Favourite funny authors?

[Sally B Good]

Janet Evanovich!!!!!!!!!1
But thanks for the sugestions of all the other... I look forward to trying them!

 

[kittybean]

I know other posters didn''t love Running with Scissors, and honestly, I agree; I thought it definitely too creepy for me. However, I would recommend Augusten Burroughs'' Magical Thinking. It still has a weird element, but I found it pretty funny and much less disturbing.

Another vote here for David Sedaris. Me Talk Pretty One Day was, I think, the funniest book I''ve ever read.

 

[HollyS]

David Sedaris is great; Joe Queenan is full of himself and rather snobbish, but still funny; The Sweet Potato Queen books seem really funny, and I''ve read excerpts, but haven''t bought one yet. But I found one this weekend at the local B&N that was so hilarious, I had to get two of her five books right then. Celia Riverbank is another southern women writing essays (ala Erma Bombeck) about everything from husbands and children to death and dying. We sat down in the Starbucks cafe in the store, and after a few minutes of browsing through one of the books, I was crying/laughing and people were turning to stare at me!

I love to reread Jean Kerr (Please Don''t Eat The Daisies, etc.) even if the subject matter seems a bit dated. She wrote a lot about her kids, but it was ''smart'' funny, very cerebral in her use of language and sentence structure, which just served to make her writing even more hilarious. Erma was okay, but a little too pedestrian, and not quite as smarta$$ as I tend to like.

I''m interested to find that the Bill Bryson books are funny, because I love travel essays/books, and I have not purchased his. I didn''t know they would be so good, but I''ll give him a try.

Anyone know if Amy Sedaris is as funny as her brother? I think they are siblings, aren''t they? She''s pretty darn entertaining when she''s on Letterman, so maybe her writing is too.

Garrison Keillor is the utltimate storyteller. His latest book, Liberty, is my husband''s current read; he showed me a sentence in one of the first chapters that was so run on it was its own paragraph, and side-splitting funny. Does anybody make the mundane everyday stuff of life seem more silly -- or endearing?

 

[Porridge]

Bill Bryson is v funny. The last book that made me laugh out loud was "A Year in the Merde" by Stephen Clarke. There''s a sequel I must look out for..."Merde, Actually."

 

[WistfulAurora]

David Sedaris is my fav! Amy Sedaris is a different kind of funny... you should check out her "cook/etiquette/entertaining" book. I believe she has a website for it. It''s pretty funny too. She''s more of a prop or character comic. She starred in the show, "Strangers with Candy" alongside Colbert.

 

[Ashley21]

Laurie Notaro ... true, funny short stories ... i''ve read The Idiot Girls'' Action-Adventure Club:True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life and I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl ... I hope to read more of her books soon

 

[HopeDream]

Stewart Mclean''s Vynil cafe books are pretty great if you like humorous and folksy short stories.

(although his audio stuff is great - the man tells a good story)

The comedy is strongly rooted in human experience.

 

[Kismet]

Date: 4/26/2009 10:42:22 PM
Author: HopeDream
Stewart Mclean''s Vynil cafe books are pretty great if you like humorous and folksy short stories.


(although his audio stuff is great - the man tells a good story)


The comedy is strongly rooted in human experience.

Heh, I''ve never read his books but I caught "Dave Cooks a Turkey" on air when visiting my inlaws a number of years back. That had us in stitches.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I must be the only person who did not care for Sedaris "Me talk pretty....", could barely get through it.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[AGBF]

Georgette Heyer is the author who amuses me the most consistently. I can read and reread her books and never tire of them. A dear friend of mine recently died after a long illness and willed all her Georgette Heyer books to me because she was an author whom we had shared. One day, not too long before her death, my friend mentioned The Unknown Ajax by Heyer while we were chatting. I quoted one of the characters, Lady Augusta, because her speech was so beautifully written. Elaine corrected me, having remembered the words more accurately. What a genius Miss Heyer was, although she was a terrible snob! And I shall miss Elaine, who appreciated her!

AGBF

 

[lala2332]

jasper fforde-writes the Thursday Next series....so fun and original! I just started re-reading them and am loving them all over again!

 

[livinginsg]

Robert Rodi. Totally hilarious books such as Princess Paragon. His characters are all gays. I think he has stopped writing in recent years though.

Mike Gayle. Very funny chick flick books!

 

[kama_s]

P.G. Wodehouse. I don''t think I''ve read a book funnier than any of his, and I read a LOT!