<p>I’ve found any books by Nick Hornby make me laugh out loud.</p>
<p>the Stephanie Plum series by janet evanovich… 17 of them so far…i laugh every time</p>
<p>^^^ (Hi Parent56)</p>
<p>Agree - though I haven’t read the 17th book yet. Even though the “funny” has evened out for me since the first books, I never get through one without a laugh-out-loud moment. Yes - “mind candy” - but not a thing wrong with that, right?</p>
<p>agreed ignatius!!! finished 17 last week…would agree that some repetitiveness now…will it be Joe Morelli or Ranger is getting a bit old…but Grandma Mazur and Lula still crack me up!</p>
<p>I second Bruce Hornby for fiction and David Sidaris for non-fiction. Truly laugh-out-loud funny, but at the same time intellectually engaging.</p>
<p>Well, Bruce Hornsby has written a few good songs, but I prefer Nick Hornby for funny, readable novels! ;)</p>
<p>Agree with Handling Sin (sometimes my all-time favorite book), Hornby, David Lodge, Richard Russo (Straight Man is hilarious!), David Sedaris, Carl Hiasson–all great choices.</p>
<p>Another funny campus novel, if someone likes that sub-genre, is Jane Smiley’s Moo.</p>
<p>Jennifer Crusie – Manhunting, or Bet Me.</p>
<p>Great thread. One of my goals these days is to laugh more…a lot more. To that end, I’ve been really making it a point to read funny novels and watch funny movies. Keep it coming. I’m compiling a list.</p>
<p>A Confederacy of Dunces FTW</p>
<p>Some of Tom Perrotta’s books, including “Election” (the source of the movie).</p>
<p>A few of Martin Amis’s and Richard Price’s early books.</p>
<p>The first ten or so Stephanie Plum books.</p>
<p>Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik</p>
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<p>I can’t even believe I did that. Duh.</p>
<p>I have to fifth or sixth Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books. It is true that the central premise is getting a little old, but Lula and Grandma Mazur never fail, and the first five or six of them are truly hilarious. </p>
<p>There’s a passage involving a bag of dog poop and a carpet car that is probably the funniest thing I’ve read in print. (I think that may be book five, but you have to start at the beginning: no cheating!) Read out loud, it reduced our entire family to tears. :)</p>
<p>David Sedaris is wonderful. He’s even funnier when he reads his own work, if that is possible.</p>
<p>While at the beach I read I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg. Gentle and silly, it is based on a very non-funny premise. </p>
<p>Have you read Bailey White? I read Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Other Dangers of Southern Living years ago. I kept trying to read funny sections to my family but would crack up so badly that I couldn’t.</p>
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<p>Almost 10 years ago my mother had a severe stroke and ended up bedridden before passing on after three months. Most visits I would take the time to read to her, as she remained mentally alert just not physically capable. One book had me laughing so hard I could barely read and Mother laughed so hard that tears streamed from her eyes. It remains a good memory from a really bad time. I’ve tried for years to remember the name of that book: I had no idea where we got it or where it went after her death. The minute I saw this post I thought I recognized the title. I’ve already looked it up on Amazon and it is the book. I’ve wanted my hands on a copy of this book for years … and you solved the mystery of title/author. Truly, truly grateful.</p>
<p>ignatius, that’s a wonderful memory and I’m glad I helped reconnect you with that book!</p>
<p>Bailey White used to read essays on NPR; they were wonderful and funny. You can listen to some of them online (google Bailey White NPR; here is one [A</a> Thanksgiving Tradition With Bailey White : NPR](<a href=“http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97575057]A”>A Thanksgiving Tradition With Bailey White : NPR)
) but I don’t see my favorite. She taught 1st grade (I think it was first grade) and was feeling pressure from the other teachers to have her class put on a play. She chose as the subject of his play…the sinking of the Titanic! (???)</p>
<p>Anyway, the essay was ridiculously funny.</p>
<p>“Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi. This is a science fiction novel that frequently made me laugh out loud. Shared it with numerous people who all agreed that it was great, fast-paced, and very funny.</p>
<p>I’ve written down some of these great ideas! At present I am reading “Thank you For Smoking” by Christopher Buckley, as I needed some decompression after some heavy reading, and it is hilarious. For more comic satire, I also enjoy Carl Hiaasen when I need some good laughs. If you are a Jane Austen fan and were thinking of rereading one of her books, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a fun twist to her work.</p>