That Bear Ate My Pants by Tony James Slater

This was probably one of the funniest books I have read.  In fact, if I didn't have so many other books I want to read and enjoy, I'd probably go back to the beginning and read it all over again.  But beware, it really is laugh-out-loud material.  I would go so far as to say that I would recommend NOT reading this book whilst eating or drinking - snorting coffee and spraying your lunch around the place is most definitely not a good look, and I would certainly not read this in a public place - trying to hide your hysterical laughter will probably result in those around you reaching for their phones and calling the men in white coats.

You can guess I really enjoyed this.

At a point in his early twenties, Tony was in limboland trying to decide what to do in his life that would provide him with some purpose:  a few previous attempts hadn't quite provided him with the answers he was looking for.  In pursuit of that lightbulb moment, he stumbled across a volunteer programme at an animal rescue centre in Ecuador:  a refuge for animals rescued from cruelty.  Without thinking twice about it, he signed up.  What followed was for him a life-changing experience.

Tony Slater is very gifted at writing comically and laughter accompanied every page I read at the account of his daily routine looking after animals, birds and reptiles of all shapes and sizes and degrees of ferocity.  Despite the tomfoolery of the writing, Tony never forgets the seriousness of the work carried out by the rescue centre, he never forgets to inform us of the beauty and uniqueness of Ecuador, and more importantly, never forgets to reveal not only how much the animals came to mean to him in the short time he was there, but also how much the whole experience touched him.

This is one I will read again if I ever need cheering up.  It's a guaranteed tonic.