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2021 April Reading Challenge
I could definitely use a good laugh...Although I've never actually searched specifically for "funny". When trying new books, I always worry about ending up with crude comedy with a lot of language; which isn't really my thing. After some brief research...I have settled on reading one of the following:Please Don't Eat the Daisies by Jean Kerr
If You Ask Me by Betty White
If any of you have other suggestions for clean comedy (PG or lower) reading I would love some advise!
Mod
Deborah wrote: "I could definitely use a good laugh...Although I've never actually searched specifically for "funny". When trying new books, I always worry about ending up with crude comedy with a lot of language;..."I found The Amulet of Samarkand and Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians both very funny.
I can much more easily come up with a long list of funny picture books and middle grade fiction. But as far as adult fiction suggestions, Earlier this year I enjoyed Miss Buncle's Book (from the 1930s), and I found How to Raise an Elephant hilarious (maybe because I got the audio book for it).I haven't decided what to read this month yet, but I am working on it.
For more adult books, Tom Holt and John Scalzi are pretty funny, though I can't guarantee they're always PG.
For anyone that's looking for funny, let me recommend Scott Meyer. Specifically, Off to Be the Wizard
Clean and hilarious. Especially if you're even a touch nerdy/geeky.
Greg wrote: "For anyone that's looking for funny, let me recommend Scott Meyer. Specifically, Off to Be the Wizard
Clean and hilarious. Especially if you're even a touch nerdy/geeky."
I've read that. Rather odd, but funny.
Audrey wrote: "I've ..."Odd, yes. There's a whole series.
I second the Amulet of Samarkand and sequels. Hilarious.Also Patricia Wrede's Dealing with Dragons and sequels and Sorcery and Cecelia and sequels. Favorites.
We listened to Saving Winslow on a family road trip last month and while not necessary a book intended to be humor, my husband and I both laughed aloud a few times.
Honestly, I'm rereading Pride and Prejudice right now and I always find that hilarious.
Tina Fey's Bossypants really struck my funny bone. Of course, comedy is her forte. It's her story of getting the TV Show 30 Rock going, among other things. As a bonus, it's not really long.If mystery is your thing, Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum stories are fun as are the cat antics of Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who series, except the last one. (She was very ill and it showed in the lack of focus of the story.)
Mod
Good Omens
by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
4/4 for 2021"
Go Greg!
Mod
Alcatraz vs the evil librarians is my favorite Sanderson book! So much fun.
Mod
Of course, there's always Discworld. I might do that.
Went for something short again and read "Ivy and Bean" #10 Take the Case. Some in the series are funnier than others, but they do all have some funny bits. (Some of my favorites in the series are #9, #6, and #4.)
Just finished The Flatshare and while far deeper than I expected it still made me laugh aloud multiple times.(Not PG though)
Mod
(Not PG though)"
I really liked the Flatshare. It made me laugh, and I teared up a little bit too.
I’m reading The anatomists Wife by Anna Lee Huber it is the first book in the Lady Darby mystery series. This will be my third time reading the book. I find the banter between the two main characters hilarious.
I have finished Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich. Lots of laughs, which I dearly needed. Thanks for having this as our challenge!Sometimes it seems Evanovich got her "hunts" by asking a whole bunch of bounty hunters "Which are the strangest, but true, "failure to appear" cases that you pursued?" Because, funny as they are, some seem very plausible in very similar situations. I almost expect the disclaimer "names have been changed to protect everyone, because no one would admit to having this happen to them, innocent or charged persons."
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is also hilarious. And PG.
Evanovich is MR, straddling the line of M and R.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I will add a few of these to my reading list!
Mod
I just finished reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I saw that the BBC series is available on Amazon Prime streaming, so I will definitely check that out.
I loved the miniseries too, but the movie was not nearly as good.
I, too, chose to re-read a book in the Stephanie Plum series. I read Hardcore Twenty-Four. I am also reading the Big Library read, which I think meets the theme, The Art of Taking It Easy: How to Cope with Bears, Traffic, and the Rest of Life's Stressors. Thanks for another great topic choice!
Simon Jones, who did the Guide narrations for the Hitchhiker's mini-series, narrates The Amulet of Samarkand audiobook.
Mod
Right. I love The Book so much better in the miniseries. The animation is WAY better than in the movie.
Mod
Ooh! Those are on my to be read list, but I might have to do the audiobooks instead.
A second book I read that fits this challenge was Russell the Sheep. A nephew checked it out from his school library, and I was curious. The part I found particularly funny was some of the illustrations and some of the places Russell tries to sleep.
I read It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake. It's not for everyone, but I genuinely laughed out loud and even snorted, numerous times.
Greg wrote: "For anyone that's looking for funny, let me recommend Scott Meyer. Specifically, Off to Be the Wizard
Clean and hilarious. Especially if you're even a touch nerdy/geeky."
I second that. I love that series.
I read Me Talk Pretty One Day. Not bad. I'm not a huge Sedaris fan, but he does make me laugh.
I have read a couple of fun books so far this month. I read
Love Among the Chickens and 
A Midsummer Night #nofilter which is written in emoji and texting format.
Oh you should absolutely do the audiobooks for the Amulet of Samarkand series. They're amazing!
The Right Sort of Man is also hilarious, even if the witty banter seems more developed than the characters at times...a little self-aware. (That does improve as the book goes on though, so I'm thinking it will be less noticeable in the next book.)
Mod
I like the audiobooks best.
Would a For Better or for Worse Collection (Lynn Johnston) count?
I read Class Mom, which is funny, like a super light-weight Bad Moms. It was good for a laugh, enough that I'm reading the sequel, You've Been Volunteered, in between heavier books.
Mod
If you think it counts, it counts. Did it make you laugh.
The Twisted Ones, though shelved as horror, was seriously hilarious.Not PG, somewhat creepy, but laugh-out-loud funny.
I listened to "Waiting for Tom Hanks," which was a title on the January-April Readers Choice list. Not my favorite book of all time, but it was fun to listen to.
I browsed the 818 nonfiction section of the library for some short humor books and ended up reading Dot Con.
James Veitch is hilarious
Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "James Veitch is hilarious"I was concerned that a book wouldn't be the same as seeing him on video, but it was still funny.
I have to admit, I really struggled with this challenge. I picked up several books, which were good, but they just never seemed to make me laugh. I finally decided to give one of my original choices a try. I ended up reading Please Don't Eat the Daisies by Jean Kerr for this prompt. It was an enjoyable collection of essays about the author's life that made me giggle. I finished that book today. 4 of 4 challenges done!
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Books mentioned in this topic
Me Talk Pretty One Day (other topics)More Bedtime Stories for Cynics (other topics)
Rumpole à la Carte (other topics)
Please Don't Eat the Daisies (other topics)
Dot Con: The Art of Scamming a Scammer (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
John Mortimer (other topics)Janet Evanovich (other topics)
Janet Evanovich (other topics)
This month's challenge is to read something funny. Laugh your way into spring. Don't forget to let me know what you've read in the comments!