Funniest book you've read?

[Colonel Travis]

I'm a big fan of funny, but it is virtually impossible for me to find a funny book. Been like that for a long time. I know funny is subjective, but I don't think my standards are outrageous. I've seen a ton more funny movies than read funny books. As far as I'm concerned, there's Gary Larson, Douglas Adams, The Onion people and then a giant pit of crap I've got to hurdle every time I go to a book store, which is best illustrated by this game from the good ol' days, which also represents how long I've been looking:



Suggestions?

[Quill]

The funniest book(s) I've ever read, by far, were James Herriot's "All Creatures Great and Small" and "All Things Bright and Beautiful." Laugh out loud funny. Side splitting funny. Of course, those were simpler times; I was young, working on a farm myself then, okay I was a simpleton. I wonder if I would find those stories funny now. We get jaded as we age, don't you think? Harder to please, fussy about our humor. Then, I suspect, we get to be simple again; I can imagine myself laughing at fart jokes -- rip roaring good humor -- in my twilight years.

[Pete]

Other than the obvious Hitchhiker's Guide, I'd have to say:

Confederacy of Dunces

...and Twilight (that was comedy, right?)

[Mira]

Terry Pratchett - Discworld series. Making Money is his best. He's not just funny, he's brilliant.

For comics (since you mentioned Larsen), I thought the early Dilbert were hilarious. Also, Calvin and Hobbes.

Alot of people like Dave Barry and Sedaris as humorists, but I haven't read them.

If you find more - let me know. :)

[jkmcdonnell]

I love Danny Wallace. He's British and I've only read Friends Like These of his books, but he contributes an editorial to Shortlist every Thursday and he is hilarious. (Yes, he wrote the novel Yes Man, the basis for the Jim Carrey movie of the same name, but don't hold that against him.)

But like you said, funny is subjective. Depends on what's right for you.

[mojo25]

Lad lit and chick lit novels can be pretty funny....lad lit: SIDEWAYS, HOW I BECAME A FAMOUS NOVELIST, THE FROG KING etc etc. I can't think of any chick lit examples off the top of my head, but some of these have made me laugh out loud as well.

[dios4vida]

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maartin Troost. It's a travel memoir (which I usually don't like) about him and his wife relocating to a tiny desert island in the Pacific Ocean and all the misadventures they find there. It's the only non-fiction book I've ever liked and I recommend it to just about everyone. Definitely the funniest thing I've ever read!

[Mira]

Oh wait - Going Postal is Pratchett's best. Making money is the sequel, and I was actually disappointed in that one.

So, obviously, a very, very important distinction.

[Nathan Bransford]

Other than HITCHHIKER'S, I'd go with Roald Rahl's novels. Also, parts of THE CORRECTIONS were really hilarious.

[SuzieQ]

Anything early Jennifer Crusie I find laugh out loud funny. Humor is all subjective, but in the romance genre, she's the best.

[marccolbourne]

Definitely Come Thou, Tortoise by Jessica Grant.

[Quinnykins]

Oh man. I can't decide! It's a toss up between three that have made me laugh out loud.

Christopher Moore's book Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ`s Childhood Pal - Hilarious and everyone should read it. I bought the collectors edition which is bound in leather with gold page trim to look like a bible. As a Catholic I had to laugh at the ideas and thoughts that were put through in this story. Wonderfully well written.

Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next's series. Brilliant books, brilliant author. So happy I had the chance to meet him.

And of course The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

[JustineDell]

Hmm....the Twilight books? Kidding. The Twilight parody book on the otherhand Nightlite...is freaking hilarious. To me anyway. Everyone who read Twilight should read it, just for the commical value. If you haven't read Twilight, you might not get the humor. If you didn't like Twilight, then you should REALLY read Nightlite.

~JD

[Serzen]

The HITCHHIKER'S books are good, even if the final volume was so far removed from the rest. Any fan of Adams should also read the Dirk Gently books. LONG DARK TEATIME OF THE SOUL has some scathing things to say about the publishing industry; also read GOOD OMENS by Pratchett and Gaiman.

FWIW, I thought CATCH-22 was hilarious. I especially liked Milo Minderbender and Lt. (later colonel and, later, Lt. General) Scheisskopf--yes his name means what you think it means. Major Major Major Major is an interesting character in his own right, too.

A. Lee Martinez has been writing some good comedic books, as well.

~Serzen

[Bryan Russell/Ink]

I'm with Serzen. Gotta take the classic Catch-22. Can't go wrong with Yossarian.