書的重量

喜歡東野圭吾的《秘密》《使命與心的極限》，kindle＋桃紅色的皮外衣＝書的重量。漸漸忘記，大部頭套書應該有的重量了。連續四個禮拜，都在閱讀東野圭吾，越來越喜歡這位作家的多元化角度寫懸疑推理，讓推理的高潮不只是在揭曉最後一頁謎底。

《The Uncommon Reader》，就像圖書館阿姨跟我說得一樣，Alan Bennett擅長的幽默以直接鋪成的手法，敘述英國女王的閱讀悅讀過程。記得當初借的時候，我和阿姨聊說，我聽過BBC Alan Bennett自己朗讀《The Uncommon Reader》的有聲書，我覺得很有意思，所以來借書看看。阿姨大力推薦，用了"dry humor" 形容Alan Bennett。當初不太瞭解"dry humor"是什麼意思，在閱讀完《The Uncommon Reader》，想起阿姨的話，會心一笑。

Often referred to as deadpan humor, dry humor is a comedy technique that is characterized by a calm and straightforward delivery by the performer. This is in contrast to such comedy art forms as slapstick or sketch comedy, which often relies upon broad gestures, exaggerated facial expressions, or an emphasized tone or tenor in order to heighten the comic appeal of the joke or remark. Often, dry humor is associated with what some people refer to as highbrow comedy, as the style requires a degree of restraint in order to be effective. However, good dry humor usually employs words that are easily accessible to persons of just about educational level and often makes use of everyday terms as part of the content.

With dry humor, the focus is on the actual words that are used, rather than the use of various devices that call attention or emphasis to parts of the delivery process. The construction of the joke or script may in and of itself be slightly mocking or sarcastic in nature, although the vocal delivery will tend to limit the use of inflection or tone to convey those qualities. Instead, the delivery of the humor tends to be in normal casual tones, sometimes accompanied with a slight smile or look that is allowed just a hint of irony. This helps pull the attention of the audience to the words themselves, rather than distracting them with movements or expressions.