Funniest Novels of All Time
Humor isn't just what you see on YouTube or SNL. In fact, some of the funniest books stand the test of time for decades --or even centuries.
1 The Ultimate Hitchhiker's G...
by
4.34 of 5 stars 4.34 avg rating — 114,762 ratings
2 Catch-22
by
3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 271,952 ratings
3 A Confederacy of Dunces
by
3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 96,782 ratings
4 Good Omens
by
4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 145,079 ratings
5 Lamb: The Gospel According ...
by
4.28 of 5 stars 4.28 avg rating — 69,423 ratings
6 Three Men in a Boat
by
3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 13,514 ratings
7 The Princess Bride
by
4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 avg rating — 325,361 ratings
8 Dirk Gently's Holistic Dete...
by
3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 50,073 ratings
9 A Visit from Voltaire
by
3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 avg rating — 60 ratings
10 Thank You, Jeeves (Jeeves, #5)
by
4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 5,103 ratings
11 Me Talk Pretty One Day
by
3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 346,303 ratings
12 The Code of the Woosters (J...
by
4.36 of 5 stars 4.36 avg rating — 8,422 ratings
13 Cat's Cradle
by
4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 128,893 ratings
14 A Dirty Job
by
4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 44,772 ratings
15 The Importance of Being Ear...
by
4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 95,375 ratings
16 Sh*t My Dad Says
by
3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 46,817 ratings
17 Love and the Art of War
by
4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 18 ratings
18 Alice's Adventures in Wonde...
by
4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 194,235 ratings
19 Breakfast of Champions
by
4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 avg rating — 101,461 ratings
20 One For The Money (Stephani...
by
4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 189,804 ratings
21 Bloodsucking Fiends (A Love...
by
3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 30,686 ratings
22 Mort (Discworld, #4)
by
4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 avg rating — 49,989 ratings
23 I am America
by
3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 47,026 ratings
24 The Pickwick Papers
by
3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 9,117 ratings
25 Leave It to Psmith (Psmith,...
by
4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 avg rating — 3,024 ratings
26 Three Men on the Bummel
by
3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 1,417 ratings
27 Bridget Jones's Diary (Brid...
by
3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 avg rating — 392,421 ratings
28 A Walk in the Woods: Redisc...
by
4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 107,546 ratings
29 Scoop
by
3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 5,590 ratings
29 A Prayer for Owen Meany
by
4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 avg rating — 135,696 ratings
31 Fool
by
3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 22,635 ratings
32 The Wee Free Men (Discworld...
by
4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 32,692 ratings
33 Flashman (The Flashman Pape...
by
4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 4,067 ratings
34 The Hitchhiker's Guide to t...
by
4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 515,946 ratings
35 The Eyre Affair (Thursday N...
by
3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 55,026 ratings
36 Critical Failures
by
4.35 of 5 stars 4.35 avg rating — 20 ratings
37 Decline and Fall
by
3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 3,943 ratings
38 Don Quixote
by
3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 64,991 ratings
39 Dark Chatter
by
4.73 of 5 stars 4.73 avg rating — 26 ratings
40 Lucky Jim
by
3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 8,863 ratings
41 The Best Christmas Pageant ...
by
4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 14,498 ratings
42 Skinny Dip
by
3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 avg rating — 19,026 ratings
43 Gargantua and Pantagruel
by
3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 avg rating — 4,775 ratings
44 The Lust Lizard of Melancho...
by
3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 16,527 ratings
45 Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
by
3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 29,250 ratings
46 Practical Demonkeeping
by
3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 19,579 ratings
47 Cannery Row
by
3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 avg rating — 42,165 ratings
48 A Coupla Shades of Taupe: A...
by
4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 57 ratings
49 The Adrian Mole Diaries
by
3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 1,198 ratings
50 The Barrytown Trilogy: The ...
by
4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 avg rating — 1,538 ratings
51 Winnie-the-Pooh
by
4.32 of 5 stars 4.32 avg rating — 103,599 ratings
52 Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcome...
by
3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 10,210 ratings
52 I'm a Stranger Here Myself:...
by
3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 26,446 ratings
54 Monstrous Regiment (Discwor...
by
4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 22,434 ratings
55 Pippi Longstocking
by
4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 avg rating — 61,340 ratings
56 Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary...
by
3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 76,396 ratings
57 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
by
4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 117,496 ratings
58 Big Trouble
by
3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 6,913 ratings
59 Karlson on the Roof
by
3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 3,867 ratings
60 When You Are Engulfed in Fl...
by
3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 91,044 ratings
61 Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephan...
by
4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 47,197 ratings
62 Fluke: Or, I Know Why the W...
by
3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 avg rating — 20,401 ratings
63 The Big Over Easy (Nursery ...
by
3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 16,455 ratings
64 Two for the Dough (Stephani...
by
4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 75,644 ratings
65 Rodrick Rules (Diary of a W...
by
4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 39,136 ratings
66 The Sot-Weed Factor
by
4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 2,884 ratings
67 My Horizontal Life: A Colle...
by
3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 57,845 ratings
67 Assassination Vacation
by
4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 21,816 ratings
69 The Dog Who Wouldn't Be
by
4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 avg rating — 1,320 ratings
70 They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?
by
4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 avg rating — 1,141 ratings
71 John Dies at the End (John ...
by
3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 avg rating — 16,662 ratings
72 The Education of Hyman Kaplan
by
4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 avg rating — 321 ratings
73 Bite Me (A Love Story, #3)
by
3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 12,556 ratings
74 The Absolutely True Diary o...
by
4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 58,262 ratings
75 The Innocents Abroad
by
3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 4,473 ratings
75 Soulless (Parasol Protector...
by
3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 35,497 ratings
77 The Color of Magic (Discwor...
by
3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 92,078 ratings
78 Pyramids (Discworld, #7)
by
3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 24,477 ratings
79 Lost in a Good Book (Thursd...
by
4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 avg rating — 25,584 ratings
80 You Suck (A Love Story, #2)
by
3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 26,626 ratings
80 A Connecticut Yankee in Kin...
by
3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 avg rating — 46,522 ratings
82 Fearless Fourteen (Stephani...
by
3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 44,769 ratings
83 Thank You for Smoking
by
3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 5,916 ratings
83 Guards! Guards! (Discworld,...
by
4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 avg rating — 46,668 ratings
85 Coyote Blue
by
3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 avg rating — 12,868 ratings
86 The Well of Lost Plots (Thu...
by
4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 avg rating — 19,341 ratings
87 Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Ste...
by
3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 avg rating — 40,969 ratings
88 Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plu...
by
4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 48,421 ratings
89 Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plu...
by
4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 47,862 ratings
90 Eleven on Top (Stephanie Pl...
by
4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 avg rating — 53,513 ratings
91 To the Nines (Stephanie Plu...
by
4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 55,844 ratings
92 Hard Eight (Stephanie Plum,...
by
4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 58,260 ratings
93 The Milagro Beanfield War
by
4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 3,675 ratings
94 High Five (Stephanie Plum, #5)
by
4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 60,643 ratings
95 Seven Up (Stephanie Plum, #7)
by
4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 avg rating — 59,980 ratings
96 Island of the Sequined Love...
by
3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 15,262 ratings
97 Hot Six (Stephanie Plum, #6)
by
4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 61,771 ratings
98 Four to Score (Stephanie Pl...
by
4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 avg rating — 66,319 ratings
99 Three to Get Deadly (Stepha...
by
4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 70,293 ratings
100 Idiots in the Machine
by
3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 avg rating — 27 ratings
451 books · 460 voters · list created May 23rd, 2010 by Kelly (votes) .
Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds.


Kelly
Kelly
772 books
77 friends
Nathan
Nathan
1348 books
7 friends
Susanna
Susanna
2107 books
373 friends
Bettie
Bettie
8613 books
169 friends
Devan, Sarcasm Expert
Devan, Sarcasm Expert
553 books
44 friends
Morgan
Morgan
36 books
1 friend
Dixie
Dixie
489 books
97 friends
David
David
1421 books
125 friends

More voters…


Comments (showing 1-11 of 11) (11 new)

dateDown_arrow    newest »

message 1: by Nathan (last edited May 23, 2010 11:53am) (new)

Nathan Technically, Innocents Abroad is not really a novel. I had Twain's Letters From The Earth, Roughing It and A Pen Warmed Up In Hell on my list, then I realized this was a list for novels. :D


message 2: by Kelly (last edited Aug 09, 2012 07:35am) (new)

Kelly It's a novel, more so than some of the others. The main narrator is extremely Twain-like, no doubt, but fictionalized. Same with the Jerome K. Jerome books -- autobiographical, but presented as fiction.

I think if you can make a case for it, no harm in it being here!

Thanks for removing the more blatantly non-fic ones, though.


message 3: by Nathan (new)

Nathan It really is a non-fiction travel narrative though. Just saying. By all means keep it on, it's a great read.


message 4: by Nathan (new)

Nathan I love that Three Men In A Boat is public domain and free to download or read online. I'm re-reading it now, it's been over 20 years since I last read it.


message 5: by Kelly (new)

Kelly That's how I discovered it. My sister made me read the "Harris sings a comic song" section --still my favorite.


message 6: by Kelly (new)

Kelly Just added Moby Dick. The humor in it is underrated. I laughed out loud several times, starting in the beginning when Ishmael says he has to go to sea, and his only other choice is to walk around town knocking people's hat's off.


message 7: by Kylee (new)

Kylee How can moby-dick possibly be funny? I only read the first five chapters before getting so bored that I fell asleep


message 8: by Foxontherun (new)

Foxontherun Three Men in a Boat is such a funny, wonderful novel. I'm so glad its public domain now so more people are reading it!


message 9: by Louise (new)

Louise Does anyone else like the books by Robert Rankin and Tim Dorsey? Their books belong here too.


message 10: by Louise (new)

Louise Oops, I just Robert Rankin at number 101.


message 11: by Kelly (new)

Kelly Could some kind editor remove the non-fic from this list? (David Sedaris, Sh*t my Dad Says, etc.)


back to top



flag as offensive (?)

Anyone can add books to this list.