10 books that are actually funny
Great comic writing is rarer than great dramatic writing. These get it right.
Moments before Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, Arthur Dent is saved by his alien friend Ford Prefect.
The funniest book in the universe. Every paragraph contains at least one joke that has been quoted for forty years.
Four retirees meet weekly to solve cold cases. Then a real murder lands in their village.
Sharp, warm, and genuinely funny. Osman has a gift for comic timing that makes every page a pleasure.
A female chemist accidentally becomes a 1960s cooking show host. Her dog understands more than most people.
Funny, furious, and brilliant. The dog's perspective alone is worth the entire book.
The apocalypse turned Earth into a deadly game show. Carl just wants his cat to survive.
Wickedly funny and shockingly brutal. You will read this at 2am and try to explain to people why a man fighting monsters in an underground dungeon made you cry.
Two people whose partners left them for each other are now accidentally stuck as roommates.
Henry at her wittiest. The banter is surgical. You will read it in one sitting.
A grumpy old man has decided to die. His neighbours refuse to let him.
Somehow hilarious and devastating at the same time. Backman is the master of comedy that punches you in the chest.
An angel and a demon have gotten rather fond of Earth and would prefer it not to end.
Two geniuses at the top of their game. Every sentence is either a joke or setting up one.
A socially challenged genetics professor creates a questionnaire to find the perfect wife. He meets Rosie.
Endearing, funny, and surprisingly tender. A love story for people who prefer spreadsheets.
A beautiful, privileged woman in New York decides to sleep for a year. What could go wrong?
Darkly hilarious in a way that makes you uncomfortable about why you're laughing.
Three men and a dog take a boat trip up the Thames. Almost nothing goes right.
Published in 1889 and still genuinely funny on every page. The passage about the cheese is one of the great comic set-pieces in English literature.