It’s been a while since I’ve written anything for TheHippieBookworm.com. That’s because I’ve been going through a storm of sorts in my life where nothing seems to be going my way. When things finally started to calm down and I was ready to pick up the laptop and get back to writing, I dropped it and broke an internal piece that needs to be replaced for a hefty fee.
We all have times in our lives when we’d rather pull the sheets up over our heads in the morning and hit “Dismiss” on that alarm clock. In my case, a close friend of mine was able to keep me smiling by inviting me to the gym on days I needed to pound out my frustration on the treadmill and lending me a computer they had not used for a while to help me get back to writing.
Other people in me and my boyfriend’s lives have shown their love for us in goofier ways – by gifting us some of the strangest books we’ve come across. Each book has a unique story behind it, and I’ll fill you in when I feel you may be scratching your head, but here is a list of our top 10 favorite books that have been gifted us for humor’s sake.
Remembering childhood with an adult sense of humor
The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World’s Greatest Human
Isn’t every true red-blooded American man from Generation X a Chuck Norris fan? My boyfriend is so this little gem was given to him by his step-dad – a man with an eccentric personality and sarcastic sense of humor.
Don’t Hassel the Hoff: The Autobiography
Baywatch was an iconic show for those of us who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. But since Baywatch ended, we’ve grown to realize what a weird guy David Hasslehoff actually is.
Captain Kirk’s Guide to Women
What single man doesn’t want lessons in attracting women from their favorite childhood fictional hero? It almost makes me wonder if I fell for my boyfriend or Captain Kirk… hmmm.
College humor reminders of finding your way in the world
Spring Broke
Ever woken up on a beach in Panama City and wondered how you got there? Chances are Nathaniel Welch has photographic evidence. This book of photographs follows college students around the country on ill-executed Spring Break road trips.
Double Your Brain Power: Increase Your Memory By Using All of Your Brain All the Time
Scratching your head? I thought you might be. This book was given to me by a college roommate to commemorate my years of forgetfulness. From losing my car in the maze of campus parking lots to missing class because I forgot to set an alarm before taking that afternoon nap, my college roommates were constantly keeping me on task and on time. Nowadays I rely on stickies and Google Calendar.
Si le das una galletita a un ratón (Spanish Edition)
One of my majors in college was Spanish. But unlike a lot of the MK’s (missionary kids) in my classes, who had grown up in Guatemala or Nicaragua, I had very little Spanish-speaking experience outside the classroom. For graduation my roommate gave me a stack of children’s books in Spanish to keep me going. And this one most likely because the illustrator and I share the same given name.
“Anne’s” Words of Wisdom compiled by K. H.
Still my favorite on the shelf, this homemade book is filled with little wise sayings that I would try to use on my roomies. Unfortunately, that memory issue was in full effect so I often would combine different sayings into my own unique words of wisdom.
All grown up and still laughing out loud
National Lampoon’s Big Book of True Facts
Because we all need to know true, yet seemingly worthless facts and stories about obscure places on the US map. ‘Nuff said.
People of Walmart: Shop & Awe
Whoever decided to start taking photos in Walmart was an absolute genius. Maybe because of the variety of people who actually shop at the store chain or maybe because no one really cares what they look like when walking into a “Wally World”, these are the best of the best photographs from the website peopleofwalmart.com.
Judaism For Dummies
I’m actually not sure if this gift was meant as a joke or not, but the timing was too ironic not to put it on the list. I was working for a Christian organization and the part of the business I worked at was failing. I had just stepped out of a prayer meeting where we were asking God to keep this ministry going if it were in His will when a co-worker came up to me and handed me Judaism for Dummies. The writing was on the wall so to speak after that.
This list is a wide variety of books that we have collected over the years from friends and family. Some were given as ironic or sarcastic gestures while others were to commemorate a special time. If you have a special reader in your life, I hope this encourages you to look outside the normal bookshelves for those obscure, ironic and humorous titles that you both can appreciate together.
