Mark Twain can be funny. In Humorous Stories & Sketches (affiliate link), he is super funny. I especially enjoyed “Journalism in Tennessee.” Since I dabble in journalism as a local, lifestyle columnist for my local newspaper AND I live in Tennessee, this story seemed particularly suited to my situation.
Of course, thank God, we do not have to face the kind of tribulations as the newspaper editor Twain worked for while in Tennessee. The humor came not only from the description of the violence Twain had to face alongside his boss. It especially stemmed from the edits the boss made to Twain’s reporting.
Maybe it is my nerdy sense of humor, but comparing the manuscripts killed me. I don’t remember the last time I laughed out loud while reading a book. This title helped relax me after the previous one.
The second funniest story was “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offences.” Hilarious! I wish I had known about this collection of stories earlier in my life, but it is never too late to appreciate a good book.
Also, as a small book, this collection of stories did not take that much time. Not sure if you remember, but we are in the middle of serious preparations for State Science Olympiad. So yes, we spend a lot of time on the road, driving to Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, where the kids practice together with the rest of the team.
My son has figured out I know enough advanced math to help him figure out the math in Crave the Wave, a physics event. He made me his at-home coach for this event and we study for it almost every day. It is a lot of fun.