books that are actually funny?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The funniest book I’ve ever read is A Confederacy of Dunces.

+ everything. There are so few Ignatius fans on here, I had to defend repeatedly on DNF threads

I think he is such a genius and so much is going on that some readers don't find it all that funny because they don't get it. He creates layers and layers and layers of complex social commentary that look, on the surface, almost cartoonishly simple. People miss a lot of it. And most of what is really hilarious is down a few layers.

I remember way back in the 90s a boyfriend and I were watching the movie version of "Cold Comfort Farm" and we were almost falling off of the couch with laughter. We were watching it because my roommate had rented it, and it wasn't due back at the Blockbuster yet (you might not remember those days, lol). Anyway, she comes out into the living room, confused by our laughter. She and her friend had watched it and didn't think it was funny at all. Like they didn't even realize it was a comedy. Which seems impossible, just like it seems impossible for people to not appreciate Confederacy, but it happens.

Both the book and the TV movie version of Cold Comfort Farm are hilarious.

Confederacy of Dunces is yet another patriarchal whinefest about how the world doesn't appreciate someone's genius, but in a way that both celebrates unrecognized genius and kicks down at society's outsiders. So yes, I recognize what JKT was going for, and it makes me either sad or annoyed, depending on how much of the milk of human kindness is in my system at the time. But I don't find it funny, and that's not because I am somehow less informed that you.

I also hate the Shawshank Redemption, if you're wondering how many sacred cows I don't hold sacred.

I agree with this. Confederacy of Dunces made me very sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shit, Actually by Lindy West. The audiobook cracked me up. Must love snark.

I loved Shrill (some parts made me laugh out loud) and her NYT op-eds. Her voice was so fresh. I tried reading her next book and her sub stack and they just seemed to be reaching or trying so hard to be relevant. I remember after Shrill got popular, she gave an interview about how she didn't like reading her initial movie reviews that made her famous (e.g., Love Actually) because she was just being mean and snarky in them, focusing on the worst parts of movies, and appealing to people's desires to be judgy and condescending. But now I feel like she has returned to that just because it's a way to make money. Nothing wrong with that I guess? But I do feel her talent was wasted.