Ten Books That Will Unexpectedly Make You Laugh

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that asks bloggers to create Top Ten lists on a variety of bookish topics. This week’s topic is Ten Books That Will Make You Laugh.

I figure it’s pretty obvious that Amy Poehler’s or Tiny Fey’s memoirs will be funny…but, what about those books where the humor catches you unawares?! Those tend to be some of my favorites…especially when the humor is satirical or inappropriate!

Books That Will Unexpectedly Make You Laugh


Dirty Chick
 by Antonia Murphy
This memoir about a city couple becoming “lifestyle farmers” in New Zealand hilariously describes things like a duck’s penis (i.e. “spiny” and “shaped like a corkscrew”).

Fiction Ruined My Family by Jeanne Darst
This memoir about a heartbreaking childhood is filled with self-deprecating and gross-out humor.

Home is Burning by Dan Marshall
This memoir about adult children caring for their ALS-stricken father is filled (and I do mean filled) with inappropriate humor…about everything. The kids programed their father’s speech device to say “I want a blow job.”

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
One of my favorite things about this tear-jerker is the witty banter between the cheeky Louisa and the salty, cantankerous (but, with good reason) Will.

Reunion by Hannah Pittard
This novel about a girl returning home for her estranged father’s funeral is an irreverent take on the rituals of death, step-families, and marriage.

The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille
John Sutter, living his WASPy life in a WASPy Long Island town, hilariously makes fun of his stilted in-laws and his Mafia Don next door neighbor in this book that has been referred to as a cross between The Great Gatsby and The Godfather.

The Great Santini by Pat Conroy
I’m fairly certain Bull Meacham’s humor is unintentional, but what’s not funny about a dude yelling “stand by for a fighter pilot” almost every time he enters a room?! Other (unfunny) things this book is about: domestic abuse and dysfunctional families.

The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
Life behind the Iron Curtain was pretty grim, but Marra’s dry, fatalistic humor about the small ways people subverted authority had me chuckling.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Another book about a funeral…that perfectly portrays the awkwardness of death rituals in a totally irreverent way.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
This novel is really about mental illness, but the seriousness is wrapped in hilarious commentary on neurotic carpool moms.




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31 Comments

  1. I had The Gold Coast on my list because it has such a dry humor that I loved, but I took it off to kind of stick with a different theme. I’m happy to see someone else enjoyed the humor in it. I have Bernadette on my physical shelf and have yet to read it, but I plan to do so this summer, finally.

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  2. I love books that make me laugh. I’ve read 4 of those books and they’re all winners. Great list!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  3. I’ve read four books on your list and think This is Where I Leave You is the funniest book I’ve read in a very long time! Thanks for reminding me about Reunion… meant to read that one a year or two ago.

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  4. Sarah wrote:

    This is Where I Leave You had me laughing so hard! I loved Where Did You Go Bernadette as well.

    I’m currently reading Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore and parts have made me laugh too.

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  5. Tara wrote:

    Sarah, I love that you’ve reminded us about the “unexpected” moments of comedy/humor in novels that can seem rather serious/thoughtful. I completely agree with you on Me Before You and Reunion; those are such great examples!!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  6. I thought about putting Tropper, Marra, and Semple on my list. But Me Before You I don’t remember being funny. I guess I can sort of see it.

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  7. Naomi wrote:

    It is a rare book that can really make me laugh. But the best kind is when it happens unexpectedly. I’m actually not much of a fan of books that are marketed as funny – I don’t usually find those ones funny. I like the ones that surprise me – great list!
    A recent example: I’m reading Lab Girl right now, and some of the situations the author and her lab partner have gotten into have made me laugh. Bill’s live-in van is hilarious.

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Me neither! I actually didn’t find Yes, Please or Bossypants that funny! And I’ve seen Lab Girl around, good to know there is some surprising humor.

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  8. Carmen wrote:

    I bought Reunion because of your recommendation. I want to read it this year. I would also like to read This Is Where I Leave You and The Tsar of Love and Techno at some point.

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yay – Reunion is so short…I hope you get to it!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  9. I was really surprised by how much a laughed at Me Before You! I found Lou a really amusing character, and definitely enjoyed the banter. On May 2nd we’ll be doing a book discussion of Me Before You over at Imaginary Book Club – you should stop by!!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Agreed! I’ll try to stop by!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  10. Amanda wrote:

    Oh I totally forgot about Bernadette! I agree about This is Where I Leave You – I love that book! I need to get The Tsar of Love on my hold list soon. I think The Great Santini might be on the small list of Conroy’s that I haven’t read. I need to change that.

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I need to read some more Tropper…loved that one so much! I read it while in labor with my daughter…just the right tone for that!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
      • Amanda wrote:

        YOU READ IN LABOR?! You are my new hero. I feel I can no longer call myself a dedicated reader.

        I’ve really enjoyed all the Tropper books that I’ve read!

        Posted 4.20.16 Reply
  11. Lindsay wrote:

    After perusing your list, I want to go out and get all the books I haven’t read yet! Just your blurb for “Home is Burning” cracked me up. I like the direction you went here. Sometimes humor is exactly what you need in real-life tough situations.

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I totally agree – I’m a throw some inappropriate humor on the tragedy type of girl! But, I imagine lots of people would be offended by a bunch of the stuff in Home is Burning.

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  12. Carrie wrote:

    humor during tear jerkers is so appreciated! 🙂 Just like in life! My TTT

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Agreed!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  13. Loved the humor in Where’d You Go Bernadette. A bright spot in the year when I read that book!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Totally – such a substantial, yet fun book!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  14. Where’d You Go Bernadette always brings a smile to my face. This is Where I Leave You is book I’ve been meaning to read forever and it’s been sitting on my nightstand but I always reach for other books first. Glad to hear you liked it!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Read it, read it! I don’t think you’ll regret it!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  15. Trish wrote:

    Somehow I have two copies of Gold Coast sitting in the back of my car (unread) ready to go to Salvation Army. Should I pull out a copy? Think another copy is Lion’s Game. I’ve had them for a decade and still haven’t read them. LOVE Where’d You Go Bernadette. Definitely had some snort laughs in that one!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      OMG – yes, give Gold Coast a try!! It’s kind of ridiculous, but the awesome kind!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  16. Deanna wrote:

    Shoot! I forgot about This is Where I Leave You. That book was hilarious! Great choices for this topic.
    My TTT: http://www.anovelglimpse.com/2016/04/19/top-ten-tuesday-ten-books-that-will-make-you-laugh-or-at-least-chuckle/

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Thank you!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  17. Okay – you’ve all convinced me: I need to get This is Where I Leave You and put it on the top of my TBR pile!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  18. I love all of Tropper’s books! I am going to add Dirty Chick and Fiction Ruined My Family (what a title!!!) to my TBR list.

    Posted 4.20.16 Reply
  19. Lauren wrote:

    This is a great list, because many of these I would NOT expect to make me laugh. And that’s enough for me to give them a longer look. I do have to say that Bernadette is one of my all-time favorite reads and to this day I still laugh to myself when I think of the section about the 8 Steps to Parking in Seattle, which made me howl. I’m almost afraid to read her next book I loved this one so much.

    Posted 4.20.16 Reply
  20. Athira wrote:

    Where’d You Go, Bernadette? absolutely! That was one hilarious book that I couldn’t get enough of. The only other book I have read from this list is Me Before You and that one also had surprising humor.

    Posted 4.20.16 Reply

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