This collection of 10 literary pastiches made me laugh out loud a LOT. At least once per story I was at least snorting, if not outright shrieking with laughter. My favourite stories were the detective story parody and the sea story parody — they were so over the top, it was perfect. I did get unironically invested in the old homestead story too.

This might almost be even funnier than Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, although I’d have to read that again to be sure. At any rate, I would certainly recommend this for anyone who has a nodding acquaintance with the various genres of Victorian fiction. They may also be funny on their own, because they are so delightfully absurd. ( )

I think I first stumbled on the New York Review of Books website a couple of months ago. Don't know why I'd never heard of it before; I'm completely enthralled now. I've ordered books for my kids, and I ordered this one for myself.

This book of short stories was initially published in 1911. In it, Leacock takes satiric aim at genre fiction. He tackles the mystery, the romance, the high seas adventure, the simple midwestern farm tale, and several more. It's a quick read, and very funny. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will enjoy handing it to my kids after they've read some of the more classic books (Sherlock Holmes, Little House on the Prairie, Horatio Hornblower, etc.). ( )

Leacock was one of Groucho Marx's favorite humor writers