13 gut-bustingly funny books to get you through tough times

There’s nothing quite like a good read — or a good laugh. This selection of some of our favorite funny books includes essay collections, memoirs, satires, and cartoons. Read on for details about 13 of the most gut-busting and thought-provoking titles ever published.

In this autobiographical account of his family’s move to the Greek isle of Corfu, naturalist Gerald Durrell recreates his own adolescent observations with charm, populating the world with eccentric characters and interesting creatures. Order a copy here.

Pym’s comedy of manners is a quintessential example of British humor, an observational, satirical look at the life of a spinster and her neighbors. The Guardian called it “one of the most endearingly amusing English novels of the 20th century.”

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Khong’s debut novel earned rave reviews for its devastating yet funny depiction of a woman who drops everything and moves back home with her parents. Protagonist Ruth faces her father’s dementia diagnosis with humor and heart as she attempts to find her way in the world.

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This epistolary novel tells the story of idealistic first-year teacher Sylvia Barrett (played in the 1967 film adaptation by Sandy Dennis), who hopes to change her students’ lives. The situation is rife with humor as Sylvia comes up against the school’s bureaucracy, her indifferent students, and incompetent co-workers.

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A Confederacy of Dunces follows Ignatius J. Reilly, a “Don Quixote for the French Quarter,” as he cycles through various professions and encounters a cast of colorful characters in his hometown of New Orleans. The novel earned Toole a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

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Love, Nina chronicles author Nina Stibbe’s time as a nanny for the two young sons of Mary-Kay Wilmers, longtime editor of The London Review of Books. She documented her time with the family through letters to her sister, highlighting her amusing observations about London’s wealthy literary elite.

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Absurdistan is the story of Misha Vainberg, a.k.a. Snack Daddy. In this highly entertaining novel, Misha’s Russian oligarch father murders an Oklahoma businessman, sending Misha’s life plans into a tailspin. He becomes involved in a conflict in a small oil-rich country, the titular Absurdistan.

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In How I Became A Famous Novelist, protagonist Pete Tarslaw decides to write a novel “mostly to humiliate [his ex-girlfriend] Polly, and impress people at her wedding.” In a cutting reflection of publishing and popularity, he cracks the code to writing a bestseller — and lives with the consequences.

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My Man Jeeves is a collection of comic short stories, the first to bring together classic Wodehouse characters Bertie Wooster and his butler, Jeeves.

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This essay collection from one of our most prominent contemporary humorists explores Sedaris’ formative years in North Carolina and New York, as well as his time in Normandy, France, where he moved with his partner and agonized over not knowing the language. 

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Much beloved in the world of comedy, Nora Ephron had a long literary career before going on to write and direct films like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. Her essay collections are sharp, and reflect distinctly female experiences. This 2006 collection tackles aging and the perils of vanity.

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Hyperbole and a Half is based on Allie Brosh’s popular blog of the same name, which combines words and comic art and has spawned some of the most recognizable memes on the web. The book, which Bill Gates called “funny and smart as hell,” deals in both mundane and serious topics, as Brosh finds a way to make everything from her dogs to her depression tender and hilarious.

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The first in a popular series, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole follows a young man’s account of his adolescence. The story delivers biting satire through the political musings of a 13-year-old. (Adrian, for instance, considers Margaret Thatcher his nemesis.)

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