# Recommend some truly funny books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420 "2005-07-07T05:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/21 "2005-07-07T13:24:46Z")
[Turning on the Girls](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0743442911/qid=1120743487/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_ur_1/103-4626061-1518218?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) by Cheryl Benard. Women run the world, and sex is really not fun anymore, so the government is in charge of coming up with appropriate post-revolutionary sexual fantasies. But there’s a renegade band of anti-revolutionary men who are trying to take the world back. Really, really funny. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/22 "2005-07-07T13:28:51Z")
I’d say any Dave Barry book _except_ Big Trouble (and his other novel). **Dave Barry’s Book of Bad Songs** is particularly good. **Bored of the Rings** by Christopher Cerf and Henry Beard orf the Harvard Lampoon **Science Made Stupid** and **Cvultvre Made Stupid** by Tom Weller **Mike Nelson’s Movie Megacheese** by (who else?) Mike Nelson (But none of his other books) **Help! I;m a Prisoner in a Chinese Bakery** and **Anybody who Owns his own Home Deserves it** by Alan King and collaborators \*_The Big Picture_ by A. Whitney Brown **Interior Desecrations** and **The Gallery of Regrettable Food** by James Lileks and the on-line MST3K-ification of “The Eye of Argon” at [http://www.bmsc.washington.edu/people/merritt/books/Eye\_of\_Argon.html](http://www.bmsc.washington.edu/people/merritt/books/Eye_of_Argon.html) These never fail to make me laugh out loud. There are comic novels that I love, and humorous authors that I like that aren’t on this list, but these are the “ha ha” laugh-out-loud funny books I know. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/23 "2005-07-07T13:28:51Z")
> [@F. U. Shakespeare](#): > > _Auntie Mame_ and _First Lady_ by Patrick Dennis. If you’re going to read Patrick Dennis, don’t miss [Little Me](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767913477/qid=1120743910/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-9224525-3529538), which I think is one of the funniest (and naughtiest, and most vicious!) books ever written. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/24 "2005-07-07T14:31:47Z")
> [@F. U. Shakespeare](#): > > My favorite Westlake is Help, I’m Being Held Prisoner. 😃 It’s my favorite Westlake, as well, but not as well known, nor as easy to find, as the Dortmunder books. And out of print. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/25 "2005-07-07T15:06:49Z")
Another vote for Wodehouse’s Jeeves & Wooster books. Particularly for Anglophiles, these will have you wetting your pants. Pat Conroy’s books, while serious in tone overall, also have some extremely funny scenes. The oldest son and oldest daughter’s dialogue (sorry, I forget their names) in “The Great Santini” is hilarious, as is the Marine Corps officers’ banquet scene. Conroy’s “The Lords of Discipline” has an unforgettable scene in which cadets at a military academy have their gastronomic revenge upon abusive upperclassmen by letting the upperclassmen “rob” them of a… special… batch of fudge. Peter David’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation” books have more than their share of laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/26 "2005-07-07T15:14:14Z")
You people are brilliant. Keep 'em coming. My paycheck fears the bookstore this evening. Also, **CalMeacham** : Is that the A. Whitney Brown of early 90s SNL fame? I always liked him, even though he often looked uncomfortable in front of a camera. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/27 "2005-07-07T15:27:12Z")
I always recommend My Family and Other Animals, and I see it’s been done! Here’s a sort of obscure one that I read quite some time ago. I hope I would still find it funny: [Famous People I Have Known](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/081319069X/qid=1120750883/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-9674746-9275353?v=glance&s=books) by Ed McClanahan. By the time you get to Little Enis and Boots’ Bar, you’ll be howling. He indeed knew some famous people and the self-deprecating humor is good. At least, that’s the way I remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/28 "2005-07-07T15:27:16Z")
Somebody up there mentioned **To Say Nothing of the Dog** , by Connie Willis, which is indeed hilarious, but first you have to read **Three Men in a Boat** , by Jerome K. Jerome, which is for my money the funniest book of all time and the inspiration for the Connie Willis book. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/29 "2005-07-07T15:30:56Z")
> [@](#): > > You people are brilliant. Keep 'em coming. My paycheck fears the bookstore this evening. > Also, CalMeacham: Is that the A. Whitney Brown of early 90s SNL fame? I always liked him, even though he often looked uncomfortable in front of a camera. The very same. I’ve seen him rarely since (he showed up on The Daily Show or something doing commentary), but not with any regularity. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/30 "2005-07-07T15:32:32Z")
> [@William V.](#): > > Conroy’s “The Lords of Discipline” has an unforgettable scene in which cadets at a military academy have their gastronomic revenge upon abusive upperclassmen by letting the upperclassmen “rob” them of a… special… batch of fudge. “Why are all my boys shitting in cans?!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/31 "2005-07-07T15:33:42Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Everything I have read by Christopher Moore has me laughing out loud. I was just gonna recommend [Lamb : The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380813815/qid=1120751291/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_ur_1/102-5011588-4706508?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) . Is the rest of his stuff as good? ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/32 "2005-07-07T17:03:31Z")
Honestly, I read Moore’s Island of the Sequined Love Nun and it didn’t really float my boat. More “zany” than fun. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/33 "2005-07-07T17:04:11Z")
To third it, anything by **Dave Barry** , I especially liked **Dave Barry Slept Here.** I know you didn’t want short stories, but **Steve Martin’s Pure Drivel** had me in tears in the store and that was just the foreward. I’ve since loaned the book out and it is gone forever. WAH! Another collection of stories, brilliantly done at that, **PJ o’Rourke** and **Holidays in Hell**. the man is a genius. I also enjoy Joe Queenan’s biting edge, but alot of his stuff ages fast. If you have ever been owned by your pets, you may enjoy\*\* Enslaved by Ducks\*\* the true story of a man who starts out with a bunny that hates them and eventually a house full of animals that control their lives. [Bob Tarte](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1565124502/qid=1120756687/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_ur_1/102-3802887-9024113?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) has a way of capturing a reason, mood or moment that makes you feel like you are right next to him the entire time. The bit about his raccoon problem left me in tears. There is another bit about a friend who had a wild raccoon come in everyone morning to say HI and have some toast. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/34 "2005-07-07T17:04:51Z")
That should read “More ‘zany’ than funNY.” I’m going for some more coffee now. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/35 "2005-07-07T17:07:39Z")
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/36 "2005-07-07T17:32:41Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I was just gonna recommend [Lamb : The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380813815/qid=1120751291/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_ur_1/102-5011588-4706508?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) . Is the rest of his stuff as good? Not really. Funny stuff, but I think **Lamb** is his funniest work to date. **The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove** and **Practical Demonkeeping** are pretty good, too. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/37 "2005-07-07T17:34:27Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. Great book. Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul was also brilliant. I’d forgotten about these… ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/38 "2005-07-07T17:50:16Z")
I’m in love with a series by a guy named Joe Lansdale about two guys in Texas. Hap is a redneck sort of white guy, and his best friend Leonard is a gay black guy. Their hobby is insulting each other, it gets pretty hilarious. In the meantime, they also become tangled up in various crimes through a series of odd coincidences, and then have to clear their names, so technically, it’s a mystery series but the real joy is the dialogue between Hap and Leonard. I should mention it gets rather vulgar, and the crimes are unsavory. The first book in the series is (I think) _Mucho Mojo_, although it’s the kind of series where you could really start with any title. The OP was asking for novels, so I’m not sure if memoir-type books count, but another book that had me giggling madly was _French Revolutions_, by travel writer Tim Moore. It’s about how he decides, with practically no training at all, to cycle the route of the Tour de France. Wacky antics ensue. I was also planning to mention _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ but **blackhobyah** and others beat me to it! ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/39 "2005-07-07T17:50:37Z")
Speaking of Douglas Adams, I’m wondering why I’m the first one to mention The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Is it too obvious to be named? Other ones: Loser Takes All and Our Man In Havana, both by Graham Greene, although the former might not count as a novel. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420/40 "2005-07-07T18:34:37Z")
I gotta say, some of y’all have a sense of humor that’s _very_ different from mine. Not that that’s a bad thing. My touchstone for funniest book (besides some of the P.G. Wodehouse books already mentioned) was **My Life and Hard Times** by James Thurber. It may be a little dated for the sensibilities of some here, but I love it. Lots of Terry Pratchett is laugh out loud funny to me. Example: **Pyramids**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-truly-funny-books/311420.md?page=3)