Most entertaining reads of all time

[Jeb]

Seems hard to avoid authors like me out here hawking our wares these days. At the end of the day I think we all have Jane Friedman, internet book marketing maven, to thank. I'm thinking of getting some T-shirts printed up, or maybe an online badge: "Jane Friedman sent me!"

[Bob]

Jeb wrote: "Hey Bob did you read "Lloyd: What Happened" - by some biz columnist. They were giving the books away at some IT trade show I went to years back. It wasn't bad - great biz satire and a good, suspens..."

I did read "Lloyd." Solid book!

[Maggie]

I love Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as well!! But for humo(u)r I keep finding myself returning to Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, Naked, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

[Simon]

This is easy for me: Bonfire of The Vanities. Read it 20-odd years ago but it still rates as my most entertaining, richly rewarding read. Shame the film besmirched it somewhat.

[Ryn]

George Carlin's books (Napalm and Silly Putty and... I can't remember the other one) are pretty hilarious reads.

[Steve]

Ryn wrote: "George Carlin's books (Napalm and Silly Putty and... I can't remember the other one) are pretty hilarious reads."

'Brain Droppings' is another. Saw him do his thing twice, first time way back when he was the clean-shaven opening act at a Lake Tahoe casino for monumentally weird Tiny Tim, second time when he was the old bearded guy headliner at Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California. A great and funny mind.

[Melki]

Yep - Carlin was one of a kind.

[Jeb]

Rather quiet in this thread, isn't it? Well never mind I thought of a couple of funny books yesterday. Many readers associate Jim Harrison with literary fiction of the minimalist variety, which I suppose would be an accurate categorization so long as it's okay to be funny in that club. A couple of recent novels: The English Major and The Great Leader, both sort of "coming to grips with age" stories, are LOL funny. And any of his shorter works with the Native American "Brown Dog" or just "BD" are sure to be raucous and bawdy. Be forwarned: this is not Prairie Home Companion humor!

Another member of the literary fiction club, Richard Russo, can be a real cut up as well. Straight Man, in which an English professor publicly strangles a goose, is a beautifully written kick in the pants.

Of course John Irving specializes in surrounding his quirky characters with offbeat circumstances that can activate the permanent chuckle in many of us.

And wouldn't you know it but like every other writer in our cozy little blog, I have a novel due in June, in labor as we speak, with HarperDavis publishers. More on that later!

Happy April Foolishness!

[Frankie]

They reckon Frankie Lassut on Smashwords is a bit of a dude.

[Splinker]

And then there's Maude.

[Jeb]

Bob wrote: "Jeb wrote: "Hey Bob did you read "Lloyd: What Happened" - by some biz columnist. They were giving the books away at some IT trade show I went to years back. It wasn't bad - great biz satire and a g..."

Hey Bob here's a little business "humour" for you - only reason I quote "humour" is it would be really funny if it weren't true: http://jsharrison22855.blogspot.com/2...

Cheers!

Jeb

[Rebecca]

For some reason this thread caused me to remember the Monsieur Pamplemousse books by Micheal Bond (yes, the same one who wrote"Paddington Bear"). They a hilarious, racy, and most definitely not for children (okay, it was the reference to helium-filled sex dolls that reminded me of the books, so draw your own conclusions).

[Melki]

I've never heard of Monsieur Pamplemousse, but he sounds like someone worth meeting.
There's just something about helium-filled sex dolls that seems to strike everyone's fancy.

[Rebecca]

I don't remember which book had the inflatable, and there wasn't any helium, but the spirit is the same.

[Michael]

Just glanced at my physical to-read shelf this morning, and remembered these fantastic young-adult books by Richard peck:



These are very slim and quick reads since the intended audience is children, but they have a broad appeal. I regularly snatch up copies from the used bookstore and press them on unwitting strangers. The above three form a loose trilogy, and should be read in sequence. This one's also outstanding, and is what got me looking for his books at library sales:



I rarely actually laugh aloud when reading... except when reading these.

[Rebecca]

Micheal, I unabashedly acknowledge Richard Peck as an inspiration for my own work.

I also recommend his

Is a good one, too.

[Richard]

Can you rate his books though? Among his own works, is there a pecking order?

[Michael]

Personally, I'd start with either "Here Lies the Librarian" or "The Teacher's Funeral" to get a sense of his voice, but the "Yonder" trilogy is probably the best of of his works I've read so far. Others are more bittersweet or nostalgic, but the "Yonder" books are flat-out funny. (Mild spoiler: there's a tiny poignant moment at the end of the first book that puts a catch in my throat.)

[Rebecca]

I think I agree with Michael.

Though "Fair Weather" might be funnier.

[Michael]

Haven't read Fair Weather yet, so we can be both right. :-)

[The Flaneur]

Some new books to look out for here, thanks for the recommendations. I have to add Jerome K Jerome's Three men in a boat. It's from 1888 I think, but you wouldn't know until you get to a sentence saying sailing is the nearest thing man has got to flying. One of the few books that is as funny as you remember. Skip the history bits at the end of each chapter. His publisher made him put those in as he was supposed to be writing a travel guide!

[Jonny]

If you like it dark, shocking and twisted but funny... mine: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...

lol - shameless plug!

Apathy and other small victories by Paul Neilan is brilliant, as is many Chuck Palahniuk book.

[Calliope]

the discworld series , was that the one they made a movie or miniseries or something like that??

[Richard]

Calliope wrote: "the discworld series , was that the one they made a movie or miniseries or something like that??"

Perhaps you are thinking of A Song of Ice and Fire? But I think some of the Discworld novels have been made into films. And if there were a miniseries, I would definitely watch it.

[Calliope]

Richard wrote: "Calliope wrote: "the discworld series , was that the one they made a movie or miniseries or something like that??"

Perhaps you are thinking of A Song of Ice and Fire? But I think some of the Discw..."

no no I know about game of thrones, this was done a little while back i think and i want to say Matthew Broderick was in it as like some tourist in a medieval land or something with the Hawaiian shirt and all,but im not totally committed to that, I could be wrong and it was Sean Astin or something i dont know but it was funny

[Michael]

Color of Magic was done as a TV movie, and sure enough, it has Sean Astin in it, as Twoflower.

[Richard]

Michael wrote: "Color of Magic was done as a TV movie, and sure enough, it has Sean Astin in it, as Twoflower."

Sounds intriguing! Thanks Michael.

[Calliope]

thanks michael, yeah your right i actually just watched it last night it came on tv,granted i am in china so i doubt it was on wherever you are ,but its crazy how that always happens you end up talking about something you havent seen in forever and then next thing you know you its on all over the place,

[Will]

Three men in a boat is great, I agree.

for something a bit similar, but with a bit more bite to the humour, try 'England Their England' by A G Macdonell.

A description of the upper class british that's hard to beat.

[Mathew]

I just picked up, and I can't put it down. It is so funny. Shatner's writing is the most egotistical, crass, arrogant writing ever...which makes it so funny.
This book outlines a bunch of RULES he follows. I guess his philosophy on life? Like, tell the waiter at a restaurant it's your birthday b/c then you'll get free cake.
It is very witty, very very witty. However, it only contains a few Star Trek jokes, and, a rant about there being more the Shatner than Star Trek...don't get him started on the whole 'beam me up scotty', b/c you may get the finger from him!
Apparently, there is more to Bill than we know...

[Rebecca]

Bookworm, I'm not sure from your comments if Shatner intends to be funny, or if he's egotistical, crass, and arrogant without realizing it. . .

[Melki]

I know there's a hairpiece and a girdle on Bill...

[Mathew]

Melki, he comments on the obsession people have with his hair...so it's an easy joke for him.

I think he is a bit arrogant (he did some Shakespeare at one point), but, I get the feeling he is mocking the mockery (if that is possible)...which makes his attitude hilarious. And, any story about selling kidney stones is a hit.

[Robert]

Well, unless I missed it, Garrison Keillor hasn't got a mention yet. His Lake Wobegon stories are full of dry humour, and I like the novel 'Radio Romance' too. He's not exactly a hidden talent, but maybe he's more on the radar in the USA than the UK.
For real laugh-out-loud humour, two of my favourites are 'The Pickwick Papers' by you-know-who, and 'Lucky Jim' by Kingsley Amis.

[Simon]

This has been compared to Nick Hornby and David Nicholls by reviewers. All 4 & 5 star reviews...so far! Apologies for the shameless self-promotion: Song In The Wrong Key http://amzn.to/xaosKp

[Crystal]

I'm going to go with Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart...it's been my favorite book for a long time!

[Will]

I should have mentioned Tom Sharpe's 'Wilt' before, too.

That's one I can re read (whilst fantasising about a gruesome end for my ex....)

[Joe]

I love a bit of Tom Sharpe, but can't find any modern author who writes in the same style ie outrageous situations and quirky characters. Anybody have any recommendation?

[Richard]

Joe wrote: "I love a bit of Tom Sharpe, but can't find any modern author who writes in the same style ie outrageous situations and quirky characters. Anybody have any recommendation?"

How about The Lynne Truss Treasury: Columns and Three Comic Novels?

[Randy]

Katy Sozaeva, a top 500 Amazon reviewer and prevalent on Goodreads called my dystopia "Rabbletown: Life in These United Christian States of Holy America," the best book she has EVER read. Honest. EVER.

[Sean]

Joe wrote: "I love a bit of Tom Sharpe, but can't find any modern author who writes in the same style ie outrageous situations and quirky characters. Anybody have any recommendation?"

Joe,try my novel Beer Goggles (recently 5* reviewed here on goodreads). It's very quirky and 'laugh out loud funny' (a reviewer's opinion). I was told by somebody many years ago, that it read 'like Tom Sharpe, but better than Tom Sharpe' - praise, indeed.
I don't know if that is true, but check out the reviews on Amazon.
Also, read the look-inside free bit first. You will know if you like it almost immediately. I am sure you will. If you think I'm bs'ing, please feel free to slaughter it in these forums.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beer-Goggles-...

Sean

[Bob]

To Joe, who was looking for a Tom Sharpe successor, I heartily endorse Robert Ludlum's The Road to Gandolfo and The Road to Omaha, in that order.

[Andrew]

Everything by Damon Runyon.

[Jack]

I noticed the praises of Mark Schweizer being sung earlier in the thread. For those of you who'd like to read similar belly-laugh murder-mysteries, Joan Hess' Maggody books are worth checking out (my favourite is Martians in Maggody. Wonderfully paced, insightful, and very funny. And for the list lovers, the first book in the series is Malice in Maggody.

No-one has mentioned Catch-22. So I will. Heller's the only writer I've come across who could get away with calling a character Major Major.

And is it possible for the moderators to delete the self-promoting posts? It's akin to spamming (and more than a little big-headed to include themselves in a thread about the most entertaining reads of all time). Embarrassing.

[Andrew]

PG Wodehouse

[Rebecca]

Martin wrote: "I noticed the praises of Mark Schweizer being sung earlier in the thread. For those of you who'd like to read similar belly-laugh murder-mysteries, Joan Hess' Maggody books are worth checking out ..."

Dang, I let Joan Hess slip off the radar--I like her work, both Maggody and the Clair Malloy series.

As for deleting the self-aggrandizing posts. . . Melki, you're a more experienced Mod. Can we do that? I have to agree that the amount of chutzpah required to put one's own work into a thread like this is a bit over the top.

[Rebecca]

Andrew wrote: "PG Wodehouse"

Oh, for sure! THough you have to like British humor of a certain sort. My husband doesn't seem to have much appreciation for Wodehouse. I think it comes of not growing up on British children's books. Me, I love it. Then I find myself starting to talk like Bertie Wooster.

[Melki]

Rebecca wrote: "As for deleting the self-aggrandizing posts. . ."

We have the power - BWA HA HA HA!!!
Though I usually just move the comment to the writing folder.

[Rebecca]

That would work, Melki. I'll have to learn how, eventually.