10 Books that have made me laugh
Today Moira at ClothesinBooks.com and I are posting our list of books that have made us laugh. Mine are, in no particular order:
Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome. A classic. I particularly love the part where they try to open a tin of pineapple without a tin-opener, and Uncle Podger hanging a picture, and then there’s . . . but read it yourself, if you haven’t already.
The Pursuit of Love, by Nancy Mitford. I was twenty-five when I first read this, and have lost time of how many times I have read it. Romantic and touching as well as funny.
The Harpole Report, which I blogged about a couple of posts ago.
P. G. Wodehouse, Summer Lightning. Difficult to chose just one, but many years ago when I was living alone in a bedsit in Birmingham this was read by Ian Carmichael as a Book at Bedtime. Sheer bliss.
Gerald Durrell, My Family and Other Animals. A teenage favourite that has endured.
Joyce Dennys, Henrietta Sees It Through. Again, mentioned before as a favourite on the blog. I wish it was twice as long. There is another volume, but it’s not enough.
Michael Simkins, What’s My Motivation? Michael Simkins is one of those decent, jobbing actors who often plays the main character’s boss, as in he does in Foyle’s War, but he is also a wonderful comic writer, writing frankly about the up and downs (mostly downs) of the actor’s life.
Kate Dunn, Exit Through the Fireplace: The Great Days of Rep. Another theatrical offering drawing on actors’ memories of door handles jamming on flimsy sets and fluffed lines (‘It’s Marple, Miss Murder!’). I nearly fell out of bed laughing.
Sue Hepworth, But I Told You Last Year That I Love You. One of the funniest writers that I know – and a great friend, maybe because we make each other laugh.
Bill Bryson, The Thunderbolt Kid. Not only very funny, but contains some startling insights into the America of the fifties and sixties.
Another day it might be another choice, though most of these didn’t really need thinking about, they are such old favourites. I’m longing to see what Moira has chosen.
Ps. I have now, and it is fascinating. Hardly any overlap, so lots more for my reading list.
12 Comments
moira @ Clothes in Books
November 25, 2014Great list Christine – half of me is saying ‘How could I have missed out…’ while the other half is making notes of the ones that are new to me. I like the sound of the two acting books. I made a deliberate decision to leave Henrietta to you – she probably should be on my list, but as you introduced me to her, you get to claim her!
Christine Poulson
November 25, 2014This had been such a lot of fun. Thanks for leaving me Henrietta!
Incidentally, though I thought of Lucky Jim, I have never felt the same about it since I learned that Margaret is thought to be based on one of my tutors at Leicester, Monica Jones. It just seemed so mean.
Prashant C. Trikannad
November 25, 2014Christine, lots to choose from. Humour is one of my favourite genres. I recently read some satirical pieces by Woody Allen whose “The Kugelmass Episode” is one of the funniest stories I have read. “Summer Lightning” and “Laughing Gas” were two of the earliest Wodehouse books I read. My personal favourites are the Blandings stories, especially with Galahad in it. I haven’t read Gerald Durrell. Thanks for reminding me about him. I also want to reread “Three Men in a Boat.”
Christine Poulson
November 25, 2014Thank you for commenting. Yes, Woody Allen is very funny, I agree. I had forgotten that. Glad you too like Wodehouse.
Lyn
November 25, 2014So many of my favourites there! Ian Carmichael is one of my favourite narrators. His recordings of the Dorothy L Sayers novels are wonderful, I hear his voice when I read the books. He also recorded Three men in a boat, another favourite. I also love Mitford, Durrell (which I’ve only just read), Dennys &, of course, Sue’s novels. The theatrical memoirs sound great, I must investigate those.
Christine Poulson
November 27, 2014Always lovely to hear from you, Lynn, and to know we have such a lot of literary tastes in common. I keep thinking of other writers I could have listed,such as Barbara Pymm. She is not usually laugh-out-loud funny, but she has such a dry, sly wit.
Lissa Evans
November 27, 2014I love exactly the same bits of ‘Three Men in a Boat’ – in fact, I remember reading the ‘Uncle Podger’ digression as a teenager and almost feeling ill, I laughed so much. While ‘Three Men on the Bummel’ doesn’t have the same sustained brilliance, there are equally marvellous sections, in particular, the description of George staying at Harris’s house and being woken at 5.30 am by Harris’s children. Also the ‘friend’ who offers to mend a bicycle, dismantles it, loses all the ball bearings on the gravel drive and then goes away…
Christine Poulson
November 27, 2014Very nice to hear this. Yes, it is a classic, isn’t it? I’m not sure that I’ve read ‘Three Men on the Bummell.’ I must have a look.
Sue
November 28, 2014I liked your list so much. Bill Bryson’s book is a wonderful social history of America in the 1950s as well as being very funny. I haven’t read Moira’s post yet and she may have included this, but I think my favourite comic novel is Diary of a Nobody which I love with a fierce passion.
Sue
Christine Poulson
November 28, 2014Thank you, Sue, I am so pleased that you liked the list. Yes, Diary of a Nobody is wonderful and I thought of including it.
Sappho Charney
December 2, 2014What a fantastic list! I’m getting the two theatre books immediately. My vote for funniest Wodehouse is Leave it to Psmith, although like all other Wodehouse addicts, I could not tell you why.
For more laughs, American style: Betty Macdonald’s The Egg and I, my candidate for the funniest book ever written in English.
Shirley Jackson’s (yes, of “The Lottery” fame) autobiographical tales of raising four children, Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons.
Jane Trahey’s The Trouble with Angels, an autobiographical story of adventures at a Catholic boarding school in the 1940’s or 50’s.
James Thurber’s wonderful tall tales of his family and his own bumbling youth. I read them in A Thurber Carnival, but they’re kicking around in many anthologies.
–Just thought I’d add a few suggestions for everyone’s Christmas list!
Christine Poulson
December 2, 2014Thank you! So glad you like the list. Some additions to my own reading list here. I did read Betty MacDonald’s The Plague and I years ago, and will try The Egg and I. Also the Shirley Jacksons and Jane Trahey.