I need a funny book...

[FuzzyFreaky]

Did that question sound completely ignorant of me? Anyway I need a book that's comedic, light, upbeat........ I lack a proper word but you get the idea.

I've heard some good things of the book "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" by Toby Young, I've been meaning to get that-- Anyone read it?

And also has anyone read anything by Richard Ford?

Thanks

[Natasha (candygirl)]

I tend to think light funny summer reading = paperback chick books so my list will be biased towards that genre:

Going Down by Jennifer Belle
Getting Over Jack Wagner by Eliza Juska
The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank
Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook
America the Beautiful by Moon Unit Zappa
Bookends by Jane Green
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
The Princess Bride by William Goldman

[Nostradamus]

If you're looking for something light, just about any of Dave Barry's many paperbacks will do. His style of humor is silly enough to suit everyone's tastes.

If you'd prefer something more intellectually meaty, but still with a (mostly) happy ending, try Terry Pratchett. Good Omens, co-authored with Neil Gaiman, works well as a stand-alone outside of Pratchett's long-running Discworld series. You might not think that the End Times would make a good comedy, but, well, there you go.

Douglas Adams had a similar style to Pratchett, but with the emphasis on Sci-Fi, rather than Fantasy. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy was his masterpiece.

A Night In The Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny amalgamates some of the greatest fictional heroes and monsters of the nineteenth century into the month-long journal of a sentient dog. It sounds like a horrible premise, I know, but it works surprisingly well. And while I don't usually go for audio books, in this case I highly recommend Zelazny's well-paced reading.

A year or two ago I began to read one the Samurai Cat series, by Mark E. Rogers. It was quite good, if extremely silly, though I stopped reading when I realized I had started with the last book in a six-volume run. I believe the first installment was The Adventures Of Samurai Cat.

[Jody Barsch*]

David Sedaris' books are hysterical, but never underestimate the comic genius of Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice definitely keeps you laughing. Yes, I said it, Jane Austen, and I will defend her against anyone who tries to pass her off as a Victorian man-crazy homebody, or whatever it is people seem to hold against her. I agree with High Fidelity all the way!

[TomSpeed]

I think Shopgirl is funny in an understated kind of way. The fact that Claire is going star in the movie gives the book a MSCL connection. The main character in the book could be Angela in an alternate universe.

[Jody Barsch*]

I love Shopgirl and have read it several times; I knew it was being made into a movie but had not heard that Claire was to be Mirabelle. Personally I cannot picture this. I never would have thought Claire right for this part, in looks or personality. I will have to revisit the book before I could make a logical argument for why. I will definitely still see the film though, I LOVE Steve Martin. (Though not enough to persuade me to see his current travesties, Looney Tunes and Cheaper by the Dozen.)

[Natasha (candygirl)]

FYI Jody - there is info (and some pictures!) about the film here and here.

I love Steve Martin too, but there is no way I am going to see that Looney Tunes movie or Cheaper by the Dozen. I read something online about how horrible it is to see previews for movies starring Steve Martin in roles that should be going to idiots like Tim Allen.

[Bolt]

Max(x) Barry - Syrup
Hilarious. Check out its Amazon reviews.