Recommend a funny book.

[TNDemo]

I need something to recommend for book club. The last two books have been really dark and arduous so I need something a little more lighthearted before I feel the need to jump off a cliff.

[meegbear]

1. A recent book or any book?

[TNDemo]

13. Any book will do.

Already read Confederacy of Dunces.

[meegbear]

27. Modern Manners - An Etiquette Book for Rude People

Hilarious PJ O'Roarke book.

[ET Awful]

2. Anything by Douglas Adams :) n/t

[liontamer]

26. I second that

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. "A Confederacy of Dunces", John Kennedy Toole

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802130208/qid=1094737303/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/102-3754470-0911355

[bif]

4. Anything by Bill Bryson

One of the funniest writers alive. Mainly travel narrative. "In a Sunburned country" is his exploits in Australia.

[Pert_UK]

16. He's good, but not always accurate.....

I read his "Down Under" while travelling around Australia and laughed my ass off. However, he does get some things wrong.

For example, he said he visited the School of the Air in Alice Springs and chastises them (or the government) for not having any Aboriginal pupils taking their radio classes.

I asked them why this was when I was there, and they said it was because the government builds schools anywhere where more than 8 kids were living, so the Aboriginals tend to go to school, it's just the kids on remote stations with their parents who use the School of the Air.

P.

[Redneck Socialist]

31. Anything by Colin Bateman or TR Pearson

Bateman writes a lot about northern Ireland and the "Troubles." You wouldn't think that would be a funny topic, but he's freakin' hysterical. Try "Divorcing Jack."

"A Short History of a Small Place" by TR Pearson is about the funniest thing I've ever read. Great, great stuff.

On Edit: Oops! This was supposed to be a reply to the OP. Sorry Pert.

[da_chimperor]

5. A book of Garfield comics!

I love Garfield, it he always puts me in a good mood! Not that suited for a book club though.

[Burma Jones]

6. Another vote for A Confederacy of Dunces

Pulitzer Prize winner, funniest book there is.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. I'll chim with a vote for Confederacy, too

Not only funny, it's also literate and interesting.

[terrya]

7. Anything by David Sedaris.

"Naked" is my favorite. :-)

[HysteryDiagnosis]

17. My Pet Goat

[redqueen]

19. Definitely David Sedaris

I loved "Me Talk Pretty" One Day, too... the first of his books that I read.

[StClone]

8. "A walk in the Woods"

By Bill Bryson.

If you haven't read it it was a Best Seller. I found it as informative and humorously entertaining as anything I've read in years.

Quickie: An out-of-shape writers experiences in attempting to hike the length of the Appalachian Trail with an even less in-shape friend.

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Great book! I was gonna suggest this on the other Bryson post

Very funny, but with also a lot of insight and thoughts on the idea of long-scale hiking, and the Appalachia Trail, and the people who hike it.

I loved that book.

[bif]

10. Funny fiction: early Peter DeVries

[TlalocW]

11. "Good Omens"

By Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The anti-Christ is born in England but accidentally mixed up with another baby by incompetent satanic nuns, and the angel assigned to protect the garden of Eden and the serpent that gave Adam and Eve the apple (now in human form), who have lived on Earth ever since, decide they really do like humankind and don't want it destroyed and work to derail the coming Apocalypse.

It's very much a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy style book.

TlalocW

[Richardo]

14. "Skinny Dip", "Lucky You", "Native Tongue" by Hiaasen

Any Hiaasen really - except "Stormy Weather" may be a little too close to home this month (hurricane aftermath).

[terrya]

18. I'll second Carl Hiaasen as well. I just finished "Skinny Dip".

He just keeps getting better and better. :-)

[Richardo]

20. He's back in form - I thought "Basket Case" and "Sick Puppy" a tad weak...

With "Skinny Dip" he's back to his former greatness.

[Richardo]

15. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris.

Hilarious!

[Richardo]

35. Doh! I didn't see terrya's post.

I still recommend it tho.

[Ready4Change]

21. "Night of the Avenging Blowfish" if you can find it.

The author is, I think, David Welter? Good read for today, as it pokes fun at the Secret Service and intelligence agencies. But it also has many, many other virtues as a good, funny, and oddly thoughtful book as well. Buy it, read it, loan it to friends and fight like hell to make them give it back!

[FunBobbyMucha]

22. Tom Perrotta's "Small Children"

I just started it last night and laughed with recognition eight times in the first four pages. If your book club is mostly parents, this would be a good choice.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

23. Metropolitan Life by Fran Liebowitz

It's an old favorite.

For even older favorites, try anything by S.J. Perelman, P.G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" books, or Damon Runyan. Or pick up some of Robert Benchley's books to see how Dave Barry's early work rips off his style.

I love David Sedaris too. I haven't read everything he's done yet but "Naked" is my favorite so far.

[LynneSin]

24. I heard "Unfit for Command" is an intereseting work of fiction

:crazy:

[ironflange]

25. Anything by Christopher Buckley

Especially "Little Green Men," about a government drone whose job it is to make people think they've been abducted by aliens.

He's a good writer, shows none of his old man's anal retentiveness.

[Richardo]

34. "Thank You for Smoking" is also hilarious.

Christopher Buckley - a conservative with a real sense of humor. Who wouldda thunk? :shrug:

[perardua]

28. Indecent Exposure by Tom Sharpe

Takes apart apartheid in South Africa.......

[dbt]

29. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues

or anything else by Tom Robbins, especially Jitterbug Perfume and/or Another Roadside Attraction!

:bounce:
dbt

[grannylib]

36. "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas" was outstanding as well. Robbins rules.

[catmandu57]

37. Well, I was going to reccomend Cowgirls

It's starting to sound like deja vu, mirroring nixon, ford, and the current disaster. "Fuck them goddamn birds".

[wiggs]

43. Robbins

Love all of them, especially Jitterbug and Fierce Invalids...but couldn't get behind Villa Incognito.

[HughBeaumont]

30. Our Dumb Century

Ad Nauseam
National Lampoon's 1964 High School Yearbook, 39th Reunion
This Book Will Change Your Life: 365 Daily Instructions for Hysterical Living

[midnight armadillo]

32. Orange Crush

Orange Crush by Tim Dorsey

V. funny. The guy either hates or loves Florida, it's hard to tell which.

[mark414]

33. KURT VONNEGUT

sorry for the all caps...but really anything by vonnegut would do

[FunBobbyMucha]

38. My only issue with the multiple Sedaris recommendations...

is that I much prefer to hear his audiobooks. As much as I enjoy DS, I like hearing him read them even more.

[Pert_UK]

39. The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts - Louis de Bernieres

Very funny. Very tragic also, but mostly very funny.

P.

[RebelOne]

40. Anything by Dave Barry.

[GreenPartyVoter]

41. Try one of these

http://www.curvynovels.com/Humorous.htm

[AmandaRuth]

42. Bridget Jones Diary

very funny, funnier than the movie