Humour

Talking BooksThe titles in this booklist are just a selection of the titles available for loan from the RNIB National Library Talking Book Service.

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Bishop's brew: an anthology of clerical humour. 1989. Read by Joe Dunlop, 3 hours 9 minutes. TB 9544.This is a delightful anthology of clerical humour. Ronald Brown, Bishop ofBirkenhead, writes: "To my own collection of stories gathered over many years, I have added about as many again from those sent to me by past and present members of the Chester Diocese. Truth really is stranger than fiction, and not a few of the anecdotes are said to be true, or based in fact. I think it is good to have a collection of this kind from the treasury of church humour". TB 9544.

Funny stories and jokes for speakers. 1990. Read by Stephen Thorne, 1 hour 30 minutes. TB 9009.Do you know stories or jokes that will leave you looking intelligent and them laughing? Most people need help and here it is. Expert speakers contribute stories and jokes that work. TB 9009.

The Oxford book of humorous prose: from William Caxton to P.G. Wodehouse: a conducted tour. 1990. Read by various narrators. 63 hours 7 minutes. TB 10648.A journey of discovery and delight through five centuries of humorous prose in English. Extracts are taken from fiction, letters and journalism from over 200 authors. Each is set in its historical context, with items of contemporary gossip and anecdotal biography. TB 10648.

Tell me another: a new collection of after-dinner stories from the House of Lords and the House of Commons. 1986. Read by Robert Ashby, 2 hours 35 minutes. TB 7188.Embarrassing moments, witty retorts, misunderstandings and innuendoes provide the laughs in this further collection of parliamentary humour from the Conservative MP for Wansdyke. TB 7188.

Yes Prime Minister: the diaries of the Right Hon. James Hacker. Volume 2. 1987. Read by Raymond Adamson, 8 hours 58 minutes. TB 6853. Sequel to: Yes Prime Minister volume 1, TB 6852. More of the political memoirs of our most popular Prime Minister, James Hacker, giving further insights into the machinations of Westminster and Whitehall. Hacker and Appleby are known across the world and make required reading for all civil servants and politicians since they ridicule not only the British Government but also political memoirs. TB 6853.

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Ableman, Paul Straight up: the autobiography of Arthur Daley. 1991. Read by George Cole, 4 hours 44 minutes. TB 9433.At long last Arthur Daley has consented to pen his astounding life story. Clawing back the fame and fortune that slipped from the grasp of his grandfather; readers will gasp at the "tycoonery" of the schoolboy, weep at his long persecution by Detective Sergeant Chisholm, and warm to the exploits of Daley and McCann. Here is the story of the courtship and marriage to the legendary 'Er Indoors, and the verbal magic, diabolical insight and fabulous juggling skills that have taken him "Straight up". TB 9433.

Amis, Kingsley The old devils. 1986. Read by John Atterbury, 14 hours. TB 6580.The return of the Weavers to their native South Wales brings "a shake-up all round". In varied ways - horrifically in one case - the past catches up and shows the awful and absurd consequences when a group of men and women begin to move out of the comfortable shelter of middle age into a new sense of isolation and loss, of regret for lost opportunity and for destructive selfishness too. The result is an outrageously funny book. Winner of the 1986 Booker Prize. TB 6580.

Amis, MartinDead babies. 1984. Read by Raymond Sawyer, 9 hours 17 minutes. TB 6243.It's Friday at the Appleseed Rectory and a weekend house party is in full swing. Guests are circulating in a haze of gin-rickies, blue movies, uppers, downers and inside-outers. As a Friday melts into Saturday they begin to realise that this is going to be a house party to remember. Unsuitable for family reading. TB 6243.

Ashley, Trisha The generous gardener. 2004. Read by Charlotte Strevens, 11 hours 20 minutes. TB 14542.Living in an idyllic Welsh village with a handsome husband and a loving daughter, 40-something Fran March has reason to be happy with her lot. Then her daughter, the result of an unforgettable one-night stand, starts asking awkward questions about her 'real' father. Fran's peaceful rural existence is turned upside down - Pandora's Box is well and truly open... TB 14542.

Astley, Neil The sheep who changed the world. 2005. Read by Nick Ellsworth, 9 hours 20 minutes. TB 14906.The sheep who changed the world is an outrageously picaresque black sheep comedy which follows the fortunes and foibles of the crafty ram as he confronts his dual nature as both sheep and man. The sheep soon discovers that the only way to bring the absurd human world into harmony with his own totally logical ovine

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metaphysics is by getting rid of everything he finds ridiculous. Contains strong language. TB 14906.

Ayres, Pam With these hands: a collection of work. 1997. Read by Diana Bishop, Joan Walker and Anthony Ofoegbu, 2 hours 35 minutes. TB 13619.This collection conjures up vivid autobiographical scenes from Pam's life – the hand-knitted swimming costumes of her childhood holiday in Dorset, the great steaming suet puddings and dripping sandwiches on the family dinner table. We travel in a series of hilarious monologues and poems from her early life in Stanford in the Vale in the 1950s, through four years in the WRAF, through marriage and motherhood, to her present busy career as a writer and broadcaster. TB 13619.

Barker, Nicola Darkmans. 2007. Read by Mark Elstob, 27 hours 15 minutes. TB 15826. 'Darkmans' is a very modern book, set in Ashford (a ridiculously modern town), about two very old-fashioned subjects: love and jealousy. It's also a book about invasion, obsession, displacement and possession, about comedy, art, prescription drugs and chiropody. And the main character? The past, which creeps up on the present and whispers something quite dark - quite unspeakable - into its ear. Contains strong language. TB 15826.

Barnes, Julian England, England. 1998. Read by Rachel Atkins, 9 hours 54 minutes. TB 11670.The grotesque, visionary tycoon Sir Jack Pitman takes the saying "you can fit the whole of England on the Isle of Wight" literally, and does exactly that. Starting from the premise that most tourists are interested only in the top attractions and are satisfied with replicas, he constructs on the island 'The Project', a vast heritage centre containing everything English. The project is so successful that it begins to rival 'Old England'. TB 11670.

Beard, Henry Bored of the rings. 2001. Read by Anthony Jackson, 4 hours 47 minutes. TB 12717.Pulling in references to popular culture and fantasy literature as a whole, this is a parody of Lord of the Rings. From the dreary Goddamn (Gollum), to the feckless Arrowroot (Aragorn), the bungling Goodgulf (Gandalf) to the meanminded boggies Frito (Frodo) and Dildo (Bilbo) no character is safe. TB 12717.

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Bellamy, Guy In the midday sun. 1988. Read by Raymond Sawyer, 9 hours 6 minutes. TB 8054.In the bath one morning Daniel Ward works out how to take one million pounds from the local banks without the use of violence. He has always been addicted to puzzles but, with the money in his hold-all, he thinks it best to leave the country before anybody discovers how he did it. TB 8054.

Bennett, Alan The uncommon reader. 2008. Read by Alan Bennett, 2 hours 43 minutes. TB 15580.It was the corgis' fault. When they strayed through the grounds of Buckingham Palace, the Queen discovered the City of Westminster travelling library. The Queen has never had much time for reading. She is about to discover the joy of literature. One book leads to another and the Queen is soon engrossed in the delights of reading. However, this uncommon reader creates an uncommon problem. The royal household dislikes the Queen's new interest, it makes them uneasy because books are devices that ignite the imagination. Contains strong language. TB 15580.

Benson, E F Miss Mapp. 1922. Read by Judith Whale, 9 hours 45 minutes. TB 2862.Lucia series; book 2. Sequel to: Queen Lucia, TB 4397. From her garden room window, Miss Mapp surveys the comings and goings in the little town of Tilling. Arch-schemer that she is, she plots and maliciously tries to manipulate the lives of the community. TB 2862.

Bilston, Sarah Bed rest. 2007. Read by Stephanie Beattie, 7 hours 5 minutes. TB 16088.Quinn 'Q' Boothroyd is a successful young English lawyer married to the gorgeous Tom and living in New York. She's ticked off most of the boxes on her list of Things To Do Before I'm Thirty and her life so far has been relatively painless. But when her doctor tells her she must spend the last three months of her pregnancy lying in bed, Q is thrown into a tailspin - her social life must stop and the inertia that follows plunges her relationship with her friends, family and husband into chaos. TB 16088.

Brett, Simon The Booker book. 1989. Read by Rosemary Davis, 7 hours 42 minutes. TB 8035.In 1989 the Booker Prize will be twenty years old. Geraldine Byers is determined that this year she will win it - as she has been since its inception. In the meantime, life, her literary friends and marriage to George do keep distracting her. TB 8035.

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Bryson, Bill A walk in the woods. 1997. Read by William Roberts, 10 hours 2 minutes. TB 11837.The longest continuous footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail, stretches along the East Coast of the United States through some of the most arresting landscapes in America. In the remote mountain wilderness filled with bears, rattlesnakes and poisonous plants, facing savage weather and unreliable maps, Bryson gamely struggled through the wilderness to achieve a lifetime's ambition - not to die outdoors. Contains strong language. TB 11837.

Carey, Peter llywhacker. 1985. Read by Nigel Graham, 27 hours 33 minutes. TB 7142.The title is old Australian slang for a confidence trickster. Herbert Badgery, the 139-year-old illywhacker and narrator is funny, deceitful, lusty and blessed with the art of disappearing, a trick he picked up from a Chinaman when he was only 10 years old, back in the 1890s. His story bubbles with magic, jokes and inventions and is peopled with aviators, car salesmen, Chinamen and impresarios. TB 7142.

Cary, Joyce The horse's mouth. 1985. Read by Robert Gladwell, 17 hours 44 minutes. TB 6007.Gulley Jimson will stop at nothing for canvas paint: collecting for bogus charities and shop-lifting. He sleeps rough when on a job so as to catch the early morning light, with the odd night in a doss house (or prison) for luxury. A hilarious tribute to one man's faith in his creative urge. TB 6007.

Cheek, Mavis Mrs Fytton's country life. 2001. Read by Phyllida Nash, 11 hours 51 minutes. TB 15027.Angela Fytton, wonderwife, supermother, bedroom vamp and business partner, has been dumped by her husband for a younger model. Now divorced, she decides to fight and moves to the country, thinking country folks are almost angels. TB 15027.

Clark, Rory You've done what, my Lord? 2000. Read by Daniel Philpott, 7 hours 30 minutes. TB 12622.When James Aden applies for the position of Deputy Agent at Rumshott, one of the finest landed estates in England, he realises what he has let himself in for. Negotiating with royalty, tenant farmers, lost parrots, escaping sheep and the imperious Lady Leghorn all appear to be part of the job description. In order to survive, James must come to terms with his role quickly, and not let himself be distracted by Sophie, the pre-college assistant. Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 12622.

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Clarke, Stephen A year in the Merde. 2004. Read by Paul Barrett, 8 hours 13 minutes. TB 15219.Merde series; book 1. As a twenty-seven-year-old, a Brit is brought to Paris to open a chain of 'tearooms'. He finds himself juggling a treacherous Parisian boss, grumbling French employees and a succession of lusty girlfriends. He must learn to survive the perils and pleasures of life in France. Contains strong language. TB 15219.

Clarkson, Jeremy The world according to Clarkson. 2005. Read by Glen McCready, 9 hours 24 minutes. TB 14692.The world according to Clarkson series; book 1. In this book, Clarkson has free reign to expose absurdity, celebrate eccentricity and entertain richly in the process. From the chronic unsuitability of men to look after children for long periods or as operators of 'white goods', Nimbyism, cricket and PlayStations, to astronomy, David Beckham, 70's rock, the demise of Concorde, the burden of an Eton education and the shocking failure of Tom Clancy to make it on to the Booker shortlist, this is a snapshot of life in the 21st century. Contains strong language. TB 14692.

Coward, Noel Pomp and circumstance. 1983. Read by Rosemary Davis, 12 hours 15 minutes. TB 5397.The setting is the fictitious island of Samolo in the South Pacific. A royal visit is imminent and the domestic complications this causes to the "colonial set" have hilarious results. TB 5397.

Dennis, Felix When Jack sued Jill: nursery rhymes for modern times. 2006. Read by Felix Dennis, 1 hour 27 minutes . TB 15019.Taking the innocence of nursery rhymes and turning them into something altogether darker, Dennis turns his piercing eye on the follies and absurdities of modern life. From ASBOs to Osama Bin Laden, creationism to crack houses, Humpty Dumpty to Tony Blair, nothing and no one is spared. "When Jack Sued Jill" is an essential collection of twisted nursery rhymes for the twenty-first century. TB 15019.

Donleavy, J P The ginger man. 1963. Read by Garrick Hagon, 11 hours 23 minutes. TB 8471.O'Keefe, Marion and their various student and artisan friends inhabit a vibrant world. A world where you have to be prepared to haggle with shopkeepers to sell you two ounces of butter. This bright environment is a part of Ireland, but it is also

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located in the thoughts and feelings of Donleavy's characters, where memory, desire and humour smooth over some of the harshness of day to day life in the ramshackle Balscaddoon. Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 8471.

Doyle, Roddy The van. 1991. Read by John Cormack, 7 hours. TB 9087.Barrytown series; book 3. Sequel to: The snapper. Jimmy Rabbitte Sr. is unemployed, his best friend Bimbo is made redundant and they are both miserable. Bimbo buys a decrepit fish and chip van and asks Jimmy to be his partner. Set during the days of Ireland's World Cup triumphs, this is a tale of male friendship, swimming in grease and stained with ketchup. Contains strong language. TB 9087.

Elton, Ben Blast from the past. 1998. Read by Conrad Hornby, 8 hours 14 minutes. TB 11936.It's 12:15am and the phone wakes you. Only someone bad would ring you at such an hour or someone with bad news, which would probably be worse. You hear the answer-machine kick in and feel your heart beat. You listen. And then you hear the voice you least expect - a blast from the past. Contains strong language. TB 11936.

Ferris, Joshua Then we came to the end: a novel. 2008. Read by Jeff Harding, 13 hours 18 minutes. TB 15659.They spend their days - and too many of their nights - at work. Away from friends and family, they share a stretch of stained carpet with a group of strangers they call colleagues. There's Chris Yop, clinging to his ergonomic chair; Lynn Mason, the boss, whose breast cancer everyone pretends not to talk about; Carl Garbedian, secretly taking someone else's medication; Marcia Dwyer, whose hair is stuck in the eighties; and Benny, who's just - well, just Benny. Amidst the boredom, redundancies, water cooler moments, meetings, flirtations and pure rage, life is happening, to their great surprise, all around them. This book is about sitting all morning next to someone you cross the road to avoid at lunch. It's the story of life. Contains strong language. TB 15659.

Fforde, JasperLost in a good book. 2002. Read by Beth Chalmers, 11 hours 41 minutes. TB 13577.Thursday next series; book 2. Sequel to: The Eyre affair, TB 13208. Having barely caught her breath after 'The Eyre Affair', literary detective Thursday Next heads back into fiction to search for some answers. Along the way she finds herself helping Miss Havisham close narrative loopholes in 'Great Expectations' and struggling for a deeper understanding of 'The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies'. Paper politicians, lost Shakespearean manuscripts, woolly mammoth migrations, a flurry

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of near-fatal coincidences, and impending Armageddon are all part of a great plan - but whose, and why? Contains strong language. TB 13577.

Fforde, Katie Thyme out. 2000. Read by Joan Walker, 10 hours. TB 12395.Perdita Dylan is horrified to discover that her husband is to become the latest celebrity chef and expects her to support him. Contains strong language. TB 12395.

Fine, Anne Taking the devil's advice. 2004. Read by Cornelius Garrett, 6 hours 5 minutes. TB 14419.Spending the summer with his ex-wife, his children, his ex-gardener (and ex-wife's new husband) was never going to be a good idea. Perhaps Oliver should have expected the autobiography he was writing to be constantly sabotaged? Perhaps he should have guessed that he'll have scorn and derision poured upon him? But then Oliver was a philosopher, always happier with abstraction than reality. Now reality is about to come crashing down around him in the most unexpected and hilarious ways. Contains strong language. TB 14419.

Fischer, TiborUnder the frog. 1993. Read by Stephen Thorne, 8 hours 22 minutes. TB 9886.This is Hungary towards the end of the war and before the 1956 revolution, or to put it another way "under a frog's arse down a coalmine" the Hungarian expression for when you are truly at the lowest point in life. Funny, slangy, tragic, this is an impeccably researched romp in the company of Gyuri and his pals in the Locomotive basketball team; a richly convincing line up of skivers, copulators, opportunists and survivors in the face of oppression. TB 9886.

Forster, E M A room with a view. 1908. Read by Corbett Woodall, 8 hours 15 minutes. TB 1525.The moral of this story is that many people, though good, are ruled by catchwords and phrases rather than the truth of their inner hearts. TB 1525.

Fowler, Karen Joy The Jane Austen book club. 2004. Read by Liza Ross, 8 hours 33 minutes. TB 14015.In California's Central Valley, six people meet once a month to discuss Jane Austen's novels. They are ordinary people, neither happy nor unhappy, but each of them is wounded in different ways, they are all mixed up about their lives and relationships. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, under the guiding eye of Jane Austen a couple of them even fall in love? Contains strong language. TB 14015.

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Gordon, RichardDoctor at large. 1955. Read by Franklin Engelmann, 5 hours 22 minutes. TB 13332. Doctor series; book 3. Sequel to: Doctor at sea, TB 60. The young doctor, newly qualified, continues his humorous adventures with wine, women and mariners. TB 13332.

Green, Jane Jemima J. 1998. Read by Francine Brody, 13 hours 3 minutes. TB 11667.Treated like a slave by her thin and bitchy flatmates, lorded over at the Kilburn Herald by the beautiful Geraldine, her only consolation is food, Jemima knows her life needs changing. But can she reinvent herself? Should she? Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 11667.

Green, Michael Book of coarse sport. 1965. Read by Garard Green, 3 hours. TB 44.The text takes a humorous look at sport and how it is played. TB 44.

Guareschi, Giovanni The little world of Don Camillo. 1951. Read by John Dunn, 5 hours 6 minutes. TB 13158.An amusing story of the village priest and the Communist mayor, each determined to rule an Italian village. TB 13158.

Heller, Joseph Closing time: a novel. 1994. Read by Jim Norton, 15 hours 18 minutes. TB 10704.Sequel to: Catch 22, TB 15433. "Closing Time" revisits many of the characters of "Catch 22". Yossarian is suffering late life depression and is convinced he is under multiple surveillance. Milo Minderbinder is developing the ultimate Attack Bomber, so radarproof and noiseless that it doesn't even exist. Chaplain Tappman is passing heavy water without a licence and his increasingly toxic flatulence is causing concern that he may explode at any time and cause the end of the world. They are fighting, not the Germans this time, but the End. Contains strong language. TB 10704.

Henry, O58 short stories. 1908. Read by Marvin Kane, 19 hours 25 minutes. TB 1751.Humorous and ingenious short stories. TB 1751.

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Hiaasen, Carl Skinny dip. 2005. Read by Jeff Harding, 13 hours 53 minutes. TB 15965.Joey Perrone is a woman with a mission. She's just been pushed overboard from a cruise liner by Chaz, her scumbag husband, and survived to tell the tale. But rather than reporting him to the police, she decides to stay dead and - with a little help from her friends and a few of Chaz's enemies - instead of getting mad, she's going to get even. TB 15965.

Hill, Suzette AA load of old bones. 2006. Read by Simon Hurst, Grant Russell and Leslie Phillips, 6 hours 23 minutes. TB 15547.This book takes a nostalgic romp through a mythical 1950s Surrey, where murky deeds and shady characters abound. Moving from the inner city to the country, the Reverend Francis Oughterard is anticipating an easy life and a bit of peace and quiet. Instead he becomes entangled in a nightmare world of accidental murder, predatory females, officious policemen, wrathful parishioners and a drunken bishop. As the vicar's life spirals out of control it is up to his supercilious cat and bone-obsessed hound to take the initiative and save his skin. TB 15547.

Holt, TomIn your dreams. 2004. Read by Raymond Sawyer, 17 hours 32 minutes. TB 13861.Paul Carpenter series; book 2. Sequel to: The portable door, TB 13638. Ever been offered a promotion that seems too good to be true? You know - the sort they'd be insane to be offering to someone like you. The kind where you snap their arm off to accept it, then wonder why your long serving colleagues look secretly relieved, as if they're off some strange and unpleasant hook... It's the kind of trick deeply sinister companies like J W Wells and Co. pull all the time. Especially with employees who are too busy mooning over the office intern to think about what they're getting into. And it's why, right about now, Paul Carpenter is wishing he'd paid much less attention to the gorgeous Melze, and rather more to a little bit of small-print referring to 'pest' control. Contains strong language. TB 13861.

Homes, A M This book will save your life. 2006. Read by Garrick Hagon, 12 hours 41 minutes. TB 15058.This story, set in Los Angeles, is about one man's effort to bring himself back to life. Richard is a modern day everyman; a middle-aged divorcee trading stocks out of his home. He has done such a good job getting his life under control that he needs no one. His life has slowed almost to a standstill, until two incidents conspire to hurl him back into the world. Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 15058.

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Hornby, Nick How to be good. 2001. Read by Clare Higgins, 8 hours 40 minutes. TB 15024.According to her own moral calculations, Katie Carr has earned her affair. She's a decent person, whilst her husband David is the angriest man in Holloway. When David suddenly becomes good, she is forced to ask herself some questions. Contains strong language. TB 15024.

Ironside, Virginia No! I don't want to join a book club. 2006. Read by Elizabeth McRae, 8 hours 7 minutes. TB 16101.Marie is thrilled about turning the big six-zero as she takes on the 'third phase' of her life, she wants to start doing old things, not young things. Her experiences with a new grandchild and a new man are reflected in her diary, as grumpy old women meet Bridget Jones. Contains strong language. TB 16101.

Jacobson, Howard Peeping Tom. 1984. Read by Raymond Sawyer, 13 hours 20 minutes. TB 5637.Would-be writer Barney Fugleman, who has a respectable history of classics-bashing and a persistent and informed distaste for Nature, discovers under hypnosis that he is the reincarnation of "that prurient little ratbag", Thomas Hardy. As he fights the growing parallels, his threshings develop into a wild whirl of sex and scholarship, a literary comedy. Unsuitable for family reading. TB 5637.

Jerome, Jerome K Three men in a boat. 2005. Read by Martin Jarvis, 6 hours 33 minutes. TB 13969.Suffering from every malady in the book, three men and a dog decide to head for a restful vacation on the Thames. They encounter the joys of roughing it, of getting their boat stuck in locks, of having to eat their own cooking, and of course, the glorious English weather. TB 13969.

Jordan, Toni Addition. 2008. Read by Sarah Kants, 7 hours 28 minutes. TB 15977.Grace counts everything, because that way there are no unpleasant surprises. The letters in her name (19). The steps she takes every morning to the local cafe (920). Seamus Joseph O'Reilly (also a 19) thinks she might be better off without the counting. As Grace struggles to balance a new relationship with old habits, to find a way to change while staying true to herself, she realises that nothing is more chaotic than love. Contains strong language. TB 15977.

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Keillor, Garrison Lake Wobegone days. 1986. Read by Garrison Keillor, 2 hours 2 minutes. TB 7173. Lake Wobegone series; book 1. Lake Wobegone, seat of Mist County, is located somewhere in the middle of the state (but not on a map) and named after an Indian word meaning "Here we are!" or "We sat all day in the rain waiting for you". In the chronicle of this imaginary place we learn about the town's history and we grow up with the narrator - a skinny kid who is raised as a strict Protestant but is fascinated by the Catholic Church (dreaming of being burnt alive at the stake) and wanting to be more exotic. TB 7173.

Keyes, Marian Lucy Sullivan is getting married. 1997. Read by Rachel Atkins, 15 hours 59 minutes. TB 12258.Lucy Sullivan is getting married, or is she? Mrs Nolan has read her tarot cards and predicted that Lucy will be walking up the aisle within the year. There is the small matter of no boyfriend, but then Lucy meets Gus and starts to wonder. Could he be the future Mr Lucy Sullivan? Contains strong language. TB 12258.

Kinsella, Sophie The secret dreamworld of a shopaholic. 2000. Read by Charlie Norfolk, 9 hours 40 minutes. TB 15451.Shopaholic series; book 1. Meet Rebecca Bloomwood. She's a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time shopping. Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can't. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Contains strong language. TB 15451.

Kipling, Rudyard Humorous tales from Rudyard Kipling. 1931. Read by Peter Barker, 14 hours 38 minutes. TB 10092.A collection of comic stories, first published in 1931. From the comic clash cultures, to pompous and overbearing officialdom, to exquisite social comedy, they are told with supreme mastery of English prose. Stories include "Judson and the empire" and "My Sunday at home". TB 10092.

Lear, Edward A book of learned nonsense: a centenary anthology of writings & sketches. 1987. Read by Gordon Dulieu, 4 hours 51 minutes. TB 6758.Edward Lear's nonsense verse is well-known but in fact he spent a good deal of his life travelling the continents in pursuit of his real occupation, that of painter. Included in this - on the whole – previously unpublished material are 55 of his "Old

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Landskipper's Letters" to his friend, Chichester Fortescue, "scribblebibbles", gleanings from his "Journals", "Tails" of his beloved cat, Foss, "Puffles of Prose" and "Lyrical Lyrics". TB 6758.

Lee, JamesThe big shot. 1960. Read by Jon Curle, 6 hours 41 minutes. TB 805.An amusing tale of Sandy MacSporran, of Muggleton United, and how he brought the 'Mugs' from 4th Division to meet the 'Spurs' at Wembley Cup Final. TB 805.

Lee, Linda Francis Ladies who lunch. 2007. Read by Regina Reagan, 10 hours 40 minutes. TB 15851.Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware (Frede to her friends) is a member of the Junior League, an elite organisation whose members live by a set of Rules for Acceptable Behaviour. But what is one to do when one's husband betrays one, steals one's money and disappears to places unknown? There's no Rule for dealing with that! In her hour of need, there's only one person Frede can turn to for help: Howard Grout, the gold medallion wearing lawyer next door. But it will cost her. The price? To get Howard's wife accepted into the Junior League. With a penchant for white stilettos and tight lycra leggings, Nikki Grout is everything a Junior Leaguer isn't. Frede knows she hasn't a hope. But her Mission Impossible will change her life in ways she could never have imagined . TB 15851.

Lewycka, Marina Two caravans. 2007. Read by Sian Thomas, 10 hours 42 minutes. TB 15475.An idyll of the English countryside: a beautiful summer's evening in a Kent field, and around their two caravans a little group of strawberry pickers is getting ready to celebrate a birthday. But who picks our strawberries these days? Ukrainians, Poles, Chinese are among the group that lead dangerous lives as they take to the caravan road until each of them peels off to find their destiny. Contains strong language. TB 15475.

Lodge, DavidNice work. 1988. Read by John Livesey, 10 hours 24 minutes. TB 7621.Dr Robyn Penrose is a feminist and English lecturer at the University of Rummidge in the West Midlands. Her research centres on deconstructing the texts of the Victorian industrial novel, but it is only as University representative on a liaison scheme with local industry that she enters a factory for the first time. There she discovers another world ... Contains passages of a sexual nature. TB 7621.

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McCall Smith, Alexander 44 Scotland Street. 2005. Read by Jonathan Hackett, 12 hours 47 minutes. TB 14161. 44 Scotland Street series; book 1. The story revolves around a fictitious building in a real street in the author's home city of Edinburgh. With its multiple-occupancy flats, Scotland Street is an interesting corner of the New Town, verging on the Bohemian, where haute bourgeoisie rubs shoulders with students and the more colourful members of the intelligentsia. This book tackles issues of trust and honesty, snobbery and hypocrisy, love and loss, but all with great lightness of touch. TB 14161.

Marx, Groucho Memoirs of a mangy lover. 1990. Read by Errol MacKinnon, 5 hours 7 minutes. TB 9413.Here is Groucho Marx at his wackiest and wittiest, dishing out stories of his adventures and misadventures as a demon lover. He also gives his own historical view of love from the day of the caveman onwards. TB 9413.

Matthew, Christopher Loosely engaged: further pages from the diary of a somebody. 1980. Read by Bruce Montague, 6 hours 13 minutes. TB 4199. Simon Crisp series; book 2. Sequel to: Diary of a somebody, TB 4198. Further extracts from the diary of Simon Crisp, now 'loosely engaged' to the boss's daughter and still following a life made up of a series of minor catastrophes. TB 4199.

Maupin, Armistead More tales of the city. 1989. Read by Regina Reagan, 8 hours 30 minutes. TB 14243.Tales of the city series; book 2. Sequel to: Tales of the city, TB 14068. This sequel to 'Tales of the city' rolls recklessly along as Michael Tolliver pursues his favourite gynaecologist, Mona Ramsey uncovers her roots in a desert whorehouse, and Mary Ann Singleton finds love at sea with the amnesiac of her dreams. Contains strong language. TB 14243.

Mayle, Peter Anything considered. 1996. Read by Michael McStay, 7 hours 35 minutes. TB 11124.Down on his luck in France, Bennett advertises for work, and finds himself helping rich Julian Poe evade taxes. But creative accounting isn't all that's involved, as Bennett discovers when he delivers an important package to the wrong person. Bennett and ally Anna Hersch go for broke as they evade Poe, the French police

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and interested parties from both Corsica and Italy in a riotous adventure through southern France. TB 11124.

Milligan, SpikeAdolf Hitler: my part in his downfall. 1971. Read by Stanley McGeagh, 3 hours 54 minutes. TB 5376.The author tells of his strange life in the army, and draws attention to the fact that he too had a part in the sudden end of Adolf Hitler. TB 5376.

Mortimer, John Clifford The anti-social behaviour of Horace Rumpole. 2008. Read by Bill Wallis, 3 hours 33 minutes. TB 16292.ASBOs may be the pride and joy of New Labour, but they don't cut much ice with Horace Rumpole - he takes the old-fashioned view that if anyone is going to be threatened with a restriction of their liberty then some form of legal proceeding ought to be gone through first. Not that Hilda agrees, of course, but she's too busy completing her memoirs to dissuade him from taking an interest when one of the Timson children is given an ASBO for playing football in the street. And pretty soon he realizes something fishy is going on. Why are the residents pursuing their vendetta against the Timson boy quite so strongly? Could they have a sinister reason for not wanting him on their street? TB 16292.

Murakami, Haruki A wild sheep chase. 2006. Read by Rupert Degas, 9 hours 52 minutes. TB 15839.An advertising executive, infatuated with a girl who possesses the most perfect ears, is sent on a search for the sheep with a star on its back. This catapults him into a weird adventure to find the mythical sheep up in the wilds of Hokkaido, Japan's northern island. TB 15839.

Nobbs, David The better world of Reginald Perrin. 1990. Read by Christopher Scott, 9 hours 28 minutes. TB 10757.Reginald Perrin series; book 3. Sequel to: The return of Reginald Perrin. Setting up a commune strictly for the middle-class and middle-aged, Reggie's therapy centre nurtures its clients, encouraging them to find the love and goodness that lurks deep inside. Reggie has gathered together the unlikeliest of staff to help him - including C.J. (for people's work problems), David Harris-Jones (handling their sex problems) plus Tony Webster (culture), his son-in-law Tom (sport) and Doc Morrissey (psychology). With a team like this, how can the indomitable, unconventional R.I.P. ever fail in his last bid to create a Better World? TB 10757.

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O'Farrell, John An utterly impartial history of Britain: or 2000 years of upper-class idiots in charge. 2008. Read by Christopher Oxford, 19 hours 21 minutes. TB 15865.From 55 BC to 1945, this book informs, explains, but most of all laughs at the seemingly incomprehensible rollercoaster of events that make up the story of Great Britain. TB 15865.

Orwell, George Animal farm. 1945. Read by John Richmond, 3 hours 42 minutes. TB 4677.Farm animals drive out their master, and themselves take over. They set out to govern on the principle that "all animals are equal"; fairly rapidly some animals become "more equal than others". A modern fable on the history of a revolution, with excellent excuses at every step of the descent into dictatorship for each perversion of the original ideas. TB 4677.

Pattison, IanLooking at the stars. 2007. Read by Jonathan Hackett, 11 hours 42 minutes. TB 16405.A one-time aspiring author has seen his life take a tumble down the ladder of literary aspirations: after prose came verse, then drama, then the ignominious wasteland of the sitcom, and then, because failure's always ready to step in with another bottom rung, a badly paid job as a reader of other people's sitcoms. Then suddenly there's new hope. Hollywood, fame, money and women are all within his eager grasp. He just has to do something awful. And get away with it. Contains strong language. TB 16405.

Peacock, Thomas Love Nightmare Abbey. 1818. Read by Kenneth Williams, 1 hour 47 minutes. TB 14404.A satire on Byronism and pessimism in general. A gathering of eccentric characters in a country house, including Mr Glowry, his son Scythrop and Mr Toobad, leads to a series of absurd incidents. TB 14404.

Plater, Alan The Beiderbecke affair. 1985. Read by James Bolam, 1 hour 54 minutes. TB 14144. Beiderbecke series; book 1. Trevor Chaplin, woodwork teacher at St Quentin High School, has a passion for jazz, football and beautiful platinum blondes - enthusiasms not shared by his girlfriend, English teacher Jill Swinburn. She is more into conversation and local politics ... TB 14144.

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Pollen, BellaHunting unicorns. 2004. Read by Christopher Oxford, Read by Laurel Lefkow, 8 hours 53 minutes. TB 13750.American Maggie Monroe is a journalist for New York's hard-hitting current affairs show Newsline. Independent and fearless, the more cutting-edge the story, the happier she is. But when her next assignment turns out to be an in-depth documentary on the decline of England's ruling classes, she's furious at being sent to cover a bloody tea party. This unlikely romantic comedy paints an endearing portrait of a family, which like so many others, holds itself together despite its evident frailties. Contains strong language. TB 13750.

Pratchett, Terry The light fantastic. 1986. Read by Nigel Planer, 7 hours 30 minutes. TB 10668. Discworld series; book 2. Sequel to: The colour of magic, TB 10524. As it moves towards a seemingly inevitable collision with a malevolent red star, the Discworld has only one possible saviour. Unfortunately, this happens to be the singularly inept and cowardly wizard called Rincewind, who was last seen hanging over the edge of the world. TB 10668.

Pratchett, Terry Equal rites. 1987. Read by Celia Imrie, 7 hours 27 minutes. TB 13822. Discworld series; book 3. A wizard calls on the blacksmith in a hurry. He is going to die in six minutes and wants to pass on his knowledge. He quickly whispers some spells over a baby lying in the cradle whom the wizard assumes is the blacksmith's eighth son. Unfortunately he failed to check on the sex of the baby, and the world is destined to have its first female wizard. TB 13822.

Priestley, J BOut of town. 1968. Read by Eric Gillett, 16 hours 15 minutes. TB 460. The image men series; book 1. A university tale of Brockshire and the efforts of a pair of rogues to establish an 'Institute of Social Imagistics'. TB 460.

Pym, Barbara Jane and Prudence. 1981. Read by Judith Whale, 8 hours 2 minutes. TB 8121.Once again Barbara Pym demonstrates her unique perception of the nuances of everyday social life. She lovingly describes the details of Jane and Prudence's middle-aged, middle-class, thoroughly English life, with humour and insight which will touch and uplift the reader. TB 8121.

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Renwick, David One foot in the grave. 1992. Read by Richard Wilson, 8 hours 20 minutes. TB 11560.Victor Meldrew had no idea why the python with rigor mortis was in his flight bag on the Athens plane. It was an event he could not control, like the Citroen in the rubbish skip, the dead tomcat in the freezer and the charred remains of a neighbour that turned up one morning on the kitchen table. It was insignificant beside the experience with 200 garden gnomes, the rectal examination at Luton airport and the orgy with two dozen pensioners and a lovesick gorilla. All part of a pretty average year for a man with one foot in the grave... TB 11560.

Sanders, AnnieThe xmas factor. 2007. Read by Kim Hicks, 10 hours 24 minutes. TB 15344.Meet two women with two totally different approaches to the festive season. Beth and Carol each have their own plans as to how Christmas is going to go. But even the best laid plans have a habit of unravelling, so when these two Christmases collide, it looks like there's going to be anything but goodwill toward men. Contains strong language. TB 15344.

Sharpe, Tom Vintage stuff. 1982. Read by Stephen Fry, 6 hours 32 minutes. TB 9103.The riotous exploits of housemaster and pupil at a minor public school. Mr Glodstone follows, at home and abroad, in the footsteps of his fictional spy heroes. Peregrine Clyde-Brown, an unsuspecting pupil, becomes his accomplice and academic life is portrayed with the usual "Sharpe" wit. TB 9103.

Sharpe, Tom The great pursuit. 1979. Read by David Strong, 7 hours. TB 3110.A greedy literary agent, a frustrated author, the anonymous author of a pornographic novel, an American publisher and his sex-starved wife and his over-active publicity man - these are the chief characters in the hectic action of this book. Unsuitable for family reading. TB 3110.

Smith, LindaI think the nurses are stealing my clothes: the very best of Linda Smith. 2006. Read by Joan Walker, David Thorpe and Rachel Adkins, 9 hours 49 minutes. TB 15450.Linda Smith was one of the most respected and loved comics on the circuit but tragically died of cancer, aged 48, in 2006. Linda was the brilliant mainstay of Radio 4's The News Quiz, Just a Minute, and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, for many years. She was one of the few women to conquer the male dominated world of comedy and she had the wit and the charm to win over millions of male and female fans in equal measure. This anthology unites the very best of Linda's material from the

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picket lines of the Miners' Strike, to the Edinburgh Festival and on to her mainstream success on BBC radio and TV, and as a well-loved touring comedian up and down the country. Contains strong language. TB 15450.

Stevenson, D E Mrs Tim: leaves from the diary of an officer's wife. Read by Carol Marsh, 13 hours 26 minutes. TB 9256. Mrs Tim series; book 1. The character studies and episodes provide the charm of this book. Here are the army officer, his wife and son and daughter, their servants, and the social and regimental circles in which they move. Mainly Mrs Tim is concerned with domestic matters, packing Bryan off to boarding school, firing the cook, choosing the moment to give Tim her dress bill. The lively comment, the social criticism, the wicked thumbnail characterisations emerge, and enchant the reader. TB 9256.

Syal, Meera Life isn't all ha ha hee hee. 1999. Read by Meera Syal, 10 hours 31 minutes. TB 12373.A story of Chila, a nice Punjabi girl married to the urbane Deepak, and her two childhood confidants: Sunita, the former activist law student, now an overweight, depressed housewife and mother; and the chic, beautiful Tania, who has rejected marriage in favour of a high-powered career in television and life in a trendy apartment with her English boyfriend. Contains strong language. TB 12373.

Sykes, Eric Smelling of roses. 1997. Read by Andrew Sachs, 8 hours 6 minutes. TB 11832.Set during the North African desert campaigns of World War II, Sparks and Miller, two reluctant Desert Rats desperate to avoid any action and enjoy a nice quiet war can hardly believe their bad luck when, despite all their efforts to duck out of the desert conflict, they become front-page heroes! Contains strong language. TB 11832.

Tinniswood, Peter Uncle Mort's South Country. 1990. Read by Stephen Thorne, 3 hours 20 minutes. TB 8967.After their hilarious and accident-prone ramblings round the North Country, Uncle Mort and his nephew turn their unwelcome attention on the hapless South. Bustling London, gentle Dorset, exquisite villages, the wry charm of rustics and the romantic coast - Uncle Mort, true to form, loathes them all. TB 8967.

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Townsend, Sue Number Ten. 2002. Read by Anthony Jackson, 7 hours 45 minutes. TB 12850.Jack Spratt is a policeman on the door of number ten Downing Street. When the Prime Minister decides that the only way to get closer to the men and women on the street is to travel around the country incognito, he enlists Jack's help. TB 12850.

Townsend, Sue The growing pains of Adrian Mole. 1984. Read by Syd Ralph, 4 hours 56 minutes. TB 5646. Adrian Mole series; book 2. Sequel to: The secret diary of Adrian Mole, 13 ¾, TB 4751. Further adventures of the newly 15-year-old: his nose is still swollen from its humiliating encounter with a model aeroplane; he has 38 spots, 28 on his face and the rest on his shoulders; perhaps worst of all, he has "never seen a dead body or a real female nipple. This is what comes of living in a cul-de-sac." He is to experience love and the pangs of its loss, blind dates and neuroses - in short, all the agonies of growing up. TB 5646.

Ustinov, PeterThe Old Man and Mr Smith. 1990. Read by Nigel Graham, 11 hours 7 minutes. TB 8593.The Old Man and Mr Smith are no less than God and Satan on a fact-finding mission to planet Earth. They soon find themselves in a frantic and hilarious chase around the world hotly, pursued by the FBI. TB 8593.

Waterhouse, KeithBilly liar. 1959. Read by Alistair Maydon, 5 hours 39 minutes. TB 7043.To Billy Fisher, Stradhoughton is one long subtopian cliché - a bad Yorkshire joke. Thus the dimmer his surroundings become, the more fantastic are his day-dreams in compensation. Neither his family nor his employers (undertakers) appreciate his fantasies as dictator soldier, cripple, novelist (successful, of course) and even convict (wronged), and he wades through the day with an ever-increasing stack of lies to bring him down. TB 7043.

Waugh, Evelyn Black mischief. 1989. Read by Stephen Thorne, 6 hours 31 minutes. TB 10253.Penguin twentieth century classics. Cruelty, treachery, cannibalism and civil war are among the evils of Azania. Against them stand the forces of Progress and the New Age, represented by the Emperor Seth and his Minister of Modernization, the unscrupulous Basil Seal. But it is a losing battle and things are not much better back in Mayfair. In this heartless comic masterpiece two cultures lock in a conflict that can only end in grotesque disaster. Contains strong language. TB 10253.

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Winterson, Jeanette Boating for beginners. 1985. Read by Rosemary Davis, 5 hours 31 minutes. TB 6262.An irreverent account of life before and during the Big Flood, "starring God and Noah and a cast of thousands who never survived to collect their royalty cheques". Among those who did are Mrs Munde, an Astrologer without Telescope who cooks for Noah, and of course Noah, whose family boating business takes on a new importance when the deluge begins. TB 6262.

Wodehouse, Pelham GrenvilleCarry on, Jeeves. 1925. Read by Robin Holmes, 8 hours 40 minutes. TB 4366.Here are ten episodes in the lives of Bertie Wooster and Jeeves. Bertie's motto was leave it to Jeeves, be the question one of the colour of a tie, the style of a hat, the cut of a coat. There was no one like Jeeves to placate angry relatives: he said exactly the right thing at the right moment. What did it matter that Jeeves could sometimes be something of a tyrant? Was he not always there in moments of stress, frequent in the lives of Bertie and his friends? TB 4366.

Wodehouse, Pelham Grenville The Mr Mulliner omnibus. 1999. Read by Anthony Jackson, 18 hours 50 minutes. TB 12842.Mr Mulliner, raconteur par excellence of the Anglers Rest, has some amazing stories to relate. Take, for example, young Lancelot. He is a bohemian - or was, until he had to look after his saintly uncle's cat Webster, and was startlingly transformed. Not to mention Augustine the resourceful curate and Adrian the detective and many more besides. TB 12842.

Wodehouse, Pelham Grenville The Drones omnibus. 1982. Read by Nigel Carrington, 13 hours 24 minutes. TB 9279.Previously published as "Tales from the Drones Club", this compendium introduces Uncle Fred, Bingo and the amazing Peke crisis, and Oofy Prosser and the Beef Trust. TB 9279.

Yates, Dornford Berry and co. 1921. Read by Robin Holmes, 10 hours 21 minutes. TB 3115. Bertram "Berry" Pleydell series; book 1. The hilarious incidents in the life of Berry and family. TB 3115.

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