This is my "aaaaaaaah run away!" time of the year. By which I mean, high stress time of the year. When I get this busy, all I want to do is go home, veg out, and chill. The best way to do that is to watch or read something that makes me smile or laugh. This month's Variations on a Theme are dedicated to those books that make the reader giggle.
How I Killed Pluto (and Why It Had it Coming)
Mike Brown
This is a book about astronomy, but it made me giggle lots. Brown has a personable writing style that makes the death of a planet enjoyable. Beyond the planet killing, Brown also shares stories of his life which are incredibly humorous. You can read my full review here.
King Bidgood's In The Bathtub
Audrey Wood
This was one of my favorite books as a kid. The King refuses to get out of the bathtub so he makes all of his daily activities (including a massive feast) come to him. The art is gorgeous and the story hilarious. My full review from my most recent re-read is here.
I Am America (And So Can You!)
Stephen Colbert
Essentially, this book lets you read The Colbert Report. The contents are inane, pompous, overtop, and incredibly entertaining. Colbert never breaks character and, if you've ever watched the show, you can imagine Colbert's facial expression and vocal delivery in your mind. My review is here.
Naked
David Sedaris
Sedaris is a well-known humor writer. I could have thrown any of his books (minus Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk) on this list, but this one made me laugh the most. Sedaris chronicles parts of this life that any reader could relate to and laugh at. The review is here.
Sh*t My Dad Says
Justin Halpern
I follow the writer on twitter, and his postings always make me smile. Most people have a person in their life who drops pearls of wisdom that happen to be hilarious and/or jarring. For Halpern, that person is his dad and this book is a collection of his sayings.
Bossypants
Tina Fey
This book just came out so I cannot give a personal review, but most reviews are positive. C'mon, the author is Tina Fey. How could it be bad? To quote the Amazon review, "Bossypants gets to the heart of why Tina Fey remains universally adored: she embodies the hectic, too-many-things-to-juggle lifestyle we all have, but instead of complaining about it, she can just laugh it off."
Other Humorous Titles
5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides)
- The Oatmeal
America (The Book)
- John Stewart
Evil Plans: Having Fun on the Road to World Domination
- Hugh MacLeod
Graph Out Load: Music. Movies. Graphs. Awesome.
- GraphJam
Holidays on Ice
- David Sedaris
I Know I Am But What Are You
- Samantha Bee
I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections
- Nora Ephron
Indexed
- Jessica Hagy
Me Talk Pretty One Day
- David Sedaris
My Point... And I Do Have One
- Ellen Degeneres
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
- Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Greene
This is a Book
- Demetri Martin
How I Killed Pluto (and Why It Had it Coming)Mike Brown
This is a book about astronomy, but it made me giggle lots. Brown has a personable writing style that makes the death of a planet enjoyable. Beyond the planet killing, Brown also shares stories of his life which are incredibly humorous. You can read my full review here.
King Bidgood's In The BathtubAudrey Wood
This was one of my favorite books as a kid. The King refuses to get out of the bathtub so he makes all of his daily activities (including a massive feast) come to him. The art is gorgeous and the story hilarious. My full review from my most recent re-read is here.
I Am America (And So Can You!)Stephen Colbert
Essentially, this book lets you read The Colbert Report. The contents are inane, pompous, overtop, and incredibly entertaining. Colbert never breaks character and, if you've ever watched the show, you can imagine Colbert's facial expression and vocal delivery in your mind. My review is here.
NakedDavid Sedaris
Sedaris is a well-known humor writer. I could have thrown any of his books (minus Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk) on this list, but this one made me laugh the most. Sedaris chronicles parts of this life that any reader could relate to and laugh at. The review is here.
Sh*t My Dad SaysJustin Halpern
I follow the writer on twitter, and his postings always make me smile. Most people have a person in their life who drops pearls of wisdom that happen to be hilarious and/or jarring. For Halpern, that person is his dad and this book is a collection of his sayings.
BossypantsTina Fey
This book just came out so I cannot give a personal review, but most reviews are positive. C'mon, the author is Tina Fey. How could it be bad? To quote the Amazon review, "Bossypants gets to the heart of why Tina Fey remains universally adored: she embodies the hectic, too-many-things-to-juggle lifestyle we all have, but instead of complaining about it, she can just laugh it off."
Other Humorous Titles
5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides)
- The OatmealAmerica (The Book)
- John Stewart Evil Plans: Having Fun on the Road to World Domination
- Hugh MacLeodGraph Out Load: Music. Movies. Graphs. Awesome.
- GraphJamHolidays on Ice
- David Sedaris I Know I Am But What Are You
- Samantha Bee I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections
- Nora Ephron Indexed
- Jessica HagyMe Talk Pretty One Day
- David SedarisMy Point... And I Do Have One
- Ellen DegeneresPride and Prejudice and Zombies
- Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-GreeneThis is a Book
- Demetri Martin
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