feel your pain

My Review: I can't say too much or I spoil the point of such a funny book. If you work in retail or if you don't and your on the more sympathetic side of the general public, give this a read. It's funny. So very funny. I was in stitches reading this, 

Like I said, I can't really write a lengthy review for this. All I will say is take this with a pinch of salt, and have a good think about how you are when you're shopping. Are you a nice shopper?

Oh, and the end bit about the guy's boss is simply hilarious :) I'll shut up now. Mr Domenic, I really hope you're over your anger issues now, but thanks for a really good laugh :D

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Fiction/Adventure

Rick Riordan is a genius. That's probably more fact than opinion and wow does that guy have a talent for writing clever, funny and compelling stories that are aimed at teens, and yet seem to be loved by adults just as much. For those Who haven't read any books by Mr Riordan I'd start at either Percy Jackson and Lightening Thief or The Red Pyramid as these are the first in both his other series of books and are generally a good place to begin.  For those who have read the Percy Jackson series and the first in this one, then read on.

TSoN joins back up with Percy who is being chased by monsters with no memory of why he's there, why he's being chased and wondering why the only thing he knows is that a girl Annabeth is important to him.  Soon he ends up at a place called Camp Jupiter where he meets Frank and Hazel, two very troubled Demigods holding secrets and troubles of their own.
Soon they find themselves on a quest to stop something that was put into motion a long time ago, well past the their usual territory and into lands even the gods have no control over, as the prophecy of the seven slowly unfolds.

I loved this. In fact, I loved this more than The Lost Hero.. I think having Percy back (one of my favourite all time literary heroes) made this book extra incredible especially as that nearly everything Percy does seems to come out humorous in one way or another. If I were to be stuck in the worst moment of my life, I would like Percy with me, he'd probably make me laugh about it :)
Having said that the humour element does not detract from the adventurous storyline with it's peril and terrifying Greek/Roman monsters. True, there are some monsters that will have you laughing (like the cereal monsters and the cupcake/muffin throwing goddess) but others will absolutely terrify the crap out of you. FYI I do not want to run into any Titans any time soon!

The plot develops quickly and I found myself turning the pages very fast to find out how it would end and I was on the edge of my seat reading most of it. If a book can make me spend nearly the whole Sunday reading it without moving, then the author has done a fantastic job. Well done Mr Riordan you made a restless woman stay still for hours on end :)

As usual though, it's the characters that steal the show and I loved Hazel, Frank and Percy though I did find it a little disconcerting jumping from point of view to another, at least at first anyway. What I admire most is that each of them had their 'weaknesses' and yet still  managed to show incredible strength when placed in the most impossible situations and then come out the other side.
None of the heroes in Rick's novels are perfect and I think that's something both kids and adults can resonate with; the idea that we can achieve anything we want no matter what mistakes we've made and however imperfect we are.

As for the ending? Well it's epic and I'm dying for the next book. I don't want to wait :( I want to read it now! *stamps feet like a child* Anyway, full marks! Like I said, the guys a genius!

Gold, Babies and the Brothers Muldoon by Derek Landy

Target Audience: Anyone ages 8 to 800 that have a sense of humour
Genre: Humour/Fiction

This is another Skulduggery short from Derek Landy and it is very very funny! To sum up, in reading this I found out that Skulduggery has an admirer, goblins hold very long grudges and love their gold.
My favourite part? The bit where Skulduggery is being chased by Peg! Fantastic. True love truly can be annoying!

If you read this and like it, check out the rest of Landy's books, they're just as funny and will have you hooked after the very first in the series. Oh, and in the mean time, don't fall in love with any goblins!

Enormous Boobs: Stupidest Bloopers and Hilarious Headlines by Richard Benson

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults/Adults
Genre: Humour/Non-Fiction


This book is funny on so many different levels. Admittedly, it's not the funniest book I've ever read but still it ranks up there pretty high.  I honestly couldn't believe how so many people can write the stupidest things in classified ads, headlines and other such things.
Most of the problems seemed to be down to misplaced comma's and apostrophes, much to my own amusement. The rest of them were a mix of famous people unable to keep there mouths shut and editors not editing their newspapers correctly.

A lot of the jokes would probably go over a young child's head which is why I've recommended it for Teens and Adults as opposed to young children, although having said that, if they have a wicked sense of humour I would not want to deter anyone from reading this, whatever age they may be.

I can't really write much for this without posting great chunks of the book so I'll just say that if you aren't laughing at the first few 'boobs' then I'll be very surprised. And in the meantime when you're writing things don't forget to proof read it ;-)

Death Bringer by Derek Landy

Target Audience: Kids/Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Fiction/Humour

I'm a huge fan of Derek Landy and anything he writes and this was no exception for me. In fact, I've been so in love with this book I decided to re-read the rest of the series too and I enjoyed doing so immensely.
For those who are unaware of the legend that is Skulduggery Pleasant then don't read any further, it will spoil the previous 5 books and we don't want that.  For everyone else, read on for synopsis of Death Bringer (as seen on Goodreads):

Think you’ve seen anything yet? You haven’t. Because the Death Bringer is about to rise…The Necromancers no longer need Valkyrie to be their Death Bringer, and that’s a Good Thing.There’s just one catch. There’s a reason the Necromancers don’t need her any more. And that’s because they’ve found their Death Bringer already, the person who will dissolve the doors between life and death.And that’s a very, very Bad Thing

Indeed it is a very bad thing, as I quickly discovered while reading this book! Death Bringer is following the trend in this series in the sense each book seems to get slightly darker, but this is in no way a bad thing and it certainly doesn't detract from the humour, as I was doubled up laughing on so many occasions I lost count.
One thing that always amazes me with this series is Landy's ability to put Valkyrie and Skulduggery in the most terrifying situations and still have them make a joke of it. It's just stupidly hilarious. I love it.

On a more serious note the threat increases, especially with Valkyrie still facing the fact she may turn into the terrifying sorcerer that is Darquesse and without spoiling things I will say that we learn a lot more about said evil sorcerer in this book and how she comes into being.
On a personal note, as much as I love Valkyrie, her slightly selfish streak comes out as her love life becomes slightly tangled and by the end of the book I had the urge to hit Caelan the vampire over the head with a vampire romance novel, (since he seemed to be spouting a lot of prose from one) even if some of it had me laughing.

With regards to Skulduggery himself, there was such a big 'wow I didn't see that coming' moment that I was left stunned for a little while and had to re-read the page I'd been reading. The effect it has on his relationship with Valkyrie is pretty intense, though I will say personally I think it makes them stronger in the end.
Taking both the big revelation about skulduggery and Valkyries supposed 'destiny' there is one amazing battle towards the end of the book that is truly breath taking and it isn't what you think it will be either.

Skulduggery's secrets aren't the only ones being spilt either as a lot more is revealed about China Sorrows, and some other characters that have been alluded to before make an appearance throughout the novel.
Even with all the revelations, fights and the 'passage' being brought into being there's laughs a plenty, a cute gurgling baby called Alice, a love-struck vampire and annoying brat named Melancholia St Claire (whom I hate) and lets not forget Lord Vile.

Anyway, it may be a good idea for me to wrap this review up before I accidentally post spoilers. But wow, this book is amazing. Just read it. READ IT!

The Lost Art of World Domination by Derek Landy

Target Audience: Anyone ages between 8 and 800
Genre: Humour/Fiction

This a very short story set when Valkyrie was 13, so we're talking a few books back now. When I say short, I mean short, my Kindle jumped through the percentages and I read it in about 8 minutes, but boy was it funny!
The summery of this short is that Skulduggery is held captive by Scaramouch Van Dreg who fancies himself as a major villain. His aim? To rule the world.

What I loved about this book? Simply put, watching Skulduggery shooting holes through all of Scaramouch's plans and basically making him feel like an idiot. Enter some seriously funny wisecracks, a funny entrance from Valkyrie and you've got a genius short story that all Skulduggery pleasant fans will love to bits!

Favourite quote: "We need more villains like you, you know that? We need more bad guys who want to take over the world. There aren't enough of them. The others think it's just, you know...silly"

Damn You, Autocorrect! by Jillian Madison

Target Audience: Older teens/Adults
Genre: Humour

Ever sent a wrongly worded text? Made a complete fool of yourself sending an SMS? Well your not alone, read this book, it's hilarious.
Containing a collection of the funniest and most ridiculous ill-sent texts in the history of that wonderful spelling correcter known as auto-correct, this will have you snorting your drink out of your nose (so please stay away from anything fizzy!)
From the rude to the pure hilarious, this book contains them all, from weird exchanges with friends to cringe-worthy conversations with parents. Some of these are so bad, I'm pretty sure the senders of these messages could not have lived it down :-)

This is for anyone who has ever humiliated themselves by not checking there texts before sending, and it is a lesson well learned. Oddly enough, after reading this I sent an amusingly stupid text of my own thanks to auto correct! ( I will not be putting what I wrote on here, it's just too embarrassing!)
Anyway, if your having a truly crap day pick this book up, have a giggle and let everyone watching you think you've gone slightly nuts! Go on, you deserve it!

How to Avoid Huge Ships: And Other Implausibly Titled Books by Joel Rickett

Target Audience: Anyone with a sense of humour
Genre: Humour

I can't really do a long review of this because there's not an awful lot to right about.  I picked this up in Waterstones because I love a random humour book, and this one is pretty random.  To sum it up, this is basically a collection of books with really silly titles.
From tractor obsessed authors to horse related lesbian short stories (don't ask!) and to other truly bizarre and wonderful book titles that I won't mention in fear of spoiling your reading amusement.

So thats all I'm saying!

...Oops! The Text Messages You Wish You Never Sent by Nicotext

Target Audience: Adults (strong adult content)
Genre: Humour/Non-fiction



A lot of this book requires you to have a really high tolerance for rude and pretty explicit messages for the most part, although there are some more innocent incorrectly sent texts throughout the book.
Admittedly, the funniest examples for me were the texts that people meant to sent to their husbands/wives and accidentally sent to their bosses (with highly amusing responses!)
Then there were the idiots having affairs who texted their wives/husbands with texts meant for the people they were cheating on them with (also very funny consequences)

I have to admit, i have read a lot of humour books and this has to be one of the funniest. I will warn you though, if your offended by sexually explicit language or slang then don't read it because it will offend.  If your like me though and take that sort of humour with a pinch of salt, go ahead and read, you'll be doubled up laughing in no time.

I won't post any specific examples on here because i don't want to spoil the fun for any would-be readers, but i will tell you that this book is worth every penny i spent on it, it really really made me laugh!

Postsecret by Frank Warren

Target Audience: Adults

Genre: Humour/Non-fiction

Postsecret is one of those rare non-fiction books that manages to be even more captivating and imaginative than an actual fiction book, and i found myself totally absorbed in the thoughts that go through other people's minds.
Yes, some of the postcards were very funny and i had a good laugh, but a lot of them were confessions that the individuals had clearly never voiced before in their lives.

Some of the confessions were so harrowing i was left stunned and i really hope it helped those people who confessed their secrets having them know that other people now know how their feeling.
One of the most shocking confession was a particular sad one in which the person who wrote it had been raped and couldn't tell their mother because they knew she wouldn't care. That one nearly had me in tears.

As well as gaining an insight into other people's thoughts, it was also eye-opening realising how many of the secrets i could relate to myself. It's very therapeutic reading something and finally grasping that you're not the only one to think a particular thing.

I will most definitely be reading the other Postsecret books.

Universally Challenged by Wendy Roby

Target Audience: Everyone
Genre: Humour/Non-Fiction

Admittedly, some of the funny parts from this went way over my head but for the most part it was just insanely hilarious.

I choked my way through the section on Wheel of Fortune, and i can't believe some of the things people can come up with.

One of my personal favourites was the line from Family fortunes where a contestant, when asked to name a type of bean said 'Les-Bean'. I remember actually watching that episode and was totally choked with laughter. The video is still on You Tube if I remember correctly, and is one of those unforgettable moments in television history.

Anyway, if you think you've seen some really dumb answers given in quiz shows then you haven't seen anything yet. Give this a read, it'll make you feel supremelly intelligent in comparison!

The Customer Is Not Always Right by A.J. Adams

Target Audience: Everyone
Genre: Humour

As someone whose entire work history has been routed in some form of customer service or other (some phone based and some face-to-face) i have to admit there are some idiots out there. So imagine my amusement to discover a book dedicated to basically celebrating the idiocity of that small percentage of customers that no one in my line of work likes to meet.

Seriously, if you've ever had to deal with anyone who thinks they can still watch the telly without taking it out of the box, or had a nude woman run into your store and steal a muffin, or even if you just like a good laugh, this is a most definate must read.

Seriously, laugh out loud funny. Do not read on public transport!

Could Do Better: The Very Worst Howlers by Schoolchildren by Norman McGreevy

Target Audience: Anyone and everyone
Genre: Humour

If your looking to remember your school days with a bit of laughter then this is definately the book for you. From the silliest spelling mistakes to just plain word mix-up these are some of the most amusing mistakes by schoolchildren ever. Definately well worth a read for all those who need a good laugh :-D

I'm going to leave my review at that simply because this is one of those book that i can't really describe to another person. Read it and have a really good laugh.

Kid's Klangers by Richard Benson

Target Audience: Anyone and Everyone
Genre: Humour

Ok, kids really do say the funniest things. I could go on and on about how funny this book is, but really the best way to find out is to read it yourself. Innocent, cute and unintentionally rude in parts, this is not one to read while on public transport.

Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil by Derek Landy

Target Audience: Kids/Teens/Everyone else
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Humour

As with most books that i totally love, i'm going to struggle to write a review, infact its taken me a few days just to finally put fingers to keyboard.

Mortal Coil begins around about half a year after the end of dark days. Valkyrie is trying to find out how to stop herself from destroying the world and they are still trying to establish a new Sancturary in Ireland. Meanwhile, there's a giant psychotic man in a metal mask running around murdering people. So in short, it's all action from the very start!


There are several things about this series that i love and the first of these is the characters. Stephanie/Valkyrie is one of the most amusing and headstrong female leads i've ever read about. She witty, sarcastic and yet loving and caring at the same time. Her emotional human side clearly has an affect on skulduggery and yet she can hold her own against most things that are thrown her way.
Skulduggery himself is still as funny and awesome as ever. I would love to be friends with him. And the way he converses with Valkyrie just borderlines hilarious in some instances. I loved how their friendship changed in this book, and you see how much stronger there friendship has become because of the events in this book. Fletcher is also just as vain and annoying as in dark days, but he displays a lot more of his caring/loving qualities in this book (particularly in that scene near the end of the novel with Valkyrie, awwwww)
With regards to the plot, it seemed somewhat darker in this novel, but then this is understandable considering that they are dealing with someone who can destroy the world. The atmosphere itself was terrifying and some of the events borderlined disturbing and i felt chills creeping up my spine just imagining what would happen if this actually happened in reality.
Having said that, there isn't any lack of witty banter and humour in this book and i found myself laughing a lot despite the darker tone. Whether it's the geniune laugh out loud funny parts or just the one liners and conversation from Skulduggery and Valkyrie, there's plenty to make you laugh.
On that note, i must confess this is one of the things that never ceases to amaze me about Mr Landy, his ability to blend laugh out loud humour with an adrenaline fuelled adventure/horror story. The guy is a genius (and his dedications at the front of the novel were amusing too!)

Anyway, in short. This is a twisty, emotional, frightening, funny novel that ends with enough of a cliffhanger (or several more like) to ensure that all readers (me included) will come back for more. Whether your 13, 23 (like me) or 103, this book is AMAZING!!!

The Book of Big Excuses by Tracey Turner

Target Audience: Anyone and Everyone
Genre: Humour

This is one of those books you can pick up whenever you feel like it, and continue from where you left off, but i found it so funny i finished it within a couple of days, in which i was off work.

Some of the excuses are so amusing my sides were hurting from laughing and the dating section itself deserves a round of applause. I think i've heard about half of the ending a relationship reasons at some point in my life.

This is an awesome book, it is funny and it's great for conversation starters. My personal favourite excuse for a train being delayed: "The train arriving at platform one is on fire, passengers are advised not to board"

Insane. :-)

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Target Audience: Kids/Teens
Genre: Fantasy/Humour

***Contains A Few Spoilers***

When i was reading this, i have to admit i hadn't really given it a second thought, and i just randomly picked it up not expecting much at all. Just goes to show then, that maybe that's the best way to start a book, because it's a must-read for fans of fantasy and humour everywhere.

Nathaniel is a young boy who is sold to be a magicians apprentice as a child, something he has no choice about, but he soon adapts to this. Apprenticed to a reluctant and mediocre magician, he finds himself easily surpassing his masters expectations and so as a result ends up summoning a Djinn way beyond the norm.
Enter Bartimaeus, one of the wittiest, original and definately most loved of any of the literary characters i've read about.
On being summoned, he procedes to scare the young boy and crack some amazing one liners and is then entrusted with a task that will change both their lives forever, in a way neither expected.

Plot-wise, i found this a roller-coaster ride of non-stop action, evil people with evil plots, corrupt governments, action, magic and wise-cracks that had me giggling like an insane child. The minute i read that first footnote at the bottom of the page i knew this book was going to have me doubled up with laughing.
As it happens, when i read this book, i was having a bad time and it made me laugh when i really needed it, and for that as well, i just love this book.

With regards to the characters, there are quite a few so i won't talk about all of them. Bartimaeus was by far my favourite; funny, smart and with a sensitive side thats hard to see at first, he really drew me in.
Nathaniel on the otherhand, although he did gain my sympathy for his situation and the fact that he is technically the 'good guy' i generally class as a bit of anti-hero, for reasons that only become obvious once you read this for yourself and the rest of the series.
Lovelace made a brilliant enemy, in an evil genius sort of way, and i loved that. Talk about thinking big! His Djinn were funny too, and i loved their verbal sparing with Bartimaeus throughout the book.

Overall, this gets a full rating from me; emotional, a lot more meaningful than first appearances, and a fast-paced adventure which will have you in stitches with laughing so much!

Signspotting: The World's Most absurd Signs by Doug Lansky

Target Audience: Everyone
Genre: Humour

As much as i love humour books, i have to admit this wasn't my favourite. That's not to say it's a terrible read by far. Some of the signs shown were so funny i was in stitches, but others weren't to my taste, or i simply didn't get the funny side.
As they say, each to their own, and i'm sure there are a lot of people out there who will find this more entertaining than me. Admittedly though, i giggled like a little girl at some of them. Some are innocent jokes, some are bad translations and others are just plain meant for the dirty minded. Either way, give this a go, it's a very subjective book, and an easy read for those who prefer to see the actual signs for themselves, it even tells you where they were taken!

Ondine: The Summer of Shambles by Ebony Mckenna

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Humour

Really, this is one of the best and funniest books i have ever read!
Being a fan of fairy tales in general i liked the sound of one that focuses on a scottish ferret and a young girl who gets sent to 'Psychic Summercamp' and falls in love with previously mentiones ferret, who is in fact a rather gorgeous man.

Honestly, if your a sceptic person with no imagination please put your reservations aside and give this a go.
Every other line will have you laughing, especially Hamish (the ferret), and his growing relationship with Ondine is wonderful to read about, it really captures the emotions (and embarrasments) of first love.

I also thought the Scottish language that was used, was absolutely brilliant, and it had me almost crying with laughter.
So really, don't be a bampot, give this absolutely fantastic book a read, you won't regret it.

(By the way, Bampot is scottish for a silly person lol)