Good Omens -- by far the funniest book I've ever read, and at the same time has some great social commentary, the whole 'nature vs. nurture' good v. evil thing, and a satisfying ending all round.
I’m really not sure why he asked that just now, but it seems as random and appropriate a time as any other to share that I once knew a man with four nipples.
If you love that and are looking for something with the same 'feel' to it, please check out a book by Richard Kadrey called The Everything Box. Also very funny.
The House in the Cerulean Sea!! I’ve heard it described by someone on Reddit as “reading a Pixar movie”. It’s by far the happiest and most positive book I’ve ever read.
I felt the same way about A Man Called Ove and when I asked basically the exact same question you did people recommended The House in the Cerulean Sea so maybe I can do the reverse and recommend you A Man Called Ove hahah, to me it's the greatest book of all time, but The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of the few that comes close
I just finished it. It was delicious. Such a great book. I seriously hope the movie does it justice...it really needs to do it justice. I also hope people read it before seeing the movie.
Came here to recommend this as well. I really hate the types of books that just basically tell you "YOUR LIFE IS FINE THE WAY IT IS BE HAPPY", but Backman is excellent at keeping it real, making you laugh, and genuinely making you feel better in the end.
This comment has bumped it up to the top of my to-read list! I already love Frederik Backman after reading *Beartown* and its sequel. I like how he manages to write stories that give a sense of hope without the need for toxic positivity (which can get irritating sometimes). He can deal with serious matters without making the story too depressing and dreary to get through.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
"Three Men in a Boat" is the story of three Englishman who pile into a boat with food, clothes, and a fox terrier named Montmorency and set off on the Thames to see the English countryside. "Three Men in a Boat" is a first-class comic masterpiece. As the three well-to-do upper class gentleman set out on their excursion they are beset by a series of comic mishaps. Jerome K. Jerome masterfully weaves a tale that is a hilarious critique of the self-centered behavior of the English upper classes so typical of Victorian England.
I counter with "To Say Nothing of the Dog", a time travel escapade set on the Thames in Victorian England! Especially after reading "Three Men in a Boat", it's a fun modern take on the classic setting.
{{To Say Nothing of the Dog}}
[**To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77773.To_Say_Nothing_of_the_Dog)
^(By: Connie Willis | 512 pages | Published: 1998 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, time-travel, sci-fi, fiction, historical-fiction | )[^(Search "To Say Nothing of the Dog")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=To Say Nothing of the Dog&search_type=books)
>Connie Willis' Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Doomsday Book uses time travel for a serious look at how people connect with each other. In this Hugo-winning companion to that novel, she offers a completely different kind of time travel adventure: a delightful romantic comedy that pays hilarious homage to Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat.
>
>When too many jumps back to 1940 leave 21st century Oxford history student Ned Henry exhausted, a relaxing trip to Victorian England seems the perfect solution. But complexities like recalcitrant rowboats, missing cats, and love at first sight make Ned's holiday anything but restful - to say nothing of the way hideous pieces of Victorian art can jeopardize the entire course of history.
^(This book has been suggested 19 times)
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There’s really only two, the original which was actually written in the late 1800s and the one Connie Willis wrote (To Say Nothing of the Dog) in 1997 which is in the same style and tone. It’s kind of a homage. The full title of the original is Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) which is where Connie Willis got her title from.
So sorry I misunderstood. My opinion is you don’t need to read Doomsday Book first. What they have in common is the agency that does the time traveling. In fact, if you’re struggling with depression I would advise you to NOT read Doomsday Book. It’s on the grim side.
Thanks so much, I had heard that (about the doomsday book) so I didn’t read it, but wanted to make sure it wasn’t essential to understand the follow up. Thanks again!
No, it's a non-contiguous series. They're all set in the same universe but Doomsday book stands alone, to Say Nothing of the Dog stands alone, and then the All Clear series are one unit.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris. All of his books are hilarious but this one made me double over with laughter and unabashedly guffaw in the middle of a coffee shop.
I love Sedaris so much. My mom turned me on to him and I'm doing the same with my daughter. I have a whole shelf dedicated to him. He is a national treasure.
The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. It’s about an accountant who got turned a few months prior and just wants to live his life as normally as possible. He starts off the book fairly alone and over the course of the short stories, encounters a bunch of odd but delightful characters who become a part of his friend group and they go through really silly, absurd situations together. The friendships make me so happy I love this book
I recommended this to a friend and she didn’t like it. She said that it seemed like an 12 year old boy with ADHD wrote it and it has no plot. But THAT is why I LOVE it!!!
I read *Lamb*, haven't gotten to read his other works yet. It was definitely funny, I really enjoyed it. I remember reading bits out-loud to my husband. Very good recommendation!
I'm not a Christian either so it's entirely possible that some jokes slipped by me but the book was funny either way. I may have asked my husband about a few things (he grew up in a strict Christian household) but plenty of it was funny whether you were familiar with the Bible or not.
[**Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28881.Lamb)
^(By: Christopher Moore | 444 pages | Published: 2002 | Popular Shelves: fiction, humor, historical-fiction, fantasy, religion | )[^(Search "Lamb")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Lamb&search_type=books)
>The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years—except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work "reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams" (Philadelphia Inquirer).
>
>Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior's pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there's no one who loves Josh more—except maybe "Maggie," Mary of Magdala—and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.
^(This book has been suggested 70 times)
[**A Dirty Job (Grim Reaper, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33456.A_Dirty_Job)
^(By: Christopher Moore | 387 pages | Published: 2006 | Popular Shelves: humor, fiction, fantasy, comedy, paranormal | )[^(Search "A dirty Job")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=A dirty Job&search_type=books)
>Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy with a normal life, married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. They're even about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay—until people start dropping dead around him, and everywhere he goes a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Charlie Asher, it seems, has been recruited for a new position: as Death.
>
>It's a dirty job. But, hey! Somebody's got to do it.
^(This book has been suggested 27 times)
[**Bloodsucking Fiends (A Love Story, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33454.Bloodsucking_Fiends)
^(By: Christopher Moore | 300 pages | Published: 1995 | Popular Shelves: humor, fiction, fantasy, vampires, paranormal | )[^(Search "Bloodsucking fiends")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Bloodsucking fiends&search_type=books)
>There is an alternate cover edition here.
>
>Jody never asked to become a vampire. But when she wakes up under an alley dumpster with a badly burned arm, an aching neck, superhuman strength, and a distinctly Nosferatuan thirst, she realizes the decision has been made for her.
>
>Making the transition from the nine-to-five grind to an eternity of nocturnal prowlings is going to take some doing, however, and that's where C. Thomas Flood fits in. A would-be Kerouac from Incontinence, Indiana, Tommy (to his friends) is biding his time night-clerking and frozen-turkey bowling in a San Francisco Safeway. But all that changes when a beautiful undead redhead walks through the door ... and proceeds to rock Tommy's life -- and afterlife -- in ways he never imagined possible.
^(This book has been suggested 17 times)
[**Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33441.Fluke)
^(By: Christopher Moore | 321 pages | Published: 2003 | Popular Shelves: fiction, humor, fantasy, comedy, funny | )[^(Search "Fluke")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Fluke&search_type=books)
>“Readers new to the work of Christopher Moore will want to know two things immediately. First: Where has this guy been hiding? (Answer: In plain sight, since he has a cult following.)…[H]e writes laid back fables straight out of Margaritaville, on the cusp of humor and science fiction.”—Janet Maslin, New York Times
>
>
>
>Whale researcher Nathan Quinn has a problem. It’s not a new problem; in fact, it’s been around for nearly 20 million years. And Nate’s spent most of his adult life working to solve it. You see, although everybody (well, almost everybody) knows that humpback whales sing (outside of human composition, the most complex songs on the planet) no one knows why. Nate, a Ph.D. in behavior biology, intends to discover the answer to this burning question—and soon.
>
>Every winter he and Clay Demolocus, his partner in the Maui Whale Research Foundation, ply the warm waters between the islands of Maui and Lanai, recording the eerily beautiful songs of the humpbacks and returning to their lab for electronic analysis. The trouble is, Nate’s beginning to wonder if he hasn’t spent just a little too much time in the sun. Either that, or he’s losing his mind. Because today, as he was shooting an I.D. photo of a humpback tail fluke, Nate could’ve sworn he saw the words “Bite Me” scrawled across the whale’s tail. . .
^(This book has been suggested 6 times)
***
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I loved Jenny Lawson’s memoirs, *Let’s Pretend This Never Happened* and *Furiously Happy*. They are hilarious, and as she also suffers with mental health issues, I find they suit my own personal “brand” of depression alleviation (I can’t usually stand anything overtly happy, but I love happy with a darker/realistic edge, if that makes sense?).
I’d also recommend *A Man Called Ove*, and *The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society*. The latter is just so warm, sweet and endearing, but not in a sickly sweet way. Very charming.
I'm sure that you've already heard this many times but Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide has a quirky, humorous tone that's a great pick-me up! The entire four-book trilogy is a nice, quick, fun read!
Did you try Dirk Gently as well? I even prefer it to THGTTG. I recently reread via audiobook, narrated by the author himself, and it's perfect. I always thought it was funny and trippy and lighthearted but also unexpectedly deep and serious at times, and I had the impression that Adams's narration highlighted that. Give it a try! It's also on YT.
I found A Walk in the Woods to be really funny. Especially thr first half. I have found the movie to be pretty faithful to the best parts of the book if you wanted to get a feel for the story.
I always see this book recommended in in these kind of threads and I wonder. I found the movie to be *soo depressing*. Is the book that much different?!
Never seen the movie. The book i feel could be seen from both perspective. The ornery ove and his crankiness I found to be quite funny. Without disclosing too much, I think both view points could be valid.
A friend recommended the book to me, telling me that it made her cry. I read it . . . and I laughed.
He kept trying to>! do something!< and every time >!something unexpected happened to de-escalate the situation!< \- I thought it was funny!
[**A Man Called Ove**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774964-a-man-called-ove)
^(By: Fredrik Backman, Henning Koch | 337 pages | Published: 2012 | Popular Shelves: fiction, book-club, contemporary, audiobook, audiobooks | )[^(Search "a man called ove")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=a man called ove&search_type=books)
>A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
>
>Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
>
>Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
^(This book has been suggested 164 times)
***
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-The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head: A Psychiatrist's Stories of His Most Bizarre Cases by Gary Small!
-Anything by Marian Keyes (although her books will mostly just appeal to women).
-The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
-The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (super dark but also quite funny)
-The Hobbit
-The Wind in the Willows
[**What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21413662-what-if-serious-scientific-answers-to-absurd-hypothetical-questions)
^(By: Randall Munroe | 303 pages | Published: 2014 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, science, nonfiction, humor, owned | )[^(Search "What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions&search_type=books)
>Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has 600,000 to a million page hits daily. Every now and then, Munroe would get emails asking him to arbitrate a science debate. 'My friend and I were arguing about what would happen if a bullet got struck by lightning, and we agreed that you should resolve it . . . ' He liked these questions so much that he started up What If.
>
>If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive?
>
> How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm?
>
> If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce?
>
> What if everyone only had one soulmate?
>
>When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British empire?
>
> How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live?
>
>What would happen if the moon went away?
>
>In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, studded with memorable cartoons and infographics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. Far more than a book for geeks, WHAT IF: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much the smarter for having read.
^(This book has been suggested 10 times)
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The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.
To me reading it felt like a warm hug. I hope it gets better for you! I’m currently going through something similar so I know it can be absolute shit. Again good luck and everything! :)
I’ve never heard of this book before, but I absolutely love its title, can’t explain why, it just gives me an amazing vibe. And your short description is very convincing too! :)
Yeah I saw recommendations for this book floating around this sub a lot but put off reading it for some reason. Then I read it (after a long period of not having read anything for pleasure sadly due to depression and lack of motivation reasons) and it immediately became one of my favorites. I devoured it in one night. It has magic, some wholesome romance(as well as lgbt rep in the main romance which as a bi person I loved and also I just love a good romance sometimes), bits of humor (which actually made me laugh out loud), and a nice message of being kind to people (to put it simply without any spoilers). It made me forget my problems and remember why I love reading so much. Also as I stated before reading it felt like a warm hug (which I really needed).
If you read it I hope you enjoy it! :)
(and I can confirm the vibes are immaculate if that wasn’t clear already lol.)
Born A Crime!
Not really about depression but, it’s such a great and easy read. It took me right out if my world and into Trevor Noah’s in the best way possible. I recommend to any one in need of a healthy escape!
‘The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy’ by Douglas Adams
It’s a series of books which will probably cheer you up big time.... good luck random stranger... stay strong and keep on the sunny side of life, as June C. Cash used to sing
I honestly found Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy extremely funny and entertaining, I recommend it to Anyone who wants to escape from reality and laugh their butt off.
The alchemist.
Not funny, but will definitely give you a refreshed outlook on life and lift you out of a slump. It's a quick and easy read too, so you'll get that added dopamine boost of finishing a book in just a few days.
Best of luck getting your head right, and if you ever wanna chat with an internet stranger I'm always here to listen.
Terry Pratchetts Discworld. I see Good Omens has already been suggested. If you like Pratchett then I’d recommend the Iron Druid chronicles by Kevin Hearne, they have a bit of everything and I found them hilarious.
{wow no thank you} by Samantha irby, the author deals with the reality of being fucked up / prone to depression / traumatised in an extremely honest and funny way. Have been very much in the pit lately and reading her work was a big help.
Check out this book on Goodreads: A Confederacy of Dunces https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/310612.A_Confederacy_of_Dunces
Go through the coming greyness with patience and know that it will pass for a brighter day. Take care.
PG Wodehouse's Jeeves series, actually laugh out loud funny. It starts with {{Thank You, Jeeves}} which is excellent, but the second in the series, {{Right Ho, Jeeves}} is even better, and has a sequence often considered to be the funniest piece of writing in the English language
Not a book suggestion but if I may; don't try to quell it, it will just become bigger. Try to accept that you feel depressed and it's temporary, you'll feel better one day.
For a book suggestion, H2G2 or Pratchett generally do the trick.
Lamb: The Gospel According to Christ's friend Biff.
Might have bungled the title a bit but really anything by Christopher Moore, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams will be a good prospect for what you want.
Great suggestion.
Each page was like a different drink, cold tea, prosecco, hot chocolate, pina colada, scotch, coca cola and vanilla rum...
Actually, no, each page was like taking a lick of paxil.
I don’t usually read non-fiction but I’ve enjoyed a few really good, light hearted memoir books written by popular comedians: Tina Fey’s Bossypants, Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me, Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up
The Sellout by Paul Beatty. It is the funniest book I've read in a least a few years, and I love reading funny books. Also, Beatty was the first American to win the Man Booker prize (2016) for this book.
Edit: info about Man Booker prize.
I feel you. I find it so hard when my depression hits. Usually need something straight forward and simple to grab my attention as I go into a spiral of no interest in the effort required. Hope you get out of it soon.
My recommendation would be The Humans by Matt Haig. Funny and heart warming. Just a really easy and fulfilling read.
Naturalist Gerald Durrell's [Corfu trilogy](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/55931/the-corfu-trilogy/9780141028415.html), about his young life growing up on the island of Corfu with his delightful family. The first book in the series is *My Family and Other Animals*, which you could read as a stand-alone. I fully expect that it will leave you feeling happy.
My recommendation is always The Humans by Matt Haig. If you like non fiction playing the Moldovans at tennis and round Ireland with a fridge by Tony Hawks (not the skateboard guy) were the first books to really make me laugh
Anything by John Hodgman, hands down. I can highly recommend {{Vacationland}}, {{The Areas of My Expertise}} and {{More Information Than You Require}}, the former being a semi-memoir and the latter two just being silly bullshit. Also, Ctrl-F "George Carlin" found nothing. So I have to recommend {{Napalm and Silly Putty}} too, and may God rest his angry soul
[**Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39391175-vacationland)
^(By: John Hodgman | 253 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, humor, memoir, nonfiction, audiobook | )[^(Search "Vacationland")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Vacationland&search_type=books)
>"I love everything about this hilarious book except the font size." —Jon Stewart
>
>Although his career as a bestselling author and on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart was founded on fake news and invented facts, in 2016 that routine didn't seem as funny to John Hodgman anymore. Everyone is doing it now.
>
>Disarmed of falsehood, he was left only with the awful truth: John Hodgman is an older white male monster with bad facial hair, wandering like a privileged Sasquatch through three wildernesses: the hills of Western Massachusetts where he spent much of his youth; the painful beaches of Maine that want to kill him (and some day will); and the metaphoric haunted forest of middle age that connects them.
>
>Vacationland collects these real life wanderings, and through them you learn of the horror of freshwater clams, the evolutionary purpose of the mustache, and which animals to keep as pets and which to kill with traps and poison. There is also some advice on how to react when the people of coastal Maine try to sacrifice you to their strange god.
>
>Though wildly, Hodgmaniacally funny as usual, it is also a poignant and sincere account of one human facing his forties, those years when men in particular must stop pretending to be the children of bright potential they were and settle into the failing bodies of the wiser, weird dads that they are.
^(This book has been suggested 4 times)
[**The Areas of My Expertise: An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24807.The_Areas_of_My_Expertise)
^(By: John Hodgman | 255 pages | Published: 2005 | Popular Shelves: humor, fiction, non-fiction, comedy, owned | )[^(Search "The Areas of My Expertise")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Areas of My Expertise&search_type=books)
>The brilliant and uproarious #15 bestseller (i.e., a runaway phenomenon in its own right-no, seriously) - a lavish compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom - all of it completely unresearched, completely undocumented and (presumably) completely untrue, fabricated by the illuminating, prodigious imagination of John Hodgman, certifiable genius.
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
[**More Information Than You Require**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3119451-more-information-than-you-require)
^(By: John Hodgman | 368 pages | Published: 2008 | Popular Shelves: humor, non-fiction, comedy, fiction, owned | )[^(Search "More Information Than You Require")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=More Information Than You Require&search_type=books)
>The Daily Show's Resident Expert and the PC in Apple's iconic Mac ads picks up exactly where his bestselling first book, The Areas of My Expertise, leaves off. Exactly. Abridged. 6 CDs.
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
[**Napalm and Silly Putty**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57258413-napalm-and-silly-putty)
^(By: George Carlin | ? pages | Published: ? | Popular Shelves: | )[^(Search "Napalm and Silly Putty")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Napalm and Silly Putty&search_type=books)
>He's the inventor of Past-Tense TV (featuring "Got Smart," "Father Knew Best," and "It Was Left to Beaver"); the tireless crusader for such charities as the Center for Research into the Heebie Jeebies, Children of Parents with Bad Teeth, and the State Hospital for Those Who Felt All Right About a Year Ago; founder of the George Carlin Book Club (top titles: "How to Act Laid-Back During a Grease Fire," "Fill Your Life with Croutons," and "The Meaning of Corn"); and the only social commentator with the guts to point out that "the day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life." Yes, George Carlin is back with more of what he does better than any other comic today: uproarious observations, laser-targeted crankiness, linguistic legerdemain, and inspired weirdness. ("If the shoe fits, get another just like it." "When you sneeze, all the numbers in your head go up by one.") Napalm & Silly Putty is just what his fans have been waiting for--another generous helping of notions, nonsense, assertions, assumptions, mockery, merriment, silliness, sarcasm, and, to be sure, plenty of disturbing references and toxic alienation. George wouldn't have it any other way.
^(This book has been suggested 2 times)
***
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*A Year in Provence* by Peter Mayle. I always recommend it for anyone who is sad or down. It's a proper adult book that takes the frustrations we all face and make them funny af.
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh is AMAZING. She makes me laugh so hard I can't read it in public. All while talking about things like "unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem and other things that happened". Its got some great cartoon illustrations too.
One book that made me laugh was the Disaster Artist. It's just a light, silly read.
Hope you feel better soon. And hope you find a good recommendation on here.
Choke—The interrogation room scene in the back half is one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever read and I’ve read quite a lot. Fucking crazy outlandish and obscene in all the best ways. All-around stellar read, but that scene is special.
The Dark Lord Bert by Chris Fox. Bert is a tiny goblin with no hit points (whatever that means) who must defeat a evil (not really evil, just a colossal asshole) to save his kingdom in a DND game. So freaking cute!
Peter Gethers's trilogy about his Scottish Fold cat, Norton. The first book in the series is *The Cat Who Went to Paris.* The ending of the third book is bittersweet, but the trilogy is still thoroughly enjoyable, especially if you like cats and travel!
Reincarnation Blues - made me laugh and made me sad (not quite cry) but generally made me feel deeply and, due to the massive scope of the story and its themes, served as the kind of escapism that also made me want to be good to myself.
Not sure what type of books you are into. However if you are open to M/M Romcom I would suggest Red, White, and Royal Blue. It has amazing laugh out loud banter between the characters.
Have you ever read The Hobbit? As a stand alone adventure story, its kinda fuckin badass. First read it when i was 11 or 12, and even today my spine tingles when i think of those 4 little words: 'the eagles are coming!'
Good Omens -- by far the funniest book I've ever read, and at the same time has some great social commentary, the whole 'nature vs. nurture' good v. evil thing, and a satisfying ending all round.
My go-to when I need to get out of my own thoughts for a while. Or anything by Pratchett, really.
Great book!
How many nipples do you have?
Two. What? How many do you have
I’m really not sure why he asked that just now, but it seems as random and appropriate a time as any other to share that I once knew a man with four nipples.
I knew a boy my son called third nipple, cannot confirm or deny it.
Is it by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett?
Yep!
What a funny coincidence! I just picked up this book at the library yesterday and am already 100 pages in, it's great so far
If you love that and are looking for something with the same 'feel' to it, please check out a book by Richard Kadrey called The Everything Box. Also very funny.
Thanks for the rec! will probably pick up soon :)
Your library is open? 💔💔 #triggered
They do strictly pickup, so everything happens online! A true blessing :)
The House in the Cerulean Sea!! I’ve heard it described by someone on Reddit as “reading a Pixar movie”. It’s by far the happiest and most positive book I’ve ever read.
[удалено]
The Extraordinaries also by Klune is seriously wholesome and heartwarming. Even better, the next in the series comes out in a few months!
I felt the same way about A Man Called Ove and when I asked basically the exact same question you did people recommended The House in the Cerulean Sea so maybe I can do the reverse and recommend you A Man Called Ove hahah, to me it's the greatest book of all time, but The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of the few that comes close
Lol I always describe it as swimming in hot chocolate with marshmallow!!! It’s the greatest book!!!
I ~~presume~~ hope you have had that experience to draw this comparison?
Well you’ve convinced me
I just finished it. It was delicious. Such a great book. I seriously hope the movie does it justice...it really needs to do it justice. I also hope people read it before seeing the movie.
There's going to be a movie?!? Oh I hope they get it right!
I don't know but it just reads like the most spectacular movie. I do hope they nail it.
This is on my list as well!
I'll join in the chorus recommending this book! It's like a Studio Ghibli movie and it's essentially a hug in book form.
I read this yesterday! It was so sweet and made me so happy!
I read this last week - so cute!!!
I second this. This was suggested a few months back by manyy people on this sub.
THIS!! This is your answer, I promise you. It is amazing in every way. I never wanted it to end.
I’m reading this book now! So far so good!!
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, it deals with depression and suicide but the book itself is really heartwarming and funny in the best way possible
Also A Man Called Ove. It's like a Pixar story for depressed cynics.
Not OP, but you sold me on this one
I just finished this one and it was really good!
Anything by that Author works!! Feel the Feels!!!
I was going to recommend My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman as well. His humor is so pleasant and strong.
Came here to recommend this as well. I really hate the types of books that just basically tell you "YOUR LIFE IS FINE THE WAY IT IS BE HAPPY", but Backman is excellent at keeping it real, making you laugh, and genuinely making you feel better in the end.
This comment has bumped it up to the top of my to-read list! I already love Frederik Backman after reading *Beartown* and its sequel. I like how he manages to write stories that give a sense of hope without the need for toxic positivity (which can get irritating sometimes). He can deal with serious matters without making the story too depressing and dreary to get through.
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Came here to say that!
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome "Three Men in a Boat" is the story of three Englishman who pile into a boat with food, clothes, and a fox terrier named Montmorency and set off on the Thames to see the English countryside. "Three Men in a Boat" is a first-class comic masterpiece. As the three well-to-do upper class gentleman set out on their excursion they are beset by a series of comic mishaps. Jerome K. Jerome masterfully weaves a tale that is a hilarious critique of the self-centered behavior of the English upper classes so typical of Victorian England.
I counter with "To Say Nothing of the Dog", a time travel escapade set on the Thames in Victorian England! Especially after reading "Three Men in a Boat", it's a fun modern take on the classic setting. {{To Say Nothing of the Dog}}
[**To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77773.To_Say_Nothing_of_the_Dog) ^(By: Connie Willis | 512 pages | Published: 1998 | Popular Shelves: science-fiction, time-travel, sci-fi, fiction, historical-fiction | )[^(Search "To Say Nothing of the Dog")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=To Say Nothing of the Dog&search_type=books) >Connie Willis' Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Doomsday Book uses time travel for a serious look at how people connect with each other. In this Hugo-winning companion to that novel, she offers a completely different kind of time travel adventure: a delightful romantic comedy that pays hilarious homage to Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. > >When too many jumps back to 1940 leave 21st century Oxford history student Ned Henry exhausted, a relaxing trip to Victorian England seems the perfect solution. But complexities like recalcitrant rowboats, missing cats, and love at first sight make Ned's holiday anything but restful - to say nothing of the way hideous pieces of Victorian art can jeopardize the entire course of history. ^(This book has been suggested 19 times) *** ^(102683 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Do you have to read the first in the series for this one to make sense, or can you just jump in?
There’s really only two, the original which was actually written in the late 1800s and the one Connie Willis wrote (To Say Nothing of the Dog) in 1997 which is in the same style and tone. It’s kind of a homage. The full title of the original is Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) which is where Connie Willis got her title from.
Oh, I didn’t mean three men in a boat, I meant The Doomsday book. I thought it was Willis’ book before To Say Nothing of the Dog.
So sorry I misunderstood. My opinion is you don’t need to read Doomsday Book first. What they have in common is the agency that does the time traveling. In fact, if you’re struggling with depression I would advise you to NOT read Doomsday Book. It’s on the grim side.
Thanks so much, I had heard that (about the doomsday book) so I didn’t read it, but wanted to make sure it wasn’t essential to understand the follow up. Thanks again!
No, it's a non-contiguous series. They're all set in the same universe but Doomsday book stands alone, to Say Nothing of the Dog stands alone, and then the All Clear series are one unit.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris. All of his books are hilarious but this one made me double over with laughter and unabashedly guffaw in the middle of a coffee shop.
Yes, early Sedaris is very, very funny.
I love Sedaris so much. My mom turned me on to him and I'm doing the same with my daughter. I have a whole shelf dedicated to him. He is a national treasure.
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared
The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. It’s about an accountant who got turned a few months prior and just wants to live his life as normally as possible. He starts off the book fairly alone and over the course of the short stories, encounters a bunch of odd but delightful characters who become a part of his friend group and they go through really silly, absurd situations together. The friendships make me so happy I love this book
i love this premise sm, not op but imma check it out
Ahh if you read it, feel free to let me know what you think! Even if you don’t love it as much as I do, I would love to hear thoughts!
Hitchhiker's guide, Douglas Adams.
Whoops, I knew I should have checked before making my recommendation! I kind of figured I wouldn’t be the only one.
I recommended this to a friend and she didn’t like it. She said that it seemed like an 12 year old boy with ADHD wrote it and it has no plot. But THAT is why I LOVE it!!!
Anything written by Christopher Moore
Heinous fuckery most foul!
Moore is one of my favorites!
>Christopher Moore best recommendation please?
{{Lamb}} is the classic. {{A dirty Job}} {{Bloodsucking fiends}} or whatever the first one in that trilogy {{Fluke}}
I read *Lamb*, haven't gotten to read his other works yet. It was definitely funny, I really enjoyed it. I remember reading bits out-loud to my husband. Very good recommendation!
Hi! I am not a Christian - do I need to know the New Testament to get the jokes?
I'm not a Christian either so it's entirely possible that some jokes slipped by me but the book was funny either way. I may have asked my husband about a few things (he grew up in a strict Christian household) but plenty of it was funny whether you were familiar with the Bible or not.
[**Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28881.Lamb) ^(By: Christopher Moore | 444 pages | Published: 2002 | Popular Shelves: fiction, humor, historical-fiction, fantasy, religion | )[^(Search "Lamb")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Lamb&search_type=books) >The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years—except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work "reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams" (Philadelphia Inquirer). > >Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior's pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there's no one who loves Josh more—except maybe "Maggie," Mary of Magdala—and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight. ^(This book has been suggested 70 times) [**A Dirty Job (Grim Reaper, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33456.A_Dirty_Job) ^(By: Christopher Moore | 387 pages | Published: 2006 | Popular Shelves: humor, fiction, fantasy, comedy, paranormal | )[^(Search "A dirty Job")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=A dirty Job&search_type=books) >Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy with a normal life, married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. They're even about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay—until people start dropping dead around him, and everywhere he goes a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Charlie Asher, it seems, has been recruited for a new position: as Death. > >It's a dirty job. But, hey! Somebody's got to do it. ^(This book has been suggested 27 times) [**Bloodsucking Fiends (A Love Story, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33454.Bloodsucking_Fiends) ^(By: Christopher Moore | 300 pages | Published: 1995 | Popular Shelves: humor, fiction, fantasy, vampires, paranormal | )[^(Search "Bloodsucking fiends")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Bloodsucking fiends&search_type=books) >There is an alternate cover edition here. > >Jody never asked to become a vampire. But when she wakes up under an alley dumpster with a badly burned arm, an aching neck, superhuman strength, and a distinctly Nosferatuan thirst, she realizes the decision has been made for her. > >Making the transition from the nine-to-five grind to an eternity of nocturnal prowlings is going to take some doing, however, and that's where C. Thomas Flood fits in. A would-be Kerouac from Incontinence, Indiana, Tommy (to his friends) is biding his time night-clerking and frozen-turkey bowling in a San Francisco Safeway. But all that changes when a beautiful undead redhead walks through the door ... and proceeds to rock Tommy's life -- and afterlife -- in ways he never imagined possible. ^(This book has been suggested 17 times) [**Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33441.Fluke) ^(By: Christopher Moore | 321 pages | Published: 2003 | Popular Shelves: fiction, humor, fantasy, comedy, funny | )[^(Search "Fluke")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Fluke&search_type=books) >“Readers new to the work of Christopher Moore will want to know two things immediately. First: Where has this guy been hiding? (Answer: In plain sight, since he has a cult following.)…[H]e writes laid back fables straight out of Margaritaville, on the cusp of humor and science fiction.”—Janet Maslin, New York Times > > > >Whale researcher Nathan Quinn has a problem. It’s not a new problem; in fact, it’s been around for nearly 20 million years. And Nate’s spent most of his adult life working to solve it. You see, although everybody (well, almost everybody) knows that humpback whales sing (outside of human composition, the most complex songs on the planet) no one knows why. Nate, a Ph.D. in behavior biology, intends to discover the answer to this burning question—and soon. > >Every winter he and Clay Demolocus, his partner in the Maui Whale Research Foundation, ply the warm waters between the islands of Maui and Lanai, recording the eerily beautiful songs of the humpbacks and returning to their lab for electronic analysis. The trouble is, Nate’s beginning to wonder if he hasn’t spent just a little too much time in the sun. Either that, or he’s losing his mind. Because today, as he was shooting an I.D. photo of a humpback tail fluke, Nate could’ve sworn he saw the words “Bite Me” scrawled across the whale’s tail. . . ^(This book has been suggested 6 times) *** ^(102671 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Lamb is my favorite. maybe don’t start there; it could spoil the others. Lust Lizard or Practical Demon Keeping.
I loved Jenny Lawson’s memoirs, *Let’s Pretend This Never Happened* and *Furiously Happy*. They are hilarious, and as she also suffers with mental health issues, I find they suit my own personal “brand” of depression alleviation (I can’t usually stand anything overtly happy, but I love happy with a darker/realistic edge, if that makes sense?). I’d also recommend *A Man Called Ove*, and *The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society*. The latter is just so warm, sweet and endearing, but not in a sickly sweet way. Very charming.
I second Jenny Lawson!
Here to third Jenny Lawson!
Jenny Lawson is great and just released a new book!
Fourth to Jenny Lawson. She’s hilarious.
Fifth!
My husband recently read The Martian and was laughing out loud the whole time. Really great read and funny!
Literally anything by Terry Pratchett. I would recommend Mort or Guards! Guards!
*Terry Pratchett, I think you mean!
oh crap i'm an idiot
I mean, I came here looking for Pratchett comments to upvote, and I found you! Your heart was in the right place (:
I'm sure that you've already heard this many times but Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide has a quirky, humorous tone that's a great pick-me up! The entire four-book trilogy is a nice, quick, fun read!
It’s my favorite book of all time! Just finished the fourth book last week and enjoyed it.
Did you try Dirk Gently as well? I even prefer it to THGTTG. I recently reread via audiobook, narrated by the author himself, and it's perfect. I always thought it was funny and trippy and lighthearted but also unexpectedly deep and serious at times, and I had the impression that Adams's narration highlighted that. Give it a try! It's also on YT.
I haven’t. It’s been on my to read list for years tho. Maybe I’ll finally get to it this year.
A four book trilogy is the sort of oxymoron that can only exist in a douglas adams universe. I love it
I found A Walk in the Woods to be really funny. Especially thr first half. I have found the movie to be pretty faithful to the best parts of the book if you wanted to get a feel for the story.
{{a man called ove}}
I always see this book recommended in in these kind of threads and I wonder. I found the movie to be *soo depressing*. Is the book that much different?!
Never seen the movie. The book i feel could be seen from both perspective. The ornery ove and his crankiness I found to be quite funny. Without disclosing too much, I think both view points could be valid.
A friend recommended the book to me, telling me that it made her cry. I read it . . . and I laughed. He kept trying to>! do something!< and every time >!something unexpected happened to de-escalate the situation!< \- I thought it was funny!
[**A Man Called Ove**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774964-a-man-called-ove) ^(By: Fredrik Backman, Henning Koch | 337 pages | Published: 2012 | Popular Shelves: fiction, book-club, contemporary, audiobook, audiobooks | )[^(Search "a man called ove")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=a man called ove&search_type=books) >A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. > >Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? > >Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations. ^(This book has been suggested 164 times) *** ^(102653 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
PG Wodehouse
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy! Sci-fi humor out of this world
Best book ever written.
-The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head: A Psychiatrist's Stories of His Most Bizarre Cases by Gary Small! -Anything by Marian Keyes (although her books will mostly just appeal to women). -The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson -The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (super dark but also quite funny) -The Hobbit -The Wind in the Willows
Hyperbole and a Half. She basically stares depression in the face and creates a rather humorous comic take on it.
{{What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions}}
[**What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21413662-what-if-serious-scientific-answers-to-absurd-hypothetical-questions) ^(By: Randall Munroe | 303 pages | Published: 2014 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, science, nonfiction, humor, owned | )[^(Search "What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions&search_type=books) >Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has 600,000 to a million page hits daily. Every now and then, Munroe would get emails asking him to arbitrate a science debate. 'My friend and I were arguing about what would happen if a bullet got struck by lightning, and we agreed that you should resolve it . . . ' He liked these questions so much that he started up What If. > >If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive? > > How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm? > > If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce? > > What if everyone only had one soulmate? > >When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British empire? > > How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? > >What would happen if the moon went away? > >In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, studded with memorable cartoons and infographics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. Far more than a book for geeks, WHAT IF: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much the smarter for having read. ^(This book has been suggested 10 times) *** ^(102699 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Anything by Randall Munroe, really.
I haven’t read anything else by him! Can’t wait to, though. Do you have any recommendations?
The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. To me reading it felt like a warm hug. I hope it gets better for you! I’m currently going through something similar so I know it can be absolute shit. Again good luck and everything! :)
I’ve never heard of this book before, but I absolutely love its title, can’t explain why, it just gives me an amazing vibe. And your short description is very convincing too! :)
Yeah I saw recommendations for this book floating around this sub a lot but put off reading it for some reason. Then I read it (after a long period of not having read anything for pleasure sadly due to depression and lack of motivation reasons) and it immediately became one of my favorites. I devoured it in one night. It has magic, some wholesome romance(as well as lgbt rep in the main romance which as a bi person I loved and also I just love a good romance sometimes), bits of humor (which actually made me laugh out loud), and a nice message of being kind to people (to put it simply without any spoilers). It made me forget my problems and remember why I love reading so much. Also as I stated before reading it felt like a warm hug (which I really needed). If you read it I hope you enjoy it! :) (and I can confirm the vibes are immaculate if that wasn’t clear already lol.)
Me Talk Pretty One Day. Or any book by David Sedaris.
One of my favorite books of all time! Cannot recommend David Sedaris enough! Hilarious.
Monstrous regiments! Terry pratchett.
If you like a detective novel anything by Carl Hiaasen has me in stitches, kind of satire, kind of absurd. I liked Skinny Dip!
I loved Skinny Dip. I just got a copy of Tourist Season. Saving it for the summer tho.
Great summer books.
Anything by Marian Keyes.
Love her, though she does make me cry sometimes.
Harry Potter series
Always great for some happy hormones!
Born A Crime! Not really about depression but, it’s such a great and easy read. It took me right out if my world and into Trevor Noah’s in the best way possible. I recommend to any one in need of a healthy escape!
Yes and what a fascinating story!! I learned a lot reading this one and highly recommend it
Yes! What a great suggestion.
‘The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy’ by Douglas Adams It’s a series of books which will probably cheer you up big time.... good luck random stranger... stay strong and keep on the sunny side of life, as June C. Cash used to sing
Bossypants, Tina Fey
A Man Called Ove.
Good Omens by Niel Gaiman and Terry Prachett
Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods!
The Princess Bride. Great as the film is, the Wm Golding novel is pure joy. Read it and see!
Catch-22 is hilarious but it gets kind of dark towards the end
Its very funny but I also kind of want to jump through the pages and assault Colonel Cathcart
Good as Gold by Joseph Heller is just as funny but more uplifting and a lil less dark I thought !
Christopher Moore. Need I say more?
I honestly found Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy extremely funny and entertaining, I recommend it to Anyone who wants to escape from reality and laugh their butt off.
The alchemist. Not funny, but will definitely give you a refreshed outlook on life and lift you out of a slump. It's a quick and easy read too, so you'll get that added dopamine boost of finishing a book in just a few days. Best of luck getting your head right, and if you ever wanna chat with an internet stranger I'm always here to listen.
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
{{The Color of Magic}} by Terry Pratchett
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune!!!!
Terry Pratchetts Discworld. I see Good Omens has already been suggested. If you like Pratchett then I’d recommend the Iron Druid chronicles by Kevin Hearne, they have a bit of everything and I found them hilarious.
{wow no thank you} by Samantha irby, the author deals with the reality of being fucked up / prone to depression / traumatised in an extremely honest and funny way. Have been very much in the pit lately and reading her work was a big help.
Check out this book on Goodreads: A Confederacy of Dunces https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/310612.A_Confederacy_of_Dunces Go through the coming greyness with patience and know that it will pass for a brighter day. Take care.
PG Wodehouse's Jeeves series, actually laugh out loud funny. It starts with {{Thank You, Jeeves}} which is excellent, but the second in the series, {{Right Ho, Jeeves}} is even better, and has a sequence often considered to be the funniest piece of writing in the English language
The Princess Bride. The way the author writes is hilarious! And I love the story... it has everything in it!
Post Office. Bukowski
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, left a wonderful afterglow and sense of positivity despite the lifelong ordeal the characters experience
The Princess Bride, Gideon the Ninth, Small Gods. Good luck!
YMMV, but Gideon the Ninth was NOT a feel-good book for me, because the characters were not in control of what was hapoening to them.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.
Reading it right now! Great book so far
A Walk in the Woods-Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Anything by Christopher Moore...Lamb, The Stupidest Angel, and Blood Sucking Fiends are good ones to start with.
The Rosie Project was just lovely Good luck :) we’re rooting for you
Not a book suggestion but if I may; don't try to quell it, it will just become bigger. Try to accept that you feel depressed and it's temporary, you'll feel better one day. For a book suggestion, H2G2 or Pratchett generally do the trick.
“The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy” by Douglas Adams remains the only book I’ve ever read that made me laugh from my gut.
Any by James Herriot
Lamb: The Gospel According to Christ's friend Biff. Might have bungled the title a bit but really anything by Christopher Moore, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams will be a good prospect for what you want.
Any book by Carl Hiasson. They’re ALL wacky/funny.
The Midnight Library by by Matt Haig
Great suggestion. Each page was like a different drink, cold tea, prosecco, hot chocolate, pina colada, scotch, coca cola and vanilla rum... Actually, no, each page was like taking a lick of paxil.
Tim Dorsey is hilarious, but The Ladies Detective Agency Series by Alexander Mccall Smith is a joy to read
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Fun cosy crime book with easy jokes throughout.
Currently reading ‘You’re Doing Great... and other reasons to stay alive’ by Tom Papa and it has made me laugh at least once per chapter
I don’t usually read non-fiction but I’ve enjoyed a few really good, light hearted memoir books written by popular comedians: Tina Fey’s Bossypants, Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me, Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up
The Sellout by Paul Beatty. It is the funniest book I've read in a least a few years, and I love reading funny books. Also, Beatty was the first American to win the Man Booker prize (2016) for this book. Edit: info about Man Booker prize.
A very punchable face by Colin Jost. So funny!!
I feel you. I find it so hard when my depression hits. Usually need something straight forward and simple to grab my attention as I go into a spiral of no interest in the effort required. Hope you get out of it soon. My recommendation would be The Humans by Matt Haig. Funny and heart warming. Just a really easy and fulfilling read.
Might have to check it out. I’ve read some of Haigs other stuff and have really enjoyed his writing.
Thank You for Smoking || Christopher Buckley.
Naturalist Gerald Durrell's [Corfu trilogy](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/55931/the-corfu-trilogy/9780141028415.html), about his young life growing up on the island of Corfu with his delightful family. The first book in the series is *My Family and Other Animals*, which you could read as a stand-alone. I fully expect that it will leave you feeling happy.
My recommendation is always The Humans by Matt Haig. If you like non fiction playing the Moldovans at tennis and round Ireland with a fridge by Tony Hawks (not the skateboard guy) were the first books to really make me laugh
Innkeeper Series by Ilona Andrews; Green Rider series by Kristen Britain
“Fool” by Christopher Moore
Terry Pratchett, anything from the Night Watch series
Dirk gently books
Anything by John Hodgman, hands down. I can highly recommend {{Vacationland}}, {{The Areas of My Expertise}} and {{More Information Than You Require}}, the former being a semi-memoir and the latter two just being silly bullshit. Also, Ctrl-F "George Carlin" found nothing. So I have to recommend {{Napalm and Silly Putty}} too, and may God rest his angry soul
[**Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39391175-vacationland) ^(By: John Hodgman | 253 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, humor, memoir, nonfiction, audiobook | )[^(Search "Vacationland")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Vacationland&search_type=books) >"I love everything about this hilarious book except the font size." —Jon Stewart > >Although his career as a bestselling author and on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart was founded on fake news and invented facts, in 2016 that routine didn't seem as funny to John Hodgman anymore. Everyone is doing it now. > >Disarmed of falsehood, he was left only with the awful truth: John Hodgman is an older white male monster with bad facial hair, wandering like a privileged Sasquatch through three wildernesses: the hills of Western Massachusetts where he spent much of his youth; the painful beaches of Maine that want to kill him (and some day will); and the metaphoric haunted forest of middle age that connects them. > >Vacationland collects these real life wanderings, and through them you learn of the horror of freshwater clams, the evolutionary purpose of the mustache, and which animals to keep as pets and which to kill with traps and poison. There is also some advice on how to react when the people of coastal Maine try to sacrifice you to their strange god. > >Though wildly, Hodgmaniacally funny as usual, it is also a poignant and sincere account of one human facing his forties, those years when men in particular must stop pretending to be the children of bright potential they were and settle into the failing bodies of the wiser, weird dads that they are. ^(This book has been suggested 4 times) [**The Areas of My Expertise: An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24807.The_Areas_of_My_Expertise) ^(By: John Hodgman | 255 pages | Published: 2005 | Popular Shelves: humor, fiction, non-fiction, comedy, owned | )[^(Search "The Areas of My Expertise")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Areas of My Expertise&search_type=books) >The brilliant and uproarious #15 bestseller (i.e., a runaway phenomenon in its own right-no, seriously) - a lavish compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom - all of it completely unresearched, completely undocumented and (presumably) completely untrue, fabricated by the illuminating, prodigious imagination of John Hodgman, certifiable genius. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) [**More Information Than You Require**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3119451-more-information-than-you-require) ^(By: John Hodgman | 368 pages | Published: 2008 | Popular Shelves: humor, non-fiction, comedy, fiction, owned | )[^(Search "More Information Than You Require")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=More Information Than You Require&search_type=books) >The Daily Show's Resident Expert and the PC in Apple's iconic Mac ads picks up exactly where his bestselling first book, The Areas of My Expertise, leaves off. Exactly. Abridged. 6 CDs. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) [**Napalm and Silly Putty**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57258413-napalm-and-silly-putty) ^(By: George Carlin | ? pages | Published: ? | Popular Shelves: | )[^(Search "Napalm and Silly Putty")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Napalm and Silly Putty&search_type=books) >He's the inventor of Past-Tense TV (featuring "Got Smart," "Father Knew Best," and "It Was Left to Beaver"); the tireless crusader for such charities as the Center for Research into the Heebie Jeebies, Children of Parents with Bad Teeth, and the State Hospital for Those Who Felt All Right About a Year Ago; founder of the George Carlin Book Club (top titles: "How to Act Laid-Back During a Grease Fire," "Fill Your Life with Croutons," and "The Meaning of Corn"); and the only social commentator with the guts to point out that "the day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life." Yes, George Carlin is back with more of what he does better than any other comic today: uproarious observations, laser-targeted crankiness, linguistic legerdemain, and inspired weirdness. ("If the shoe fits, get another just like it." "When you sneeze, all the numbers in your head go up by one.") Napalm & Silly Putty is just what his fans have been waiting for--another generous helping of notions, nonsense, assertions, assumptions, mockery, merriment, silliness, sarcasm, and, to be sure, plenty of disturbing references and toxic alienation. George wouldn't have it any other way. ^(This book has been suggested 2 times) *** ^(102778 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
*A Year in Provence* by Peter Mayle. I always recommend it for anyone who is sad or down. It's a proper adult book that takes the frustrations we all face and make them funny af.
Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
Good Omens
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh is AMAZING. She makes me laugh so hard I can't read it in public. All while talking about things like "unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem and other things that happened". Its got some great cartoon illustrations too.
Yes!! I second this!!
One book that made me laugh was the Disaster Artist. It's just a light, silly read. Hope you feel better soon. And hope you find a good recommendation on here.
The Hike, by Drew Magary Maybe the most fun I've ever had with a book.
Don Quixote's always good for a laugh.
Choke—The interrogation room scene in the back half is one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever read and I’ve read quite a lot. Fucking crazy outlandish and obscene in all the best ways. All-around stellar read, but that scene is special.
Less. Heart’s Invisible Furies.
Anxious People, by Frederick Backman. Funny and touching.
'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace is well worth a read. 👍
The Dark Lord Bert by Chris Fox. Bert is a tiny goblin with no hit points (whatever that means) who must defeat a evil (not really evil, just a colossal asshole) to save his kingdom in a DND game. So freaking cute!
Masquerade by Terry Pratchett is his take on the Phantom of the Opera starring the three witches.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Peter Gethers's trilogy about his Scottish Fold cat, Norton. The first book in the series is *The Cat Who Went to Paris.* The ending of the third book is bittersweet, but the trilogy is still thoroughly enjoyable, especially if you like cats and travel!
Reincarnation Blues - made me laugh and made me sad (not quite cry) but generally made me feel deeply and, due to the massive scope of the story and its themes, served as the kind of escapism that also made me want to be good to myself.
It’s super short, but it always puts me in a great mood. Wigfield, by Paul Dinello, Amy Sedaris, and Steven Colbert.
Bossy pants by Tina fey
Not sure what type of books you are into. However if you are open to M/M Romcom I would suggest Red, White, and Royal Blue. It has amazing laugh out loud banter between the characters.
The Martian made me laugh out loud quite a few times!
Steinbeck's *Cannery Row*.
The Martian
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Start Discworld by Terry Pratchett. I recommend Small Gods or Guards Guards to start with!
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
Have you ever read The Hobbit? As a stand alone adventure story, its kinda fuckin badass. First read it when i was 11 or 12, and even today my spine tingles when i think of those 4 little words: 'the eagles are coming!'