now what we have here is an embarrassment of riches. There were a lot of really funny books coming out this year, and funny books with something to say, and funny books about other funny things, like funny TV shows or funny movies. these books are fun is what i mean. Anyway, here are the humor, comedy, and humor and comedy-adjacent titles that would be the most ideal additions to your burgeoning humor library.
101 things you definitely shouldn’t do if you want to have a girl by will forte
You are reading: Funniest books of 2016
Before the last man on earth, macgruber, and saturday night live, will forte entertained himself and his friends by making bizarre single-panel comic strips, often focusing on impulses a man must repress. if you want to be successful. attract a partner. they are collected here, and they are so ridiculous and silly. You can’t help but hear the voice of forte’s performance (bow, feigned bossy, not-so-reassuring brother) in your head as you read them. among forte’s strong advice: “never use only pronouns when trying to carry on a conversation” and “never harpoon his father.”
young frankenstein by mel brooks
Finally, a coffee table for comedy nerds and a coffee table book about a movie that isn’t just a bunch of stills and trivia they got from imdb. No, here the story of the making of one of the top five comedies of all time gets the treatment it deserves, in the format usually reserved for Irish landscapes. You’ll know everything there is to know about young Frankenstein now, as he really gets fancy (sorry) with plenty of never-released photos and interviews. (rip, wild gene.)
seinfeldia: how a show about nothing changed everything by jennifer keishin armstrong
Almost long-awaited is Seinfeldia, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s exploration of the creation, execution, reception, and cultural impact of Seinfeld, arguably the most important and influential television sitcom of the past 30 years. Armstrong delves into both the show’s history and mythology, obsessing over the minutiae of Seinfeld as if she were a Seinfeld character herself. Bottom line: She tracked down Chela Holton, who posed for the poster for the infamous fake Seinfeld Rochelle movie, Rochelle. Armstrong also interviews Monica Yates Shapiro, Elaine’s true inspiration, as well as other reality figures whose lives have been touched by the sitcom, including “crazy” Joe Davola and the real Soup Nazi. p>
The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Bringing Dixie Out of the Dark by Trae Crowder, Corey Ryan Forrester, and Draw Morgan
here is a nice balm after a brutal election that left the country incredibly divided by creating broad cultural stereotypes. The trio of comedians (Bring Crowder, Corey Ryan Forrester, Drew Morgan) who tour as the redneck liberals are good rednecks through and through, but that doesn’t mean they’re ignorant and bigoted, or even the blue-collar comedy tour. crowder, forrester, and morgan are here to remind the many open-minded and progressive people in red states, and they fight to be heard. his book is often an unashamed celebration of the South (good: “sweet potato pie, casseroles, secondhand razors, fishing trips) as well as an intervention fueled by tough love (bad: claiming racism is in the past while there were still high schools named after Confederate icons).
Best State Ever: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland by Dave Barry
this is another book about the south, if you consider that florida is part of the south. geographically it is, but it’s also something else entirely, a tropical land where all the weird news seems to originate. That cliché was spread and possibly originated by humor god Dave Barry, who wrote about the unique absurdities of life in Florida for decades in his syndicated Miami Herald column. Therefore, no one is more qualified to write about the natural and manufactured madness of the American Dong than Dave Barry. (“mainly what manatees do is eat and fart. they are the adolescents of the marine world”). It’s also a lot of fun to see Dave Barry return to non-fiction and humorous essays after many very funny novels.
the girl with the tattoo on her lower back of amy schumer
amy schumer’s rise is complete. Schumer’s first book provides exactly what one would expect: it’s self-deprecating, inspiring, and a bit dirty. But it’s also a statement that Schumer is an excellent long-form writer. jokes and sketches sure, but this is a really charming and insightful exploration of identity and self. And while there are plenty of stories about being a street comedian, growing up, and one-night stands, Schumer is also pretty candid about what it’s like to suddenly become super famous. “It’s weird being treated differently all of a sudden just because you’ve been on TV or have some money. I’m not special just because I’m famous right now. I won’t be famous forever, or even much longer, which is fine with me because it doesn’t feel right for people to be nicer to you for your money.”
you’ll get over it in time by jessi klein
Schumer is an amazing writer and comedian, of course, but she falls under Amy Schumer’s lead writer, Jessi Klein, who helped develop her talents in the sketch comedy format. Klein is then, of course, a master at telling a story in a finite amount of space, as she does in this collection of personal essays primarily about growing up. Featured pieces include “Tom Man,” which is about being a “tomboy” when young women are expected to outgrow him, and a sharp and very comprehensive analysis of why the bachelor is so entertaining despite the horror of it. .
choose your own misery: the holidays and choose your own misery: the office by mike macdonald and jilly gagnon
See Also: Here are the 6 Dr. Seuss Books Being Pulled From Publication in 2021 – Hooked To Books
This is one of those ideas that writers criticize themselves for not having… but then you read it and it’s okay because the right people made their book, the people who were meant to make it. Mike Macdonald and Jilly Gagnon are obviously super fans of the Choose Your Own Adventure series from the ’70s and ’80s, the game/adventure novel that was the hit of libraries and book fairs across the country. the level of detail and tone of the original books are here, as the format is applied to the mundane but unpredictable things of everyday life, like celebrating the holidays without killing your family and working in a dreary beige office, respectively.
this is a book about the kids in the hallway by john semley
This book is perfect if you’re looking for a book that will give you an in-depth history of the kids in the hallway, which you’re probably interested in because you’re reading Splitsider. it’s like a book written about the beatles, such is the level of detail, lore, and intricate construction of author john semley’s story of how the group came together, grew up, made brain candy, and then infiltrated the industry of entertainment with his unique sensibility. . but it also works as a book on the development of the canadian comedy scene in the 1970s and 1980s, of which very little has been written other than stuff about sctv. semley also offers a ton of fascinating comedy theory involving two friends: making fun of dads and dressing up as a woman.
never flirt with puppy killers by dan wilbur
Finally, someone has arrived to knock literature off its high horse. Comedian and SomeeCards editor Dan Wilbur’s gift-worthy book for book lovers, an offshoot of his Best Book Titles blog, is a deliciously silly mix of visual humor and literary jokes. take famous book covers and alter their cover to have more punchy and accurate titles. “never flirt with puppy killers” is a game of mice and men, for example, while “my daddy’s cooler than your daddy” is wilbur’s best name for killing a mockingbird.
How to Succeed at Feminism: The Ultimate Guide to Having It All—And More! by Beth Newell, Sarah Pappalardo, and Anna Drezen
This was just the year of the gearhead, who made fake news that really affected social change and deep thought with brutally funny feminist satire. the book twists the site’s thesis into a bogus how-to book, misrepresenting both our extraordinarily sexist culture, particularly how the media cynically caters to women, and how we are all powerless if we don’t accept. among the many ways you, the lady reader, can have it all: making 67 cents on the dollar really last, how to get compliments (for your dynamic personality), and tips for buying a bag that can hold all your feminist ideals.
to love voltaire, to part us: a philosophical guide to relationships by julia edelman
Sex jokes and making fun of philosophers go very, very well together. This book is a complete expansion of Julia Edelman’s memorable New York piece “Excerpts from the Breaking Letters of Philosophers Throughout History,” and with wonderful illustrations by Hallie Bateman. is a fun and energetic compendium of terrible love and romantic advice from philosophers, the wisest figures in history who really should know better. take, for example, aristotle when he tries to use his reasoning and logic skills to get that ass: “let me deduce the reason why we should be together. If Aristotle is a man, and all men enjoy intercourse, then surely Aristotle would enjoy intercourse. Now I know what you’re thinking. you are afraid that he is using you as an instrumental asset.”
This year’s devastating press headlines
This small Los Angeles publishing house run by comedians Geoffrey Golden and Amanda Meadows produced some really funny books this year that gutted some parts of the larger culture that really needed gutting. Let’s take the bland adult coloring book fad: Kenny Keil’s stay at home Scarface takes the idea to its absurd and literal conclusion with a coloring book based on the adult film Scarface, with the conceit that the Al Pacino’s overreacted drug lord is a statesman. father at home And then there’s all the feelings, in which mike levine (lovingly) pokes fun at the insular, overly emotional world of high school theater with this collection of fake monologues that are tortured and dramatic enough for a theater kid to perform in. the great state acting competition. other titles include dream it! fuck ’em, golden’s collection of unbuilt and terrible attractions at disney parks, and meadows’ we don’t think you’re racist, a book of smiling multicultural faces offering platitudes to the white reader to reassure them that, unlike of everyone else, they are not racist.
the state union by corey stulce
children in the hall, mr. the spectacle and the state: the holy trinity of televised sketch troupes. finally, a state superfan named corey stulce has taken it upon himself to write a complete history of the group. covers not only their early days as a group in nyu, but goes back to each of their individual childhoods to explore the unique comedic sensibilities of the 11 members and how they came together as a whole, much like an avengers sitcom. there’s tons of never-before-seen, never-heard behind-the-scenes information and controversy and stories behind his most memorable sketches, and plenty of private photos provided by the show’s own cast.
carry this book by abbi jacobson
See Also: The 10 Best Fiction Books of the 2010s Decade | Time
The two women from broad city have reached a point where they are now both doing their own unique side projects. Ilana Glaser did the time-traveling pipe for the TV movie, while Jacobson made use of her illustrating talents. In carrying this book, which Jacobson calls “strangely specific and also wildly random,” she draws what she imagines might be inside the bags and purses of real people (Oprah, Marilyn Monroe) and fictional characters (Leslie Knope, Homer Simpson). ). in reality, these are comedic essays on something intimate and overlooked, visually.
You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have To Explain by phoebe robinson
Translating a performer’s voice and style onto the page with all nuance and character intact is no easy task. But I don’t think I’ve ever read a book as contagiously conversational as Phoebe Robinson’s. (This gift of eloquence is probably why Robinson’s podcast with Jessica Williams, 2 Dope Queens, is so good.) Robinson writes nimbly and with sharp wit about race, gender, and millennialism. her (she’s also an unabashed fan of billy joel, which takes a lot of courage to admit).
the daily show: an oral history of chris smith
It’s over 400 pages long, but you’ll be reading it in the afternoon, such is the fast pace of this story of the daily show, much like the daily show itself. The book is an intriguing first-hand account of the right place, the right time, and the right people that made late-night comedy central America’s top satirical venue. On a more basic level, behind-the-scenes controversies are also fun to listen to; so is learning how exhausting it is to put together an episode. Oral History is also the right format for this show, as it showcases the disparate voices, in their own voices, so to speak, that made the Stewart-era daily show remarkable and effective for television.
born as a crime by trevor noah
Speaking of the daily show, it’s been roughly a year since trevor noah took up the double-edged sword that follows jon stewart as host of the satirical institution…in an election year. whatever. Born a Crime shows that Noah, like many of us, developed a keen sense of humor early on as a defense against the terrors of life. (The title refers to how his existence was technically a crime under apartheid laws in his home country of South Africa: his mother is African and his father is European, and miscegenation was illegal.) noah’s memoir is so compelling and such a different side of him. Sure, it’s fun, but it’s a different vibe than his day job in shows or stand-up stuff.
almost entirely baxter: new and selected blurs by glen baxter
I don’t even know how to describe this. Artist Glen Baxter’s caricatures appear to have been illustrations for early 20th-century adventure novels or Boy Scout magazines. almost entirely baxter even looks early 20th century, hardcover with words and illustration embossed, not printed. and yet, the subtitles for this collection of the British artist’s work spanning the last few decades are the most absurd, postmodern, and unpredictable nonsense (or maybe “binge” is the right name). It’s best to let Baxter’s work speak for itself, because it’s hilarious. imagine it: a man and a penguin are standing in a ring, about to box. the caption reads: “a cynical minority remained who believed that our contest was rigged”. or, in a girl sitting at a table with pencil and paper: “Janet spent an hour each day working on her threatening letters.”
Digging up the mother by doug stanhope
Doug Stanhope is the darkest standup guy out there, but he’s really just a reflection of a man who feels things very deeply. he is able to synthesize those feelings into hilariously truthful and sad observations about the futility of existence. All of that has to come from somewhere, and in his memoir Stanhope reveals that his unique worldview comes from his deceased mother. (that’s not a spoiler; the book starts with a pretty sweet story about the day she died). he shut her son up and how she taught him that nasty, raunchy humor could be liberating.
it gets worse by shane dawson
Youtube has given us a whole new category of celebrities in recent years, but not all of them play video games or show us how to do a proper smokey eye. some are downright funny, like shane dawson, with her second collection of essays. As it gets worse, Dawson is honest with himself and the reader about what turned out to be bad decisions, like a spewed Craigslist connection and an accidental trip to Mexico.
based on a true story by norm macdonald
norm macdonald finally makes his long-awaited entry into the comedy memoir genre. but of course he does it in the most normal way possible: with little regard for conventions like form or fact. As the title suggests, the stories are mostly true, as Norm cleverly pulls off all the beats you’d expect from him, but then changes the script and makes you wonder how much of it is true because he adds things that couldn’t. possibly true. for example, he covers his audition story live on Saturday night as many have before him. but did he really pull out a bunch of morphine and a syringe in front of lorne michaels?
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