CHECK IT OUT

If laughter is the best medicine, new novels and nonfiction that

tickle the funny bone could be among your best defenses against seasonal

stress.

All but the most resilient strains are likely to find relief in

“Basket Case,” Carl Hiaasen’s latest sendup of contemporary journalism

set in South Florida. While it’s more mainstream mystery than the

slapstick shtick the Miami Herald columnist has lately delivered, this is

one of Hiaasen’s wittiest offerings.

In a departure from his earlier brand of crime fiction, the Florida

funnyman narrates his saga about a down-on-his-luck journalist relegated

to the obit beat in first person, present tense. Quirky characters,

running gags and such trademark flourishes as a frozen lizard used as a

weapon add to the fun.

A fellow Floridian is in fine form in “Dave Barry Hits Below the

Beltway.” Barry’s newest offering is a sardonic romp through American

politics that lampoons everything from the Constitution to the Clintons.

With a patriotic cover featuring the Pulitzer Prize-winning cutup in red

trunks, white and blue boxing gloves and an American flag towel, this

could be a fine antidote for year-end angst.

An equally notorious social satirist targets minimum wage jobs, ‘50s

television, big government and extreme sports in “The Rant Zone.” In the

fourth installment of his agitated monologues, Dennis Miller delivers

more of his trademark savagery about society’s sacred cows. Not much is

spared here, which is probably fine with Miller fans who appreciate the

Emmy Award-winning talk show host’s cynicism about American politics and

pop culture.

The caustic comedy is equally wide-ranging in P.J. O’Rourke’s “The CEO

of the Sofa.” Using his own living room as the beat for this barbed spin

on domestic issues, the best-selling humorist attacks cell phones,

holiday catalogs and instant messaging. While he’s retreated from Third

World adventure, these forays into parenthood, youth culture and a

neighborhood in which Democrats might lurk are as acerbic as O’Rourke’s

previous reportage about jungle warfare.

Humor can ease even the most stressful circumstances, and there were

generous doses of it in newspapers and magazines during World War II.

Broadcast journalist Charles Osgood has assembled some of the finest in

“Kilroy Was Here.” Woven together by the sketch of the baldheaded

character U.S. servicemen scrawled in unlikely places, this comedy

collection takes on everything from wretched military rations to the

rivalry between service branches.

For something even more lighthearted, check out “Tepper Isn’t Going

Out.” Set in the Big Apple, Calvin Trillin’s new novel stars Murray

Tepper, a loving husband, father and mailing list broker who parks in New

York’s choicest spots just to read the daily newspaper. Whether Murray’s

a symbol of urban isolation or just mastering one of the keys to city

survival doesn’t really matter. His behavior is the premise for a plot

that’s slim as a supermodel, in a book that’s funny, humane and a

much-needed balm in uneasy times.

* “Check it Out” is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at o7

https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org.

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