MistyCat - I looked up Stephen Leacock, and ended up here:
[
www.nfb.ca]
It's an animation of one of his short stories. It's pretty funny.
As for lending books, I've had pretty good luck with the help of PostIt notes. One note goes on my refrigerator with the book title and the borrower, and the other note goes in the book, with my name on it, with the suggestion that it be used as a book mark. If I don't get the book back by the time it was promised, I ask polite questions. Sometimes.
I also treat books like money. If I'll be upset if I don't see it again, I don't lend it. Works well for me, anyway. I'll lend a few dollars to most anyone, once (grin), and a $5 book is a $5 book - I can get another one, probably at the used book store. But don't ask to borrow any of my hardbacks. Sorry. You can sit on my couch and read, but my hardbacks don't leave the house.
I think I have a Larry Niven book that I bought just because I liked the artwork on the cover. I'll have to find that book and see... Larry Niven got me to Jerry Pournelle, which got me to his "View from Chaos Manor" homepage (blog). Jerry just makes me laugh, but I'm not sure I've read anything by him, other than his webpages. Most of his books don't look like they meet the "feel good" criteria.
Hmm, well, I just read his recent blogs and they aren't funny, except when you see a note about his vet, and the pizza they bought on the way home, at the bottom of his view of recent economic insanity. I think that is what makes me laugh...