Humor is personal: what makes one reader cry with laughter leaves another cold. This list mixes styles, from absurd science fiction to satire and personal essays, so you can find the kind of funny that suits you.
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Comic novels
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, and Arthur Dent sets off across the galaxy in his dressing gown. Absurd, quotable and very British.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. A satire of military bureaucracy in World War II whose title became a phrase for impossible, circular rules. Funny and, increasingly, dark.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. An angel and a demon who have grown fond of Earth try to prevent the apocalypse.
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. A boating holiday on the Thames, published in 1889 and still funny today.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Ignatius J. Reilly, one of literature’s most outrageous characters, wreaks havoc in New Orleans. Published after the author’s death, it won the Pulitzer Prize.
Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse. The clueless Bertie Wooster and his brilliant valet Jeeves; a good entry point to Wodehouse.
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Satire
The Sellout by Paul Beatty. A biting satire about race in America, and the first book by an American author to win the Booker Prize.
Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy that mocks everything from politics to Hollywood; Guards! Guards! is a popular starting point.
Humorous essays and memoirs
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. Essays about his family and his struggle to learn French in Paris.
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. Witty essays on aging and life in New York.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. A memoir of growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, both hilarious and moving.
Tips for finding your kind of funny
Read the first chapter before committing; humor reveals itself quickly. Audiobooks read by the author, like those of David Sedaris and Trevor Noah, add timing and voice. If you prefer warmth to satire, start with Wodehouse; if you like dark humor, try Heller. Funny books also make easy presents; see books to give as gifts.
