# Please recommend some comedic novels **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883 "2008-01-17T17:14:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/41 "2008-01-18T12:41:35Z")
Anything by Bill Bryson- I can’t read them in public because I invariably find myself laughing uncontrollably. _Notes From A Small Island_ is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read, and it takes on a whole new layer of funniness if you’ve spent any time at all (an afternoon would suffice) in the UK. I’m rather fond of P.J. O’Rourke’s material as well, especially _Holidays In Hell_ and _Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut_. It’s a shame your wife doesn’t like science fiction, because _The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy_ is pretty much the very definition of what she’s looking for in a book, IMHO… ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/42 "2008-01-18T13:27:16Z")
Loyd Little’s _Parthian Shot_ is out pf print but well worth a search, IMHO. Before reading it, I would never have believed it possible to write a hilarious comic novel set in the Vietnam War. And of course there’s the old reliable _Scoop_ by Evelyn Waugh. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/43 "2008-01-18T13:54:17Z")
Though its scope is far wider than just comedy, **Catch-22** by Joseph Heller was probably the funniest novel I’ve read besides the prohibited Douglas Adams books. I’m not sure if you have to have been in the military to fully ‘get it’ though. Have any lifetime civilians here read **Catch-22** and found as funny as I have? I remember not loving it when I read it in high school, but I’m not sure if it was because I was young and inexperienced, or if it was the not being in the military thing. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/44 "2008-01-18T14:27:05Z")
_Donald Westlake_ has a bunch of humourous mystery books. I find _Carl Hiassen_ to be a light humorous read. _Elmore Leonard_ novels tend to have humorous moments. _Brian Wiprud_’s Sleep with the Fishes was the same. Your wife might like _Janet Evanovich_’s Stephanie Plum series - I didn’t (stopped after 2) but my wife read them all. Starts with One for the Money and goes in numbers from there. _Jasper Fforde_, while funny, is fantasy misfiled in the fiction section; same with _Christopher Moore_. I love the latter, but find myself in no rush to read the 3rd book by Fforde, having read the first two. Lastly, I’ll also throw my recommendation in for _Christopher Buckley_. Hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/45 "2008-01-18T16:43:58Z")
The Sot Weed Factor-John Barth. It was really funny. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/46 "2008-01-18T19:39:56Z")
[QUOTE=Meltdown] Thanks for all the responses! I see Jeeves and Wooster showing up quite a bit. I understand this is a series of books. Is there one she should read first, to familiarize herself with the characters, even though it may not be the best in the series? Or can she jump in anywhere? [/QUOTE] I started with _Code of the Woosters_ but I don’t think there is really any need to go into a particular order, characters are re-introduced many times in the stories. Since Hugh Laurie, and the series made by him and Stephen Fry has already been mentioned, allow me to add this [link](http://www.pgwodehousebooks.com/lauriesaved.htm) where Laurie discusses his opinion of Wodehouse. It is very funny, as is Fry’s article (available on the linked page). ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/47 "2008-01-18T19:52:57Z")
AJ Jacobs: The Know it All in which the author attempts to read the entire Encyclopedia Britanica cover to cover (so to speak). And The Year Of Living Biblically by the same author. In which the author (an agnositc jew) attempts to follow the bible as literally as possible for 1 year. Both are hillariously funny, fast, fun, educational reads. Also, in a simialr vein, almost anything by Bill Bryson (a Walk in the Woodswas recomended up thread, and is a good place to start). I would also recomend Me Talk Pretty Someday even though it is a collection of short stories, they all tie together to form a whole narrative. David Sideras is sort of brilliant like that. And if your wife likes audiobooks, I think that the Sideras books are even better that way. But only when read by the author. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/48 "2008-01-18T20:09:14Z")
[QUOTE=NAF1138] I would also recomend Me Talk Pretty Someday even though it is a collection of short stories, they all tie together to form a whole narrative. David Sideras is sort of brilliant like that. And if your wife likes audiobooks, I think that the Sideras books are even better that way. But only when read by the author. [/QUOTE] You’ll probably have better luck if you look for _Sedaris_ as the spelling of the author’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/49 "2008-01-18T20:24:42Z")
George MacDonald Fraser’s _The Pyrates_ is great silly fun. Another vote for Christopher Moore, which, while having elements of fantasy, are often read by people who don’t care for fantasy. I’d recommend _Lamb_ or _A Dirty Job_ to start. If new to Donald Westlake, start with _What’s the Worst That Could Happen_. His characters are fully developed by this book, but you don’t need to have read any earlier ones. This just happens to be my favorite of his Dortmunder books. ---
**Author:** ![MOLLYBIRD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@MOLLYBIRD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOLLYBIRD)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/50 "2008-01-18T20:32:32Z")
Try the original M_A_S\*H, by Hooker. Serious subject, but funny and well written book. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/51 "2008-01-18T22:19:36Z")
[My Old Man and the Sea](http://www.amazon.com/Old-Man-Sea-David-Hays/dp/0060976969)- A mid 30 something man, his father and a cat build a small sailboat and sail it around ‘The Horn’. It’s in journal format and every so often digresses to past memories of the two. People often say this, but for me it’s very rare; it’s one of the few books that I’ve actually laughed out loud while reading. To continue with the sailing theme, you’re wife might like [The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float](http://www.amazon.com/Boat-Who-Wouldnt-Float/dp/055327788X) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/52 "2008-01-18T23:06:43Z")
The novels of [Chris Brookmyre](http://books.google.co.uk/books?as_auth=Christopher+Brookmyre&ots=6mRpICHml_&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=author-navigational&hl=en) are blackly humorous, anti-authoritarian and full of a bit of the old ultra-violence. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/53 "2008-01-19T01:17:47Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] _Three Men in a Boat_ by Jerome K. Jerome is timeless and hilarious. [/QUOTE] Second this. Delightful stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/54 "2008-01-29T17:21:56Z")
Well, I took several of the suggestions to the library, and brought home with me 1 Hiassen, the Hugh Laurie, 2 Tim Dorseys, a Ludlum, 2 Chris Moores, and 2 Terry Pratchett. I’ve made my way through 5 of them, and on balance, I’m enjoying them pretty well. One thing I seemed to recall from the OP has kinda been bothering me, tho. [QUOTE=Meltdown] …for her next book, she says she doesn’t want to read about anyone dying or getting abused. She’s specifically looking for something that will make her laugh. … [/QUOTE] You got that guys? No one dying or getting abused! For crying out loud, I’m not sure I have ever read 5 more bloodthirsty books in a row! Average body count has to be at least 10 or 20 per book. Folks torn in half by opening draw bridges, cut in half by machine gun fire, burned alive, wrapped in chicken wire and fed to the fishes, devoured by demons… What part of _“doesn’t want to read about anyone dying or getting abused”_ do we fail to understand? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/55 "2008-01-29T17:56:01Z")
Comedy without tragedy? That one _is_ a toughie. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/56 "2008-01-29T18:23:10Z")
Any book by Ben Elton is good for a laugh. Stark is probably my favorite. It’s a comedy about the destruction of the environment written over 20 years ago, though it’s still relevant today. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/57 "2008-01-29T18:24:32Z")
[QUOTE=Czarcasm] Comedy without tragedy? That one _is_ a toughie. [/QUOTE] Wodehouse, man. For Bertie Wooster, ‘tragedy’ means ‘getting married to Madeleine Bassett’, so the comedy comes from his attempts to avoid this (and similar) fate(s) worse than death. If anybody dies in Wodehouse, it’s somebody’s rich uncle, and they die off-screen, to the significant financial advantage of one of Bertie’s pals. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/58 "2008-01-29T18:28:58Z")
Since Laurie’s books have been mentioned, I feel I should bring up the fact that Stephen Fry has written a few comedic novels. I’ve only read two, and one of them had time travel, so I guess I should only recommend _The Hippopotomus._ ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/59 "2008-01-29T19:01:12Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Greenjeans] Any book by Ben Elton is good for a laugh. [/QUOTE] [Popcorn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_%28novel%29) may not be the best choice given the “no blood” proscription. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883/60 "2008-01-29T19:06:13Z")
E.F. Benson (Lucia series) Gerald Durrell (love all his books but I’m thinking of the childhood books about growing up on Corfu) Thorne Smith (Topper) Auntie Mame (the actual book, forget the author) and, I just finished “Bridge of Birds” by Barry Hughart which reminded me quite a bit of stuff like The Princess Bride. I also think “Connecticut Yankee” by Mark Twain is very funny and I think that even though he’s a “classic” author, his voice and use of language is very accessible and modern. Then again, I am biased, I’m always debating who I love more…Dickens or Twain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-some-comedic-novels/433883.md?page=4)