Much like poetry, humor is a work of art that has stood the test of time and requires a talented writer to pull it off correctly. Of course, humor is subjective, so the more popular entrees into this genre may be limited, but are still considered as some of the greatest works of all time. If you’re in a bad mood and could use a laugh, then these stories are perfect to help give your mood a bit of a boost! Immerse yourself into the best funny books and many more!
What Did These Funny Books Do To Qualify For This List
Any time you are ranking the best of something the results are usually somewhat subjective but we have did our best to come up with a list the readers of the funny genre will truly like. To come up with this list we took into account:
- quantity and quality of user reviews
- sales data
- public perception
- opinions of readers of this genres
- commercial success
- and of course personal opinion
Take a look at the best Funny Books you can read right now:
Table of Contents
Best Funny Books
Here are the best funny books by the experts:
1) The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
Book Summary: Don’t miss this curiously charming debut! In this hauntingly beautiful story of love, loneliness and self-discovery, an endearing widower embarks on a life-changing adventure.
Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater vest, waters his fern, Frederica, and heads out to his garden.
But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam’s death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam’s possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he’s never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur from London to Paris and as far as India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met—a journey that leads him to find hope, healing and self-discovery in the most unexpected places.
Featuring an unforgettable cast of characters with big hearts and irresistible flaws, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a joyous celebration of life’s infinite possibilities.
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2) Don’t Panic: Douglas Adams & the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Neil Gailman
Book Summary: Douglas Adams’s “six-part trilogy,” The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy grew from a blip of a notion into an ever-expanding multimedia universe that amassed an unprecedented cult of followers and became an international sensation. As a young journalist, Neil Gaiman was given complete access to Adams’s life, times, gossip, unpublished outtakes, and files (and became privy to his writing process, insecurities, disillusionments, challenges, and triumphs). The resulting volume illuminates the unique, funny, dramatic, and improbable chronicle of an idea, an incredibly tall man, and a mind-boggling success story.
In Don’t Panic, Gaiman celebrates everything Hitchhiker: the original radio play, the books, comics, video and computer games, films, television series, record albums, stage musicals, one-man shows, the Great One himself, and towels. And as Douglas Adams himself attested: “It’s all absolutely devastatingly true—except the bits that are lies.”
Updated several times in the thirty years since its original publication, Don’t Panic is available for the first time in digital form. Part biography, part tell-all parody, part pop-culture history, part guide to a guide, Don’t Panic “deserves as much cult success as the Hitchhiker’s books themselves” (Time Out).
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3) What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
Book Summary: Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe’s iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have a large and passionate following.
Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last?
In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.
The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with updated and expanded versions of the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? will be required reading for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical.
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4) The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha
Book Summary: Sometimes it’s easy to forget the things that make us smile. With a 24/7 news cycle reporting that the polar ice caps are melting, hurricanes are swirling in the seas, wars are heating up around the world, and the job market is in a deep freeze, it’s tempting to feel that the world is falling apart. But awesome things are all around us, like:
- Popping Bubble Wrap
- Wearing underwear just out of the dryer
- Fixing electronics by smacking them
- Getting called up to the dinner buffet first at a wedding
- WatchingThe Price Is Right when you’re home sick
- Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row
- Waking up and realizing it’s Saturday
The Book of Awesome reminds us that the best things in life are free (yes, your grandma was right). With laugh-out-loud observations from award-winning comedy writer Neil Pasricha, The Book of Awesome is filled with smile-inducing moments on every page that make you feel like a kid looking at the world for the first time. Read it and you’ll remember all the things there are to feel good about.
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5) Life is Funny by Seven Munson
Book Summary: Life is Funny contains 129 random, ridiculous, and sometimes inappropriate observations about life, people, and the stupid situations we find ourselves in on a daily basis. It will forever change your view on life.
For example, you’ll…
- Learn how to properly go potty outside the potty
- Think abstract art is even stupider than you thought it was
- Understand why being a virgin may be more STD prone than not being one
- Realize the “A” as in “Apple” pronunciation game can be way more fun
- Debate whether hibernation or bed rest is the best thing in the world
- Read it to a kid because there’s a free children’s book in the middle
At the very least, you’ll giggle and forget about how awful the world is.
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6) Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
Book Summary: In Furiously Happy, a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest:
“I’ve often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for experiencing extreme emotion that they might be able to experience extreme joy in a way that ‘normal people’ also might never understand. And that’s what Furiously Happy is all about.”
Jenny’s readings are standing room only, with fans lining up to have Jenny sign their bottles of Xanax or Prozac as often as they are to have her sign their books. Furiously Happy appeals to Jenny’s core fan base but also transcends it. There are so many people out there struggling with depression and mental illness, either themselves or someone in their family―and in Furiously Happy they will find a member of their tribe offering up an uplifting message (via a taxidermied roadkill raccoon). Let’s Pretend This Never Happened ostensibly was about embracing your own weirdness, but deep down it was about family. Furiously Happy is about depression and mental illness, but deep down it’s about joy―and who doesn’t want a bit more of that?
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7) All My Friends Are Dead by Avery Monsen
Book Summary: If you’re a dinosaur, all of your friends are dead. If you’re a pirate, all of your friends have scurvy. If you’re a tree, all of your friends are end tables. Each page of this laugh-out-loud illustrated humor book showcases the downside of being everything from a clown to a cassette tape to a zombie. Cute and dark all at once, this hilarious children’s book for adults teaches valuable lessons about life while exploring each cartoon character’s unique grievance and wide-eyed predicament. From the sock whose only friends have gone missing to the houseplant whose friends are being slowly killed by irresponsible plant owners (like you), All My Friends Are Dead presents a delightful primer for laughing at the inevitable.- Book Reviews:
8) Does It Fart?: The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence (Does It Fart Series) by Nick Caruso
Book Summary: Dogs do it. Millipedes do it. Dinosaurs did it. You do it. I do it. Octopuses don’t (and nor do octopi). Spiders might do it: more research is needed. Birds don’t do it, but they could if they wanted to. Herrings do it to communicate with each other.
In 2017 zoologist Dani Rabaiotti’s teenage brother asked her a most teenaged question: Do snakes fart? Stumped, Rabaiotti turned to Twitter. The internet did not disappoint. Her innocent question spawned the hashtag #doesitfart and it spread like a noxious gas. Dozens of noted experts began weighing in on which animals do and don’t fart, and if they do, how much, how often, what it’s made of, what it smells like, and why.
Clearly, the public demands more information on animal farts. Does it Fart? fills that void: a fully authoritative, fully illustrated guide to animal flatulence, covering the habits of 80 animals in more detail than you ever knew you needed.
What do hyena farts smell especially bad? What is a fossa, and does it fart? Why do clams vomit but not fart? And what is a fart, really? Pairing hilarious illustrations with surprisingly detailed scientific explanations, Does it Fart? will allow you to shift the blame onto all kinds of unlikely animals for years to come.
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9) How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You (The Oatmeal) by The Oatmeal and Matthew Inman
Book Summary: TheOatmeal.com’s most popular cat jokes, including “How to Pet a Kitty” and “The Bobcats,” plus 15 new and never-before-seen catthemed comics, are presented in this hilarious collection from New York Times best-selling author Matthew Inman, a.k.a. TheOatmeal.com. Includes pull-out poster!
Jesus Rollerblading Christ–another helping of TheOatmeal! Mrow, MOAR kitty comics. Mr. Oats delivers a sidesplitting serving of cat humor in his new book, How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You.
If your cat is kneading you, that’s not a sign of affection. Your cat is actually checking your internal organs for weakness. If your cat brings you a dead animal, this isn’t a gift. It’s a warning. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You is a hilarious, brilliant offering of comics, facts, and instructional guides about crazy cat behaviors from the creative wonderland at TheOatmeal.com.
How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You presents fan favorites, such as “Cat vs. Internet,” “How to Pet a Kitty,” and “The Bobcats,” plus 17 brand-new, never-before-seen cat-themed comic strips. This Oatmeal collection is a must-have for cat-lovers from Mr. Oats! A pullout poster is included at the back of the book.
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10) F In Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Answers by Richard Benson
Book Summary: “F” stands for “funny” in this perfect gift for students or anyone who has ever had to struggle through a test and needs a good laugh. Celebrating the creative side of failure in a way we can all relate to, F in Exams gathers the most hilarious and inventive test answers provided by students who, faced with a question they have no hope of getting right, decide to have a little fun instead. Whether in science (Q: What is the highest frequency noise that a human can register? A: Mariah Carey), the humanities (Q: What did Mahatma Gandhi and Genghis Khan have in common? A: Unusual names), math, or other subjects, these 250 entries prove that while everyone enjoys the spectacle of failure, it’s even sweeter to see a FAIL turn into a WIN.- Book Reviews:
Best Funny Movies
If you enjoyed the best funny books, why stop there? Take a look at our list of best funny movies and witness these marvelous films from the big screen.
1)Best in Show
Starring: Jennifer Coolidge , Christopher Guest , et al.
Directed by: Christopher Guest
Movie Summary: The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of contestants from America prepare to take part in the funny Mayflower Dog Show.
Movie Reviews:
2)When Jews Were Funny
Starring: Rodney Dangerfield , Howie Mandel and Marc Maron
Directed by: Alan Zweig
Movie Summary: Insightful and often hilarious, Alan Zweig’s documentary “When Jews Were Funny” surveys the history of Jewish comedy, from the early days of Borscht belt to the present, ultimately exploring not just ethnicity in the entertainment industry, but also the entire unruly question of what it means to be Jewish.
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3)Book Club
Starring: Diane Keaton , Jane Fonda , Candice Bergen , et al.
Directed by: Bill Holderman
Movie Summary:Four friends’ (Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen) lives are turned upside down to hilarious ends when their book club tackles the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey. Also starring Andy Garcia, Don Johnson and Craig T. Nelson.
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4)Mid90s
Starring: Sunny Suljic , Lucas Hedges and Katherine Waterston
Directed by: Jonah Hill
Movie Summary: From director Jonah Hill, Mid90s is a funny, moving look at Stevie, a kid in 90s LA, as he escapes his turbulent home life with a new group of friends he meets at a local skate shop, plunging him into a world of fun, danger, and excitement
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5)Rock and Roll The Movie
Starring: Darren Dowler , Clark Koelsch , Daniel Laney , et al.
Directed by: Darren Dowler
Movie Summary: David Roso moves to LA to become a big music agent. He ends up betting his prized 57′ T-Bird that within 4 months he can get an aged, beer bellied 80’s rocker, Steve Taylor a record deal. David soon learns it IS all about sex, drugs and Rock & Roll.
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Best Funny Audio Books
Now that you’ve seen our list of the best funny books and movies, I’m sure you’ll be interested in trying out more of the best funny books in audio!
1)Trouble in Mudbug by Jana DeLeon, Johanna Parker, et al.
Book Summary: Scientist Maryse Robicheaux thought that a lot of her problems had gone away with her mother-in-law’s death. The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana. Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit. DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into – especially as it seems someone wants her dead. Keeping his secrets while protecting Maryse proves to be easier than fighting his attraction for the brainy beauty.
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2)Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel by Gail Honeyman, Cathleen McCarron, et al.
Book Summary: Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.
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3)Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland by Dave Barry, Dick Hill, et al.
Book Summary: We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will. Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, “What the hell is wrong with Florida?” Somehow, the state’s acquired an image as a subtropical festival of stupid, and as a loyal Floridian, Dave begs to differ. Sure, there was the 2000 election. And people seem to take their pants off for no good reason. And it has flying insects the size of LeBron James. But it is a great state, and Dave is going to tell you why. One of the best funny books you can find in audio.
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4)Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah and Audible Studios
Book Summary: Attuned to the power of language at a young age – as a means of acceptance and influence in a country divided, then subdivided, into groups at odds with one another – Noah’s raw, personal journey becomes something extraordinary in audio: a true testament to the power of storytelling. With brutal honesty and piercing wit, he forgoes an ordinary reading and, instead, delivers something more intimate, sharing his story with the openness and candor of a close friend. His chameleon-like ability to mimic accents and dialects, to shift effortlessly between languages including English, Xhosa, and Zulu, and to embody characters throughout his childhood – his mother, his gran, his schoolmates, first crushes and infatuations – brings each memory to life in vivid detail. Hearing him directly, you’re reminded of the gift inherent in telling one’s story and having it heard; of connecting with another, and seeing them as a human being.
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5)The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson, Roger Wayne, et al.
Book Summary: In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be positive all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.
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Conclusion
What do you think about our list of best funny books? If you have another genre that you prefer to read we have probably compiled a list of our favorites for that genre too. So if you are looking for something other than the best funny books you can find other genres here.
