K, I need a good laugh right now. Humorous stories? Know of any? Thanks, in advance.
Mark Twain is usually a good bet. I actually got a really good kick out of Ketchum's "Sheep Meadow Story" from the collection Triage. Also, Goldman's novel The Princess Bride holds up well next to the film adaptation. My favorite Gaiman work, "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire," is pretty amusing. I'll add others if they come to me.
Errr - hum.... you could try 'Malice in Blunderland' by a rather dashing author. It has 'Uniporns' in it y'know.
I found John Dies at the End to be pretty funny.
Maybe: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.
What sort of humor do you like?
Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul Neilan.
Also I thought The Subject Steve by Sam Lipsyte was pretty great.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was hilarious. I maybe laughed like a hundred times.
John Dies, Apathy, yes, both very funny books. I was ultimately disappointed in them as stories, but still a fun ride. You could say the same about my first novel. Vonnegut's hilarious. Criag Ferguson's Between the Bridge and the River is not a comedy book per se, but still has many laughs (and is surprisingly-good literature for a TV personality). I tend to go nonfiction for humor. The Daily Show textbooks are chuckley, as are all of George Carlin's (especially Brain Droppings). Chuck Klosterman cracks me up.
Knock Em Stiff. But it may just be more of a nervous laugh.
Everything ever written by Douglas Adams. The Red Dwarf novelisations made me chuckle, too. Sometimes Magaret Atwood and Jane Austen make me smirk.
Douglas Adams! How could I forget?
I'm Aussie with an Irish father who went to boarding school in England, when I think of written humour I can only think of Douglas Adams and Red Dwarf!
Anything by Chuck Klosterman. His novels aren't as funny as his essays, but I like his style. Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs will have you laughing and thinking. If you grew up loving metal and pop metal, Fargo Rock City is fantastic. Klosterman IV is funny. Eating the Dinosaur isn't as funny.
I also highly suggest Killing Yourself to Live - chuckles throughout but also musings on life, death and relationships. The last few paragraphs are poignant. As my profile says, this is probably my favorite book, if for no other reason than I can relate.
I go on LitReactor, and find the comments worth chuckling, but I can't take you guys all on the plane or car with me, so must find a printed book worth buying. When I escape to the coast or somewhere peaceful, I want to laugh my heart out of all the pain and sorrow. I've been doing a pretty good job at making myself cry, so need inspiration to write hilarious things for the public again.
American Psycho is the kind of book where I chuckle out loud at the end of one paragraph, and then feel viscerally disturbed at the beginning of the next. Very hilarious, and very fucked up, piece of literature. Certainly not a novel for the squeamish.
What the smeg?!? Red Dwarf has novelisations? Please tell me they write Rimmer's name as Lister says it: 'Rimmeh'. And please please let there be one for Ace Rimmer. What a guy!
as are all of George Carlin's (especially Brain Droppings)
- Dammit, that was my answer.
And pretty much anything by Gary Larson
Novels that literally made me guffaw:
Catch-22
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Good Omens
My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist
Ah Gaiman is good for laughs. I'd say Neverwhere. I laughed out loud in several places.
Errr - hum.... you could try 'Malice in Blunderland' by a rather dashing author. It has 'Uniporns' in it y'know.
Err--hum.... yeah. This book is hilarious, but not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach!
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz - one of my favorites, many funny bits.
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore - hilarious
Chuck Palahniuk is often very funny.
I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan is pretty amusing.
Hell by Robert Olen Butler is really funny.
Chuck Klosterman is funny? I love his writing, but haven't read his essays in a while and I don't remember them being humorous.
I'm pretty sure there's some original Red Dwarf novels written by the series' primary writer (Doug Naylor, I think) and maybe another writer that aren't adaptations of episodes. Maybe they are though. I read one long ago. The show is on again too.
Re: My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist: Mark Leyner is great. Book is a bit more experimental than most of his rest though. Et Tu, Babe and The Tetherballs of Bougainville may be better choices. Tooth Imprints on a Corn Dog is good too. Here's a great piece of microfiction by him: http://www.oddverse.com/dz/archives/2002/10/car-trouble.html#comments. May be from My Cousin.
Non-fiction by Mark Twain and Hunter S. Thompson; somewhat similar modes of exaggeration. There's a piece by Twain where he talks about working at a newspaper in Tennessee which killed me, but I can't remember the title.
Agree with Renfield re: Catch 22 and Renee re: Gaiman. Red Dwarf figures highly, tho' I actually prefer the shows. The Black Adder screenplays are a rort. And I also dearly love Mark Twain and Hunter S. Thompson.
The Choirboys by Jospeh Wambaugh had some solid laughs.
Paul Quarrington was one of my favorite authors, and he won a few awards in Canada for his writing. He wrote a book called Home Game that I return to once every couple of years to remind me of how good-hearted and humorous writing can inspire a little hope even in a soul as blackened and bereft as mine. Some other books of his I recommend: Whale Music, King Leary, The Life of Hope, The Spirit Cabinet. Oh God, I love his books.
I'm for anything written by Christopher Moore. He's one of my 'hero' authors. I pre-order his books without a second thought. Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove is probably my favorite for humor (but Lamb is his best book, and also hilarious).
Good Omens, by Gaiman and Pratchett.
Still Life with Woodpecker, by Tom Robbins (anything by him is good).
Anything by Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett (depending on if you like sci-fi or fantasy)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas had me laughing my ass off, too.
Super Fudge
I was meaning to add Good Omens! Great book. Great story. And it's funny.
If you like good satire, then I would suggest Christopher Moore.
Confederacy of Dunces is giggle-licious. I actually laughed out loud reading that.
Ditto. Though I can't read it without hearing the voice of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. An obvious inspiration, I presume.
It was hilarious but I could never finish reading the book because Ignatious just seemed like a fatter, older version of me. Hit too close to home. Except now I've gotten older and fatter.
I thought the narrator in Stewart O'Nan's LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER to be a great wry character, in that same way WONDERBOYS had it's funny. I haven't read Junot Diaz's books but I've read a lot of his Yunior stories, and that also I agree is a pretty hilarious character.
So would a fan of Stewart O'Nan be considered an Onanist?
Ha! A well-known wit, he was famed for his Onanisms.
Youth In Revolt by C.D. Payne
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. In fact, anything by David Sedaris. The man is funny.
