Can someone recommend a funny book....

[gary mac]

For something different, a great yarn and very funny, I recommend: The One hundred year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared, by Swedish author Jonas Jonasson.

[Mykesbass]

Tom Sharpe Wilt

[fumps]

THe fuinniest book I have ever read was Spike Milligans re-writing of the Old testiment.
That book made me literally laugh out loud on busses which lead to some very funny looks by people.

If you have a daft sense of humour, I cannot recommend this book enough

[Black Coffee]

"The Labour Party policies on money lending and mortgage approvals for the skint masses."

This is about an ideal that led a European country into total financial chaos and a housing market crash that is still falling six years on. I think the author was some slippy bloke called Tony Blair. He's now an after dinner speaker at £15,000 an hour for his version of selling the lie to so many people then jumping ship before it hit the rocks in a spectacular collision with reality.

[Pukie]

+1 on the early Terry Pratchett

or you could delve into the reference work that is Roger's Profanissaurus

[Kirky]

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh is laugh out loud hilarious. The Tales of The City series by Armistead Maupin are funny/bittersweet.

[Norm]

Elmore leonard later stuff, not exactly comedy but crime/thillers with a fast paced dialogue & very funny episodes. Some have been made into films, get Shorty, Jackie brown (based on book, rum punch) & TV series of maximum bob, all ok but books are better.
Louis de bernieres is good too, he is better known for his 4th novel captain corelli's mandolin (he hated the film) but his First three novels are a trilogy loosely based around Columbia. Very funny, tragic & sad. The war of don emmanuels nether parts, senor vivo & the coca lord & the troublesome offspring of cardinal Guzman.

[Norm]

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1410383951' post='2548953']
'The Throwback' by Tom Sharpe immediately springs to mind...
[/quote]
+1 good call!
All his books are funny but that one had me laughing out loud in many places.

[Norm]

[quote name='Kirky' timestamp='1410442426' post='2549482']
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh is laugh out loud hilarious. The Tales of The City series by Armistead Maupin are funny/bittersweet.
[/quote]
+1 another good call!

[Norm]

The Wimbledon trilogy by nigel williams.

More are coming back to mind, I'm going to have to read all these again ;-)

[RhysP]

Try some James Thurber if you've not read any.
"The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath is also a great laugh.

[gerryc]

David Nivens "The Moon's a balloon" and "Bring on the empty horses" plus anything by Spike Milligan

[Phil Adams]

As noted previously, Puckoon by Milligan is good.
The war "memoirs" by him are excellent as well.
I made a mistake and bought most of the "classics according to Spike Milligan series" and (sorry Spike) they are pretty poor.
Avoid Frankenstein according to Milligan.
The hound of the Baskervilles according to.....
Robin Hood.....
Treasure Island etc etc etc.

[Norm]

The brentford trilogy by Robert rankin.
Another trilogy! Well a triple trilogy really, 9 books. there is a theme developing to my reading pattern!?!?!
The antipope, the brentford triangle & east of ealing are the 1st three.
Very funny, one reviewer said its like last of the summer wine on acid. really good acid I'd say.

[the boy]

Ok.... Thank you all. There are some excellent suggestions there. Ive read a few of them already. I started t pratchett 'the colour of magic' today. I'm about 1/4 way through and although it is very funny it's not my thing...... I am enjoying though and intend to finish it. The funniest and possibly saddest book I ever read was "the butcher boy" by Patrick mc cabe. So that's my ilk if you will. Anyway keep em coming.

[Norm]

Always looking for good stuff to read, will try your pat McCabe suggestion, ta.
Let us know how you get on with 'em.
Cheers,
Norm

[inthedoghouse]

I suppose it depends on your sense of humour. The only ones I've read so far that have made me literally LOL (even in the hospital waiting room) have been Bill Bryson's 'Note from a Small Island' and 'The Lost Continent' :-)

[Clarebear68]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1410383357' post='2548943']
In which case....

Puckoon - Spike Milligan
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
[/quote]

+1 ... I must have read Catch 22 half a dozen times now and it still makes me cry laughing!

[Dad3353]

'The Complete and Utter SkankDelvar Collection and Other Tales' in 4 volumes, published by BC Tat & Co is a fascinating read, guaranteed to bring tears to the eye. The handsome red leather binding and gold block makes it a worthy centrepiece for any bassist's library. Strong shelving is a must, however.
There is also a slim volume : 'Famous Last Words', edited quotes from banned ex-forum members, written collectively by The Mods, from the same publishing house. It too brings tears to the eye, for different reasons. Not for the weak or faint of heart. No illustrations, thank goodness.

Edited September 11, 2014 by Dad3353

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1410443651' post='2549502']
Try some James Thurber if you've not read any.
"The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath is also a great laugh.
[/quote]

[Bloodaxe]

I'll pitch in with Tom Holt.

He sits somewhere between Tom Sharpe & Robert Rankin, but not as farcical as the former & nowhere near as outré as the latter.

Recommended: 'Flying Dutch', 'Grailblazers', 'Faust among Equals' and 'My Hero' (although the last two do stray into Sharpe's territory a bit).

He's also penned some novels set in ancient Greece that sit on the slightly silly side of things. 'Olympiad' stands out for me.

P.

[NancyJohnson]

Jasper Fforde. Thursday Next series.

Toby Smith. Space Captain Smith.

[Skinnyman]

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1410419393' post='2549151']
For something different, a great yarn and very funny, I recommend: The One hundred year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared, by Swedish author Jonas Jonasson.
[/quote]
+1 for this and for the follow up: The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden. Utterly, utterly brilliant.

If you have a Kindle and if you like cats then The Secret World of Fluffy Ratbag. 99p download. Don't read while eating a Mars Bar. Chocolate comes down your nose.

[blamelouis]

“The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and just ain't spitting it out.”

“That woman was sexy. . . . Out of your league? Son, let women figure out why they won't screw you. Don't do it for them.”

“On Asking to Have the Candy Passed to Me During Schindler’s List “What do you want — the candy? They’re throwing people in the f***ing gas chamber, and you want a Skittles?”

“There seem to be a lot of gay people there...Oh please, as if that's what I meant by that. Trust me, none of them would ever want to f*** you anyway. They're gay, not blind.”

sh*t my dad says is a brillant laugh


http://www.amazon.co.uk/sh*t-Dad-Says-Justin-Halpern/dp/0330533452

[wmsheep]

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1410387627' post='2549027']

It is good, as is anything with Death (or Mort).

In the same vein, Good Omens by Terry P and Neil Gaiman
[/quote]
A hearty +1 for Good Omens from me.

In fact, just about anything by Pterry is going to be good (OK, not sure about "Dark Side of the Sun" nor "Strata"). My personal favourite is "Pyramids"

If you dont mind being seen with kids books, I heartily recommend the "Bromeliad" trilogy (aka "Truckers", "Diggers" and "Wings")