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Best Comedy Books

Find your next belly laugh with this list of critically acclaimed comedy books that have been repeatedly highlighted for their wit and humor across the web.

Recommendations from 49 articles, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Tom Hanks and 79 others.
100 books on the list
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Bossypants book cover
Bossypants
Tina Fey - 2011-04-05
Goodreads Rating
A hilarious and honest memoir tells the story of Tina Fey's journey from a middle-school gym class nightmare to becoming a well-known comedian on TV. From her years on SNL to motherhood and all the ups-and-downs in between, Fey reveals all with her trademark humor. Don't miss out on her never-before-solicited opinions on topics ranging from breastfeeding to the electoral process.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? book cover
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Mindy Kaling - 2011-11-01
Goodreads Rating
Discover a hilarious and relatable memoir that explores topics like friendship, romance, and Hollywood from the perspective of a comedy writer and actress. In this book, Mindy Kaling shares her unscientific observations and personal experiences with wit and humor, providing readers with insight on what makes a great best friend and guy, as well as how to navigate fame. With plenty of stopping points for you to take care of your errands and phone calls, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is a must-read for anyone looking for a fun and engaging memoir.
Yes Please book cover
Yes Please
Amy Poehler - 2014-10-28
Goodreads Rating
This laugh-out-loud book features personal stories and funny anecdotes on sex, love, friendship, and parenthood. Written by a beloved celebrity, it also offers real-life advice on when to be funny and when to be serious. Get ready to be charmed by the author’s witty and wise voice, and take away some words to live by.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book cover
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams - 2005-01-01 (first published in 1979)
Goodreads Rating
This hilarious sci-fi adventure follows Arthur Dent, a man saved from Earth's destruction by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Using advice from the guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have"), they traverse space with eccentric characters like Zaphod Beeblebrox and the depressed robot Marvin. Get ready for a galaxy full of laughs and absurdity.
Me Talk Pretty One Day book cover
Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris - 2001-01-01 (first published in 2000)
Goodreads Rating
Laugh out loud with David Sedaris' hilarious collection of essays inspired by his move from New York to Paris. From a sadistic French teacher to his brother's incessant hip-hop slang, nothing is off-limits in this witty and sharp commentary on modern annoyances, including ludicrous restaurant meals and cashiers with six-inch fingernails.
Recommended by
Mike Birbiglia
Where'd You Go, Bernadette book cover
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
A Novel
Maria Semple - 2012-08-14
Goodreads Rating
A family trip to Antarctica takes an unexpected turn when fiercely intelligent shut-in Bernadette Fox vanishes. Her daughter Bee takes it upon herself to uncover the secret past her mother has been hiding for decades by piecing together emails, invoices, and school memos. Where'd You Go, Bernadette is an entertaining novel that explores family dynamics, the importance of self-discovery, and the unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter.
Born a Crime book cover
Born a Crime
Stories from a South African Childhood
Trevor Noah - 2016-11-15
Goodreads Rating
This powerful memoir tells the story of a young boy growing up during apartheid South Africa. Born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, Trevor Noah's very existence was a criminal act. His mother took extreme measures to protect him, but finally liberated by the end of white rule, they set forth on a grand adventure to embrace a newfound freedom. Noah's hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting stories form a moving and searingly funny portrait that weaves together a boy's journey in a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother's unconventional, unconditional love.
Born Standing Up book cover
Born Standing Up
A Comic's Life
Steve Martin - 2007-11-20
Goodreads Rating
This memoir tells the story of Steve Martin's rise to fame as a stand-up comedian in the mid-seventies, ultimately becoming the biggest concert draw in history by 1978. It's a candid and spectacularly amusing account of the sacrifices, discipline, and originality that made Martin an icon, informed by his experiences at Disneyland, the Bird Cage Theatre and Knott's Berry Farm. He also provides a portrait of the era of free love and protests against the Vietnam War, and the transformative new voice of Saturday Night Live in the seventies. Completing the memoir are photographs never seen before. Born Standing Up is a superb testament to one of the greatest and most iconoclastic comedians of all time.
Let's Pretend This Never Happened book cover
Let's Pretend This Never Happened
A Mostly True Memoir
Jenny Lawson - 2012-04-17
Goodreads Rating
This hilarious book takes readers on a journey into author Jenny Lawson's mortifying and defining moments, from her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas to her awkward high school experiences and relationship with long-suffering husband Victor. Chapters include stories about an angry husband, a talking squirrel, and even a dead Cuban alligator. With accompanying pictures and captions, Let's Pretend This Never Happened is a must-read for fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris.
Recommended by
Neil Pasricha
I Feel Bad About My Neck book cover
I Feel Bad About My Neck
And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
Nora Ephron - 2006-01-01
Goodreads Rating
A candid and humorous look at women getting older and dealing with maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself. From the woman who brought us beloved romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally, comes a book chronicling Nora Ephron's life as a cook, passionate city dweller, and parent. With wit and vulnerability, she shares her ups and downs, from her time as a White House intern during the JFK years to falling in and out of love with Bill Clinton. Utterly courageous, wickedly funny, and unexpectedly moving, this book is full of wisdom, advice, and laugh-out-loud moments.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman
Based on a True Story by Norm MacDonald
Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. by Samantha Irby
The Code of the Woosters by P. G. Wodehouse
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
Lamb by Christopher Moore
I Can't Make This Up by Kevin Hart
Sellout by Paul Beatty
Shit My Dad Says by Aa
Dear Girls by Ali Wong
Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae
Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
I Am America by Stephen Colbert
Three men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome
Cruel Shoes by Steve Martin
Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
You Can't Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson
I Can't Date Jesus by Michael Arceneaux
Shrill by Lindy West
The Royal We by Heather Cocks
The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff
This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
Food by Jim Gaffigan
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
Girl Walks into a Bar . . . by Rachel Dratch
Sustained by Emma Chase
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Bossman by Vi Keeland
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon, Sean Wilsey
Our Dumb Century by The Onion
Something Fresh by P. G. Wodehouse
Napalm & Silly Putty by George Carlin
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Tangled by Emma Chase
The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas by Jonathan W. Stokes
Wallbanger by Alice Clayton
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
I Like You by Amy Sedaris
Well Met by Jen Deluca
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The To All the Boys I've Loved Before Paperback Collection by Jenny Han
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Dork Diaries Box Set by Rachel Renée Russell
The Office BFFs by Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris
Carry On, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
My Life as a Goddess by Guy Branum
The Hidden Tools of Comedy by Steve Kaplan
So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know by Retta
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler