12 of the Funniest Books Ever to Start the New Year With a Hearty Chuckle

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This is the archetypal sci-fi romp – hilarious, absurd, and weirdly philosophical. Every leafage of this publication is guaranteed to make astatine slightest 1 large guffaw – close from the opening erstwhile Earth has to beryllium demolished to marque mode for an intergalactic freeway, and protagonist Arthur Dent is rescued by Ford Prefect, Arthur’s friend, researcher, and alien successful disguise who accidentally named himself aft a car. It’s the archetypal successful a trilogy told successful 5 parts, truthful you tin support going if you are not acceptable to permission this fascinating beingness aft 1 book.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

This is really a two-part recommendation. First, work Three Men successful a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, a classical of comic writing, if you haven’t already. Then prime up Connie Willis’s homage to it. To Say Nothing of the Dog is simply a superb operation of absurd situations, a lovable but blundering protagonist, a precise important cat, a precise important dog, an entertaining swan attack, and, of course, clip travel.

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Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

After speechmaking Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which is itself a comic masterpiece, I delved heavy into Pratchett’s Discworld universe. Equal Rites is the cleanable introduction point, and 1 of Pratchett’s funniest. In it, we are introduced to the mighty witch Granny Weatherwax arsenic she guides protagonist Eskarina Smith connected her quest to summation admittance into the Unseen University astatine Ankh-Morpork arsenic a wizard successful training. Every condemnation successful this publication is laughter retired large funny, and it is peppered with amazingly profound observations astir the existent world.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

This graphic memoir grew retired of Allie Brosh’s fashionable blog. In it, Brosh discusses dense topics specified arsenic her acquisition with depression, utilizing drafting that is ridiculously elemental and substance that is brilliantly funny. It made maine laugh-cry arsenic I related hard with her misadventures successful adulting portion depressed. It besides made maine desperately privation to conscionable her dogs.

No Onions Nor Garlic by Srividya Natarajan

I americium ne'er going to miss an accidental to shove this publication into the hands of chap readers. It is my favourite comic publication of each clip and not astir capable radical are alert of its existence. It is simply a bitingly funny, immensely satisfying takedown of the sexism and casteism successful an Indian assemblage campus, with a saccharine romance, and immoderate Shakespeare thrown successful for bully measure. The climax is absurdly Bollywood-y, and the awesome screen is illustrated by the writer herself.

We Are Never Meeting successful Real Life by Samantha Irby

This is simply a postulation of essays that is intimate and candid, but besides hilariously funny. The code of these essays stress the value of striking the close equilibrium betwixt being benignant to oneself and not taking oneself excessively seriously. Though astir of the American popular civilization references went close implicit my head, I inactive recovered this publication immensely enjoyable.

The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain

This publication is acceptable successful a aboriginal Kathmandu that has been taken implicit by an all-knowing AI called Karma. The Djinn king Melek Ahmer, the Lord of Tuesday, has awoken from an enchanted slumber and is acceptable to instrumentality implicit the metropolis with the shady worker Bhan Gurung by his side. The lone problem: the inhabitants of the metropolis are excessively engaged getting precocious and throwing chaotic parties to notice. A heady cocktail of artificial intelligence, a interaction of fantasy, an aged mystery, and a quest for vengeance, this deliciously comic publication is simply a indispensable read.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

This is the diary of teen Georgia Nicolson. Georgia is precocious and annoying. Her diary opens with a statement of the galore applicable problems of going to a enactment dressed arsenic a stuffed olive. Everything she has to accidental astir herself and her beingness is adjacent parts cringey and hilarious. This is the benignant of publication that volition assistance immoderate scholar laughter their mode retired of a speechmaking slump.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

This publication is the archetypal successful the Lady Janies series, successful which the authors springiness tragic heroines from past a amended ending, with the assistance of a dash of magic. This 1 is astir Lady Jane Grey, whose clip connected the throne was infamously abbreviated (nine days). In this world, alternatively of Catholics and Protestants, determination are radical who tin shapeshift into animals and those who cannot. It is populated by poetic horses, resourceful ferrets, canny cats, brave birds and omniscient skunks who embark upon a madcap escapade to support bid successful the kingdom and instal a righteous ruler connected the throne.

The Simoqin Prophecies by Samit Basu

This is the archetypal publication successful the Gameworld Trilogy. In it, the writer takes each the tropes of epic phantasy and runs with them to make a vividly imagined satellite that is simultaneously a well-realized mounting for an engaging story, and a hilarious spoof of the genre with an Indian twist. There are jokes aplenty – adjacent if you miss fractional of them, you are definite to find yourself cackling successful each chapter.

Time Pieces: A Whistle-Stop Tour of Ancient India by Nayanjot Lahiri

It is not often that you travel crossed a publication connected past past that makes you laughter retired loud, but this 1 does. It does not speech astir rulers and wars, and not adjacent astir a circumstantial portion oregon play successful the past past of India, but astir facets of regular life, similar love, laughter, nutrient and art. The writer brings to the publication modern sensibilities and a sparkling wit, making it a genuinely enjoyable read.

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

This caller is written successful the signifier of letters of proposal that Jason Fitger, ex-novelist and cranky English prof astatine a wide arts assemblage successful the American midwest, writes for his students. Through his letters, the readers are immersed into the ridiculous, but besides acquainted (if you person spent immoderate clip successful modern academia), play of beingness successful the English department. The publication has a sequel, The Shakespeare Requirement, which is arsenic hilarious.