Books like P.G. Wodehouse : Five Complete Novels (The Return of Jeeves, Bertie Wooster Sees It Through, Spring Fever, The Butler Did It, Th

My very favorite parts from each:The Return of Jeeves Wodehouse is fantastic at creating scary yet hilarious moments. When a character is feeling accusing and aggressive, Wodehouse writes: His "eyes were cold and hard, like picnic eggs."Bertie Wooster Sees It Through Oh, Bertie! I love your blithe banter you carry on with your gallant Aunt Dahlia. Sez aunt: "Bertie, you revolting object, that moustache is the most obscene thing I ever saw outside of a nightmare." Sez Bertie: "Never mind the old moustache, old flesh and blood. You leave it alone, and it'll leave you alone."Spring FeverWe have some Hollywood slicks in this novel. Mike and Terry are in love, but she is afraid of loving him because he is absolutely drop-dead handsome. (Gives me as much sympathy as picnic eggs have.) But anyway, Mike is a talent agent, and he is skilled at schmoozing stubborn actresses. Sez Mike: His current actress "is one of those dumb females whose impulse, if you ask them to do something, is to say 'Well I dunno' and do the opposite, and there were times . . . when I felt like giving the thing up and beating her over the head with a bottle." Oh, those dames.The Butler Did ItMy favorite in this collection! We meet Bill, an art dealer with a sweet and jocular soul. He is in love--Or at least he will be shortly as the chapters progress. As we are introduced to him, our author writes: "his heart was light . . . Like the heroine of the poet Browning's 'Pippa Passes,' he was of the opinion that God was in His heaven and all right with the world. Indeed, if Pippa had happened to pass at that moment, he would have slapped her on the back and told her he knew just how she felt."Our fine hero makes a call to a soon-to-be client. He makes an appointment to visit her family's manor.Sez Bill: "I'm going to Shipley Hall this afternoon to look at your art collection."Sez client: "Oh, good. Who are you?""Mr. Gish's assistant. Ah, shut up, woman.""I beg your pardon?""I'm sorry. I was addressing the fatheaded lady receptionist at my elbow. She said she betted I couldn't say 'Mr. Gish's assistant' ten times quick.""And can you?""I'm not sure."Bill and his receptionist are chums, honest. These women-bashing bits are somehow great, refreshing and non-threatening to me. I dunno why!The Old ReliableWe are back in Hollywood for this last novel! We have Wilhelmina and her sister Adela, who is a retired silent film actress. When the ladies enter an argument, Wilhelmina mentions, "I always maintain that you killed your husband."Adela rebuts: "My husband was run over by a sightseeing omnibus.""That may have helped," agrees her bold sister, "but it was being married to you that really did it."