Over Sexteen

I have taken possession of a very interesting and funny gem from the 1950's. I took it from my mom, who demands it returned to her one of these days because it belonged to... my grandmother! You will never know how hilarious this is to me. My grandmother was the epitome of a lady. Proper etiquette, posture, pinkie finger in the air when she drank from her coffee cup (not mug!), etc. Just thinking about my grandmother reading this... Well, it reminded me that she did have a bawdy sense of humor. Very discreet about it, but she did have it. I was so glad I found this to remind me. She's been gone for 17 years. I miss her. She was a beautiful person, inside and out.

Anyway, back to "Over Sexteen." Yep, that's the title. It is a collection of funny, sexually oriented anecdotes and cartoons. The editor states that many of the jokes have been been heard around the world and that humor, like history, repeats itself.

What I find so amusing about this is the fodder it provides. I'm thinking, I have a friend or two that write pretty steamy stuff. They would probably get a kick out of this book and it's collection of innuendo and flagrant play on situations and words. Which is all the more funny to me when you consider it came out of times of uptight morals and things that people just didn't discuss in public - 1951. Here's a tame taste:

A girl was walking along a country road and almost stepped on a frog. She was about to go on when the frog began to speak.

"I have not always been a frog," he croaked, "I was once a tall, dark, handsome man but was transformed into this creature you now see by a wicked and magical genie. The spell can only be broken if I spend the night under the pillow of a beautiful girl." The girl, of course, was skeptical but the pleading eyes of the unhappy frog caused her to take him home that night and put him under her pillow.

Sure enough, when she awoke the next morning, there beside her she found a tall, dark, gorgeous hunk of a man.

Well, you know, to this very day her mother does not believe that story.

Here's what I'm currently reading... Going to be another terrific trilogy from Ms. Roberts!

Blood Brothers (Sign of Seven Trilogy, Book 1) by Nora Roberts Read more about this title...