Who are the funniest writers you've ever read?

[Jon]

What writers flat out make you laugh? Do book authors have a harder or easier time making you laugh than screenwriters, or TV writers? What kind of comedy are you looking for in each?

[Melki]

TV has been my go-to source for comedy since I was a kid. When my dad wasn't watching "The FBI" or "Dragnet", our black & white 12" idiot box was tuned to "All in the Family" and "Laugh-In". Later there was "Barney Miller", and "MASH". Even later than that, "Cheers" and "Taxi". There was always something funny to watch. Pickings are a little slimmer these days, but comedy still abounds if you know where to look.

I tend to think of movies for spectacle and drama, but occasionally a really funny film comes along.

Writers that never fail to bring a smile to my face?
Laurie Notaro, David Sedaris, Christopher Buckley, Bill Bryson, Calvin Trillin, Fran Lebowitz, David Rakoff, Douglas Adams, Tim Dorsey, and I'm probably forgetting a dozen others.

Books written by stand-up comics...meh!

[Jon]

Agreed... The actual books written by stand-up comics are never great, but it's a great way to keep their material close by if you can't think of a bit... Well, that was until the internet was invented. Now we can just watch it... I actually should have included biographies written about comedians by real writers... I can't remember the author (i'll look it up soon) but he wrote an outstanding bio of Andy Kaufmann... Turned me into a big fan of his....

Carl Hiassen actually makes me laugh in his own way as well... Bill Bryson rules.

[Melki]

Was the Kaufman book Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman?

Carl Hiaasen created my favorite villan of all time - Chemo.

[Jon]

Yes! That was it. I got it as a gift and I read it twice. Left me totally fascinated with Kaufman.

[Jon]

This Q&A is awesome... I have not checked in recently and I was hoping for a bunch of Qs to respond to... Then I could offer some As... But alas, nothing... Been rereading Confederacy of Dunces. Great stuff!

[Melki]

Sorry, I'm fresh out. Maybe your OTHER member can ask a question ;-)
I started When Elves Attack: A Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State last night and should finish it today. Don't remember the last time I laughed so hard reading a book.

[Jon]

My membership has definitely swelled and it's hard to keep track of the ones of people signing up... I didn't realize I had another member. I don't know who that person is or how to even pronounce their user name... I think I just accepted it a while back without looking.

That book sounds great! I have a 6 month old at home, so my reading time is limited these days, but I'll put that on the list!

[Melki]

You think your time is limited now? Wait til that 6-month-old starts walking. You'll spend all your time following her around, because toddlers are hell-bent on killing themselves. They are magnetically drawn to staircases. Everything found on the floor or ground goes in their mouths, and they spend all their spare time flinging their skulls at pointy objects.

But it passes quickly. Before you know it, the kid is ready to get behind the wheel of a car. Then of course, you can relax and stop worrying about them.

[Jon]

I know... She's starting to crawl a bit... I'm thinking of just getting a saddle for our labrador and letting her just ride him around. At least he listens to us about half the time.

[Richard]

@ Melki: Spoken like a true parent.

@ Jon: If you ever manage to get your toddler riding lab-back, post a photo, please! That's something I'd like to see!

Funny writers: Apologies for any cross-posting, as I listed some of these on a Humour Club thread. I went through a short P.G. Wodehouse stage. The narrator Bertie Wooster is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and yet the books are well written and intelligent.

I also like Lynne Truss. Many know of her book on punctuation, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. But she has also written humorous novels and had her own funny column in a British newspaper. This is a good collection: The Lynne Truss Treasury: Columns and Three Comic Novels.

For a completely low-brow book which constitutes a hilariously cheap shot at a great master, try Bored of the Rings: A Parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

[Jon]

Richard, I don't know if we'll make it to a full on riding in the very near future, but right now, our daughter is obsessed with the dog's tail. If she catches him sleeping almost anywhere within reach, she crawls over and pulls herself up onto him by the tail like she's climbing a rope in gym class. Or sometimes, she just tries to chew on the end of it... The dog is a great sport and just lets her do whatever, but the annoyed look on his face is priceless!

I had never heard about the Bored of the Rings. When I get some free time I'm going to check it out. I like parodies like that. Thanks!

[Richard]

When I was little, my grandfather had a big dog who was very tolerant with all of us grandchildren. You're lucky to have a dog like this. Most cats would not put up with being used as a climbing rope or chew toy!

Back when I read it, there was just Bored of the Rings. I'm sure that Tolkien purists would consider it beneath their dignity--not that this stopped me from reading it! FYI, it has in recent years sprouted some companion volumes and is now part of a set: Cardboard Box of the Rings: "The Soddit", "The Sellamillion", "Bored of the Rings". I've read only the one however.

[Jon]

Just a quick announcement to my loyal single digit group members: The Three Dollar Scholar has moved into the Top 60 in the humor/essay category on Amazon.com! I have had a nice little swell of publicity from a few chapter excerpts that have run on AskMen.com and other websites. Thanks to all of you who have bought the book, written a review on Amazon or have spread the word!

Jon