P.G. Wodehouse

I picked up my new copy of Blandings Castle last night and read the first story. It's been a long time since I read anything by Mr. Wodehouse and I'd almost forgotten just how funny he was. His stories concern the listless (some would say useless) members of the English upper class in a sort of fantasy Edwardian period. By fantasy I don't mean elves and such; rather, it is a more innocent time that never changes or deals with the harsher reality (such as the Great War or the Depression). But the big stuff is not important to much of Wodehouse's fiction. Unless, of course, you make giant pumpkins, getting your friends out of or into marriages your highest priority.

I highly recommend these stories for times when you need a distraction or just need a laugh. Any of the Jeeves and Wooster stories are excellent (and don't pass up the chance to see the dramatization of many of those stories with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie as the titular characters), as are the Blandings stories or the Psmith stories.