Life is Funny! Sometimes It’s Not
By Frank Penley
This book is filled with adventures and stories that author Frank Penley has experienced first-hand throughout his life. Due to the craziness that ensues, it’s hard to believe that all of the stories are true when you are reading them. The mixture of comedic and heartfelt stories create a balance that makes you want to laugh out loud, and sometimes even cry.
One of my favorite stories is from the chapter “Creature from the Black Lagoon”; a story in which young Frank planned a mischievous joke on his sisters. As they went to bed with scary thoughts in their heads, after watching the said movie, he snuck down the hall with a squealing muddy pig in tow. Slowly turning the bedroom doorknob as quietly as possible, he followed through with his plan to scare his sisters out of their minds… “GRRRRRRRR!” he screamed, as he threw the pig on the bed with them. Lightning flashed and the girls screamed and started fighting each other to get away. The bed broke as the mattress and bed springs fell to the ground. One sister sat on the floor crying whilst the pig was running back and forth squealing. The other sister went into fight mode and attacked the dresser, knocking it over in the process. The whole house was shaking at this point and his plan had worked better than he could have imagined. As he lay on the floor laughing uncontrollably, he realized he would not be able to get up and run away much less deny his responsibility for this event. But the punishment was well worth the crime.
I have enjoyed every minute of this book and could not put it down for long. It helps that each chapter is a completely different story so you can easily read through it. I also love the fact that he is a local author and that we as a community can support him and his work. It's a great read that I highly recommend!
HS