Recommend me a book that will cheer me up

[Obsidian]

So. Yesterday I got some awful news. I spent yesterday mostly on recreational crying and today mostly trying not to cry at my desk.

However, Amazon decided to ship my backordered new Kindle two weeks ahead of schedule, and it is waiting for me on my porch. Getting into a good book and getting out of my head seems like a fantastic idea.

I am in search of a good, entertaining book. Bonus if it will make me laugh. Fiction or Non-Fiction ok. Happy ending a must. Preferably not in any way about pregnancy, babies, or motherhood. I'd like it to be something I can finish in a weekend, but won't blow through in a few hours either (am a pretty fast reader). It needs to be available on Amazon Kindle, of course.

I'm a chick, but a very nerdy one. Y'all seemed like a compatible audience to ask. Any suggestions?

[cher3]

I head for the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency books when I am feeling down. Mma Ramotswe and company are just so nice to be around. It does occasionally touch on some of those themes, but they are (usually) not central and there is always a happy ending.

Each book is pretty short, but there is a whole series.

[tellyworth]

Here's a freebie: Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse.

[Tara57]

Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

Sorry to hear you are so down. Whatever your specific situation is, I think I can sympathize a bit - the night I was having my miscarriage I watched a bunch of movies to distract myself/cheer myself up, and 3 out of 4 had pregnancy or miscarriage plots. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, it was so ridiculous! Hang in there, sweetie.

Some of my favorite funny or heartwarming books:
The Stupidest Angel
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Good Omens
The Enchanted April (FREE)
Pride and Prejudice (FREE) - if you haven't read it, check it out. Not one, but TWO of the most hilariously bad marriage proposals in all of literature.

[melondeca]

Lamb by Christopher Moore

[jsgoddess]

If you have a library card, be sure to check out your local library for Kindle books so that you can blow through them at an alarming rate without impoverishing yourself.


Mary Roach. She writes extremely funny non-fiction. I don't remember if Bonk had anything to do with pregnancy (it's about sex), but I doubt any of the others do.

Bill Bryson. More funny non-fiction.

Dick Francis. Thrillers set around horse racing.

Dorothy Sayers. Golden Age mysteries.

MM Kaye. Mystery suspense set in exotic locales.

The Vicky Moon books by Elizabeth Peters, starting with Borrower of the Night. I think Peters is quite funny.

The Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, starting with One for the Money. I got tired of this series, but the first ones are laugh out loud funny.

The Sam Jones books by Lauren Henderson, starting with Black Rubber Dress. There are two earlier books, but they are extremely hard to find.

Apparently, I find comfort in murder mysteries. What this says about me is better left alone.

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by tellyworth

Here's a freebie: Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse.

Also available directly from Amazon.

[Sam A. Robrin]

Spider Robinson's Callahan's Crosstime Saloon stories do it for me. There are quite a few other books in the series, but it makes the most sense to start with the first.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

If you are a Steve Martin fan, his autobiography is funny, extremely well-written, and a very pleasant diversion.

Similarly, Roger Ebert's memoir is equally worthy.

Sorry about your difficult times.


mmm

[Leaffan]

Woody Allen:

- Side Effects

- Without Feathers


You will be astounded at his bizarre and wacky non-sequiturial sense of humour.

[SCAdian]

The funniest book I can think of is, alas, not available for Kindle....

[Brynda]

Strongly second the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I also very much enjoyed The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton.

[Implicit]

Originally Posted by cher3

I head for the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency books when I am feeling down. Mma Ramotswe and company are just so nice to be around. It does occasionally touch on some of those themes, but they are (usually) not central and there is always a happy ending.

Each book is pretty short, but there is a whole series.

Ha, you beat me to it. These are my go-to happy books, but I listen to them as audiobooks. The narrator's voice is soooooo sooooothing. I love the way she rolls her rrrrrrr's.

Another happy book I listened to lately was a The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which is available for your Kindle free at Project Gutenberg.

[Typo Knig]

National Lampoon's Bored of the Rings - it has more jokes per page than anything else I've read. Pat McManus was the humor columnist for Field and Stream. His collected columns are very funny even if you don't hunt or camp or fish. If you or anyone you know has hunted or fished or camped they are hilarious. His novel's pretty good, too. Dave Barry - including his novels. The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. I don't know which of these are on Kindle, if any.

[Obsidian]

Thanks for the awesome suggestions guys! I have lots to look at now.

[Zsofia]

You know, I was trying to think of good ideas but then I have to go with the first post - No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I seriously need to catch up on those.

I'd also agree with whoever mentioned the Dorothy Sayers Wimsey novels, particularly the ones with Harriet Vane (my particular favorite, among my favorite books in the world, is Gaudy Night.)

How about the book that got me to read that one - Connie Willis can write some sad sad books but I first read her with To Say Nothing Of The Dog, which is not sad at all. Or if you want some Victorian very funny humor, Three Men In A Boat, which is what the Willis book is riffing off of.

[Dendarii Dame]

Originally Posted by Sam A. Robrin

Spider Robinson's Callahan's Crosstime Saloon stories do it for me. There are quite a few other books in the series, but it makes the most sense to start with the first.

If you do, do not read the story "A Voice Was Heard in Ramah", based on your OP. It's a great story, they all are in that collection, but it's definitely about what you said you don't want to read about.

[The Tooth]

Terry Pratchett. Always, Terry Pratchett. Lords and Ladies is one of my favourites.

[sinjin]

For funny try Connie Willis's : Bellweather..Lamb makes me cry at the end, don't know why cause I know how it ends anyway. While I agree with the "Stupidest Angel" it helps if you've read some of Christopher Moore's other books first. Carl Hiaasien's stuff always makes me laugh. And of course Terry Pratchet always works as others have said.

[Dangerosa]

Kevin Kling's The Dog Says How is a bunch of essays that is roll on the floor funny (and sometimes poignant as well, but mostly just funny).

[Attack from the 3rd dimension]

I'll second Wodehouse's Jeeves books, and Pratchett's Diskworld books

[RealityChuck]

Christopher Moore. His latest. Sacre Bleu is his best.
Anything by A. Lee Martinez. Monster is probably his best, but they're all funny fantasy adventures.
Jasper fforde's The Eyre Affair

[Tapiotar]

Ditto on Christopher Moore, the first 6 Stephanie Plum books by Evanovitch, and Terry Pratchett.
Let me add the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters, starting with The Crocodile on the Sandbank. She makes delicious fun of the intrepid Victorian British female explorer, spoofs the Victoria Holt type of Gothic romance, and throws in a lot of good Egyptology. Read in order for character development.
Also, The Herring Seller's Apprentice, by LC Tyler. Hero a mild-mannered writer of mediocre mysteries and his bullying agent. British humor.
Georgette Heyer. For years, I never read them, because they are romance, and I was prejudiced against romance. But they are quite clever, the Regency slang and costumes thoroughly researched, and, most important of all right now, very funny. Think of them as Jane Austen light.

[ducati]

Go The Fuck To Sleep, as read by Samuel L. Jackson.

A short read to be sure, but I dare you not laugh!

[pbbth]

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson. You will laugh yourself stupid, I promise.

[rowrrbazzle]

Harpo Marx's memoirs, Harpo Speaks!

Preview at Amazon's "Look Inside" or Google Books. How he became a member of the Algonquin Round Table.

There were a lot of ups and downs until they finally made Broadway. After that, the amount of famous people he met are just astounding.

[TreacherousCretin]

Originally Posted by tellyworth

Here's a freebie: Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse.

Yes.

[astorian]

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

[Enright3]

Seriously? With this crew, no one has mentioned The Princess Bride?

My magic number (the post number I was guessing would be the one that suggested it) was 5.

[Jake]

Anything by Thorne Smith.

[Sigmagirl]

The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days by Ian Frazier. You will thank me when you stop laughing.

[sisu]

A little off what you have asked for but I have always found that when I need a cheer I just reread Jonathon Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by Sigmagirl

The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days by Ian Frazier. You will thank me when you stop laughing.

Originally Posted by ducati

Go The Fuck To Sleep, as read by Samuel L. Jackson.

Do these adhere to the OP's request:

Originally Posted by Obsidian

Preferably not in any way about pregnancy, babies, or motherhood.

?