# Recommend a truly funny book (again) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959 "2008-08-22T20:34:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/21 "2008-08-24T05:22:53Z")
An oldie but a goodie, I always enjoyed National Lampoon’s _Bored Of The Rings_. It has been out of print for a few years, but you can find it if you look hard enough. Even better now that the trilogy has been made with all the CGI and what not, but I can honestly say that every time I have loaned out my copy of the book it never gets returned. This is honestly a sit down, get stoned and piss yourself laughing book. IMO. I no longer loan out any books. AT ALL. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/22 "2008-08-24T05:46:01Z")
_Bridge of Birds_, by Barry Hughart, is a hilarious romp through a fantasy China. The adventures of Master Li and Number Ten Ox are funny enough in themselves, but the style in which they’re described puts them right over the top. I’ve read it many times over the years, and it still makes me laugh. The other two books in the series, _The Story of the Stone_ and _Eight Skilled Gentlemen_ aren’t quite as funny, but are still excellent stories. (For fans of the books who also like PC games: You might check out an older game called _Jade Empire_. I don’t know if material was lifted with permission or not, but the game incorporates several names and ideas from the books, notably Henpecked Ho and the Marvelous Bamboo Dragonfly. The game is pretty fun in itself, too, in parts.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/23 "2008-08-24T14:41:05Z")
My favorite funny book of all time is **The Milagro Beanfield War** , by John Nichols. I’ve probably read it five times and it cracks me up every time. Perhaps it’s just my odd sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/24 "2008-08-24T18:42:17Z")
Christopher Buckley, _Boomsday_. If you enjoy skewering of the baby boomers and generational politics. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/25 "2008-08-24T20:35:26Z")
[QUOTE=Birdmonster] - _The Thirteen and 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear_: A fantasy for adults with exquisite illustrations. A great gift book too. Again. [/quote] Speaking of bears, how about _The Bear went over the Mountain_ by William Kotzwinkle. It’s a send-up of the publishing industry, featuring a bear who steals a manuscript and gets it published. And of course, almost anything by Terry Pratchett. ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/26 "2008-08-25T06:02:57Z")
Anything by Patrick McManus…A Fine & Pleasant Misery, The Night the Bear Ate Goombah, Never Sniff a Gift Fish. A master of the short story, Pat McManus writes about his experiences growing up in rural Idaho during the depression. My favorite stories are about his childhood adventures with his friend Crazy Eddy Muldoon. (My all-time favorite is _The Skunk Ladder_). Wonderful stuff. Love, Phil ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/27 "2008-08-25T06:46:34Z")
[A Confederacy of Dunces](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=confederacy+of+dunces&x=14&y=17). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/28 "2008-08-25T10:07:09Z")
The linked thread mentioned Christopher Moore, and specifically Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. Which was indeed funny but had a sad overtone because, well, you know what’s going to happen to “Josh” (and of course Biff doesn’t know about the whole resurrection thing, so there’s a lot of grief on his part at the end). I’ve only read one other - “The Stupidest Angel, A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terrror” and that was pretty funny too. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/29 "2008-08-25T12:25:48Z")
Anything by [Christopher Moore](http://chrismoore.com/books.html) is a great read (and impossible to not quote from). I discovered him with _Island of the Sequined Love Nun_ and immediately knew I had a new favorite author. Start with his lighter early books - _Practical Demonkeeping_, which you could follow with _The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove_ and _The Stupiest Angel_ - they all take place in the same locale. Or you could start with _Bloodsucking Fiends_, followed by _A Dirty Job_ and _You Suck_, a lovely series about young vampires and Death, all loosely related and set in a San Francisco you’ll really enjoy visiting through his eyes. One of my favorites that I really have to re-read is [Fluke, or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings.](http://chrismoore.com/practical_demonkeeping.html) It’s an amazingly imaginative story about a marine biologist - but that falls so short of a decent description. I’d suggest you read the exerpt in the link and let it convince you. His next book _Fool_ comes out in February, and I’ll be pre-ordering it from Amazon as soon as it’s available. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/30 "2008-08-25T12:31:11Z")
Try any of The Pirate adventures by Gideon Defoe. I was in hysterics nearly every other page of the ones I’ve read. [This](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirates-Whaling-Scientists/dp/0753822997/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219667317&sr=1-8) has two stories in one book, so would make a good starting point. [QUOTE= Amazon] Scientists: 1837: the Victorian Era approaches. Worried that his pirates are getting bored with a life of winking at pretty native ladies, sitting about on tropical beaches, and trying to stick enough jellyfish together to make a bouncy castle, the Pirate Captain decides it’s time they had an adventure. A chance encounter with the young Charles Darwin leads the Captain and his rag-tag crew from the exotic Galapagos Islands to the fog filled streets of Victorian London, where they encounter grisly murder, vanishing ladies, a diabolical Bishop and the Elephant Man. Whaling: Since she sailed away after the pirates’ adventure with scientists, the pirates’ boat has been somewhat battered by the rigours of ocean life. The Pirate Captain decides he must pay a visit to Cutlass Liz’s boat yard and trade his ship in for a newer model. Dazzled by the swan-lined curtains and tennis courts of ‘The Lovely Emma’, and frankly, by Cutlass Liz’s lovely face, the Pirate Captain makes a rash decision and finds himself with a debt of six thousand doubloons, and very little time in which to pay it before the sands of Liz’s hourglass run out and he and his crew are gutted like fish. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/31 "2008-08-25T12:46:20Z")
carl hiassen. any of them. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/32 "2008-08-25T13:07:23Z")
Tom Robbins, Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates [Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Invalids-Home-Hot-Climates/dp/055337933X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219669468&sr=1-1) He’s just wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/33 "2008-08-25T13:10:42Z")
[QUOTE=rocking chair] carl hiassen. any of them. [/QUOTE] Seconded. ETA: Though it’s **Hiaasen** , if you’re looking for his books. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/34 "2008-08-25T15:35:11Z")
[Look what I found. A free sample!](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/0297848852/ref=sib_fs_bod?ie=UTF8&p=S00F&checkSum=NdQ2waBSLnapo3w5oQh%2BhlkhyuSUKJhXd7GN12umBHo%3D#reader-page) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/35 "2008-08-25T15:40:18Z")
_I, Lucifer_, Glen Duncan - the devil gets a chance at redemption, providing he can live a blameless(-ish) life for a month as a dissolute writer in London - but does he actually want to? (Glen Duncan has some very dark books to his name, but this one’s nicely pitched.) _The Vesuvius Club_ and _The Devil in Amber_, Mark Gatiss (one of the writers/actors from the _League of Gentlemen_) - the sordid and thrilling adventures of a bisexual raconteur and spy extraordinaire as he repeatedly saves the world. ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/36 "2008-08-25T15:43:45Z")
**Rock On: An Office Power Ballad** by Dan Kennedy. It’s about the time he spent in marketing at a record label. It’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/37 "2008-08-25T15:56:47Z")
Just about anything by David Sedaris, but I find I like his books on tape much more than his books. Half (or more) of the fun is in his delivery of his own material. Try _Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice_ and _Naked_ before his later stuff. Another vote for P.G. Wodehouse, if you like sly, dry British humor. The _Jeeves and Wooster_ books are great! Pat Conroy’s _The Great Santini_ and _The Lords of Discipline_ are serious books, but both have very funny scenes that left me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. Douglas Adams of _Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ fame co-wrote (with Mark Carwardine) a very funny nonfiction book about endangered species called _Last Chance to See_. Highly recommended, even if you didn’t like _Hitchhiker’s_. _A Long Way Down_ by Nick Hornby is a truly hilarious book about suicide. Seriously! Well worth a read. _Brainiac_ is a very funny, very well-written nonfiction book by _Jeopardy!_ champion Ken Jennings, about his many appearances on the show and society’s enduring love of trivia. _Tuf Voyaging_ by George R.R. Martin is the funniest science fiction book I’ve ever read, with a serious message (about overpopulation, environmentalism and the dangers of absolute power) but a lot of laughs along the way. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/38 "2008-08-25T17:55:55Z")
Ah! I was away on a long, computer-less weekend (camping though, so it was glorious) and returned to so many goodies. Thanks. A few responses: - LOVED The Bear Went Over the Mountain. Think I got that one of that previous thread too. It lasted two days. Barely. Ha…ha…sorry. - **Left Hand of Dorkness** : I understand that. I really enjoyed the pedagogical bent in his writing and think the characters still shine through, but to each his own. For my money, I’ve always found Tom Robbins a bit maddening. I feel like his novels have so much promise and then just kind of peter out at the end—_Fierce Invalids_ was still great though. I feel like everyone should give him a try but he doesn’t give me that “must read” feeling, personally. - **Thudlow** : Thanks again. _HS_ has been purchased for at least 5 people in my life, all to rave reviews. Like I said, truly my favorite book. And non-fiction would be just fine. - I too love Buckley. _Thank You For Smoking_, obviously, is a gem, but so are _Little Green Men_ and _Florence of Arabia_, the latter of which is quite timely right now. - And yeah, keep 'em coming. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/39 "2008-08-25T18:02:51Z")
On the music tip: - An Arky: we’re doing the always glorious Black Cat (the little room) on October 5th. Come say hi if you do come. I’ve got a mop of black hair, play the bass, keys, banjo & mandolin. Should be easy to find. - Wordman: Drat. And double drat. That’s it for us, unless we find a college or two to pay us (and pay for our gas home). We’re trying though. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959/40 "2008-08-25T18:14:45Z")
_The Gun Seller_ by Hugh Laurie (aka Dr. House). A very funny James Bond-style spy novel done in quirky British style. If you like British humor, you’ll probably like this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-truly-funny-book-again/460959.md?page=3)