Favourite comic (funny) book

I am between Gerald Durrel's My family and other animals and Three men in a boat by Jerome k. Jerome and currently reading Delafield's Diary of provincial lady but any suggestions would be appreciated.

You might enjoy some P.G. Wodehouse, maybe Summer Lightning or anything Jeeves. I love all of the three you've mentioned, I haven't met very many people who've read Diary of a Provincial Lady, there is a sequel to that: The Provincial Lady in London. It's been years since I read them, but oh, they're a delight aren't they?

Lamb or Fool by Christopher Moore
Skinny Dip or Lucky You by Carl Hiaassen
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the trilogy has 5 books) by Douglas Adams

And I second katylit's suggestion of P.G. Wodehouse

I third the 'wodehouse' vote, for me he's the most consistently funny writer, every single one of his books makes me laugh (just finished the plums of wodehouse, a collection of short stories from various books and, because i'm now doing the 'twilight shift' at the library till midnight when there's nothign to do except try desperately to keep your eyes open, i've just re-staretd picadilly jim as i know that'll keep me awake with laughing out loud.

another favourite is catch 22 which I know people seem to either love or hate (and i'm firmly in the former camp) and if we're stretching 'book' to include audio-books ... we've also got the original bbc series of hitch hikers guide to the galaxy on CD's and they never fail to raise a smile ...

How about Robert Benchley? I find his stuff wears well. And for listening, check out Bob and Ray.

David Sedaris's Me Talk Pretty One Day and Naked are hilarious. For fantasy-related humor, check out Who's Afraid of Beowulf by Tom Holt.

I have read some Jeeves and enjoyed it.The trouble is,I keep hearing the plaintive cry ''Bunteeeeeeer!'' while doing this and it kind of spoils my Lord Peter stories.
#2 katylit our lady is a sugarplum and that sequel is next in line.
I have read and heard The Guide and it's still funny.
Sedaris' work was translated in greek but I couldn't go beyond page one.I'll have to try the English prototype.One thing I envy you,you people,is the bookshops,especially the second-hand ones, and libraries.My only source of english books is Amazon and they don't deliver second-hand goods here.
I know Tom Holt,I have read Expecting someone tallerand oh! he is funny!

I haven't re-read it for a few years, but Max Ferguson's autobiography, And now, here's Max, is really funny. It used to be the pick-me-up I went to when I needed cheering up. Might be hard to find now, though, being out of print and by a now-obscure Canadian radio personality.

I totally agree on My Family and Other Animals which is a lovely book.

There are some comic mysteries I love. One of my favorite and funniest is Murder with Peacocks. And I love Terry Pratchett. Mort and Reaper Man are my all time faves, but then I love Wee Free Men too. And another vote for Wodehouse.

I agree with the Tom Holt and Terry Pratchett recommendations, some books more funny than others but all pretty great.

I still have my childhood collection of Just William books too and they are very funny. You don't have to have/be a child to enjoy these.

And two non-fiction books that have made me cry with laughter are Join Me and Yes Man by Danny Wallace. I see the latter has been ruined on film by Jim Carrey but the book is brilliant.

Just about anything by Bill Bryson or Dave Barry is piddle-your-britches funny. You'll learn stuff with the Bryson, too!

(What's with the flipping touchstones?)

Yes to Murder with Peacocks! The sequels are fun too, although MWP is the best. And Pratchett, of course - can't believe I didn't think of him earlier.

Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds and sequels are amusing.

And the witty banter of Jim Butcher's books, both the Dresden and Alera series.

Pratchett books I have aplenty(pity he's sick though).As for the rest,I'm googling like a maniac.By the way, have you heard of a lady (ahem)writer called Amanda mcKittrick Ros? If not, you are in for a treat!

Night Life of the Gods and Rain in the Doorway by Thorne Smith always make me laugh.

Wodehouse wrote lots of books/stories about the Blandings Castle gang, that's why I suggested Summer Lightning. thorold recommended it to me and it definitely is a winner. I know what you mean about Bunter and Lord Peter, totally understand. But Summer Lightning, Something Fresh, and Heavy Weather are so funny and aren't about Jeeves.

The Drones Club http://www.librarything.com/groups/themaster#forums has some great discussions with very knowledgable Wodehouse masters. I've learned a lot from them.

>6 Glassglue:, yes i had forgotten about david sedaris, we have a set of his books being read out by him and the santaland diaries is especially good, he's got a very dry way of reading them which just seems to make it funnier!
and we have just borrowed night watch from the library which i think is great, by far the best of his 'watch' / 'vimes' books

The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrims' Progress

The Jumping Frog: In English, Then in French, Then Clawed Back into Civilized Language

"Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses"

and numerous other essays & sketches by Mark Twain

Dave Berry on Sewage Lift Stations: .

What a lift station does: ,

Richard Armour is chortle-worthy. Love his puns.

Dan Jenkins is very funny in an cynical, obscenity-laced sort of a way.

Also love Dave Barry, especially Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs - which is also very funny in audio.

Tom Sharpe (his stories are usually quite bawdy)
Robert Rankin
Chris Genoa
Alexander McCall Smith's Moritz-Maria trilogy
Peter Mayle

#20 - Dave rocks. Maybe this is an excuse to post my favorite covers again.

}:o)

All of Gerald Durrell's books are funny, if no longer politically correct. I love The Bafut Beagles. Since you seem to enjoy older humor, you might enjoy Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough, Underfoot in show Business by Helene Hanff or The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay.

Has anybody mentioned the Don Camillo books by Giovannino Guareschi? (Touchstone appears to be pointing to one other than the first in the series).

I love Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.

I also like the comic crime series by Kerry Greenwood about the dashing, independent, 1920s woman Phryne Fisher. She drives fast cars, flies planes and seduces young men while solving murders and tracking drug cartels. Though they may be hard to find outside Australia.

My favourite funnies:-
The Blind Barber by John Dickson Carr
The Art of Coarse Acting by Michael Green
Three Men in a Boat Jerome K. Jerome

#14. Helcura - Thorne Smith is a hoot - have you ever read Skin and Bones?

#23 political correctness stinks anyway.
As for obscenity and bawdiness, I don't belong to the faint-hearted!Though when it comes to scatological humour I draw the line.

I thought this thread was about comic books ;) I was going to say Toda Mafalda (It's actually just "Mafalda", the character, but I wanted the touchstone to point to the compilation) by Quino, which has been recently translated into English (although some of the jokes don't translate well because of the cultural context.) Anything by Quino, actually. He also has several books which rely mostly on his drawings, very few, if any, text.

The Hitchhiker's Trilogy is one of my favorites. As well as the few by Pratchett I've read (the first I ever read was Mort and I loved it.)

I also remember reading (and loving) Three Men in a Boat ages and ages ago.

In Spanish, anything by Enrique Jardiel Poncela. But I don't think he was ever translated into English, much less Greek.

#7
My only source of english books is Amazon and they don't deliver second-hand goods here.
Have you tried Better World Books? According to their slogan, they ship internationally: "Free Shipping in the USA, $3.97 Worldwide." It says so right under their logo. Plus, by buying from them, you contribute to a good cause. (I haven't bought anything from them yet.)

Does Calvin and Hobbs count?

How about Tom Sharpe? I love Blott on the Landscape and Porterhouse Blue. And Riotous Assembly is a must for anyone interested in subversive literature.

There's so many books to choose from! Thank you, people!
#28 I have a soft spot for Mafalda and I like Quinovery much indeed.I'll try BWB and see what happens.
#29 weeell.......I try not to read too many comics or I'm lost!
#30 ''subversive'',eh? That's me allright!

Lots of the stuff already mentioned, but here's another: Never Mind the Pollacks byt Neal Pollack. The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature is also a scream.

Slackjaw by Jim Knipfel is another one that cracked me up. Oh, and Augusten Burroughs, even if I don't believe a word of it.

I don't think that anyone has mentioned Tom Robbins. I found Skinny Legs and All a delightful romp.

No one's mentioned Love on a Branch Line, but it fits in with Wodehouse and 3men on a boat very well.
(hope you don't mind me butting in - I've not been to the GD before!)

Welcome Goldengrove! Rose, a pint of your finest for our new friend please... pull up a stool, mind the wildlife, and don't worry about the patrons, they're that way normally.

But keep an eye on the roombas.

And on the SPITTING COBRAS.

Welcome Goldengrove!Butt in at will,we are mostly harmless!