Welcome to Laugh Out Loud Week!

There's a reason I posted Thanks For the Memories by Cecelia Ahern as the first book review to start things off. It's because it is the inspiration behind all of the insanity of LOL Week!

Let me explain:

Like so many of my stories do, it all started one morning on the bus to work...

I had just finished my morning book-perving* (the guy in front of me was reading Stephen Donaldson. Again.) and was reading Thanks for the Memories. I felt someone slide into the seat beside me but I didn't look up. I was focused and I had to finish at least one chapter before bus dropped me at work. So there I was, minding my own business, being a well-behaved bus patron...

THEN I read the scene where Joyce and Henry (Joyce's hysterical elderly father) are in their hotel room in London. If you've read the book then you KNOW what I'm referring to!

I'm not usually one for toilet humour but this time, oh deary me. I couldn't help myself! I started laughing and the worse the scene got, the more I laughed. Immediately I felt that eyes on me feeling that I usually get when I've done something embarrassing, so I tried to laugh quietly. Like a restrained chuckle, if you will. But the more I tried to repress it, the worse it got. And then I made a very important discovery. Holding in laughter is just like holding in a sneeze. If you don't let it out, your body punishes you with a much more embarrassing noise. My punishment? I gave an almighty snort!

Not a delicate, quiet little snort. We're talking a Miss-Piggy-eat-your-heart-out kind of snort!

I don't even consciously know how to snort! My hand flew over my mouth, I went bright red, snapped the book shut and stared at my shoes. Well, the older gentleman beside me must've thought this was pretty darn funny because he started to laugh too. Everybody else just stared (especially the Stephen Donaldson guy who actually had to turn around to look! Although, I guess I wouldn't be laughing if I read the same book every day for a freakin year.) Once the guy beside me had finished wiping tears from his eyes, I muttered something lame like, 'It's a really, really good book.' He said something back like 'Sounds like it.' And I then got off the bus about two stops too early.

Although I regularly embarrass myself on public transport, I can't say that I regularly get a decent belly-laugh from a book. So this week, I thought I'd honour the books that have made me laugh out loud.

I won't be posting extracts of these books because the thing about comedy is it's all in the timing. Most of these funny moments are crescendos of humour the author has struggled to create and I think I'd ruin them for you if I just yanked them right out of the middle.

All reviews this week will be assigned an LOL Rating to give you an indicator of just how funny they are (and to also serve as a warning for those of you reading on public transport).

So please, jump in with any funny books you'd like to recommend or feel free to share your embarrassing stories so we can laugh at with you. My hope is that you find something on our blog this week that will give you a hearty chuckle! Remember not to hold it in though. It might come out the other end.

*A Footnote on Book Perving: Now the bus to work in the morning is usually where I do my best book-perving. It's probably because it reminds me of a library - there's like this weird no-talking rule and everyone is usually carrying a novel of some description. I am a horribly nosy book-pervert though; I just have to know what you're reading and I'm probably pretty obvious about it. Oh, if you're reading Twilight, watch out. I usually have to physically restrain myself from sitting right down next to you and talking about it. Usually once a week on my bus, someone is reading Twilight. I don't notice people, I don't notice faces, I don't even notice attractive men - I notice books. And I will perve.