Funniest Books You've Read

I, Partridge.

The audiobook version.

osarusan wrote: »

Catch 22 might be worth a read.

+1

Not a comedy by any stretch but some genuine laugh out loud parts. A lot of them because of Milo's antics.

Also, anything from The Flashman Papers. I'd suggest starting with the first installment, Flashman, but after that you could probably read them in any order.

PG Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster books have always hit the spot with me. His use of the first person narrative never leaves you in any doubt that Bertie Wooster really is the author.

George Macdonald Fraser's Flashman and Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are also funny though of different styles.

Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (War Memoirs)by Spike Milligan

Brendan Behan's Confession of an Irish Rebel. Basically him wandering around Dublin, Belfast, London and Paris getting blind drunk and insulting everyone he meets. What an absolutely marvellous wit he had.

The Fridge in a Denim Jacket

'Best of Myles'(Myles Na Gcopaleen) is a compilation of newspaper articles that I return to again and again, and it leaves me doubled up every time. Also 'The Third Policeman' (as Flann O'Brien) is surreally hilarious.

I second 'A confederacy of dunces'.

(By the way, Fr. Kurt Fahrt is a Flann O'Brien creation, so clearly I'm very biased)

Definately adding a vote for Discworld - Guards, Guards is a good place to start, or Wyrd Sisters*. Mind you, a lot of people seem to have started with Mort. Good Omens is his collaboration with Neil Gaimen if you want a slightly less fantasy bent on it all.

Bill Bryson is always good for a chuckle, especially when travelling. Notes from a Big Country is great for travelling as it's a collection of his articles in a paper from the 90s so easy to pick up and put down.

Recently, I've read through Mark Forsyth's Horologicon, Etymologicon and Elements of Eloquence - recommend you start with Etymologicon where he picks a word and then travels madly through the English language linking words to it and explaining their connections and background. Very humorous writer with it.

All of them are available on Kindle if you're an e-book reader. Bryson and Pratchett are easily gettable in pretty much any bookshop, Forsyth is an Amazon job though (although kindle helps there).

*Don't recommend you start with Colour of Magic, Light Fantastic, Strata or Dark Side of the Sun (I think) tbh. I quite enjoyed them but they're not the best start off into the world of Pratchett. All very early books of his and he's not really hit his stride in them.

Although they tend to deal with quite serious subject matters Irvine Welsh's earlier works are some of the funniest books I've ever read. From Trainspotting through to Ecstasy, The Maribou Stork Nightmares and Glue, he creates worlds and characters that'll have you laughing out loud every few pages.

Another hilarious book which follows a similar style of humour is Kill your Friends by John Niven. Again, the comedy is as black as coal but so long as you'e not easily offended you should love it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kill-Your-Friends-John-Niven/dp/0099592096/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463658179&sr=1-1&keywords=kill+your+friends

the evasion_kid wrote: »

Mccarethys bar by pete Mccarthy

I read this on holiday 13 years ago (oh crap that makes me feel old) and remember really enjoying it. I cant remember any particulars so i must give it another read.