# humor recommendations?



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Can anyone give me some humorous book recommendations? I would be abjectly and tearfully grateful. Following are some likes/dislikes, if that helps in any way. Thanks!

Writers I Find Funny:
PG Wodehouse, Kingsley Amis, Richard Powell, Mark Twain, Dave Barry, James Herriot, Garrison Keillor, Woody Allen, Daniel Pinkwater, the folks at The Onion, Ben Stein, Steve Martin (sometimes), Conan O'Brien, James Thurber 

Writers I Find Not Funny:
Michael Chabon, Ellen Degeneres, Mindy Kaling, John K. Toole, Tina Fey, David Sedaris, Stephen Colbert


----------



## 60169 (May 18, 2012)

When I saw your heading, I clicked through intending to say "James Herriott" but then I saw he was already on your list of likes.

His first three vet books made me genuinely laugh out loud more than any books I can remember.


----------



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Yeah, he's a great writer. Definitely the own-it-and-reread-it type.


----------



## SandraMiller (May 10, 2011)

Shawn Inmon said:


> When I saw your heading, I clicked through intending to say "James Herriott" but then I saw he was already on your list of likes.


I was exactly the same way with Dave Barry. LOVE Dave Barry. But if I was looking for something _like _Dave Barry that _wasn't _Dave Barry....I don't know what I'd look for. I wish I had a suggestion.


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

The Brigadier Gerard stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. 

The Samurai Cat series by Mark Rogers, (look it up in Wikipedia) is among the funniest things ever written, but I suspect you would have to settle for used copies. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Other-Animals-Gerald-Durrell/dp/0142004413/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360350744&sr=8-1&keywords=my+family+and+other+animals

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4, by Sue Townsend.

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Diary-Adrian-Mole-Aged/dp/0060533994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360350809&sr=1-1&keywords=adrian+mole+diaries


Both are classics in the humor genre. However, you still have to find them in paper or hardback, because their publishers still haven't issued them in ebook formats, yet.


----------



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Thanks for the recommendations, Avis and Claw. I forgot about Durrell. I've read My Family and Other Animals. That's a hilarious book.


----------



## RJMcDonnell (Jan 29, 2011)

I thoroughly enjoy the humor in Nelson DeMille's John Corey series. Amid anti-terrorist plot lines, Corey consistently displays a sense of humor that connects with my funny bone.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Thorne Smith has always been one of my favorites for humorous fiction. He was enormously popular back in the day. He wrote _Topper_, which was the source for several movies and a TV series. His books are all available in well-proofed free editions on Mobileread.

Mike


----------



## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

It seems like some of my favorite recommendations are either not yet on Kindle or are out of print, such as the two below.  Maybe publishers with wise up and reissue them.  

The Art of Coarse Sailing by Michael Green is great.  It's the best humor book ever written on the subject of sailing.  Also recommended is Yes Minister, The Diaries of a Cabinet Minister by Jonathan Lynn and Anthony Jay.  You have to be interested in politics to really enjoy the latter, though.  It was made into a TV series which can be found online if you look hard enough.


----------



## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

Tom Sharpe novels? Not many books make me laugh out loud, but _Wilt_ did.

Also, many of Bill Bryson's travel books have chuckle moments.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are full of humour


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Sam Kates said:


> Also, many of Bill Bryson's travel books have chuckle moments.
> 
> Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are full of humour


I also endorse Bryson and Discworld! The Bryson book on Great Britain is especially good, though the title escapes me.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I also endorse Bryson and Discworld! The Bryson book on Great Britain is especially good, though the title escapes me.
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


_Notes From a Small Island_. Another funny one is _A Walk in the Woods_


----------



## T.P. Grish (Oct 21, 2012)

'Impressing the Whites' by Richard Crasta, available on Amazon. The title is not to be taken literally, the same with much of the book (as the author states himself). It is, in my understanding, a criticism of the dilution of real voices from people, particularly authors, from developing nations. Nobody is spared, especially the authors themselves. It is very often hilariously funny.


----------



## Andre Jute (Dec 18, 2010)

Sam Kates said:


> Tom Sharpe novels? Not many books make me laugh out loud, but _Wilt_ did.


Tom Sharpe is definitely the greatest living farceur. I love him; my family hear me laughing in the bath and say, "Dad reading Tom Sharpe again." But he's so over-the-top, he's a bit of an acquired taste.

Thorne Smith is hilarious; his skill is setting up the sitcom.


----------



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Thanks, everyone, for all the recommendations. There are quite a few authors here I've never read or even heard of before. I generally find that humor is one of the more difficult genres to recommend, so I appreciate these suggestions a lot.

By the way, if anyone enjoys extremely dry British humor, I can't speak highly enough of Kingsley Amis' Lucky Jim. I probably re-read that book once a year and it always has me laughing.


----------



## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

Christopher Moore. You will cry from laughing so hard. Especially with Lamb and Fool. Those two are my favorites.


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

LilianaHart said:


> Christopher Moore. You will cry from laughing so hard. Especially with Lamb and Fool. Those two are my favorites.


Although with "Lamb", I also cried from some of the sad or poignant moments, too -- one of the reasons I'd categorize it as more than just humorous: there's a lot going on in that book, and I love it for that.  (It also had me utilizing my Kindle's connection to Wikipedia a lot.  )


----------



## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Perhaps the only novels to ever make me laugh out loud, the Flashman books are also some of the best historical fiction around. The premise is that a Victorian soldier, who is widely praised for bravery, service to country and queen, and a respected gentleman is actually a cad, a rake, a coward, a lair, and a womanizer, who gets himself jammed into all the great battles and political conspiracies of the 19th century, then must extract himself with skin and reputation intact. And bed all the beautiful women along the way.

For a flavor, here is the opening sentence of book two: "If I had been the hero everyone thought I was, or even a half-decent soldier, Lee would have won the battle of Gettysburg and probably captured Washington."


----------



## Red Dove (Jun 11, 2012)

"Billy Liar" by Keith Waterhouse and the follow-up "Billy Liar on the Moon"

Also, non-fiction but very funny are the collections of Jeffrey Bernard's articles from The Spectator - "Low Life" and "More Low Life" but you'll have to pick those up secondhand.

Finally, I can highly recommend "A Bear Called Paddington" by Michael Bond. Widely available but will cost you several marmalade sandwiches.

(All Brits by the way)


----------



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Thanks! I'm off to Amazon to investigate.

Paddington is awesome. I read those as a child and I'm just getting back into them now with my small sons. Bond can certainly stand the test of time.


----------



## Tony Rabig (Oct 11, 2010)

William Goldman's _The Princess Bride_ is hilarious. Depending on how you lean politically, there are a lot of laughs to be found in P. J. O'Rourke and Mark Steyn. Harry Harrison's _Bill the Galactic Hero_. Larry Niven's essay on Superman's love life, "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex." Jack Douglas' _My Brother Was an Only Child_. R. A. Lafferty's "Primary Education of the Camiroi."

All worth a look.


----------



## JudyMillar (Dec 24, 2012)

You might try Ross Cavins (Follow the Money) or Matthew David Brozik, Christopher. Like you, I love Wodehouse and Thurber. 

Keep smiling. ~ Judy


----------



## Ann Chambers (Apr 24, 2011)

Check out one of Carl Hiassen's zany mysteries. Full of characters, I think the are some of the funniest fiction out there. Be sure it's a mystery, because he also writes kids books.


----------



## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Powder River by Ralph Cotton.
​


----------



## Andre Jute (Dec 18, 2010)

Reminded by Tony Rabig in another thread of Donald E Westlake 's humorous capers.

Another very funny writer who hasn't been mentioned yet was Leonard Q Ross, starting with The Education of Hyman Kaplan. Also worth looking into under his real name, Leo Rosten.


----------



## Yossarian9 (Feb 16, 2013)

I stumbled upon "124 NICU Days" by Ryan Rhodes as an Amazon Kindle download, which is NOT a humor book but had some one-liners that had me laughing hard, so I checked out his "We Didn't Build That." The last chapter got lost in the woods a bit, but the rest of it was hilarious, especially the story about how he and wife battled over Internet passwords. I don't know that I'd equate him with any of the humorists mentioned here already, but he has some howlers.


----------



## NottiThistledore (Jan 11, 2013)

I recently read and enjoyed Tales Of the City by Armistead Maupin. Lots of funny moments in that one!


----------



## JudyMillar (Dec 24, 2012)

I've enjoyed Susan Juby's books, particularly "Home to Woefield" (sold under the title "The Woefield Poultry Collective"  in Canada. She used to write Young Adult, but lately has been writing for adults. Very funny voice. Some strong language.


----------



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Thank you for all the latest recommendations. I'm off to Amazon to investigate...


----------



## RJMcDonnell (Jan 29, 2011)

I thoroughly enjoyed a novel called "Into the Light" by Darcia Helle. It's a humorous paranormal mystery with a worthwhile theme.


----------



## S.W. Hubbard (Feb 16, 2013)

If you like Dave Barry (especially his novels, which are quite good), you'll like Carl Hiaason and Brian Wiprud.  Both write mysteries with really hilarious characters and plot twists.


----------



## julidrevezzo (Sep 15, 2012)

I've enjoyed Kathy Carmichael's novels--they are a mixture of genres, all blended with humor. I also like Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I also enjoy The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot's and S.G. Rogers' novels. YA yes, but they are very funny! Jeff Strand's stuff is funny too, if a little on the macabre side. If you haven't tried those, they're worth a read.


----------



## Robena (Jan 19, 2013)

Ann Chambers said:


> Check out one of Carl Hiassen's zany mysteries. Full of characters, I think the are some of the funniest fiction out there. Be sure it's a mystery, because he also writes kids books.


Thanks Ann. I'd forgotten about his books. I read a few years ago, and yes, very funny. I need some funny right about now. ; )


----------



## JLH3 (Jan 9, 2012)

These might be a little bit old school, but I picked up two old hardcover books last year that I just happened to really enjoy:

_Father of the Bride_http://www.amazon.com/Father-Bride-Edward-Streeter/dp/B004NFMXXK. My copy even has that same dustjacket shown on Amazon. This seems to only be available in a physical version, so take that, kindle.

_Mr. Blanding's Builds His Dream House _ http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Blandings-Builds-Dream-House/dp/0897332458/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361559664&sr=1-1&keywords=mr+blanding. This also does not appear to be available digitally, so take that again, Kindle.

Even if you've already seen the movies, it will in no way lessen your enjoyment.


----------



## LinaG (Jun 18, 2012)

A bit late to the party here, but I just had to suggest,

To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis, and Doomsday by the same author.  Hilarious, weird, time travel. How can you go wrong?

Also, Three Men in A Boat and Three Men on the Bummel, by Jerome K. Jerome (I just "bought" both of these for free, pm on 3/6. They are out of copyright it appears and there are many Kindle permutations. I may not have the best.)

Let's not forget A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole!
Happy reading,

Li


----------



## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Andre Jute said:


> Reminded by Tony Rabig in another thread of Donald E Westlake 's humorous capers.


Westlake's Dortmunder series are some of the funniest books I have read. I also have some of them in the audio version. Funniest books I have listened to. 
deb


----------



## Kergan Edwards-Stout (Sep 18, 2013)

NottiThistledore said:


> I recently read and enjoyed Tales Of the City by Armistead Maupin. Lots of funny moments in that one!


For any lovers of Maupin and his Tales, he has a new book coming out in January, The Days of Anna Madrigal, which Amazon is taking pre-orders for...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Days-Anna-Madrigal-Novel/dp/0062196243


----------



## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

JLH3 said:


> These might be a little bit old school, but I picked up two old hardcover books last year that I just happened to really enjoy:
> 
> _Father of the Bride_http://www.amazon.com/Father-Bride-Edward-Streeter/dp/B004NFMXXK. My copy even has that same dustjacket shown on Amazon. This seems to only be available in a physical version, so take that, kindle.
> 
> ...


Wow, didn't realize the movies were based on books. Learn something new every day.


----------



## Martin OHearn (Feb 9, 2012)

Another writer from a hundred years ago (with free public domain editions) is Harry Leon Wilson, who wrote _Merton of the Movies, Ruggles of Red Gap,_ and _Bunker Bean._ _Merton_ is my favorite; the over-earnest hero, who doesn't realize how terrible an actor he is (he took lessons by mail), becomes a star in silent-era Hollywood.

All three of these were made into movies--some a few times--but _Ruggles of Red Gap_ with Charles Laughton is the best-remembered.


----------



## dkrauss (Oct 13, 2012)

Richard Russo's _Straight Man_. Kill a duck a day until my demands are met.


----------



## spooks101 (Aug 31, 2013)

Terry Pratchett has been mentioned right?...Sorry I only skimmed through the recommendations so not sure if i picked up his name.  The man has got the skills.  Of particular recommendation, if you like a little detective-crime action, is 'Feet of Clay', one of his earlier works.


----------



## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

Got to agree with Andre that Tom Sharpe is dementedly funny, especially *Blott on the Landscape*.


----------



## Andre Jute (Dec 18, 2010)

Steven Hardesty said:


> Got to agree with Andre that Tom Sharpe is dementedly funny, especially *Blott on the Landscape*. But in that vein of manic English humor, it's hard to beat Pamela Hansford Johnson (*The Unspeakable Skipton*) and David Lodge (*One Fat Englishman*). Read all three of these in one wild weekend and you'll have laughed so much you can't go into work on Monday. Can't think of a better or more acceptable excuse to skip the daily grind!


See you down at the pub, Steven. I'm the fellow holding his sides, sore from all that laughing.

I shared an editor with both David Lodge and Tom Sharpe; I think what distinguished John Blackwell's writers was, in the first instance, wit. He had no patience with dull people, which was amazing. He wasn't dull himself, but as David Lodge noted in his obituary, in The Independent I think, John was so secretive, he would tell you nothing even if you twisted his arm. All the same, we were banned from several of the livelier pubs in Soho... I'd come down from Cambridge and watch the unsmiling solicitors read the latest Tom Sharpe behind their copy of The Times, struggling not commit the faux pas of laughing aloud in a first class carriage... It was worth the upcharge on the cheap ticket just to see their cheeks puff out and their black jackets strain with the glee inside. "Dementedly funny" is _exactly_ right for Sharpe.


----------



## Tstarnes (Sep 25, 2013)

You should check out the Stephanie Plum series from Janet Evanovich.  They have a great sense of humor and while the mystery isn't the best on the shelf the main character is one of the most charming I have read.  I laughed through pretty much the entire first book.


----------



## parmoose (Sep 27, 2013)

I wholeheartedly second the recommendation for Gaiman and Pratchetts's *Good Omens.* Not only the funniest book I've read, but the one that inspired me to write my novel, A Dinosaur Ate Your Alien. I was trying to go for the same clever British humor that Gaiman and Pratchett excelled at, even though, sadly, I'm a Yank.


----------



## Tstarnes (Sep 25, 2013)

parmoose said:


> I wholeheartedly second the recommendation for Gaiman and Pratchetts's *Good Omens.* Not only the funniest book I've read, but the one that inspired me to write my novel, A Dinosaur Ate Your Alien. I was trying to go for the same clever British humor that Gaiman and Pratchett excelled at, even though, sadly, I'm a Yank.


Yep, Good Omens is great. I have read it so many times the cover fell off my copy. And it was funny every time.


----------



## Red Dove (Jun 11, 2012)

Two of the funniest books I've read are about bears - "Winnie The Pooh" and "A Bear Called Paddington". 

I still laugh out loud even though I'm way past wearing short trousers.


----------



## Natasha Holme (May 26, 2012)

The most brilliantly funny books I have read this year are:

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
1979: A Big Year in a Small Town by Rhona Cameron
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling


----------



## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

SandraMiller said:


> I was exactly the same way with Dave Barry. LOVE Dave Barry. But if I was looking for something _like _Dave Barry that _wasn't _Dave Barry....I don't know what I'd look for. I wish I had a suggestion.


Robert Benchley writes very like Dave Barry (minus the bodily function jokes).

Rovert Benchley was a part of the Algonquin Round Table, that collection of wits and playwrights responsible for a lot of the best lighthearted humor of the 1920s and 1930s in New York. He had something of a tragic relationship with Dorothy Parker.

I was startled on reading him to discover that Dave Barry seems to have taken his "voice" for the absurd observation of modern life. Benchley's milieu is slightly classier, but the tone and the humor are very similar.

He has numerous collections of short humorous essays, just about the length of Dave Barry's. Many of them are out of print, but some can be found.


----------



## joyceharmon (May 21, 2012)

I'd recommend E.F. Benson's Lucia books. They're not for everybody, but their fans (Luciaphiles) are ardent. Contemporary satires, written in the 20s and 30s, about a relatively rich lady in an English village (Emmaline Lucas, AKA Lucia), her pretensions, her friends, the little incidents of their lives. The first book, Queen Lucia, is free on Kindle, so you can try that one, see if you like it.


----------



## jeremy young (Feb 28, 2014)

Dead Souls by Gogol 
The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith
Bill Bryson has a nice mix of humour and information - the encounters with the female hiker in Walk in the Woods make me laugh every time.
Spike Milligan can be funny, but I would recommend the series of war memoirs Rommel, Gunner Who! etc. The captions to the cartoons and photographs in particular.
A fairy tale in New York by JP Donleavy is another of my favourites.


----------



## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

Stephen Potter, who wrote for "Punch" magazine in the last century, has some brilliantly funny books that are mostly out of print but well worth tracking down.

He seems to have been the person who made the construction "--manship" fashionable in the mid-twentieth century, and thus is indirectly responsible for the term "brinkmanship."

His first book in the series is _The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship: or, The Art of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating_, from 1947.

Close on its heels followed _Lifemanship, or The Art of Getting Away With It Without Being an Absolute Plonk_, _One-Upmanship: How to Win Life's Little Games Without Appearing to Try_, _Supermanship: How to Continue to Try to Stay Top Without Actually Falling to Pieces_, and _Golfmanship_.

The books are wickedly funny treatises on how to play little social games to "one-up" others. They are a satire of mid-twentieth century British manners and just plain fun.


----------



## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

Another fun piece of British humor is Dud and Pete: the Dagenham Dialogues, a series of scripts of absurdist conversations between comedians Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in the personas of a couple of very strange working-class Brits.

They have done some more adult humor, but this is thoroughly PG. I find the art gallery discussion particularly funny.

I also second the earlier suggestion of "Yes, Minister," and also recommend its sequel, "Yes, Prime Minister." Anyone interested in politics should read them.


----------



## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Woody Allen's collection _Without Feathers_ is so hysterical I laughed myself near sick on a crowded train. Even more embarrassingly, I kept on laughing long after I had put it down, which must have made me look pretty crazy.


----------



## Andre Jute (Dec 18, 2010)

Tony Richards said:


> Woody Allen's collection _Without Feathers_ is so hysterical I laughed myself near sick on a crowded train. Even more embarrassingly, I kept on laughing long after I had put it down, which must have made me look pretty crazy.


Nothing makes you look like a homicidal maniac more than sitting there laughing without apparent reason -- and most people don't see a book as a reason.


----------



## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

Tony Richards said:


> Woody Allen's collection _Without Feathers_ is so hysterical I laughed myself near sick on a crowded train. Even more embarrassingly, I kept on laughing long after I had put it down, which must have made me look pretty crazy.


As teenagers my sister and I would drive each other into hysterics reading each other bits from Woody Allen's _Getting Even._


----------



## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

Alessandra Kelley said:


> As teenagers my sister and I would drive each other into hysterics reading each other bits from Woody Allen's _Getting Even._


I think "The Kugelmass Episode" form Getting Even is one of my favorite short stories of all times.


----------



## Patrick Stemp (Mar 2, 2014)

Vonnegut immediately comes to mind for me. Timequake specifically made me laugh out loud a few times. His books always have a humorous undertone even when dealing with serious situations.


----------



## Basement Cat (Dec 12, 2013)

Terry Pratchett. Georgina Ramsey.


----------



## joyceharmon (May 21, 2012)

I just remembered - Florence King. Not fiction novels, more in Dave Barry's genre of humor essays. She has quite a few books, but the ones I remember most as screamingly funny are Southern Ladies and Gentlemen and Wasp Where Is Thy Sting.


----------



## Daniel Harvell (Jun 21, 2013)

I enjoy Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series (at least the earlier books). While it's not strictly humor, I often find myself chuckling at some of the more absurd situations and characters.


----------



## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

There's always P.G. Wodehouse.  His books tend to be fruity, daft examinations of upper-class British life in the more or less early twentieth century.

They are kind of an acquired taste, though.  I love his Bertie and Jeeves books, but am left rather cold by his other series.


----------



## deedawning (Aug 31, 2013)

Christopher Bunn said:


> Can anyone give me some humorous book recommendations? I would be abjectly and tearfully grateful. Following are some likes/dislikes, if that helps in any way. Thanks!
> 
> Writers I Find Funny:
> PG Wodehouse, Kingsley Amis, Richard Powell, Mark Twain, Dave Barry, James Herriot, Garrison Keillor, Woody Allen, Daniel Pinkwater, the folks at The Onion, Ben Stein, Steve Martin (sometimes), Conan O'Brien, James Thurber
> ...


Depends on your idea of funny. Are you talking joke funny, tongue in cheek funny, funny story, situational funny, slapstick funny, subtle funny, zany/whimsical funny. I enjoy Carl Hiaasen for situational and tongue in cheek humor. Same for Janet Evanovich. Also read a funny book once called Up in Smoke by Kyle Mills and one similarly titled Thank you for not Smoking by Christopher Buckley.


----------



## JeanetteRaleigh (Jan 1, 2013)

I didn't see Robert Fulghum on the list, but I find him funny.  I really love Robert Aspirin's Phule's Company series and Douglas Adams is funny if you like that type of humor as well.  Both science fiction with laugh-aloud moments. (The television show doesn't do it justice)


----------



## I&#039;m a Little Teapot (Apr 10, 2014)

LilianaHart said:


> Christopher Moore. You will cry from laughing so hard. Especially with Lamb and Fool. Those two are my favorites.


I came here to say Lamb. It's one of my all-time favorite books. I can't read it out in public because it makes me laugh so hard.


----------



## Alexis-Shore (Feb 20, 2011)

Tom Holt, Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Stephen Fry, Ben Elton, David Lodge, and Tom Sharpe.


----------



## kindler2 (Apr 21, 2014)

I have read Three Men in a Boat more times than I care to admit and I still laugh aloud at Uncle Podger putting up the picture.

I also re-read Louis de Bernieres' Captain Corelli's Mandolin and his Notwithstanding, although very different, is wonderful and oh so very British.

I'm off to look up Chris Moore and Lamb.


----------



## Guest (May 4, 2014)

Yellow Green Beret by Chester Wong is pretty funny (all three volumes).

It's more like a memoir with hilarious exaggerations.  The format is a collection of short stories from his time at West Point and the Army.  Gives good insight to a soldier's life (from an officer's perspective) also.


----------



## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

*Life Among the Savages * and *Raising Demons * by Shirley Jackson. They are about her kids, and anyone who has ever babysat let alone is a parent can relate to the little monsters and the horrors they inflict on their parents.  (Actually, I do LIKE children, so I say that tongue in cheek!)

For something a little off the wall and out of the usual there is Agatha Christie's *Murder At the Vicarage*. Completely unlike her usual style, this tale is told from the viewpoint of the vicar and I split my sides laughing at his ironic, dry British observations of his village as he watches it fall apart around him and everyone is exposed for what they really are. You said you like James Thurber (one of my faves too!) so you may like this even if you aren't into murder mysteries.


----------



## joyceharmon (May 21, 2012)

The funniest mystery ever has got to be Patricia Moyes' Murder Fantastical. Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Tibbett is the straight man as he investigates a murder at the home of the best eccentric family in fiction history.


----------



## sstroble (Dec 16, 2013)

Rainbow by Scott Pixello, Keep it Pithy by Bill O'Rielly, Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (it's sort of a coming of age humor with a dark twist), The Gold Bug by Edgar Allen Poe (the way he describes this adventure is humorous at times, something unusual for Poe), Ramblings in Ireland by Kerry Dwyer (her honest travelogue made me feel less envious of world travelers).


----------



## BT Keeney (Jul 9, 2010)

This one cracked me up:

http://www.amazon.com/How-I-Became-Famous-Novelist/dp/0802170609/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400272579&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+be+a+famous+novelist

How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely had me laughing out loud. Full of on-target pokes at literary fiction, genre fiction, bestseller lists, and traditional publishing, I got a huge kick out of this one. Especially if you're a writer or even a reader who knows about the biz, this will tickle you.


----------



## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Rhubarb, by H. Allen Smith. There was a movie version back in the 1950s that really cracked me up. I went in search of it at the library when I was a teenager when I was on a movie adaptation kick - wanted to see how the books stacked up next to the movies, and this was one of them.

The basic premise is that a millionaire dies and leaves his baseball team to his cat, Rhubarb. It doesn't sound like much, but the movie and book were both hilarious! (There's a screwball mix of the p.o.'d heirs, mobsters, and many others that make it go completely over the top. Which is a good thing. )

Unfortunately, you can only get the book used or from the library (maybe). The movie is a great stand in, if you're willing to pop for the DVD (US$9.99 as I write this).


----------



## Basement Cat (Dec 12, 2013)

I too would recommend Pratchett and Sharpe, but also try Alexander McCall Smith, Shepherd Meade, William Peter Blatty, and of course you might like my own book.


----------



## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

In the last few years, I've laughed out loud at Douglas Coupland, Toby Frost, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Christopher Moore.


----------

