Thoroughly delightful from beginning to end!

You know, this was really a fun book to read!  Our "hero," Junior Bender is a burglar.  A criminal.  A bad guy.  He has also gained a reputation "as a competent private investigator for crooks."  Junior isn't all bad, though.  He's a divorced family man and has a close and loving relationship with his 13 year old daughter.  In the passages where he's spending time with her, Junior's kind heart shows through.  He's also not above helping out the non-criminals in his life, and he helps them without expecting anything in return.  

Junior was tasked with solving two mysteries in this book; one on behalf of a criminal, and another on behalf of his old, lonely landlady.  Both mysteries were interesting and the reveal for one of them was something that I never saw coming, so that's good.  What I really enjoyed about the book, though, was the characters.  Every character that Timothy Hallinan wrote into this book was colorful.  They all had a certain charm, and sprang vivdly to life.  There was a sense of humor about the book, and Junior's interactions with many of these characters left me laughing out loud.  Really, Little Elvises was a rather charming bit of noir, and I think I've discovered a new mystery series!

My Man Jeeves is comprised of eight short stories.  Four of them feature Jeeves, four do not.  All of the stories were entertaining, but I liked the once that featured Jeeves much better, and I wish the whole book had contained stories in which he was a character.

This collection reminded me of Black Adder the Third starring Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, and Tony Robinson.  The humor was similar, and the nature of the characters was similar.  My Man Jeeves was good, solid entertainment, and was well narrated by Simon Prebble.

The first time I heard of Three Men in a Boat it was while reading To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Part of her story pays homage to Three Men in a Boat, and both stories are enjoyable.

I laughed out loud several times at the antics of George, Harris, Jerome, and Montmorency. I loved the British humor, the slapstick, the sarcasm and tongue-and-cheek remarks. The book was an entertaining and (mostly) pleasant trip down the Thames, and I can't imagine spending it in better company than with these three men and their dog.

Several times I thought of Mark Twain's writing as I read this, in particular Life on the Mississippi and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book was significantly shorter than those two stories, and I wouldn't really say that it was laced with social commentary, but it was every bit as humorous and interesting as those works. Well worth it if you need a quick pick-me-up and a good laugh or two.

The version I listened to on audiobook was narrated by the marvelous Hugh Laurie, and I am certain that his narration enhanced the humor even further.

Laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, clever, and of course, insightful.  The Diaries of Adam and Eve captures the can't live with  'em, can't live without 'em dichotomy that is the male-female relationship.  This book spoke to me, and I enjoyed the idea that husbands and wives have had the same relationship struggles in trying to understand one another since the beginning.  Don't fail to notice the illustrations, because those are as entertaining as the text.  So funny and feeling on so many levels.  Also, I loved the ending.   This is why I adore Mark Twain.