I was in the car a few days ago and the Beatles’ All You Need is Love came on the radio. My sons love the Beatles, so everyone was singing along, but I was giggling in my seat so much Hubby asked me what I was laughing at.
Of course, when you describe a book scene to someone who hasn’t read the book, the scene is NEVER as funny, but when I hear that song, I think of one of the final scenes of Julia Spencer-Fleming’s I Shall Not Want wherein a crew of folks, including the heroine, are driving away from a pot-smoke-filled crime scene, high as kites, singing that song. I laughed when I read it, and I laugh when I hear the song and think of that scene.
Vivid writing and dialogue stick in my memory like nothing else – especially from books. I’ve said before that if you mention the word “Gumpy” to me I will totally crack up – all due to this scene:
There was a loud bang, a flash erupted from the gun barrel, and the chicken carcass jumped on its plate.
“Holy mother of God!” my mother shrieked, leaping to her feet, knocking her chair over.
“Dang,” Grandma said, “guess I left the wrong hole empty.” She leaned forward to examine her handiwork. “Not bad for my first time with a gun. I shot that sucker right in the gumpy.”
One For the Money – Janet Evanovich
And then again –
“I shot a chicken once,” Grandma explained to Morelli. “It was an accident.”
I could see Morelli searching for a reply. “Where did you shoot it?” he finally asked.
“In the gumpy,” Grandma said. “Shot it clear off.”
Two for the Dough – Janet Evanovich
I love how scenes and words and moments in books can make me laugh long after I’ve finished them – even, sometimes, long after I’ve forgotten which book it was, but I remember the characters and what they said.
So what scenes in a book have made you laugh and laugh? Is there a word that makes you howl more than “gumpy?”
I still laugh out loud whenever I reread “Lord of Scoundrels” at the scene where Dain is showing Jessica the saucy pocket watch to try to shock her and she tells him she was thinking of buying for her grandma. Classic! Of course then there are the unintentionally funny bits of dialogue that can be just as memorable.
There are certain things I associate inevitably with books … for example, Dusty Springfield will now always remind me of the Dempsey clan from Jennifer Crusie’s “Welcome to Temptation” and “Faking It”, as will pineapple-orange juice from the latter of those two books. Not really uncontrollable laughter though, can’t think of any of those moments from off the top of my head!
The chicken scene hooked Hubster on Stephanie Plum. And of course,this mention has erased all other funny scenes from my early morning brain, but if I remember a non-Evanovich (and there have been some definite laugh-till-you-cry moments in other books), I’ll come back. But you’ve now given me the equivalent of an ear-worm, thankyouverymuch.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist—of Mystery
I always loved a bit in ‘the Blue Castle’ by LM Montgomery, when Valency’s family are talking about a local woman who was bitten by a dog. Someone asks where she was bitten, and is told ‘near the catholic church’ (or something similar). Valency’s family can’t understand why she thinks this is funny, and don’t understand her comment of ‘is that a vital part?’
Ther
The opening scene of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ “Natural Born Charmer,” when QB Dean Robillard encounters Blue Bailey alongside the road, wearing a beaver costume? OMG. Also, later in the same book, I was rolling when Blue told Dean that the expensive boots he was so proud of were probably the gayest boots she’d ever seen.
That beaver costumer from Natural Born Charmer makes me laugh every time I think about it. Same with the “All You Need Is Love” scene from I Shall Not Want, especially the reaction of the cops that come upon the group in the car. And, now, the turkey scene from All I Ever Wanted.
I must be a more visual person, because the words don’t stick with me, just the scene in my head.
I’m sure there are more, I’ll have to think about it. This should be fun reading these comments today.
I agree completely about Natural Born Charmer. Doesn’t Blue’s beaver tail get stuck in the car door, which prompts Dean to ask if she isn’t being a little hard on the beaver? Love that book.
I was laughing myself silly this morning in the shower, just remembering a scene from Terry Pratchett’s Carpe Jugulum where Magrat’s baby is officially named. The nervous priest reads directly from a piece of paper and says: “I name you…Esmerelda Margaret Note Spelling of Lancre!”
I can’t even read the My God He’s Heavy the First line without erupting into mad giggles. I’m doing it now.
As I was reading this post I was on hold listening to this song!!
Hmm, that was supposed to be ‘coming over all bashful’ but you get the gist.
The one that jumps to mind for me is “tick check” from Exclusively Yours. After we went camping my husband innocently told me we needed be sure to remember to do tick checks, which led to a lot of laughter and an explanation on my part as tick check = sex in that book.
OH, one more. Peaches. One of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books (I think) ruined peaches for me forever.
The phrase “the male gaze” now makes me start laughing uncontrollably, due to a scene in “The Doctor’s Perfect Match” by Irene Hannon. Or any use of the word gaze in a romantic setting.
Backgorund: I used to attend an all women’s college, where there were a fair amount of people with non-heterosexual sexual orientations. My friends and I had just picked up a bunch of LoveInspired romances to mock at a library bag sale, where we paid $5 for each grocery bag full of books (simultaneously the best and worst idea ever). The first one we started reading aloud was The Doctor’s Perfect Match, and two of us announced they would be the hero and heroine for any dramatic actions. In the first chapter, I believe the phrase “He held her with his gaze” was used, which, when read aloud, immediately translated into “He held her with his gays” for all of us; three of us got up, volunteered to be the hero’s gays, and proceeded to hold the heroine.
Unfortunately, due to uncontrollable laughter, we never got to find out if his gays met hers, or if he/she undressed the other with his/her gays. But I bet they did.
Whenever I see or hear the word Vaseline I crack up. It’s from one of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books. Its the scene where the guy is naked and greases himself up to keep Stephanie from catching him. I loved that scene.
I can never eat a bowl of Lucky Charms, or even walk down the cereal aisle, for that matter, without thinking of SEP and snickering. LOL
For some reason, I keep cracking up at an exchange from a JD Robb short story…
Roarke: What’s the cause of death?
Eve: Vampire bite.
Roarke: What, that again?
Not quite the same, but I still dissolve into giggles every time I think of “Fucking her ass; saving her life”
Bite Me: A love story by Christopher Moore.
The whole dang book is hilarious, as previous books by Moore.
I love all the references to her stripey socks 😉
I can’t see a “Beware of the Dog” sign without laughing.
On Terry Pratchett’s Discworld the sign says:
“Disproportionate Response”
I am going to call my Punk band that someday.
Sarah, your “laugh til you pee” moment would be a strong DNF if not a wallbanger for me. Actually, I’m kind of wanting to wallbang my computer, but I’d regret it later.
First, you don’t shoot chickens. You chop their heads off. Yeah, still.
Second, when you shoot game birds, you don’t use bullets, you use shot. And you aim for the head, otherwise you are going to have bird meat riddled with shot—not fun to eat.
Third, shooting a bird in the “gumpy” with shot probably wouldn’t kill them. Not right away at least. It would just render the bird inedible.
Fourth, (and most important) shooting a bird (chicken, duck, goose, whatever) with a bullet would likely make them *explode*, partially or fully. You would be shooting a chicken at close range, not picking them out of the air. So, big, giant bullet hole. Go look at pictures of people who suicided by shooting themselves in the head if you don’t believe me.
Total and complete fail. Or, as I frequently shouted at “Seinfeld”, “Premise untrue=Joke not funny.”
But to answer your question, the name “Slut Binwalla” from Eddie Izzards “Englebert Humperdinck” bit makes me giggle when I think of it, as does his Sean Connery/Muttley bit.
thinking78—I’m thinking of 78 ways to murdalize writers who don’t do a lick of research in this unprecedented era of access to information. It’s seriously shameful, people. At least Cassie Edwards did some freakin’ research even if she copied it word for word and surrounded her plagairism with Vogon poetry. Yes, I said it. Writers (and I know many pros read this blog) who don’t research are worse than Cassie Edwards.
Hey MissFancy,
As a farm girl who’s slaughtered and plucked her fair share of chickens, yeah, head chopping is one method. hanging by the feet and bleeding is another. As to shooting – totally depends on what you shoot them with. Small caliber weapons make little holes. Being a paramedic I can also attest to gsw would of various types. Small caliber handguns – little tiny holes. Most traumatic childhood memory ever: being four years old and coming outside to find my dad and the neighbor kids killing the ducks raised for meat by shooting them with a .22. Very small hole, and basically a guy thing I think. There were a number of chickens that met their end this way too. Tasty. Apparently I fainted dead away and the very handsome Mathew Thornley carried me into the house. I swore then and there I was going to grow up and marry him. We moved away eventually, and I met him years later as an adult. YUM! I fell down his stairs looking at his butt. Sprained the crap out of my ankle. Very embarrassing. He also had a live in girlfriend who he married. Er, scenic tour.
At any rate, the chicken was already dead. “carcass on a plate”. Unless you can come up with a method of how to keep a live chicken on a plate.
chloroform?
I’m sure if I re-read the Plum series again I’d laugh hard at the scene where the garbage truck pancakes the porche. And then feel bad for said porche.
Speaking of poultry: another hilarious scene (with a frozen turkey however, not a cooked chicken), is in Blood Rites by Jim Butcher. Everytime I read it I burst into giggles. I’m giggling right now just remembering it. You can’t say that Jim isn’t imaginative in his vampire slaying techniques.
Sarah, when you mentioned “all you need is love” my mind went straight to that scene..(waiting now for the next book). I would say my fav. Plumism is not gumpy, but the image of a 80+ year old woman in spandex (anytime I see such a thing I think Where is Lulu and Stephanie? Is there a funeral today?) And away from those I get snorts when my friend who is working on her doctorate in Entomology, talks about beatles, I think of the infamous Butter bug dinner in A Civil Campaign.
@teshara: HA!
Superglue.
I love that you quoted Janet Evanovich. I can think of about 10 different scenes from her books that have made me laugh out loud. I’ll burst out laughing and get the craziest looks from my husband. Then when I try to explain the scene to him, he just doesn’t get it.
Um…Kifah? MissFancy? I’m thinking you’ve totally missed the point of WHY it’s funny, and it’s not because JE was trying to accurately describe how one slaughters a chicken. Oh, well, a funny bone is a personal thing.
I’m voting for Jasper Fforde’s always clever use of language & the one that always sticks out: naming Thursday Next’s boss Braxton Hicks. Snort worthy every time I see it.
Kifah, so sorry!! Got distracted by very funny side track & missed your wind up sentence. You obviously have a funny bone.
Lisa Livia’s rant in Agnes and the Hitman had me rolling: “You think SHERMAN did damage?! I’ll make him look like the fucking Merry Maids!”
Three to get Deadly by Evanovich was pretty much hilarious all the way through, with extra points where Steph and Lula put the corpse in the trunk and then tie a rag to the foot that sticks out.
Best line from Pratchett “If his body was a temple, it would be the kind where they did perverted rituals in the basement.”
My fav Plum moment is when Bob the dog is dognapped by Habib and Mitchell. A close second is when Stephanie and Lula have a stiff in the trunk of Lula’s car and Lula has tied a red scarf to its leg as the law frowns on things hanging out unmarked. The one non Plum book funny is when Besty is informed she is a vampire in Undead and Unwed.
Hilarious book: What Happens in London, by Julia Quinn. Probably the most hilarious book I have ever read. Cracks my shit up.
Hilarious scene: Margo and Q’s late-night adventure in Orlando in John Green’s book Paper Towns. Margo renews her friendship with Q senior year in high school and convinces him to accompany her as she seeks revenge on those who have done her wrong, like her cheating boyfriend. It is a hilarious night of sneaking around that includes dead fish, eyebrow removal, and breaking into Sea World, among other things. Totally awesome. The book is amazing.
I always lol when I read the scene of controlled chaos catering hall scene in Jenny Crusie’s ‘Bet Me’ just before it all goes south. Ditto their frenzied efforts up until that point to kiss. That’s all. Just one kiss.
I’d also have to say that the book that makes me roar is John Updike’s ‘Say A Prayer For Owen Meany’. There’s a scene where all Owen’s friends family are carrying on in the attic. Someone is crazily sewing another person’s shirt on a sewing machine WHILE they still have it on. Owen stands there taking it all in -trying to infuse that crazy joy into himself and then he speaks in that voice like Froggy from ‘The Little Rascals’ and they all stop at once, look at him and go back to their mayhem.
I don’t know it just does it for me every time. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of my family’s antics as kids or my DH’s family who still, as we all approach middle age, STILL act that way. *shrugs shoulders* Who knows….
And that’s John IRVING, not UPDIKE. Talk about night and day. Forgive me! Sheesh!
One of the very early scenes in Georgette Heyer’s Devil’s Cub when Miss Challoner is telling her cousin that she is, indeed, quite plain in looks. He, resplendent and dandified in a puce jacket assures her that oh no, he has always thought her looks quite lovely. Whereupon she gravely thanks and then states, “but then, you chose puce.”
And lest we forget the restorative jelly!
Everything Pratchett writes is brilliant. Period.
My ever-green funniest fictional moment is the Dinner Party from Hell in Lois McMaster Bujold (may the muses attend her!)‘s A CIVIL CAMPAIGN. It’s a fine illustration of the adage, “No plan of battle survives first contact with the enemy.” Unexpected quests arrive, the placecards are switched, interesting facts about daughters are revealed to their parents and then the butter bugs are unveiled. If you’ve never read it, you’ll be scratching your head right now, but if you love LMB (may the muses attend her!) as I do, just the phrase, “Look out! She’s getting away!” will start you laughing.
I don’t mean to be unusually dense, but what the hell is a “gumpy?” It sounds like some kind of adjective for Forrest Gump, i.e., “That boy is pretty gumpy.”
As Forrest Gump would say “Right in the Buttocks”, is the gumpy.
so to this day i remember how much i laughed at “angus, thongs and full frontal snogging” back when i was in 6th grade. there is a scene in the book where georgia has decided to dye a section of her hair blond and it goes seriously bad. anyway…she ends up talking to her crush (the “sex god” as he is called) and the chunk of blond hair falls off in her hand. how embarrassing for a teenage girl. yet wildly hilarious. louise renninson is still one of my favorite authors.
as to words that make me laugh…have to think about that.
For whatever reason it’s the scene in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason where she’s tipsy, and writes her Christmas cards. I’ve no idea why it makes me laugh so much, but it does, every time.
(With Pratchett, it’s probably the bit in Jingo where Vimes begins arresting the armies for breaching the peace – goes something like ‘…loitering with intent, loitering within tents, Ha!…’ and then starts worrying about where he’s going to put them, because he’s only got two cells, and one of them is full of coal.)