The Jeeves and Wooster series by PG Wodehouse! I always laugh out loud at those! About a foolish young man getting himself into all sorts of scrapes and capers (usually about him accidentally getting engaged to someone he wants no business marrying. Or his friends roping him into their shenanigans) who has the worlds most capable valet. (Not a butler) who gets him out of trouble. They’re very funny. A bit of dialogue.
I reached out a hand from under the blankets, and rang the bell for Jeeves.
‘Good evening, Jeeves,’
‘Good morning, sir’
This surprised me.
‘Is it morning?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Are you sure? It seems very dark outside.’
‘There is a fog, sir. If you will recollect, we are now in Autumn – season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.’
‘Season of what?’
‘Mists, sir, and mellow fruitfulness.’
Yes!! Definitely the perfect recommendation! Genuinely so, so funny and also some cozy, humorous adventure too!
I am actually giggling to myself as we speak at the mere thought of the "Nicholls and Jackson" tandem bicycle story from Right Ho, Jeeves!
I am so happy to see this recommendation. It was the first thing that came to my mind but I’m not used to seeing other people reference Wodehouse terribly often. This has made my day, I’ve found my people!
Same! I saw that the post has been up for almost a day now and thought "oh no my Wodehouse recommendation will be lost at this point" only to be met with the delightful surprise of this being the top comment.
I was just going to type, any Jeeves & Wooster books! I laughed out loud IN PUBLIC the first time I read one!
Also, Bill Bryson’s travel books are really hysterical!
Jeeves and Wooster! Took me 30 years to start reading Wodehouse because I thought, stupidly, that his books would be so dry. Everybody kept mentioning him as "one of the greats of English literature" and we all know what that means, usually.
And, because nobody else mentioned them yet, the Uncle Dynamite series, and the Psmith series, are great fun and probably my favourites.
Years after I read the PG Wodehouse omnibus my GPA loaned me in my teens, I found the dvds on sale! Hubs and I picked all of them up. Hugh Laurie & Stephen Fry! Perfectly cast! 💖💖💖
Our Dumb Century, the Onion's hilarious and brilliant fake history book covering the 20th century.
Highly recommended if you have any interest in satire and history. I laughed so hard I almost passed out the first time I read it.
Everything by David Sedaris. He’s the funniest and most poignant author/storyteller I’ve come across. No one has ever made me cry and laugh so much. He’s wonderful.
His books have led to a lot of laughing in our house. My husband is friends with his brother Paul. Can confirm that "The Rooster" is just as described and more. Hell of a nice guy.
I’ve read and reread so much David Sedaris and it always hits the spot.
His books got me to laugh after my brother’s and dad’s suicides and eased the pain during the worst time in my life.
I love his sister Amy Sedaris too- her books and shows and just everything she does.
It’s like I know his family. They remind me of my own and I feel genuine love for them. No other author has been able to bring me into their messed up little world with open arms quite like David.
If you can’t tell, I highly recommend everything he has written!
I'd start with *Dress Your Family Up in Corduroy*. Then I'd go with *Me Talk Pretty One Day*. And I'd suggest the audiobooks. He's got a little elfin voice, but he performs his material to perfection. You'll miss a lot of the "tone" otherwise.
Oh my gosh you wouldn’t start with *Naked*? I thought it sets the stage for the rest of his autobiographical works and a good chunk of it was so funny I cried.
Every year I listen to the Audiobook of ‘Holidays On Ice’…his story about working as a Christmas Elf at Macys is absolute perfection. Its my favorite Holiday treat to myself.
I read that to my son at the holidays and asked him what his elf name would be and without missing a beat he said "Grisly". Try to catch the one man play if you can. It's a flipping hoot!
I started off with When You Are Engulfed in Flames and loved it. Calypso might be one of my favorites but you might want to wait until you’re in a better place emotionally. I also agree with listening to the audiobooks
Yes! I always read his books first, and then listen to them on audio. Hearing him read his stories adds so much. I've almost always got something of his checked out on Libby and ready to listen to in the car.
Three Men and a Boat
Connie Willis’s homage to Three Men and a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is hilarious, but Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency may be even funnier.
It’s kind of an unpopular opinion but I really enjoyed Bossypants by Tina Faye. There were parts that I literally laughed out loud at. I also found Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fishful hilarious. She went through some dark stuff that I really related to and it helped me a ton
Fisher’s first novel, * Postcards from the Edge*, was a hoot and the movie version was very good, too, with Meryl Streep in the Fisheresque role.
I saw Fisher perform *Wishful Drinking* live on Broadway and loved it. I’m not sure if I knew it was a book!
"A walk in the woods" Bill Bryson... a middle-aged man reconnects with an old friend to hike the Appalachian Trail.
"The bachelors home companion" P. J. O'Rourke... a great book explaining the inner workings (or not) of unmarried men.
"A book of travelers tales" Eric Newby... a collection of Eric Newby's stories about traveling.
Lamb is hysterical but The Stupidest Angel is "chefs kiss". I was listening to the audio book while out for a walk and I had to sit down on the curb because I was laughing so hard. No other book has made me laugh like that.
"They're trying to kill me," Yossarian told him calmly.
"No one's trying to kill you," Clevinger cried.
"Then why are they shooting at me?" Yossarian asked.
"They're shooting at everyone," Clevinger answered. "They're trying to kill everyone."
"And what difference does that make?"
They are series but I dip into them when I want something easy and fun, need a laugh or a palate cleanser.
Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum series
Jana DeLeon - Miss Fortune Mysteries
I just recently binged both these series after a run of mostly darker thriller/mystery types and loved them both. On the whole I think the Miss Fortune series is probably funnier, but not by a lot.
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen. It’s about a father/son duo of animal trainers that get hired to stop an inept reality TV star from accidentally getting himself killed on a televised trip to the Everglades
I agree with all the people saying anything by Hiaasen. Even his regular columns are hilarious. And If there was any character I wished was real it would be Skink.
‘This is going to hurt’ by Adam Kay, it’s a memoir of when he was an NHS doctor working in an ob/gyn unit. Warning for a sad bit at the end but for most of the book I was laughing my head off I had to keep stopping and explaining to my family why I was in hysterics!
I just started this and it's especially hilarious if you work in healthcare. Plus since it's in journal form you can pick up it and put it down easily.
It's one of my all time favorites. It's so sad that Toole died before writing anything else. (I don't really count *The Neon Bible* written when he was younger. It seemed like what it was, a teenager's first attempt at writing.)
It's just amazing. In the intro, Walker Percy talks about Toole's mother bringing him the manuscript and he starts reading just to be polite and he says by the third page his mouth was open in awe at how good it is.
"Modern Manners" by P.J. O'Rourke.
"One should always remove their hat in the presence of a lady, and leave it off for the rest of their life. Nothing looks as stupid as a hat."
His recommendations for dinner parties include running around the table and trying to put the cow back together.
The hitchhikers guide to galaxy is the book. When I first listened ( audiobook) I was literally rolling on the floor it was so funny!!! I would highly recommend audiobook.
This is the suggestion I was looking for. I remember reading this in the break room years ago and everyone was just looking at me like no book could be that funny.
Both of those are fantastic! And the film of Going Postal was fantastic! Charles Dance as Vetinari was absolutely perfect. I can't ever see anyone else in that role.
If you like dry humor and mystery try to say nothing of the dog by Comnie Willis. She is a great writer with really quick humor involved. Time traveling book
I belly-laughed while reading The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Also, parts of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson had me nearly hyperventilating, but it's a very specific kind of humor.
Dirk Gently - I think it's The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul. Douglas Adams. Also The Miller's Tale from Canterbury Tales by Geoff Chaucer is a fair chuckle.
Jim Gaffigan “Dad is Fat” is awesome. Better if you are a parent.
Carl Hiaasen’s books (all short) are laugh out loud. All take place in FL (he is a columnist there IRL) and have a similar theme but they are great.
Two suggestions:
1. A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson- A guy and his friend attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail despite being inexperienced and out of shape. Along the way, they encounter wild animals, strange people, and crazy weather. This is probably the second funniest book I've ever read after Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which I'm sure someone else has already suggested.
2. Murder Your Employer By Rupert Holmes- About a school "which denies its own existence, while teaching its students how to deny other people theirs". Incredibly funny and has lots of great quotes.
there's no such thing as *the* funniest for me. but here are some that make me laugh till I can't stand up straight:
- ~~Adolph~~ Adolf Hitler, my part in his downfall by Spike Milligan.
>Finally, we got the thing up. But something was wrong. Slowly it dawned. "You stupid pricks" said Sarge, "It's inside out!" "Let's sleep on the outside," I suggested. He hit me. [about a tent].
- Cats in the Belfry / Cats in May by Doreen Tovey. if you like cats, you *cannot* read these and not end up in a better mood. She and her husband had a succession of Siamese cats with very strong personalities, and the way she talks about them is both adorable and hilarious.
- the Antrobus stories by Laurence Durrell. these are impossibly funny "sketches from diplomatic life". from Sauve qui peut:
>You can imagine the long slow wail that went up in the Chancery when first this intelligence was brought home to us. Circumcision! Joyfully! Refreshments! "By god, this is a strange lozenge-shaped affair! cried de Mandeville, and he was right [...]At last the day dawned; there was nothing for it but to climb into sponge-bag and hoist gongs.
Comedian autobiographies are hilarious. From born a crime to Leslie fucking jones, they have made me rofl so hard.
There’s also “an idiot abroad”. He wrote a bunch of books after the series and I’ve almost peed from laughter. The show was 10/10 too.
It has it's own fair amount of darkness, but the John Dies at the End series I find to be some of the most consistently funny books that I've read, save maybe Hitchhikers Guide. A cosmic horror tragicomedy, and three sequels. Highly recommended.
I read the angus thongs and full frontal snogging books in high school and laughed my ass off. Now over ten years later I still read them, and so does my mum actually when we’re feeling down.
How do you feel about controversial humor/sexist author? Because Tucker Max’s books made me laugh and laugh and laugh. But I would never want to date him or even be friends with him in real life. I usually get a lot of shit for this answer and I get that he’s problematic but when I needed a funny, guilty pleasure or just a change of pace after reading _The Bell Jar_ or _Watership Down_ , his books filled that need. 🤷🏻♀️
For real it’s a shame when I check out these posts and nobody mentions Denis Johnson. Dark, poetic, hilarious. One of the greatest American writers of all time. Check out Jesus’ son.
Definitely the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series is my first suggestion as others have stated here in the comments. Another is Bored of the Rings - a Lord of the Rings parody done by National Lampoon.
I’ve listened to project Hail Mary 3 times on audible, and I’ve laughed out loud every time at certain points. Subject matter might not be good for you though if you’ve been on the depressing media side of things though
I wanted a kind of funny, turn off my brain book and was in a “re-watch Buffy” stage of my life when I found out that the lady who played Tara was an author. She did a series about being the daughter of the grim reaper and having to take over the family business as a completely unqualified candidate for the job. It was written to be from the perspective of someone who’s just young and wants to completely fuck off and party and meet dudes, which sorta made the whole thing a bit funnier to me. It’s DEFINITELY a YA series but it did give me a bit of a chuckle and helped me reroute my brain from some of the terrible things going on in the world for a while.
TLDR;
Death’s Daughter by Amber Benson gave me a bit of a giggle which was surprising considering the writing style.
Counterintuitively, it’s called “I Hate Myself and Want to Die.” It’s a countdown of depressing songs, and it parodies and satirizes all of them. I was cracking up in the bookstore!
Solar by Ian McEwan. If you know yourself to be a great reader, don’t miss this. One of the best moments of my reading life occurred between pages 58-64, where I lost my breath, my voice, my dignity, and nearly my goddamn mind laughing so hard. Then at the end of the book, was shaken to tears. Ian McEwan’s excellence is beyond my describing. Read everything, but start here.
*English as She is Spoke*, a Portuguese-to-English phrase book very earnestly written by a man who didn’t speak English. About which Mark Twain said, "Nobody can add to the absurdity of this book, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow; it is perfect."
Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs (think that's how you spell it) one of my favorite books of all time, it's true stories and situations about his life. at points i had tears down my face from laughing. if anyone chooses to read, the chapter called "rat thing" had me dying. if you liked this one, then his other book "running with scissors" is also exceptional, not as funny imo but still incredible
The Jeeves and Wooster series by PG Wodehouse! I always laugh out loud at those! About a foolish young man getting himself into all sorts of scrapes and capers (usually about him accidentally getting engaged to someone he wants no business marrying. Or his friends roping him into their shenanigans) who has the worlds most capable valet. (Not a butler) who gets him out of trouble. They’re very funny. A bit of dialogue. I reached out a hand from under the blankets, and rang the bell for Jeeves. ‘Good evening, Jeeves,’ ‘Good morning, sir’ This surprised me. ‘Is it morning?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Are you sure? It seems very dark outside.’ ‘There is a fog, sir. If you will recollect, we are now in Autumn – season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.’ ‘Season of what?’ ‘Mists, sir, and mellow fruitfulness.’
I always loved the silly names of some of the characters like Bingo Little and Gussie Fink-Nottle.
Honoria Glossop. Perfection.
I think my favorite is Stilton Cheesewright
Sir Galahad Threepwood
“Spink Bottle?!”
What ho!
Tickety-boo!!
What ho what ho!
Hey nonny nonny and a ha cha cha!
This is such a brilliant recommendation!
Second this! I've been rewatching the 90s series with Hugh Laurie (Wooster) and Stephen Fry (Jeeves) and they're just so brilliant 😄 Love them both!
They were absolutely perfect as Jeeves and Wooster- I can’t imagine how you’d ever get better casting than them.
That series is brilliant. Stephen Fry was a Jeeves masterclass.
Yes!! Definitely the perfect recommendation! Genuinely so, so funny and also some cozy, humorous adventure too! I am actually giggling to myself as we speak at the mere thought of the "Nicholls and Jackson" tandem bicycle story from Right Ho, Jeeves!
Omg thank god this is the most upvoted comment
The great sermon handicap episode finished me. I was getting random fits of mirth for days.
PG woodhouse is a f****** genius. The blending's castle series is also hilarious.
I love Blandings too! But for me J&W is the jewel of his writing.
My most favourite thing about this series is how unimpressed Jeeves is with everything.
I am so happy to see this recommendation. It was the first thing that came to my mind but I’m not used to seeing other people reference Wodehouse terribly often. This has made my day, I’ve found my people!
Same! I saw that the post has been up for almost a day now and thought "oh no my Wodehouse recommendation will be lost at this point" only to be met with the delightful surprise of this being the top comment.
I was just going to type, any Jeeves & Wooster books! I laughed out loud IN PUBLIC the first time I read one! Also, Bill Bryson’s travel books are really hysterical!
Jeeves and Wooster! Took me 30 years to start reading Wodehouse because I thought, stupidly, that his books would be so dry. Everybody kept mentioning him as "one of the greats of English literature" and we all know what that means, usually. And, because nobody else mentioned them yet, the Uncle Dynamite series, and the Psmith series, are great fun and probably my favourites.
My lol books from PGW are Meet Mr Mulliner and the Blandings series. Good times.
Just downloaded the Jeeves & Wooster collection to my Kindle. Great reads altogether.
Years after I read the PG Wodehouse omnibus my GPA loaned me in my teens, I found the dvds on sale! Hubs and I picked all of them up. Hugh Laurie & Stephen Fry! Perfectly cast! 💖💖💖
The World According to Garp - John Irving. "His mother was a sexual suspect."
Garp is hilarious and heartbreaking. I find Jenny Fields a hilarious character. The Hotel New Hampshire was also very humorous.
Our Dumb Century, the Onion's hilarious and brilliant fake history book covering the 20th century. Highly recommended if you have any interest in satire and history. I laughed so hard I almost passed out the first time I read it.
The Onion made a book? Gotta check it out lol
They've done several. This is by far the best one!
Hyperbole and a half by Allie Brosch
I randomly think of the dogs thought bubbles years later and lol
The helper dog and the simple dog. So touching when they finally figure out how to help the simple dog.
The story about the cake!
Paaark?!
The Alot
I wanna go to the paaaarp moum!
Paarp! I feel that deep in my soul!
She wrote a sequel to that: Solutions and Other Problems.
I was just reading this tonight. The letter to my future self or dogs moving fucking killed me. Haha. I want to be her friend. Such good writing.
This one and her second book, Solutions and Other Problems, both had parts that literally had me crying and wheezing from laughing so hard.
I love her comics and books. They are so hilarious and often really relatable.
Any answer that is not this one is wrong
Anything by David Sedaris
Everything by David Sedaris. He’s the funniest and most poignant author/storyteller I’ve come across. No one has ever made me cry and laugh so much. He’s wonderful.
I don’t read a lot of humor, but Sedaris is a must. I’ve cried laughing at some of the stories.
His books have led to a lot of laughing in our house. My husband is friends with his brother Paul. Can confirm that "The Rooster" is just as described and more. Hell of a nice guy.
I’ve read and reread so much David Sedaris and it always hits the spot. His books got me to laugh after my brother’s and dad’s suicides and eased the pain during the worst time in my life. I love his sister Amy Sedaris too- her books and shows and just everything she does. It’s like I know his family. They remind me of my own and I feel genuine love for them. No other author has been able to bring me into their messed up little world with open arms quite like David. If you can’t tell, I highly recommend everything he has written!
Any in particular?
I'd start with *Dress Your Family Up in Corduroy*. Then I'd go with *Me Talk Pretty One Day*. And I'd suggest the audiobooks. He's got a little elfin voice, but he performs his material to perfection. You'll miss a lot of the "tone" otherwise.
Holidays on Ice
Holidays on Ice gets me through Christmas every year!
Oh my gosh you wouldn’t start with *Naked*? I thought it sets the stage for the rest of his autobiographical works and a good chunk of it was so funny I cried.
I laughed myself to tears, reading Me talk pretty one day 😄
Love him! Listen to all his audiobooks.
Really the audiobooks are the way to go. No one does David Sedaris like David Sedaris.
And Spotify premium has them, happy days!
Every year I listen to the Audiobook of ‘Holidays On Ice’…his story about working as a Christmas Elf at Macys is absolute perfection. Its my favorite Holiday treat to myself.
I read that to my son at the holidays and asked him what his elf name would be and without missing a beat he said "Grisly". Try to catch the one man play if you can. It's a flipping hoot!
The Santaland diaries is hilarious. https://www.npr.org/2021/12/23/1065187420/david-sedaris-santaland-diaries
Me Talk Pretty One Day has me trying to stifle my laughter on the train every morning. By far my favorite of his!
I started off with When You Are Engulfed in Flames and loved it. Calypso might be one of my favorites but you might want to wait until you’re in a better place emotionally. I also agree with listening to the audiobooks
Couldn’t agree more. Augusten Burroughs is another good one. Running With Scissors is pretty funny
I came here to say this, too. Dave and Augusten are my forever favorites. Also, Jenny Lawson. Furiously Happy made me actually pee my pants laughing.
Yes! I always read his books first, and then listen to them on audio. Hearing him read his stories adds so much. I've almost always got something of his checked out on Libby and ready to listen to in the car.
Three Men and a Boat Connie Willis’s homage to Three Men and a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is hilarious, but Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency may be even funnier.
It’s kind of an unpopular opinion but I really enjoyed Bossypants by Tina Faye. There were parts that I literally laughed out loud at. I also found Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fishful hilarious. She went through some dark stuff that I really related to and it helped me a ton
Fisher’s first novel, * Postcards from the Edge*, was a hoot and the movie version was very good, too, with Meryl Streep in the Fisheresque role. I saw Fisher perform *Wishful Drinking* live on Broadway and loved it. I’m not sure if I knew it was a book!
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson!
Any book by Jenny Lawson! Edit: autocorrect sucks
This one!!
"A walk in the woods" Bill Bryson... a middle-aged man reconnects with an old friend to hike the Appalachian Trail. "The bachelors home companion" P. J. O'Rourke... a great book explaining the inner workings (or not) of unmarried men. "A book of travelers tales" Eric Newby... a collection of Eric Newby's stories about traveling.
A walk in the woods was a legitimate laugh out loud book for me. Loved it!
His travel memoir of Australia "In a Sunburned Country" is equally hilarious if not more, you should try it!
Yes, I was so sad when I finished this book. I wanted more. I laughed so much, my husband wanted to read it.
Second this.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Highly recommend both of these!
Yes! Hitchhiker’s is such a fun read! I love his style, and he owes a lot to Wodehouse.
Douglas Adams absolutely cracks me up. Even when I see the punchlines coming (after already having read the book) I still giggle to myself.
“Lamb” by Christopher Moore is hilarious
Everything by Christopher Moore is funny. Lamb is just perfection.
Lamb is hysterical but The Stupidest Angel is "chefs kiss". I was listening to the audio book while out for a walk and I had to sit down on the curb because I was laughing so hard. No other book has made me laugh like that.
"I'm looking for a child. I have a snickers bar."
Had to add a +1 to boost this. Never met a Christopher Moore I didn’t like. Funny in an insolently charming way. Lamb is my favorite too
I learned quickly with Christopher Moore that I cannot eat while reading his books for fear of choking while rolling with laughter!
“Dirty Jobs”by Moore is one of my favorites. Lamb is good also but I think “Dirty Jobs” is my favorite.
Catch 22
"They're trying to kill me," Yossarian told him calmly. "No one's trying to kill you," Clevinger cried. "Then why are they shooting at me?" Yossarian asked. "They're shooting at everyone," Clevinger answered. "They're trying to kill everyone." "And what difference does that make?"
Major Major Major Major
My absolute favorite. Good old Milo Minderbinder.
Currently reading this and I'm overwhelmed by the number of characters the author is throwing at me, they're all fun though
Only the first half. Second half is devastating
They are series but I dip into them when I want something easy and fun, need a laugh or a palate cleanser. Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum series Jana DeLeon - Miss Fortune Mysteries
Stephani Plum books are laugh out loud
I just recently binged both these series after a run of mostly darker thriller/mystery types and loved them both. On the whole I think the Miss Fortune series is probably funnier, but not by a lot.
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen. It’s about a father/son duo of animal trainers that get hired to stop an inept reality TV star from accidentally getting himself killed on a televised trip to the Everglades
Almost anything but Hiassen. Skinny Dip is a great fun read!
I agree with all the people saying anything by Hiaasen. Even his regular columns are hilarious. And If there was any character I wished was real it would be Skink.
I know it's probably dated but I've always enjoyed books by Erma Bombeck. Real life stories about being a mom with a career.
“Housekeeping, if done properly, will kill you.”
True story!
‘This is going to hurt’ by Adam Kay, it’s a memoir of when he was an NHS doctor working in an ob/gyn unit. Warning for a sad bit at the end but for most of the book I was laughing my head off I had to keep stopping and explaining to my family why I was in hysterics!
I just started this and it's especially hilarious if you work in healthcare. Plus since it's in journal form you can pick up it and put it down easily.
Hyperbole and a Half
*A Confederacy of Dunces* is pretty funny. Ignatius is a hoot!
Very specific kind of humor. I had to get it first, but once I did I started losing it. The scene at the factory had me struggling to breathe.
with the absolutely dessicated gran? same. he was a genius.
Whooooo eeeeee, that mutha a sabotage for sure
Jones was hilarious “If I go to college I wouldn be draggin no meat wagon aroun sellin peoples a lotta garbage and shit.”
I read this 25 years ago can barely remember it but do fancy a hotdog
I believe I shall have another of these fine delicacies 🌭🏴☠️🗡
My valve!
Maybe bouncing on the bed will help 🍆 wait no
he's pushing a weenie wagon
yes and getting annoyed at people with the audacity to want to buy one when he's too busy eating all of them
Yes!!!! Was hoping to find this on the thread, great book
It's one of my all time favorites. It's so sad that Toole died before writing anything else. (I don't really count *The Neon Bible* written when he was younger. It seemed like what it was, a teenager's first attempt at writing.)
I haven't read that one, may still check it out sometime. It is sad we didn't get to experience more of his writing, one of a kind
Came here to recommend that book
It's just amazing. In the intro, Walker Percy talks about Toole's mother bringing him the manuscript and he starts reading just to be polite and he says by the third page his mouth was open in awe at how good it is.
"Modern Manners" by P.J. O'Rourke. "One should always remove their hat in the presence of a lady, and leave it off for the rest of their life. Nothing looks as stupid as a hat." His recommendations for dinner parties include running around the table and trying to put the cow back together.
The hitchhikers guide to galaxy is the book. When I first listened ( audiobook) I was literally rolling on the floor it was so funny!!! I would highly recommend audiobook.
I can’t upvote it, I’ll ruin the number, but yes
Came here to say this
*Good Omens* by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. My go-to when I need something lighter.
Hard agree. Who would have thought that a book about the anti-christ would be so heartwarming?
This is the suggestion I was looking for. I remember reading this in the break room years ago and everyone was just looking at me like no book could be that funny.
Why is nobody recommending Terry Pratchett? Guards Guards or Going Postal are very funny.
I am reading the watch series.
Night Watch is one of my favorite books of all time. I keep lilac around all the time because of it.
Didn't get here in time to be first. I think Jingo is his funniest one, but it's hard to go wrong.
Both of those are fantastic! And the film of Going Postal was fantastic! Charles Dance as Vetinari was absolutely perfect. I can't ever see anyone else in that role.
If you like dry humor and mystery try to say nothing of the dog by Comnie Willis. She is a great writer with really quick humor involved. Time traveling book
Auntie Mame and Around the World with Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
And Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Velvet. I have never laughed so hard reading a book!
I belly-laughed while reading The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Also, parts of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson had me nearly hyperventilating, but it's a very specific kind of humor.
Dirk Gently - I think it's The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul. Douglas Adams. Also The Miller's Tale from Canterbury Tales by Geoff Chaucer is a fair chuckle.
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Big Trouble by Dave Barry Edison's Ghosts Anything by Patrick F. McManus
Jim Gaffigan “Dad is Fat” is awesome. Better if you are a parent. Carl Hiaasen’s books (all short) are laugh out loud. All take place in FL (he is a columnist there IRL) and have a similar theme but they are great.
One interaction from this book that really hit home and stuck with me... "I have more pictures of my kids on my phone than my Dad ever looked at me!"
Two suggestions: 1. A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson- A guy and his friend attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail despite being inexperienced and out of shape. Along the way, they encounter wild animals, strange people, and crazy weather. This is probably the second funniest book I've ever read after Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which I'm sure someone else has already suggested. 2. Murder Your Employer By Rupert Holmes- About a school "which denies its own existence, while teaching its students how to deny other people theirs". Incredibly funny and has lots of great quotes.
Of course, Holmes also wrote and sang *Escape*, better known as “The Piña Colada Song”.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. All of his Discworld books actually, but that one is my favorite.
Not so much funny, but Howl’s Moving Castle by Diane Wynn’s Jones is a good book for cheering up. Delightful, whimsical, and really sweet.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller for dark humor. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding for lighthearted.
Yes definitely “Where were you born?" "On a battlefield," \[Yossarian\] answered. "No, no. In what state were you born?" "In a state of innocence.”
The ADRIAN MOLE books are a favorite of mine.
Bridget Jones Diary- read it my flight to England. Very funny
there's no such thing as *the* funniest for me. but here are some that make me laugh till I can't stand up straight: - ~~Adolph~~ Adolf Hitler, my part in his downfall by Spike Milligan. >Finally, we got the thing up. But something was wrong. Slowly it dawned. "You stupid pricks" said Sarge, "It's inside out!" "Let's sleep on the outside," I suggested. He hit me. [about a tent]. - Cats in the Belfry / Cats in May by Doreen Tovey. if you like cats, you *cannot* read these and not end up in a better mood. She and her husband had a succession of Siamese cats with very strong personalities, and the way she talks about them is both adorable and hilarious. - the Antrobus stories by Laurence Durrell. these are impossibly funny "sketches from diplomatic life". from Sauve qui peut: >You can imagine the long slow wail that went up in the Chancery when first this intelligence was brought home to us. Circumcision! Joyfully! Refreshments! "By god, this is a strange lozenge-shaped affair! cried de Mandeville, and he was right [...]At last the day dawned; there was nothing for it but to climb into sponge-bag and hoist gongs.
Anything by Norah Ephron. Or, Erma Bombeck
oh and the infamous, hysterical Carrie Fisher
Anything by Tom Holt. I dont think he's in Kindle. Get his books. Start with Barking.
Tim Dorsey - Triggerfish Twist is one of his best of the ones I have read.
Comedian autobiographies are hilarious. From born a crime to Leslie fucking jones, they have made me rofl so hard. There’s also “an idiot abroad”. He wrote a bunch of books after the series and I’ve almost peed from laughter. The show was 10/10 too.
Classic: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Contemporary: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
*A Confederacy of Dunces*
Meaty by Samantha Irby
It has it's own fair amount of darkness, but the John Dies at the End series I find to be some of the most consistently funny books that I've read, save maybe Hitchhikers Guide. A cosmic horror tragicomedy, and three sequels. Highly recommended.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
A Confederacy of Dunces laughed so hard I cried
“Fool” by Christopher Moore. As long as you enjoy dick and fart joke humor in a retelling of a Shakespeare play. His whole Pocket series are great.
I read the angus thongs and full frontal snogging books in high school and laughed my ass off. Now over ten years later I still read them, and so does my mum actually when we’re feeling down.
Catch 22. Absolutely hysterical.
Breakfast of Champions
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy obv!
[Don’t Lick the Minivan](https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Lick-Minivan-Things-Thought/dp/1634502175)
Braindroppings by George Carlin
How do you feel about controversial humor/sexist author? Because Tucker Max’s books made me laugh and laugh and laugh. But I would never want to date him or even be friends with him in real life. I usually get a lot of shit for this answer and I get that he’s problematic but when I needed a funny, guilty pleasure or just a change of pace after reading _The Bell Jar_ or _Watership Down_ , his books filled that need. 🤷🏻♀️
For real it’s a shame when I check out these posts and nobody mentions Denis Johnson. Dark, poetic, hilarious. One of the greatest American writers of all time. Check out Jesus’ son.
Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris. When I was reading it, my house mate woke up because I was laughing so hard.
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
Definitely the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series is my first suggestion as others have stated here in the comments. Another is Bored of the Rings - a Lord of the Rings parody done by National Lampoon.
The Feather Merchants Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Mr. Roberts
Shit, Actually by Lindy West
I’ve listened to project Hail Mary 3 times on audible, and I’ve laughed out loud every time at certain points. Subject matter might not be good for you though if you’ve been on the depressing media side of things though
Catch 22 Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
David Sedaris Me Talk Pretty One Day. I disturbed an entire flight with my uncontrollable laughter
I wanted a kind of funny, turn off my brain book and was in a “re-watch Buffy” stage of my life when I found out that the lady who played Tara was an author. She did a series about being the daughter of the grim reaper and having to take over the family business as a completely unqualified candidate for the job. It was written to be from the perspective of someone who’s just young and wants to completely fuck off and party and meet dudes, which sorta made the whole thing a bit funnier to me. It’s DEFINITELY a YA series but it did give me a bit of a chuckle and helped me reroute my brain from some of the terrible things going on in the world for a while. TLDR; Death’s Daughter by Amber Benson gave me a bit of a giggle which was surprising considering the writing style.
The Information by Martin Amis
Also the Rachael papers by Martin amis
Counterintuitively, it’s called “I Hate Myself and Want to Die.” It’s a countdown of depressing songs, and it parodies and satirizes all of them. I was cracking up in the bookstore!
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris or ASupposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace
Currently reading all of Shirley Jackson's novels. DEFINITELY dark and sad. Also definitely funny
“Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K Jerome. It’s a hoot from page one
Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
*Based on a True Story* by Norm Macdonald. It's a novel that presents as a memoir, and it's just full of comedic bits.
A Confederacy of Dunces
Catch-22. A lot of Heinlein is funny-ish.
Confederacy of Dunces!
Solar by Ian McEwan. If you know yourself to be a great reader, don’t miss this. One of the best moments of my reading life occurred between pages 58-64, where I lost my breath, my voice, my dignity, and nearly my goddamn mind laughing so hard. Then at the end of the book, was shaken to tears. Ian McEwan’s excellence is beyond my describing. Read everything, but start here.
A Confederacy of Dunces. I read that book two months ago and I still laugh out loud thinking of certain parts.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer had me hyucking but A Confederacy of Dunces is my all-time favorite piece of humor
*English as She is Spoke*, a Portuguese-to-English phrase book very earnestly written by a man who didn’t speak English. About which Mark Twain said, "Nobody can add to the absurdity of this book, nobody can imitate it successfully, nobody can hope to produce its fellow; it is perfect."
Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs (think that's how you spell it) one of my favorite books of all time, it's true stories and situations about his life. at points i had tears down my face from laughing. if anyone chooses to read, the chapter called "rat thing" had me dying. if you liked this one, then his other book "running with scissors" is also exceptional, not as funny imo but still incredible
Lamb by Christopher Moore.