22 - Wednesday, July 12, 1989 - North Shore News bOOkS BOOKS FOR THE BEACH Summer means lighter reading fare OH, WHAT the heck: it’s summer, the sun is shining (not necessarily here, but somewhere) and studious thoughts are as plentiful as tan lines at Wreck Beach. Obviously, the mood of the mo- ment is a not-so-subtle blend of ir- reverence, slothfulness and a desire for frivolity. So let’s cast off all pretence of literary dedication and have some fun out there. Publishers are not as dumb as some people (especialiy writers) would have you think. They know that most of us are incapable of handling weighty works and torpid titles when bikinis bloom and skin sizzles. That's why they release their latest block of humorous books (or what they imagine is humorous) when they do. Just think of it as a seasonal migration of mirth cloak- MIKE © STEELE book review ing calculating capitalism if you like. . At any rate, cynicism and un- bridled alliteration aside, humor is here and this week we're going to have a look at the latest titles dedicated to tickling our funny bones, Dave Barry is one funny guy. As a matter of fact, whoever wrote the dust jacket text for Dave Barry ‘ Slept Here (Random House; 178 pp.; $21.95 in hardcover) is one funny guy — or gal as the case might be. (Take the following brief biographical blurb as proof: . “He writes for the Miami Herald, is syndicated in about 150 newspapers, won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1988, and he lives, or hides out, in Coral Gables, Florida. Beyond that there isn’t much to say except that he loves his wife and child. And the Pulitzer committee must have been drunk out of their minds.” Barry must have had a few stiff, ones himself by the look of things, but this twisted book is still a hilar- ious hoot. In Dave Barry Slept Here, he discards the teaching of history by what he cafls the Boring Method and substitutes his own approach and a decidedly strange version of North American events, some of which may have happened. First of all, he demands simplici- ty; memorizing dates is a needless burden so, in the intezest of ease, all of Barry’s events occur on Oc- tober 8 (coincidentally his son's birthday). But Barry’s offbeat, Monty Pythonesque history doesn’t stop there, as he quickly explains: “And that is only one of the many revolutionary advances con- tained here. We have left out ail the dull parts. Take, for example, the Role of the Plow in the Settle. ment of Nebraska. ‘The hell with the Role of the Plow in the Settle- ment of Nebraska.” — that’s our metto. This phila:ophy left us with plenty of extra room, which enabled us to provide you, the reader, with large, restful expanses of white space, as well as numerous riveting ‘behind-the- scenes’ historical anecdotes that you will not find in a normal histo- ty book because we made them up.” He's not kidding; the description of the importance of navigational advances to discovery is an apt example: ‘Then, fortunately, along came the invention of cer- tain navigational aids. Chief among these was a realistic doll that, when you inflated it, could...WAIT! Wrong kind of aid! Our inistake!” The humor throughout is broad (very broad) and very adult to boot but guaranteed to keep you chuckling and guffawing throughout. Take Dave Barry Slept Here to the beach and see how fast your wary fellow tanners increase your personal space. eee And speaking of bad behavior...no, that’s the title of the next book: Bad Behaviour. Subtitled “An Anthology of Atrociousness,” this is a definitive if diminutive volume dedicated to disgusting and deplorable things people have said or done in the past few hundred years. Such as: e when Jacqueline Susann, author of Valley of the Dolls, heard that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated a week after the publication of Every Night, Josephine!, she blurted, “Why the f— does this have to happen to me? This is gonna ruin my tour!” e Lord Glasgow, having flung a waiter through the window of his club, brusquely ordered: ‘Put him on the bill.” if these seem tame fare, I can only plead consideration for the fact that this is a family newspaper. Some of the funniest references to the antics of the rich-and- ; famous deal so graphically with body functions and obscenity that my editor would demand to know just what the heck { thought ! was doing by quoting them — or words to that effect. est Patrick McManus is surely one of the most prolific humor writers plying his trade today. . Author of such bestsellers as Never Sniff A Gift Fish and They Shoot Canoes, Don’t They?, he’s done it again with a wry and dry wit in The Night The Bear Ate Goombaw (Henry Holt/Fitzhenry & Whiteside; 184 pp.; $19.95 in hardcover). Much of McManus’ new book deals with the outdoors and McManus’ self-deprecating, fun- poking misadventures therein. From bungled attempts at hunting in a chapter titled ‘“‘The Dumbest Antelope” to fishing failure in “As The Worm Squirms,”’ he stumbles from one pitfall to another in a style strikingly similar to that of the much-missed Cana- dian humorist and storyteller, Greg Clark, Like Clark’s writings, McManus’ are impossible to excerpt. Each of the six chapters is a complete story in itself and the humar is denen- dent on the whole. But I'm willing to stake my life on it that there isn’t a red-blooded adult male alive who won't like this one or a suffering adult female who won't recognize her mate, fa- ther or brother here in all of his bumbling glory. e 7 Children’s drama lessons J given CHILDREN CAN learn creative expression through drama classes this summer at the West Van- couver Recreation Centre. The program, for kids aged 9 to 12, features fun-filled activities which are key in developing the children’s social and acting skills. Participants will experiment with pantomime, improvisation, acting games, story telling, dress-ups, and stage makeup. The instructor, Monica Marko, trained at New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts and has performed in film, television and radio. Marko has a unique ap- proach to stimulating creativity and involvement in her partici- pants. . By providing the stimulus — an intriguing storyline. she has written — the children develop their own characters, free to explore their Creative potential. Space is available for the ses- sions running July 17 to 28 ana August 14 to 18, from 1-3 p.m. Advance registration is required. ey For more information, call Liz Nets oieNeliteene Watson at 926-3266. THEATRE UNDER THE STARS - MALKIN BOWL - STANLEY PARK S EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Mary [| Kathryn Pines (left) hams it up during a drama class. at | the West Vancouver Recre- ation Centre as she is held captive by classmate and pirate Michael Pines, 6. THE SHOWS. The Ki _ av §§ Og IN REPERTORY WITH THE BEST LITTLE mre WHOREHOUSE JULY 12 - AUGUST 12, 1989 Ih TEXAS OPENING NIGHT: THE KING AND | cost: $12:00 FOR ADULTS, $8.00 CHILDREN & SENIORS SHOW TIMES: CURTAIN: 8:30 p.m. GATES OPEN: 7:30 p.m. EVERYTHING een “GUND e BRIO * PLAYMOBILE" ° are just a few of the brand names with unbelievabie savings. Absolutely every item in our store is 19 to 50% off. Come and help us celebrate our first ever Bear Days and stock up on gifts for Christmas or birthdays. Don't miss it! _ seckaoen a perso OR EF 1511 BELLEVUE AVE., WEST VANGOUVER, V7V,1A6 | “'‘926-BEAR ; - -)