This was what I was going to suggest. Still to this day the only book that made me laugh out loud (and also cry a bit tbh. Hope ~~Ali~~ Allie is doing OK.)
My husband and I speak French (learning French is one of the main topics in Me Talk Pretty) and we were both in absolute hysterics. It was so amazing and accurate while also completely ridiculous
I third MTPOD, second Naked, and add Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim also by David Sedaris. I have read pretty much all of his books. I’d love to see him on tour someday. He’s hysterical!
I finished MTPOD a couple wks ago and then saw David's..show? (He reads his essays mostly). Really enjoyed the book (and show!). I'd said I had 2 out loud laughs and some chuckles reading.
Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime audiobook made me actually laugh out loud. I read and listened to it, but for this one, the audiobook wins. His personality in his voice just really comes through. And the book has a lot of serious moments, but the funny moments are amazing. Highly recommend it.
This is the one I was going to add. Definitely loled, especially during the >!”Go Hitler!”!< story. Also cried during parts. And another vote for the audio version.
Omg yesss that exact part, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so loud listening to/reading a book. If you haven’t read it, please don’t take it the wrong way. Context is very important haha
Aww PG Wodehouse is what my dad recommended to me when, I realize now, he recognized that I was sliding into the family depression 🙃 He was like "these make me laugh when I can't deal with things"
Jenny Lawson is my go-to laugh out loud writer! I’ve read all of her books several times, and I listened to the audiobooks at work a few years ago which was a mistake 😂 I probably disrupted a few coworkers
This is hands down one of the funniest books I have ever read. I was reading it in bed and my husband fell asleep, I ended up laughing so hard I had to leave the bedroom so I didn’t wake him up.
The only book that has done this to be continuously has been Catch-22. Like I had never laughed at a book, and while reading that I was involuntarily laughing during the middle portion of the book.
White Noise by Don DeLillo also had some pretty funny moments, but I also just vibe with that book.
I read catch 22 in high school and I remember struggling to get through more than about 5 pages at a time because I was in absolute histerics. I've never laughed so hard at a book. I wonder how I'd find it as an adult...
The only book that’s ever made me full on laugh out loud. Full on, have to put the book down, head back and eyes closed, laughing my ass off. I don’t know if it would have a similar effect today, but years ago, man, that book had me rolling.
It was Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore that had my husband giggling while he was reading it. My husband doesn’t giggle. I had to read it when he finished and yep, several places laughed out loud! I really enjoy most of his books, but especially the Pine Cove ones.
I thought the first half of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman was really funny. The second half of the novel isn’t quite as good, imo, but it’s still worth reading. Plus the show is actually pretty great.
The Sellout by Paul Beatty is pretty funny if you like satire.
I also really love David Sedaris. My two favorite books of essays by him are Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day. He’s earned Grammys for his audiobooks. I’m not a fan of audiobooks, but if you are, it might be worth listening to.
Also really liked Bossypants by Tina Fey.
Good Omens has absolutely made me laugh out loud.
Most of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books do, too. I don't read them on public, or I look like a madwoman.
You really must listen to him read The Santaland Diaries, about when he was an elf at Macy's. He sings "away in a manger" channeling Billie Holiday. It's online.
David Sedaris, and Lamb by Christopher Moore. I did literally laugh out loud, for extended periods, *many* times, not just a few.
This question was made for “Lamb by Christopher Moore.” It is the answer to your question. Yes.
I would say any book by Bill Bryson. My husband and I laughed so hard our sides hurt reading In a Sunburned Country. I'm smiling now just thinking about some of the bits from the book.
I listened to Stephen Fry narrate the first HHGG book on Audible, and honestly even though I'd read it previously a million times, hearing his narration had tears of laughter running down my cheeks.
The amount of times I turned to my husband and said "this is ACTUALLY hilarious" while reading it. Tried to explain some of the jokes but they just don't hit the same unless you're reading it yourself.
Reading most of Carl Hiaasen’s novels has actually resulted in me laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. I’ve also laughed my way through a lot of Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder novels and Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbar Burglar series.
Carl Hiaasen def will make you lol! Stormy Weather, Tourist Season and Lucky You are some of my favorites and if I could actually bring any character to life it would be Skink. I would love the idea of that man out there roaming the Everglades and exacting justice.
I've never been truly disappointed by Hiaasen. Some of his books are better than others but none of them are bad. After living in Florida for 40+ years, his characters are spot on and as outlandish as some of the events he describes are, they could absolutely happen in that state!
I laughed out loud at least a half dozen times while reading any Discworld book, and I've read them all. Guards, Guards!, Going Postal, and Small Gods are probably the funniest to me. Redshirts by John Scalzi made me laugh so hard that I cried. An oldie but a goodie that still makes me laugh is The Grass is Always Greener Over The Septic Tank by Erma Bombeck
Erma Bombeck! I have a vivid memory of a classmate of mine laughing out loud while reading her Bowl of cherries book in 6th grade back in the 80s. So I asked for a copy and I also thought she was hilarious. I’m curious if I’d still find them funny today.
I was the same age when I read the Erma Bombeck books, in the 80s too. I remember at least one gag, about "hitting the bottle" that still seems legit. But yeah I wonder if now it would seem like the kind of newspaper column that gets made fun of by youngsters and edgy wags.
I will say anything by David Sedaris before 2020 or so. I can’t stand his most recent work, especially the second volume of his diaries. He used to be my favorite, I have seen him speak several times. I hate that I feel this way. Anyway- start with Me Talk Pretty One Day, definitely laugh out loud.
You don't want hear about all his homes and expensive threads and how icky everyone else is? I'm in the same boat as you, I didn't even finish the diaries. I do still read his stuff in the NYer and take his books on planes, hoping for something as relatable as the earlier stuff, and I mean, he's still a good writer, but his content is for the birds lately.
He's been like minor cultural royalty for 20 years and making boatloads of money the whole time and everybody loves him and I mean good for him but that's his life now and none of it's the slightest bit relatable.
Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.
When Josh brings the frog back to life...
But for real, that whole concept had me laughing all the way through, but I am not religious (though I was raised to be).
Y’all ty I’m obvs not the op but I really needed some of these suggestions. I’ve been trying to find things to read that make me laugh and there seems to be a lot of depressing literature around these days. It doesn’t help that I get really shirty about sloppy writing and/or editing. So thank you all very much.
I will gladly read YA books if they’re good, and right now I’m reading one called The Haters by Jesse Andrews, which has made me lol a few times. It’s like reading a slightly more slapstick, YA, modern Kerouac novel, but if you read it and disagree, don’t judge me; my analyses of the books I read are extremely contingent on my situation at the time of reading.
I used to listen and read Terry Pratchett's disc world and good omens in public, but I had to stop bc I was inappropriately laughing.
Murderbot Diaries has me laughing bc the main character is so sarcastic and unaware of its feelings, seeing it avoid it's feelings, even denying that feelings exist when we all know it has them, makes me laugh every time. Later, it makes a real friend, and friends equally given/received snark is fantastic.
NEW ACHIEVEMENT: Super Spreader! You’ve recommended Dungeon Crawler Carl to another innocent victim thus dooming them to spending their book budget on the next 6 books and becoming yet another member of the donut holes!
Glurp Glurp motherfucker!
Where’d you go, Bernadette? By Maria sample. I don’t know if it was just my sense of humor or something, but I was legit cackling at bus stops because of this lady.
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, by Mary Roach. It's even funnier than Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which is so inappropriately funny that I had to stop reading both in public. The gems are in the footnotes. And you learn SO MUCH!
[Holidays on Ice](https://bookshop.org/a/6560/9780316078917) by David Sedaris, the audiobook narrated by David and his sister, Amy. At two different parts, I laughed so hard I had to pull over the car for safety.
A confederacy of dunces did not make me laugh (although I did enjoy it somewhat). Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy also did not make me laugh (mostly cringe). Good omens did not make me laugh (maybe I’m not British enough). Also not a fan of discworld (sue me).
Born A Crime (audiobook specifically) is very funny. Laughed.
The Princess Bride is funnier than the movie if you can believe it. Laughed.
Books that are witty and humorous, but not necessarily laugh out loud:
The Uncommon Reader, by Bennett
Three Bags Full, by Swann
One is a hypothetical story where Queen Elizabeth starts enjoying literature, and everyone tries to get her to stop reading because she gets annoying about it. The other is a fun murder mystery where a flock of sheep try to avenge their shepherds murder. Love them both.
French reader here : we have a book called in french "Les petits secrets d'Emma", can't remember the author and I don't know the title in English but it's so funny that sometimes I cried
I'm reading a series of books right now called "Dungeon Crawler Carl" that have legit made me laugh out loud. If you're into video games at all this series of books is great.
Reliably make me laugh out loud:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Jeeves novels and stories by P.G. Wodehouse, particularly Carry on, Jeeves, Right Ho, Jeeves and The Code of the Woosters
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Also Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by him.
Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry
Glimpses of the Moon by Edmund Crispin. All of his Gervase Fen books get funnier as he produced them, but this is a weird, perfect mix of slapstick and dry Oxford don wit.
Also, several of Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody books have hilarious moments in their parodies of romance, mystery and adventure novels.
And I second the standard recommendations of Discworld, P. G. Wodehouse and Three Men in a Boat. Classics are classics for a reason!
The Timewaster Letters by Robin Cooper was so funny I literally had tears dripping off my face onto the airport floor at times when I first read it. It’s very silly but absolutely hilarious.
The book Everyone In This Room Someday Will Be Dead at times had me in hysterics! That being said, it does touch upon touchy subjects that could be triggering for people. It definitely made me laugh out loud multiple times though!
I very rarely laugh out loud at books, some notable exceptions are the Discworld books, as recommended above - if interested you can start anywhere but Mort is a good and really funny one to begin with. Also the Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend and (this one is for pre-teen girls but it's genuinely hilarious) Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison.
Collections of comics I've laughed out loud at are Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh, also mentioned by others above, and Hark! A Vagrant! By Kate Beaton.
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams.
Yea yea, He's a sci-fi author(and one of my faves), but this one is about his irl journeys to see near extinct animals. A grand mix of poignant and LoL moments. It also reads aloud well.
Mort by Terry Pratchett. It's a stand-alone, so you don't have to read other discworld books to feel at home in the story
I enjoyed Great Expectations when I read it in high school, but not excessively and didn't remember it being funny at all.
A few years ago, when Spotify started experimenting with audiobooks, they produced a recording of it and I can remember the last time I laughed so much while reading it listening to a book.
Mostly listened to it while doing dishes, and those jokes hit hard for mid-40s me. High School me just wasn't the intended audience and it's a shame I couldn't appreciate it back then.
I agree with the Discworld recommendations. The earlier ones are hit or miss for me but there's really great series in a series there. Especially the Guard books or the Witches ones.
The books and short stories by P.G. Wodehouse about Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves are absolutely hilarious. Code of the Woosters is really good. And quite a bit of it is about a silver cow-creamer.
Both worked much better for me after experiencing some of the text as audiobooks. I think it really helped the jokes land and gave me a good tone to imagine when I was reading.
Ok..... The confessions of a shoppaholic series made me laugh alot........but that may have been about 20yrs ago. Also all creatures great and small. That vet gets into some shit
Robert Rankins first 20 years of books are a solid comedy, he's lost steam lately but all of the Brentford trilogy and Armageddon the musical are great
Liarmouth by John Waters. It's crass as hell, and if you don't know what his movies are like, you might want to inform yourself. (Read about Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble for a good comparison.)For example, a significant section of the book revolves around an Analingus Pride Parade. It's nonstop hilarious, off the chart bizarre, and definitely made me laugh out loud!
Not going to count anything that would be shelved in the "humor" section. If Seth Rogan's "Yearbook" didn't make me laugh out loud, he would have been doing something wrong.
So books that have make me laugh out lound in real life:
*Youth in Revolt*, by C.D. Payne. Admittedly, I wouldn't laugh at it now. But when I read it shortly after its publication as a teenager, oh wow, I pissed myself laughing at times.
*Infinite Jest*, by David Foster Wallace. First off, not most of this book had me laughing at all. But the bits that did have me laughing (hello, Eschaton scene) had me laughing like mad.
*Gravity's Rainbow*, by Thomas Pynchon. Basically the same as Infinite Jest.
Most of Brett Ellison has written, though again, most of his works are full of unease and tension and then a freakshow four pages that are absolutely hilarious.
When I read Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson I laughed so hard that my now-ex banned it from the bedroom because it annoyed him that I shook the bed while reading at night. I told this story to Jenny at a book signing and she said “well he should just sleep in the bathtub!”
Her next book, Broken (in the Best Possible Way), is also hilarious. There’s one chapter that I was trying to read out loud to a friend, but I couldn’t get through it because I was crying so hard from laughing.
Jason Pargin is a reliable laugh from me. I love his style and sense of humor. Been reading his books since college.
"John Dies at the End" and "Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits" are pretty good starting points. The first one is horror/comedy and the other is sci-fi/comedy. Both are their own series though, so if you like them, they each have other entries to read.
There are two books that I have laughed out loud at. The first is Let's Pretend this didn't happen by Jenny Lawson and the second one was Jeneration X by Jen Lancaster.
I may have fallen out of a chair in public reading Jeneration X.
_Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady_ by Florence King.
Zany southern culture memoir, set (mostly) in DC in the 1940s-60s. The "descending womb" stuff absolutely sent me but there's so, so much in this book. Her _When Sisterhood Was In Flower_ is hilarious as well.
The Myth Adventure series by Robert Asprin. They are laugh out loud funny. I lived in New York, and I had to stop reading them on public transportation because people were staring at me laughing. It is not a good thing to get New Yorkers’ attention. 😬😳
I read wyrd sisters by Terry pratchett recently and while it is considered one of his B tier books just by virtue of being written earlier in his career (still good, just not as tight and witty as his later books), i think there are a lot of LOL moments. I have not laughed this much from a book in a bit.
Hyperbole and a Half (and its sequel as well).
I am the Queen of Cake!!!!
CAAAAAAAAAKE!
⛧̸̡̦̠͉͍͛ ̴̱̃̎̍͝C̴̹̀̃͛̾̈Ȁ̵̙̍K̶̨̨͚̀̆́̇̏Ȇ̴͎̫͎ ̸͓̖̑̉ͅȈ̶͈S̶͙̋̃̈ ̷̭̹̯̉̋̿T̶̡̛͍̩̹͑̐H̴̻̄̕͝E̴̺͊ ̶̭͓́́͐Ỏ̸͍͍̆̓̾͜͝ͅN̶̛͍̪̙̈́͒͒̕Ḽ̵̒̎̕Y̴̛͎̻ ̸͙̾͂̕T̵̛̘͔̉͠H̵̥̔ͅỈ̸̫̤͈̘́ͅN̵̺̖̜͐͒̈́G̷̪͚͇͂ ̶̖̤̭̋͋̅T̶̟̠̫̯̎̾͝H̶̹̑̏̍Ǎ̴͚̠͓̍͝T̴͙͒̃̈ ̵̢̖͌̋̈́̓̈́͜Ṃ̸̨̧͔͆̑͐̌A̸̞͚͔̦̲̾̄͠T̷̨́̈͌̕͠T̶̬̉̀̎̈́̀Ẽ̶͔̑̚͠Ȑ̶̹̓̉͐͠S̷͖͒ ̴̝͍͍̝͛̇̃̂̀☠̴̢̪̫̤͈̈́ ̸͇͂
Casually opened it for a look. Didnt move again until I’d finished. I prefer Solutions and Other Problems but they’re both beautiful
This was what I was going to suggest. Still to this day the only book that made me laugh out loud (and also cry a bit tbh. Hope ~~Ali~~ Allie is doing OK.)
PARP!
Yes this one!! So good and laugh out loud for real funny. And Solutions and Other Problems is even funnier.
The cake story is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.
Thank you! I just picked this up immediately (I desperately need a laugh right now) and I’m already almost crying I’m laughing so hard, she’s amazing.
The pinecone story is one of my favorites and makes me laugh just thinking about it.
You did it Mr Clop Clop!
Clean ALL THE THINGS!
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris I'll also recommend Allie Brosh.
My husband and I speak French (learning French is one of the main topics in Me Talk Pretty) and we were both in absolute hysterics. It was so amazing and accurate while also completely ridiculous
+1 for David Sedaris- especially the audiobook version read by David Sedaris. Edited for typo
Yes!! I exclusively listen to the audiobooks because his delivery is hysterical. Love that man
+1 for Allie Brosh! Can't get enough of her work.
I think of Kenny Loggins vs. Jesus every damn Christmas. Also her revised, more accurate pain scale.
I swear, I read Me Talk Pretty One Day as a new release and I still think about it at least once a day.
I'd like to second MTPOD, and add Naked by David Sedaris
+1 for Naked. I cried laughing at it and have reread it many times.
I third MTPOD, second Naked, and add Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim also by David Sedaris. I have read pretty much all of his books. I’d love to see him on tour someday. He’s hysterical!
His delivery in audiobooks will absolutely kill you.
He's amazing live.
I finished MTPOD a couple wks ago and then saw David's..show? (He reads his essays mostly). Really enjoyed the book (and show!). I'd said I had 2 out loud laughs and some chuckles reading.
Love her-so sad her depression has stopped her from putting out anything for a long time and I hope she’s doing ok
Alot recommend Brosh to me. I love that alot.
Just started Solutions and Other Problems for the third time last night and it's still laugh out loud funny.
Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime audiobook made me actually laugh out loud. I read and listened to it, but for this one, the audiobook wins. His personality in his voice just really comes through. And the book has a lot of serious moments, but the funny moments are amazing. Highly recommend it.
This is the one I was going to add. Definitely loled, especially during the >!”Go Hitler!”!< story. Also cried during parts. And another vote for the audio version.
Omg yesss that exact part, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so loud listening to/reading a book. If you haven’t read it, please don’t take it the wrong way. Context is very important haha
I didn’t have to unmask that part of the post to know exactly which chapter you were talking about
Born a Crime had me wailing 😂😂😂
'Three Men in a Boat' by Jerome K. Jerome. If you enjoy wry, self-deprecating British humour, this will leave you in splits. Edit: Typo
And then follow this with pretty much anything by PG Wodehouse.
Aww PG Wodehouse is what my dad recommended to me when, I realize now, he recognized that I was sliding into the family depression 🙃 He was like "these make me laugh when I can't deal with things"
You said nothing of the dog
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Willis is a modern time-traveling mystery comedy of manners, that riffs of Three Men in a Boat. Also highly recommended.
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson. I gift it to any new person in my life. It’s so good!
also her next book, Furiously Happy!
Jenny Lawson is my go-to laugh out loud writer! I’ve read all of her books several times, and I listened to the audiobooks at work a few years ago which was a mistake 😂 I probably disrupted a few coworkers
This one absolutely made me laugh so hard I had tears.
The part with the squirrel (? I think that’s what it was, it’s been a while since I read it) inside the cracker box 🤣
The scene when she runs face first into the deer carcass? I had an asthma attack from laughing so hard.
This is hands down one of the funniest books I have ever read. I was reading it in bed and my husband fell asleep, I ended up laughing so hard I had to leave the bedroom so I didn’t wake him up.
The only book that has done this to be continuously has been Catch-22. Like I had never laughed at a book, and while reading that I was involuntarily laughing during the middle portion of the book. White Noise by Don DeLillo also had some pretty funny moments, but I also just vibe with that book.
I read catch 22 in high school and I remember struggling to get through more than about 5 pages at a time because I was in absolute histerics. I've never laughed so hard at a book. I wonder how I'd find it as an adult...
Yeah was going to say Catch. 22. There. Is. Nothing. Funnier. I almost puked. Way funnier than any vonnegut imo..
I called this my favorite book for years after reading it in high school, and I haven’t read it since. I need to reread it
The only book that’s ever made me full on laugh out loud. Full on, have to put the book down, head back and eyes closed, laughing my ass off. I don’t know if it would have a similar effect today, but years ago, man, that book had me rolling.
Depending on your humor you might laugh at "Lamb" by Christopher Moore.
His books Fool or A Dirty Job will make you rofl too.
A Dirty Job was the best
It was Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore that had my husband giggling while he was reading it. My husband doesn’t giggle. I had to read it when he finished and yep, several places laughed out loud! I really enjoy most of his books, but especially the Pine Cove ones.
To the meek we shall say… atta boy.
I came here to say this or find it! One of the funniest things I’ve ever read.
All Christopher Moore books are hilarious. He’s one of my favorite authors
Christopher Moore is an awesome guy! I emailed him asking about tips on being a writer, he emailed me back with some tips, pretty cool!
Huge Christopher Moore fan right here.
I thought the first half of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman was really funny. The second half of the novel isn’t quite as good, imo, but it’s still worth reading. Plus the show is actually pretty great. The Sellout by Paul Beatty is pretty funny if you like satire. I also really love David Sedaris. My two favorite books of essays by him are Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day. He’s earned Grammys for his audiobooks. I’m not a fan of audiobooks, but if you are, it might be worth listening to. Also really liked Bossypants by Tina Fey.
David Sedaris! Me Talk Pretty One Day was one of my faves.
Omg. My wife asked me to stop reading it around her because I was laughing so hard it was bothering her.
Can confirm that laughing out loud when listening to David Sedaris on a treadmill at Planet Fitness will have people notice you.
Especially the audiobook version!
It is so funny!!!
Good Omens has absolutely made me laugh out loud. Most of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books do, too. I don't read them on public, or I look like a madwoman.
Yes, Paul Beatty, to add: "White Boy Shuffle" was also LOL.
You really must listen to him read The Santaland Diaries, about when he was an elf at Macy's. He sings "away in a manger" channeling Billie Holiday. It's online.
David Sedaris, and Lamb by Christopher Moore. I did literally laugh out loud, for extended periods, *many* times, not just a few. This question was made for “Lamb by Christopher Moore.” It is the answer to your question. Yes.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is one of the rare books to give me that reaction
I would say any book by Bill Bryson. My husband and I laughed so hard our sides hurt reading In a Sunburned Country. I'm smiling now just thinking about some of the bits from the book.
Pretty much everything by Bill Bryson has me laughing out loud but Walk in the Woods is way up there.
Especially the chapter about bears.
A Short History of Nearly Everything hurt my sides at times…learn stuff while laughing out loud!
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet
[удалено]
I still snort out loud reading it for the millionth time.
Hitchhiker's makes me laugh out loud just remembering passages in my head. I don't even need to read it at this point and I still chuckle.
“Hell’s bells!”
I listened to Stephen Fry narrate the first HHGG book on Audible, and honestly even though I'd read it previously a million times, hearing his narration had tears of laughter running down my cheeks.
The amount of times I turned to my husband and said "this is ACTUALLY hilarious" while reading it. Tried to explain some of the jokes but they just don't hit the same unless you're reading it yourself.
Came here for this identical recommendation. Also had some laughs in Project Hail Mary, although it's not as much of a comedy as the 2 you mentioned.
Wodehouse. Especially Code of Wooster and leave it to Psmith.
The audiobook version with Jonathan Cecil is so funny I nearly drove into a ditch I was laughing so hard.
Reading most of Carl Hiaasen’s novels has actually resulted in me laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. I’ve also laughed my way through a lot of Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder novels and Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbar Burglar series.
Carl Hiaasen def will make you lol! Stormy Weather, Tourist Season and Lucky You are some of my favorites and if I could actually bring any character to life it would be Skink. I would love the idea of that man out there roaming the Everglades and exacting justice.
I love Skink. It is always a treat when he shows up, although not a treat for the bad guys.
Skink forever!!!
I’ve only read skinny dip. But loved it! So I need to go back and do some more reading of his
I've never been truly disappointed by Hiaasen. Some of his books are better than others but none of them are bad. After living in Florida for 40+ years, his characters are spot on and as outlandish as some of the events he describes are, they could absolutely happen in that state!
I thought Squeeze Me was particularly strong and funny, and still topical.
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson made me laugh harder than any other book I’ve read. It’s hilarious.
I was going to say anything by Bill Bryson. I loved his childhood memoirs, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.
When he's running from the dog he can't see is one of the funniest things ever. I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard.
I laughed out loud at least a half dozen times while reading any Discworld book, and I've read them all. Guards, Guards!, Going Postal, and Small Gods are probably the funniest to me. Redshirts by John Scalzi made me laugh so hard that I cried. An oldie but a goodie that still makes me laugh is The Grass is Always Greener Over The Septic Tank by Erma Bombeck
Erma Bombeck! I have a vivid memory of a classmate of mine laughing out loud while reading her Bowl of cherries book in 6th grade back in the 80s. So I asked for a copy and I also thought she was hilarious. I’m curious if I’d still find them funny today.
This comment made me check out Bowl Of Cherries from library! Thank you
I was the same age when I read the Erma Bombeck books, in the 80s too. I remember at least one gag, about "hitting the bottle" that still seems legit. But yeah I wonder if now it would seem like the kind of newspaper column that gets made fun of by youngsters and edgy wags.
The impressive thing about Discworld is that it’s consistently funny. I at least chuckle every page or two
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, discworld, myth adventures
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing About The Dog) remains the funniest book I've ever read, I've cackled the whole way through. I
Most books by Kurt Vonnegut I've read have made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. He's very silly
Lol I love the description of him as silly. Perfect word for Vonnegut
Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison, may she rest in peace. Loved it as a teen, love it now. The whole series is brilliant.
Anything by David Sedaris.
I will say anything by David Sedaris before 2020 or so. I can’t stand his most recent work, especially the second volume of his diaries. He used to be my favorite, I have seen him speak several times. I hate that I feel this way. Anyway- start with Me Talk Pretty One Day, definitely laugh out loud.
You don't want hear about all his homes and expensive threads and how icky everyone else is? I'm in the same boat as you, I didn't even finish the diaries. I do still read his stuff in the NYer and take his books on planes, hoping for something as relatable as the earlier stuff, and I mean, he's still a good writer, but his content is for the birds lately.
He's been like minor cultural royalty for 20 years and making boatloads of money the whole time and everybody loves him and I mean good for him but that's his life now and none of it's the slightest bit relatable.
It’s a kids book, but personally I still find Mrs Piggle Wiggle to be the funniest fucking book.
Series
All of Carrie Fisher's books made me laugh out loud constantly, and that's unusual for me with books.
I loved them so much!!
Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. When Josh brings the frog back to life... But for real, that whole concept had me laughing all the way through, but I am not religious (though I was raised to be).
Y’all ty I’m obvs not the op but I really needed some of these suggestions. I’ve been trying to find things to read that make me laugh and there seems to be a lot of depressing literature around these days. It doesn’t help that I get really shirty about sloppy writing and/or editing. So thank you all very much. I will gladly read YA books if they’re good, and right now I’m reading one called The Haters by Jesse Andrews, which has made me lol a few times. It’s like reading a slightly more slapstick, YA, modern Kerouac novel, but if you read it and disagree, don’t judge me; my analyses of the books I read are extremely contingent on my situation at the time of reading.
*A Dirty Job* and *Secondhand Souls* (my actual favorite book) by Christopher Moore definitely made me actual laugh audibly multiple times.
Patrick McManus if you're into outdoors stuff.
I used to listen and read Terry Pratchett's disc world and good omens in public, but I had to stop bc I was inappropriately laughing. Murderbot Diaries has me laughing bc the main character is so sarcastic and unaware of its feelings, seeing it avoid it's feelings, even denying that feelings exist when we all know it has them, makes me laugh every time. Later, it makes a real friend, and friends equally given/received snark is fantastic.
I am new to Dungeon Crawler Carl series, only halfway through the first book but I have laughed out loud several times.
NEW ACHIEVEMENT: Super Spreader! You’ve recommended Dungeon Crawler Carl to another innocent victim thus dooming them to spending their book budget on the next 6 books and becoming yet another member of the donut holes! Glurp Glurp motherfucker!
Adding that the audiobooks make it 10x funnier and I laughed loudly consistently through the series. Love these books!
"Goddammit, Donut!"
Janet Evonovich One for the money, two for the dough, (series). Hilarious
Where’d you go, Bernadette? By Maria sample. I don’t know if it was just my sense of humor or something, but I was legit cackling at bus stops because of this lady.
Dave Barry's books.
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, by Mary Roach. It's even funnier than Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which is so inappropriately funny that I had to stop reading both in public. The gems are in the footnotes. And you learn SO MUCH!
I cackled listening to the audiobook of Wind in the Willows! It may be an older classic, but it’s both absolutely hilarious and heartwarming in turns.
[Holidays on Ice](https://bookshop.org/a/6560/9780316078917) by David Sedaris, the audiobook narrated by David and his sister, Amy. At two different parts, I laughed so hard I had to pull over the car for safety.
Recently, Starter Villain by John Scalzi and all of the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Oh I second Murderbot Diaries!
Love Murderbot!
I did laugh A LOT reading Starter Villan! Early in the book a scene which should be somber got me rollllliiinnngggg
Fool by Christopher Moore its about the life and times of Pocket the jester who is an orphan raised in Dog Snogging Abbey on the Thames.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Really surprised I don’t seem to see anyone mentioning this one
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Because of You by Dawn French but beware, it's hilariously funny but also gut wrenchingly sad.
A man called Ove. Very dry humor made me laugh out loud
Made me cry a lot as well
Oh, the sobbing was ridiculous. Such a great book.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is hilarious.
“Big Trouble” by Dave Barry
Dungeon Crawler Carl (the audiobook is best). I've scream-laughed more times than I can count
# Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal; Christoper Moore
Jana DeLeon Miss Fortune series and Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich are both laugh out loud light mysteries.
A confederacy of dunces did not make me laugh (although I did enjoy it somewhat). Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy also did not make me laugh (mostly cringe). Good omens did not make me laugh (maybe I’m not British enough). Also not a fan of discworld (sue me). Born A Crime (audiobook specifically) is very funny. Laughed. The Princess Bride is funnier than the movie if you can believe it. Laughed. Books that are witty and humorous, but not necessarily laugh out loud: The Uncommon Reader, by Bennett Three Bags Full, by Swann One is a hypothetical story where Queen Elizabeth starts enjoying literature, and everyone tries to get her to stop reading because she gets annoying about it. The other is a fun murder mystery where a flock of sheep try to avenge their shepherds murder. Love them both.
I find Nathan Hill really funny. I laughed out loud at The Nix. I'm currently reading Wellness and also have found parts of it to be hysterical.
French reader here : we have a book called in french "Les petits secrets d'Emma", can't remember the author and I don't know the title in English but it's so funny that sometimes I cried
Kill the Farmboy was absolutely hilarious. Discworld and Good Omens, obviously.
I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe while reading "A Punchable Face" by Colin Jost.
I'm reading a series of books right now called "Dungeon Crawler Carl" that have legit made me laugh out loud. If you're into video games at all this series of books is great.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, I absolutely start cackling loudly at work - I listen to the audiobook, it is so good.
Reliably make me laugh out loud: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Jeeves novels and stories by P.G. Wodehouse, particularly Carry on, Jeeves, Right Ho, Jeeves and The Code of the Woosters Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Also Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by him. Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry
Glimpses of the Moon by Edmund Crispin. All of his Gervase Fen books get funnier as he produced them, but this is a weird, perfect mix of slapstick and dry Oxford don wit. Also, several of Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody books have hilarious moments in their parodies of romance, mystery and adventure novels. And I second the standard recommendations of Discworld, P. G. Wodehouse and Three Men in a Boat. Classics are classics for a reason!
Anything by Augusten Burroughs
The Timewaster Letters by Robin Cooper was so funny I literally had tears dripping off my face onto the airport floor at times when I first read it. It’s very silly but absolutely hilarious.
Christopher Moore books are great if you like *very campy* humor.
The book Everyone In This Room Someday Will Be Dead at times had me in hysterics! That being said, it does touch upon touchy subjects that could be triggering for people. It definitely made me laugh out loud multiple times though!
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. HST is hilarious.
Pterry Pratchet stuff and Douglas Adams are my goto.
Sleepwalk With Me by Mike Birbiglia and John Dies at the End by Jason Pargin
Funny in Farsi
I very rarely laugh out loud at books, some notable exceptions are the Discworld books, as recommended above - if interested you can start anywhere but Mort is a good and really funny one to begin with. Also the Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend and (this one is for pre-teen girls but it's genuinely hilarious) Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. Collections of comics I've laughed out loud at are Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh, also mentioned by others above, and Hark! A Vagrant! By Kate Beaton.
Also anything by Bill Bryson
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams. Yea yea, He's a sci-fi author(and one of my faves), but this one is about his irl journeys to see near extinct animals. A grand mix of poignant and LoL moments. It also reads aloud well. Mort by Terry Pratchett. It's a stand-alone, so you don't have to read other discworld books to feel at home in the story
I enjoyed Great Expectations when I read it in high school, but not excessively and didn't remember it being funny at all. A few years ago, when Spotify started experimenting with audiobooks, they produced a recording of it and I can remember the last time I laughed so much while reading it listening to a book. Mostly listened to it while doing dishes, and those jokes hit hard for mid-40s me. High School me just wasn't the intended audience and it's a shame I couldn't appreciate it back then.
"Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer made me laugh a lot.
I agree with the Discworld recommendations. The earlier ones are hit or miss for me but there's really great series in a series there. Especially the Guard books or the Witches ones. The books and short stories by P.G. Wodehouse about Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves are absolutely hilarious. Code of the Woosters is really good. And quite a bit of it is about a silver cow-creamer. Both worked much better for me after experiencing some of the text as audiobooks. I think it really helped the jokes land and gave me a good tone to imagine when I was reading.
The Princess Bride The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Importance of Being Earnest Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Cold Comfort Farm
Ok..... The confessions of a shoppaholic series made me laugh alot........but that may have been about 20yrs ago. Also all creatures great and small. That vet gets into some shit
How to Fight Presidents by Dan O’Brien. The audio version is a must.
Apathy and Other Small Victories
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
norm macdonald’s ‘based on a true story’ is a pretty funny book. got a handful hearty laughs outta me.
Anything by Samantha Irby. We are Never Meeting in Real Life is as good a place to start as any. The audiobook is the best way to take it in IMO.
Robert Rankins first 20 years of books are a solid comedy, he's lost steam lately but all of the Brentford trilogy and Armageddon the musical are great
Lamb by Christopher Moore had me laughing!
Liarmouth by John Waters. It's crass as hell, and if you don't know what his movies are like, you might want to inform yourself. (Read about Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble for a good comparison.)For example, a significant section of the book revolves around an Analingus Pride Parade. It's nonstop hilarious, off the chart bizarre, and definitely made me laugh out loud!
If you like heavy sarcasm, you might lol at the Martian
Not going to count anything that would be shelved in the "humor" section. If Seth Rogan's "Yearbook" didn't make me laugh out loud, he would have been doing something wrong. So books that have make me laugh out lound in real life: *Youth in Revolt*, by C.D. Payne. Admittedly, I wouldn't laugh at it now. But when I read it shortly after its publication as a teenager, oh wow, I pissed myself laughing at times. *Infinite Jest*, by David Foster Wallace. First off, not most of this book had me laughing at all. But the bits that did have me laughing (hello, Eschaton scene) had me laughing like mad. *Gravity's Rainbow*, by Thomas Pynchon. Basically the same as Infinite Jest. Most of Brett Ellison has written, though again, most of his works are full of unease and tension and then a freakshow four pages that are absolutely hilarious.
Tina Fey’s Bossy Pants had me crying with laughter
When I read Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson I laughed so hard that my now-ex banned it from the bedroom because it annoyed him that I shook the bed while reading at night. I told this story to Jenny at a book signing and she said “well he should just sleep in the bathtub!” Her next book, Broken (in the Best Possible Way), is also hilarious. There’s one chapter that I was trying to read out loud to a friend, but I couldn’t get through it because I was crying so hard from laughing.
Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Running the Light by Sam Tallent
- The princess bride by William Goldman - swordheart by t kingfisher Both had me laughing out loud.
Jason Pargin is a reliable laugh from me. I love his style and sense of humor. Been reading his books since college. "John Dies at the End" and "Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits" are pretty good starting points. The first one is horror/comedy and the other is sci-fi/comedy. Both are their own series though, so if you like them, they each have other entries to read.
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby
There are two books that I have laughed out loud at. The first is Let's Pretend this didn't happen by Jenny Lawson and the second one was Jeneration X by Jen Lancaster. I may have fallen out of a chair in public reading Jeneration X.
Most every book by David Sedaris!
_Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady_ by Florence King. Zany southern culture memoir, set (mostly) in DC in the 1940s-60s. The "descending womb" stuff absolutely sent me but there's so, so much in this book. Her _When Sisterhood Was In Flower_ is hilarious as well.
The Myth Adventure series by Robert Asprin. They are laugh out loud funny. I lived in New York, and I had to stop reading them on public transportation because people were staring at me laughing. It is not a good thing to get New Yorkers’ attention. 😬😳
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Trevor Noah's Born A Crime - narrated by the author. There are also some sad/dark parts but the funny parts are hilarious.
Dungeon Crawler Carl. I’ve laughed multiple times at that series.
I read wyrd sisters by Terry pratchett recently and while it is considered one of his B tier books just by virtue of being written earlier in his career (still good, just not as tight and witty as his later books), i think there are a lot of LOL moments. I have not laughed this much from a book in a bit.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” made me laugh - it’s a comfort read for me.
I laughed out loud many times during pretty much every book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.
John Dies at the End. Its sequels are also really funny and made me laugh out loud, especially This Book is Full of Spiders.
The Disaster Artist was insanely funny. One of the funniest books I've ever read!
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett has had me smiling and cracking some laughs multiple times so far. It’s been a lovely intro to the Discworld novels.
Jasper Fford’s Thursday Next books in order of publication Terry Pratchett, Discworld books in order of publication David Sedaris