I need your help. Not for psychological reasons (well, not today at least), but for book titles. I’m collecting excepts from books that are humourous.
As you may know, I write humour, mostly personal essays and memoir. But I’m looking for excerpts from all genres, including fiction. Essentially, I’m justifying spending $25 on a large Moleskine journal by copying humourous passages into it and analyzing them. I know: I’m a goof, but it’s amazing what I’m learning through this effort of geek-ocity.
So, this wordbitch wonders: What books have made you laugh (even if it was just for a page)? Think about fiction, young adult, picture books, nonfiction…essentially anything with a narrative thread.
Please leave any titles and/or authors in the comments.
Thanks for helping.
Leanne Shirtliffe (Ironic Mom)
Elena Aitken
Trish Loye Elliott
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (or any other Douglas Adams title)
Good one. I’ve never read that.
I evidently haven’t read many funny books in the last few years. Only one springs to mind. It’s one in the picture above. Best Laid Plans. Although technically I haven’t even read it! I listened to it as a CBC podcast before it was published. I’m thinking of suggesting it for my book club.
A fantastic choice. I loved that book, and I met Terry Fallis a year ago and he is a such a great guy. I am copying a passage of that book into the journal for sure.
Anything done by Tim Dorsey. His Flori-duh books with serial killer Serge Storms in it is hilarious.
I’ll check out Dorsey. Thanks!
Three Men in a Boat (To Sat Nothing of the Dog)–Jerome K. Jerome
To Say Nothing of the Dog — Connie Willis
Catch-22 — Joseph Heller
Carl Hiaasen’s novels
I don’t know the first two on the list. Can’t wait to look them up at my library!
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the world’s worst dog
This book has some really funny phrases, sentences, and observations. I laughed out loud several times while reading so I highly recommend!
Christi Corbett
Great one. I read this ages ago, but had forgotten about it.
Anything by Christopher Moore, and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. And yes, Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy. You’ll have a blast researching. Let me know if you need help. Have fun reading!
Thanks, Trish. I forgot about Moore, and I’ve only read one. I’ll have to check out Evanovich too.
Catch 22 and anything by Kurt Vonnegut. I bet you already read McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and The Onion. On that note, are there any humor sites that you go to online that use words and stuff that I should know about?
I do love The Onion. I also sometimes go to fark.com to see a collection of funny news.
I see you have Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods”. I read “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid”, and laughed from start to finish. Bonus: it’s a very nostalgic look at pop culture of the ’50′s and ’60′s.
Thanks, Dawn. We have that in our library, but I haven’t read it yet.
Me Talk Pretty One Day and When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sadaris are both very funny books, collections of essays.
Sedaris is brilliant. I need to read more of his. Thanks!
I second the nomination of Bill Bryson, especially “In a Sunburned Country.” When he talks about how Australia “lost” a prime minister, he had me laughing out loud. Very similar to his books are the books of Farley Mowat, especially “The Dog that Wouldn’t Be.” The images he creates are hysterical. Two of my favorite books that are both roaringly funny and heartbreakingly tender are “Six of One” by Rita Mae Brown and “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving. I re-read these almost yearly and still laugh/cry out loud. Thanks for all the other good ideas!
Owen Meany is one of my favourites! I’ll check out Rita Mae Brown. I have read “In a Sunburned Country” – I know, the lost prime minister story is so bizarre.
I love Douglas Adams but the book that springs to mind is his Last Chance to See. I heard him read a segment and I laughed so hard. Then I would say the second book of his Dirk Gently books – there is a side story about a fridge that makes me laugh every time I think of it.
Good ones. I rarely hear a suggestions that’s not Hitchhikers from Adams.
Packing For Mars by Mary Roach. I laughed constantly while reading that book and, at the same time, learned so much about the early days of the space program.
The Dexter books (that the Showtime series is based on) by Jeff Lindsay are funny, but very dry and dark.
I’ve read some funny short stories by T.C. Boyle, but they are mostly situationally funny (like the one that’s written like an episode from Lassie, but at the end the dog runs off with a wolf instead of saving Timmy).
Dexter was based on a book? I didn’t know that. And I’ll check out Roach. I loved her first book…about death (?) I think.
Stiff, by Mary Roach is hilarious as well. But, reading about decomposing bodies isn’t everyone’s cuppa tea, so I just mentioned the space one.
And, yes, there is a whole series of Dexter books! The first one is Darkly Dreaming Dexter, I believe. I’ve read two of them and they were both quick, fun reads.
Jen Lancaster’s Such A Pretty Fat and Bitter is the New Black. Love those! Hiaasen is great too, my favorite is Sick Puppy.
More to check out. Lancaster has been recommended to me before, but I’ve never read her. Thanks for the reminder.
“Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” by debut novelist Helen Simonson is a delightful witty read. I read it recently and loved every word.
Nancy, I’d read any book you suggested. Thanks!
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, as well as his Holidays on Ice. But I’m telling you, he’s best on audio book.
I also like Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just May Not by Amy Sedaris (his sis), Stephen Colbert, and Paul Dinello. Or either of Amy’s craft books are good.
And I LOVE the memoir, A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel. You’ll appreciate the imagination on this girl.
Janet Evanovich of the Stephanie Plum novels always makes me laugh out loud.
I won’t go into Douglas Adams or David Sedaris, since it looks like you are covered there. I love Vonnegut, although some are funnier than others. Try Slapstick.