The Saturday Evening Pearls, 11: A Pearls Before Swine Collection

I have been a fan of Pearls Before Swine for many years. This collection is my personal favorite. The introduction of a friendly predator next to Zebra (Beer swigging male lions) as well as Goat's trip back home is a twist that makes Pearls as unique as it is hilarious. Pastis has consistently made readers laugh out loud where other strips may bring out a chuckle at best. I own all his collections and look forward to new releases. The Saturday Evening Pearls has all sorts of hidden details on the cover, including the name Julia on a serving bowl. If he knows what's best for him, that had better be the name of his wife;-)

Another great collection of strips from Stephen....His books are simply laugh out loud funny....you can read them over and over!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but "Pearls Before Swine" is the best comic strip in newspapers or on the Internet. SATURDAY EVENING PEARLS is the latest collection of Pearls strips. I'm not sure when this series of strips first ran in newspapers, but from the context of some of the strips I believe they originally ran from late 2006 through 2007. Many of the strips focus on new neighbors that move into the neighborhood from the Deaths, to the Lions, to the Hyenas. SATURDAY EVENING PEARLS also features the storyline where the Crocs finally catch Zebra because of Jeffy from "Family Circus" as well as the introduction of Snuggles the Cat (though in this book he doesn't have a name, yet, and hasn't been discovered as a terrorist, yet) and the introduction of Andy the Dog, who wants to travel the world but is chained to a post. There really isn't a bad Pearls collection (BLTs TASTE SO GOOD and THIS LITTLE PIGGY STAYED HOME are a bit rough because the series was just getting started and finding its footing, but they are still good). Recommended for anyone who enjoys reading good comic strips and a must have for fans of Pearls.

The biggest problem with Pearls anthologies is trying to keep from reading them all in one sitting. I try to read a week's worth of strips a night to make them last. Still, they run out too soon. The amazing thing is that, although I read Pearls every day in the newspaper, I still find strips I haven't read in each anthology--or maybe I am just getting better and better at forgetting. The illustrations on the covers of the books, alone, make them worth the price. This one tells 19 private things about Stephan Pastis. Maybe the reason I like Pearls so much is that over half of them are also true of me.

I bought this book for my husband as an Easter Gift. He has laughed with almost every turn of the page. We are both BIG Pearls before Swine fans and really enjoy Stephan Pastis' work. This book is great to add to your collection or as a first time book. Either way, you'll be hooked on Pearls before Swine. There are lots of characters to get to know and love (or hate in Rats case....lol).