Funny books Part I
One of the readers on I Will Dare asked me to list some 'good humor' books.
So here’s a list of books that I found funny. I am only covering fiction here, which is hard because I find that not a lot of books are funny, at least not funny on purpose. As for nonfiction if you can’t find the funny in David Sedaris or Sarah Vowell or (as much as it pains me to say it) some of Chuck Klosterman’s stuff, well I can’t help you.
Syrup and Jennifer Government by Max Barry
It’s been a long, long, long time since I read Syrup,
maybe 10 or so years. I know that I have it in hardcover and it might
have come out in the mid to late nineties. However, I do remember that
it’s a funny as hell look at marketing and the absurdity behind the
advertising and marketing world. Which brings me to Jennifer Government which takes the marketing-crazy world of Syrup a step further where the entire planet is run by marketers. It’s hilarious.
Microserfs and JPod by Douglas Coupland
I’ve been a Coupland fan since my early 20s. In fact, I named my computer Jed because Dan, the narrator of Microserfs, uses it as a password. I think over the years Microserfs
has gotten even funnier than it was originally. Why? Because it’s so
dated now and it’s funny to read what characters think about “the
information superhighway.”
Jpod was often dubbed as a follow-up or sequel to Microserfs, I am not sure why. Maybe because it also takes place in a software company. But that’s where the similarity ends. Jpod is a weird, funny exercise in absurdity with only a little bit in common with reality. Probably one of my top four favorite Coupland books.
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
This book often makes my top ten list of favorite books of all time.
Why? Because it has that delicious combination of funny and moving that
is so rare in a lot of the books I read. I mean, come on a couple who
purposely breeds their kids to be circus freaks is hilarious. Learning
that even circus freaks are complex people, moving. It’s like a
double-plus win win here.
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
I’ve written about Ella Minnow Pea before, you can read about it here.
Happiness by Will Ferguson
A self-help books cures unhappiness, depression, cynicism, calamity ensues, and it’s really quite funny.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
A 15-year-old autistic boy decides to solve the murder of Wellington,
his neighbor’s poodle. While it could have been really easy for Haddon
to fall into the trap of being sentimental or condescending towards his
autistic narrator, he manages to avoid both and in the process creates
a complex character whose view of the world is unflinching in its
honesty, and when done right honesty is quite humorous.
The Hotel New Hampshire and The World According to Garp by John Irving
If you haven’t read either of these books I pity you and the empty spot
in your soul where these books would go. No amount of words can even
begin to explain the beauty, complexity, and humor found in these
Irving novels.
Comments
I own two copies of the poodle book, but have read neither. I should get on that.
It's not that I'm dumb, its just that I'm comfortable enough with my own intelligence that I don't feel the need for every book I read to double as billboard that tells the rest of the world how very smart I am.
Booklist - John Green
Although many will find something offensive in this novel, which pokes fun at every major religious tradition that existed in the first century, they will find it simply impossible not to laugh.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Moore’s storytelling style is reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams.
Rocky Mountain News
An instant classic...terrific, funny and poignant.
Also, this might come as a surprise to you, but sometimes newspapers are wrong. Lamb = not so funny.
And you can trot out the elitist label all you want, but if you actually read the list you'll see that I even included books that were made into movies! Some of them even made the bestsellers list.
I see that you are trying to put me down and make fun of me for still enjoying and endorsing Vonnegut, and I don't care. He was a gifted and brilliant writer and if that makes me a dork or a certain something that you deem 'not cool' or juvenile or whatever it is, so be it.
Good literature like Vonnegut and Judy Blume transcend age and time.
You must have a definition of what you deem good or worthy of your time, what is that. How do you decide what you think you'll enjoy?
As for Vonnegut being overrated, I can't have that argument with you. He's one of those authors I hold close to my heart and I think all the praise that is heaped upon him is totally deserved.
Happiness sounds intriguing and I will add it to my queue.