What is the funniest book you ever read?

Gotham5000@aol.com
I would have to say one of my favorites is Abbreviating Ernie by Peter Lefcourt and just about anything by Bill Bryson.

Mlmlrm@aol.com
The funniest book I've ever read is The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.

Gaildona@aol.com
Breakfast of Champions. Kurt Vonnegut

Shell725@aol.com
Crazy For You by Jennifer Crusie is a really funny romance that I'd recommend.

Ddaa5id@aol.com
The funniest book I ever read was Chasing Sin.

deedledeedum@msn.com
I loved Loose Lips. It had a little of everything and certainly made me laugh.

MTK12345@aol.com
SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld.

Ware25@aol.com
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross.

JoyZoo@aol.com
Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen. I love his humor --- the second-by-an-eyelash funniest book is probably his Skin Tight or Native Tongue. He seems to be an effective writer in making his readers abhor the exodus of tourists into Florida --- except that even in sharing a love for everything we can find to read that he has written --- we did buy a time-share in Orlando!

toriphile20@yahoo.com
Anything by Dave Barry or Terry Pratchett.

Kborg10270@aol.com
I would have to say the whole Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. I laugh out loud while reading them.

judygruen@worldnet.att.net Although it's a tough call, I think the funniest book I ever read was Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley. A terrific send-up on the anti-smoking hysteria in this country, it's bitingly accurate and hilarious. I also really got a lot of laughs out his more recent Little Green Men, which I didn't expect to enjoy as much because of the topic (what happens when a government official becomes convinced that UFOs are real and that space aliens kidnapped him) but in Buckley's hand, it was a riot of laughs.

JRG0143@aol.com
What Looks Like Crazy on An Ordinary Day

LollieS1@aol.com
One of the funniest I have ever read was one by Danielle Steel - Klone. It's a rare book that can make me laugh out loud - especially when I'm in public. (I always have a book with me "just in case".) But, this one was truly one full of laughter!

Philnden@aol.com
The most hysterical mommy-book on the market is undoubtedly Carpool Tunnel Syndrome: Motherhood As Shuttle Diplomacy! It made me chuckle all the way to the changing table, and that's not usually a happy journey...

Susiewyz@aol.com
Forest Gump

JHenthorn@aol.com
Any of Janet Evanovich's books - I laugh out loud while reading them.

cindyanddiane@webtv.net I can't read Janet Evanovich's books at work - I embarrass myself by laughing hysterically. Hot Six was absolutely a hoot!

CASSELCOM3@aol.com
Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy

HEGWOODgal@aol.com
I love funny southern novels, but the best has to be: CRAZY IN ALABAMA by Mark Childress. The movie doesn't do it justice.

M2451@aol.com
I think all of the books by Carl Hiaasen are hysterical and I always chuckle reading them.

Sblokzyl@aol.com
I am sure there are many, but the one that came to my mind first is The Queen and I by Sue Townsend. It is a satire on the royal family. Hilarious! It makes fun of all of them in a good way. Do yourself a favor if you haven't read it, do so.

TLIP55@aol.com
Two: The Egg and I by Betty McDonald; and more recently, Youth in Revolt by C.D.Payne

pdcleff@enter.net A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - this is truly a laugh-out-loud book!

MadTaz1@aol.com
Sex Love and Tractors by Roger Welsch

cardlady5@juno.com
Big Trouble by Dave Barry. I took it while I was waiting for a program to start and had to try really hard from laughing out loud and embarrassing myself.

Cipsi2@aol.com
It's a toss up between Peter DeVries book Tunnel of Love (I hope this is the right one of his) where a fireworks factory explodes and the protagonist thinks it's the end times so he baptizes himself under the kitchen faucet --- and Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving, where the stuffed dead dog in the closet causes Grandpa to have a heart attack. Both these books were hysterically funny - well, perhaps that is not exactly true for HNH, because there were some very painful parts of it. But when I think of real belly laughs, I think of these two books!

Pat4CSKK@aol.com
I think one of the funniest books ever was Janet Evanovich's High Five. I read it on a plane and tried to stifle my laughs, but I was just shaking with laughter.

Pecsan114@aol.com
The book that made me laugh until I cried (and still does) is the Jimmy Breslin classic The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. Even though the book was made into a film, nothing could compare with the visualizations from those wonderful descriptions.

TmsEdison9@aol.com
The Magic Christian by Terry Southern: Not just funny but sidesplittingly funny.

HeyJewd@aol.com
The Dreyfus Affair by Peter Lefcourt.... without a doubt.

LadyHwk17@aol.com
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

BLM221@aol.com
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, a children's book, and I don't remember the author.

BritishTea@aol.com
My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber I picked up this slender book from the library thinking I could peruse it for a bit and return it to the shelf. I began laughing and the laughter became louder. I tried to stifle it, but tears began to flow, and I finally gave in to huge belly laughs. So there I was in the library, anticipating the moment when someone would toss me out, and thoroughly enjoying this book. The worst part: I worked at the library.

PrisJane@aol.com
The funniest book I ever read was "One For the Money" by Janet Evanovich.

Joyfuljess@aol.com
Without a doubt the funniest book I ever read is Four to Score by Janet Evanovich. I read it when I was on a weekend getaway with my hubby and I have to say giggling and laughing kind of spoiled the mood; and when I wasn't reading it, I couldn't wait to pick it up again...another romance killer...but well worth it. Any Janet Evanovich book is highly entertaining and worthy of a glance.

Ellentuck@aol.com
Funniest book I ever read was "A Prayer for Owen Meany". Sat in bed and laughed out loud at 2 in the morning.

LKellett@aol.com
Garp by John Irving

Ferrellac@aol.com
Four to Score by Janet Evanovich!

NancyKWilson@aol.com
Book of Guys by Garrison Keillor. I begin to giggle just thinking about it.

TheRockdove@aol.com
Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley. I started this one on a flight and had to bite my tongue several times to keep from laughing too loudly. My seat mate was a surly guy who thought I was missing marbles, but..GREAT book!

BEAMC@aol.com
Jessica Mitford's American Way of Death.

jfrain@swbell.net Funniest book: Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen. He's written several others, many of which come close. The characters in Stormy Weather, however, lead the pack, notably the Florida governor. Come to think of it, maybe that part wasn't fiction!

Rozpet@aol.com
The funniest book I ever read was A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. I laughed each of the three times I reread the book.The characters in the book are bizarre, eccentric, outlandish, and wonderful. New Orleans is the perfect setting for the story. Almost as unusual as the story, is the way the book got published. This is a Pulitzer Prize winner that you won't want to miss.

aptCarole@aol.com
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller World according to Garp - Irving -- also one of the most tragic...

BookmRita@aol.com
Forrest Gump!

SheilaRum@aol.com
Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille

Moondance269@aol.com
Two books come to mind. The first is Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg. The other is Angela's Ashes. Although Frank McCourt lived through a childhood of abject poverty in Ireland he manages to tell his story with humor. When I read, "What is it you don't see Jesus doing boys?" "Hanging on the cross sporting shoes," I laughed out loud at the unexpected humorous turn of Frank's humiliation at having to wear shoes repaired by his father with bicycle tires.

MorrisWeisgal@aol.com
I was surprised when I read Tristan Shandy at how funny it was; Joyce's Ulysses was also unexpectedly funny. But the books that have made me laugh out loud the longest and hardest are two by Bill Bryson. I started to read The Lost Continent out loud to my husband as we were starting a cross-country trip, and within 10 pages he had to pull over to the side of the road, as we were both doubled up with laughter. I started reading Notes From a Small Island late one night at the kitchen table and woke my husband out of a deep sleep. He came downstairs rather concerned that I had totally lost it --- he couldn't tell if my hysteria was produced by laughter or tears!

DahtcahmDiva@aol.com
Has to be MAMA CHANGES HER MIND. Sorry, but I don't recall the author.

SHLABONTE@aol.com
Mama Makes up her Mind

MOOSEEY@aol.com
Revenge of the Cootie Girls by Sparkle Hayter

DeladyV@aol.com
The funniest book I've ever read is Pioneer, Go Home by Richard Powell. It was made into an Elvis movie, Follow That Dream, but the movie couldn't hold a candle to the book. Toby was such a wide-eyed innocent. I laughed so hard, throughout the entire book. Thanks so much for reminding me of it. Now if I can just remember where I put it!

MFletc@aol.com
Clearly, without hesitation.... Erma Bombeck's THE GRASS GROWS GREENER OVER THE SEPTIC TANK.

CShank1246@aol.com
I have to admit the funniest book I have ever read is really any books by Gerald Durrell, the naturalist. All his adventures of collecting animals for his now called Jersey Trust, the zoo on the isle of Jersey especially for species unable to reproduce sufficiently in their normal environments. He is very very funny. A novel I found very funny is Life Among the Savages. I don't remember the author but it is about a family.

diddl.maus@teleweb.at The funniest was White Boy Shuffle

Annie161@aol.com
ALL of Janet Evanovich's books!!!!!!

GnMountain@aol.com
1. When Our Hearts Were Young and Gay

2. The Shipping News

DCCJ1@aol.com
Semi-Tough or anything else by Dan Jenkins.

AHerman442@aol.com
Just one? First I thought of Loves Wreckless Rash, a romance parody. Then I thought of just about everything by Douglas Adams, the five books of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, The Meaning of Liff and its following book. And even though Last Chance to See isn't exactly a funny book, Douglas Adams puts enough in to make it enjoyable.

VALAITISH@aol.com
The funniest book I ever read was Yes, My Darling Daughters by Ralph Schoenstein, about a father's adventure in raising his two daughters. I read the book (several times!) about 25 years ago. Unfortunately, I lost the book. It was a book I would have kept forever.

Neila1215@aol.com
Two for the Dough, by Janet Evanovich. I had tears rolling down my cheeks from laughing so much. My family thought I had lost it completely. The other people on the plane weren't so sure about me either.

Brown6@aol.com
In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. I was laughing out loud in a public area years ago. Still like the book.

RJKBARTLETTLAW@aol.com
IN RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTION REGARDING THE FUNNIEST BOOK(S) I'VE READ: A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES (I DON"T RECALL THE AUTHOR ) AND JUST ABOUT ANYTHING BY HIASSEN.

Bengtabks@aol.com
John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces is the funniest book I've every read. For 9 yrs. he tried to get it published and when the rejection became too much he killed himself. His mother continued to try to have it published, it was picked up by LSU Press and won the Pulitzer and became a bestseller. There is a special 25th anniversary edition out, so if you missed it, check it out. The 2nd funniest is Lisa Alther's KinFlicks. John Leonard gave it a front page rave in the NYT BookReview, and then retracted it, but I love it and hope someone brings out a 25th anniversary edition! It is currently not available except at libraries and used book counters. These two were my heros and putative leaders when I was writing my novel of sexual dysfunction, Achieving It All, which many have found to be extremely amusing.

KMF629@aol.com
The funniest book I've ever read is Shelia Levine is Dead and Living in New York City. I'm afraid I've forgotten the author.

JEarh13191@aol.com
The All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herroit

Rowlynn@aol.com
Letters from a Nut

Momburd@aol.com
Choirboys by Joseph Wambaugh

YTCOD@aol.com
Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress, any book by Christopher Moore

SierraZulu@aol.com
The funniest book I ever read (and my husband agrees with me) is Youth In Revolt by C.D. Payne. We are anxiously waiting for more from this author!!

Bookgranna@aol.com
Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love by Jill Conner Browne. This woman has a fantastic, down and dirty, tell-it-like-it-is sense of humor. She is the woman we would all like to be if we dared.

Priscogan@aol.com
The funniest book I ever read was Winterdance:The Fine Madness of Running the Ititerod by Gary Paulsen. It is a scream.

Plexus2000@aol.com
"The World According to Garp" by John Irvivng

Commador@aol.com
2 come to mind: Funniest novel: A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole. Funniest Humor book: Without Feathers, Woody Allen.

PNormart@aol.com
I am easily entertained, so there are dozens of books that have elicited a few chuckles from me. But without a doubt, the funniest book I've ever read was Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys. In it I saw my husband and just about every man I've ever known. Truth is funnier than fiction. Highly recommended.

Bltwich@aol.com
My immediate response to this question was Catch-22, and immediately after that thought came the realization that it was also one of the most heart-wrenching books that I have read. Some of the passages read were followed by a closing of the book to emotionally recover.

Fgiitter@aol.com
My all time choice would be No Time For Sergeants by Mac Hyman. More contemporary books would be anything by Dave Barry or Scott Adams.

Dniesmans@aol.com
Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins

MARILYN190@aol.com
Well I remember laughing over and over as a pre-teen to Cheaper by the Dozen, and as an adult, all of Dave Barry's books have been read numerous times by my family. Anne of Green Gables, such a terrific book, has such funny scenes so cleverly written!

SZ0835@aol.com
The funniest book I ever read was RUN WITH THE HORSEMAN, by Ferrol Sams. Once a friend of mine who was trying to get rid of a terrible winter flu came to me in Florida to get out of the winter weather. I sat her down in the sunshine and gave her several relatively light books. She howled over this title. Subsequently, several of my friends who had hit bad patches in life read this book and laughed out loud. I grin every time I think of the story.

PJBAXA@aol.com
The funniest book I have ever read is Raney by Clyde Edgerton. I read it about 14 years ago; for laugh out loud literary humor, nothing I have read since has come close.

SecretSky@aol.com
The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love by Jill Connor Browne --- great!

Mavisjh@aol.com
The funniest book I ever read was Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis. It's on my list of "books good enough to read again." (it's a short list :-)

Edie1127@aol.com
Catch 22

Nottaprob7@aol.com
Book of Rachael

SaladAC@aol.com
Otherwise Engaged by Suzanne Finnamore

SKB1983@aol.com
The two funniest books that I can remember reading are Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and Headlong by Michael Frayn. I laughed aloud at both of them.

jstrang@home.com
The Bible, King James Version

TeapotArts@aol.com
Tuck Everlasting, written by Natalie Babbitt, is a captivating fantasy that held me in its grip from beginning to end! The mysterious Tuck family had their secrets. And what about the stranger in the yellow suit? You've got to read this one!