Anne in Saskatchewan Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 A little voice in my head is telling me to STOP TAKING LIFE SO SERIOUSLY and to LIGHTEN UP FOR GOODNESS SAKE. :D So, since my main form of entertainment is reading, what's the funniest book you've ever read? Children's book recommendations would be fine, but I am mostly looking for things to read myself. Thanks so much, Anne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyboys Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 A little voice in my head is telling me to STOP TAKING LIFE SO SERIOUSLY and to LIGHTEN UP FOR GOODNESS SAKE. :D So, since my main form of entertainment is reading, what's the funniest book you've ever read? Children's book recommendations would be fine, but I am mostly looking for things to read myself. Thanks so much, Anne. The Confederacy of Dunces. I laughed so hard, out loud, by myself, that my face hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I enjoyed Good Omens By Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett It is about the Apocalypse though and a little irreverent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Winterdance, by Gary Paulsen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bev in B'ville Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Stephanie Plum novels. There was one scene in Las Vegas I laughed so hard I was crying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 The Janet Evanovich "Stephanie Plum" series is hilarious, "One for the Money" is the first. If you read these books you'll be craving donuts and fast food, though, be forewarned. I also LOL at David Sedaris books, starting with "Me Talk Pretty One Day." For a "mom with kids" book I love Shirley Jackson's "Life Among the Savages." Also, Alexander McCall Smith's "Ladies No. 1 Detective" series has some very funny moments throughout each book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyboys Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Murdering Mr. Monti by Judith Viorst. I don't really remember it much, but I recall laughing out loud A LOT on the beach when I read it some 15 years ago. I didn't know she wrote adult stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I also LOL at David Sedaris books, starting with "Me Talk Pretty One Day." Oh, yes. I was laughing so hard at this reading to myself that my children demanded that I share. Obviously, some of his stuff takes some editing, but I did read some aloud, and certain phrases passed into our family's quote vocabulary. For example, we frequently shout, "bottleneck" or "ashtray" at each other for no particular reason. I also love the Jeeves and Wooster stories (Wodehouse) and Jasper Fforde. The most recent Thursday Next novel had me laughing so hard that my family was worried about me. Oh, and Eats, Shoots and Leaves, if you haven't gotten around to that one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in OR Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine ( although I think you have to read it while you are pregnant b/c the hormones have something to do with how funny it is.) My dh was actually concerned that I would go into labor while I was reading it b/c I was laughing VIOLENTLY! Babyhood by Paul Reiser. His description of the first time he was left alone to watch his son was so funny, my stomach muscles spasmed. Never had THAT happen before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I don't have much time, but hands down, the funniest book I've ever read is To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (if you have Three Men and a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, read it first; it's nice, but not necessary). Number two is Good Omens by Gaiman and Pratchett (Pratchett is always a good bet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 DArwin Awards, anything Janet Evanavich(I know the spelling if wrong but it's something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanga Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I know they are usually considered children's books but I loved Cheaper by the Dozen and Bells on Their Toes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverfront Headmistress Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Piggy in the Puddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Gotta be the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum books. One is for... Two for .... She's up to 14 now. Very funny tho she likes a shock factor, too. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I really enjoy the Evanovich Stephanie Plum books, but I gotta tell ya, Patrick McManus is the funniest author ever. I don't much like his sheriff mystery series, but if you get any of his books of short stories about the outdoors etc., you will laugh yourself silly. Some of the titles are: A Fine and Pleasant Misery, They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?, Never Sniff A Gift Fish, Real Ponies Don't Go Oink... the list goes on. He's hysterical. I may need to pull one of his books out today, in fact. A Fine And Pleasant Misery has the story about the Modified Stationary Panic... oh, my, I'm sitting here giggling just thinking about it! I also laughed a lot at the Mitford books by Jan Karon, but I was pregnant when I read them and found a lot of things to be hysterically funny that don't appear to be so in the light of - erm - less hormones. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liberty Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Also consider picking up compilations of Dave Barry's columns (or P.J. O'Rourke). I also really enjoyed AJ Jacobs' book The Know-It-All: One Man s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World--a true story about the guy who set out to read the Encyclopadeia Britannica in its entirety--it's actually pretty funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals http://www.amazon.com/Family-Other-Animals-Gerald-Durrell/dp/0142004413/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222703199&sr=8-1 and A Zoo in My Luggage. http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-My-Luggage-Gerald-Durrell/dp/014303524X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222703256&sr=8-1 I also think Roald Dahl is quite funny. For Christian humor, I like Jamie Buckingham: The last word (published and unpublished): For Christians--and others who take themselves too seriously http://www.amazon.com/last-word-published-unpublished-Christians/dp/B0006CYULW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222703387&sr=8-1 The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable: The collected wit and wisdom of Jamie Buckingham http://www.amazon.com/truth-will-free-first-miserable/dp/0884192512/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222702995&sr=8-19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Our Heart Were Young & Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner & Emily Kimbrough Two Bryn Mawr girls go on a European Tour in the 20's. I have a 2nd hand copy with really funny black ink illustrations & I'm not sure if those are the same illustrations that Alajalov did on the editions avail now.... Very silly escapades & oh SO innocent <sigh> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 :o I read the The Devil Wears Prada on a quiet Maine beach several years ago, and dh said everyone kept looking at me I was laughing so hard. I really thought it was hilarious. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 The Confederacy of Dunces. I laughed so hard, out loud, by myself, that my face hurt. :iagree: The Confederacy of Dunces had me on the floor The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine ( although I think you have to read it while you are pregnant b/c the hormones have something to do with how funny it is.) My dh was actually concerned that I would go into labor while I was reading it b/c I was laughing VIOLENTLY! Never in a million years should I admit I read this book (But I did) :D And it was very funny! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Some others: Anything by Carl Hiaasen or Bill Bryson. I also thought Confederacy of Dunces was hilarious. I like Janet Evanovich too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (probably offensive to just about everyone) The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers Mysteries by Kinky Friedman are pretty funny. Kurt Vonnegut often makes me laugh (even w/ fairly serious topics/undertones). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepy Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 The Confederacy of Dunces. I laughed so hard, out loud, by myself, that my face hurt. Yes! That was my exact reaction to The Confederacy of Dunces. :lol::lol: Wow, it must have been nearly 20 years ago I read that book. Now I'm feelin' old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demal Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 (edited) Catch-22, but it's not really "light." David Sedaris' Naked. Rozencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is hilarious, even on the page. Edited September 29, 2008 by Demal Forgot Stoppard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelda Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Bill Bryson's, "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid". I also just finished Stella Gibbons' "Cold Comfort Farm". Really funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 "Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office" This book is so funny I laughed until my ribs hurt. Anything by David Sedaris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumbledeb Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Books by Nick Hornby are very funny, in my opinion. Some strong language sometimes - so not for the kiddies. He is the author of High Fidelity and About A Boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Bruce mcIver is really funny too - he was a pastor, and some of the stories he tells are hysterically funny. One of the ones I've read is Just As Long As I'm Riding Up Front. I actually have this book, which was either published by Guideposts, or we got it from there. I'm going to have to go dig it out again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Rounders 3 by Max Evans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Lamb by Christopher Moore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibblerly, he has many other funny fiction books as well if you can find them. Please Don't Eat the Daisies The Egg and I God and Mr. Gomez and of course anything by Erma Bombeck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 When we read aloud Owls in the Family by Farley Mowatt (for kids), I was laughing so hard, I had tears rolling down my face and was gasping for breath. I couldn't continue. My oldest son had to take over reading and then he had to stop as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 (edited) Okay, not THE funniest books I've EVER read, but some recent books that had me giggling and snorting a bit: Kinky Friedman's Guide to Texas Etiquette: Or How to Get to Heaven or Hell Without Going Through Dallas-Fort Worth The Yankee Chick's Survival Guide to Texas Fixin' to be Texan The first one was just plain funny, and that was the purpose of the book, I think. It may be offensive to some though. The second one was more informative than funny, and it had some interesting info. The third, I think, was supposed to be funny and informative but fell a little short of the mark. Not as much substance as the others. And, finally, this is a favorite of mine, however, it was a hard book for me to read, emotionally-speaking. It does have its funny moments, but it is definitely not all lightness and laughter. Angela's Ashes Almost forgot ... I've been enjoying this one, too: Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living Edited September 29, 2008 by Apiphobic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommylawyer Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 The Confederacy of Dunces. I laughed so hard, out loud, by myself, that my face hurt. :iagree: Funniest book I've ever read - I cried...from laughing so hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tibbyl Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Anything by David Sedaris or David Rakoff. They're primarily essayists, not novelists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I agree with some of the others: Confederacy of Dunces Good Omens the Jeeves books and I will add the Bridget Jones books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I'll agree with Lamb! It is not for the faint at heart, though. Also, Rainey, by Clyde Edgerton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 This may have been mentioned--I haven't read the thread but will, since I need to laugh, too! I love Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies. She's really funny, but quite poignant in places, too. I like a woman with a lot to say, if most of what she says is hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I really much enjoyed Bridget Jones's Diary, but can't stand the sequel. Here are my blog reviews of the two of them: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cathmom/591287/ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cathmom/596877/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman...even funnier than the movie. It's my favorite book. Some funny kids books (I enjoy reading these!), "Clever Cat" by Peter Collington had me laughing out loud. Also anything by Peggy Rathman ("Officer Buckle and Gloria", "Goodnight Gorilla"). These are fun read-alouds, they are picture books but my kids still enjoy them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LG Gone Wild Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 by Gerald Durrell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Anything by Wodehouse, but especially the Bertie/Jeeves stories. I laugh out loud when Finknottle is handing out the school prizes everytime. "Why helloooooooo, Berrrrrrtie!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Are these in a particular order? Which one should I start with? Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 David Sederis (especially Me Talk Pretty One Day), Bill Bryson (especially Neither Here Nor There), most anything by James Herriott and most by Augusten Burroughs (odd sense of humor, but very fun if you share it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 And dh and I love the Spencer mysteries by Robert Parker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hmmmm.... I'm really enjoying the Jasper Fforde novels, particularly the Thursday Next series. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jasper+fforde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 A little voice in my head is telling me to STOP TAKING LIFE SO SERIOUSLY and to LIGHTEN UP FOR GOODNESS SAKE. :D So, since my main form of entertainment is reading, what's the funniest book you've ever read? Children's book recommendations would be fine, but I am mostly looking for things to read myself. Thanks so much, Anne. A Prayer for Owen Meany? It's the book that I laughed out loud most often and most heartily at, though it was in college that I read it, so I may not find it quite as funny now, I'm not sure. At the time, though, I could not contain myself while I read it in the dorm, and all three of my roommates read it after I did, because they had to see what was so funny for themselves. They all enjoyed it as well. Erica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 :iagree: The Confederacy of Dunces had me on the floor Bill Also loved Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I recently found myself laughing out loud at "My Family and Other Animals" by Gerald Durell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I don't know about the funniest, but I always get a giggle out of Footrot Flats, though that could be an Australian/NZ thing... :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.