The 50 funniest books ever written
The funniest books ranked: humorous novels, comic memoirs and satire that will make you laugh out loud. A top 50 with where to read each one.
Humour is personal, so the list has several kinds: absurd science fiction, comic novels, essays and memoirs from stand-up comedians. If you need a book that is easy to pick up and will make you smile, start with the first ten.
These are editorial picks, ranked for readability and lasting appeal, and nobody pays to be on the list. Not sure where to start? Try the book finder and get three picks for your mood.
Top 50 funny books, ranked
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Good Omens
An angel and a demon team up to stop the apocalypse.
- Funny
Where to read
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
A man is swept off Earth just before it is demolished.
- Funny
Where to read
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The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Arthur Dent's journey through the galaxy continues.
- Funny
Where to read
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Bridget Jones's Diary
A year in the life of a single woman in London.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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Three Men in a Boat
Three friends and a dog take a boating trip on the Thames.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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Catch-22
A bombardier tries to escape the absurd rules of war.
- Funny
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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A Confederacy of Dunces
A slovenly scholar causes chaos in New Orleans.
- Funny
Where to read
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The Princess Bride
A fairy tale of true love and high adventure.
- Funny
- Gripping
Where to read
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Guards! Guards!
The Night Watch faces a dragon in Ankh-Morpork.
- Funny
Where to read
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Right Ho, Jeeves
Bertie Wooster's schemes go wrong and his valet must fix them.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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The Code of the Woosters
Bertie must steal a silver cow creamer.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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Cold Comfort Farm
A modern young woman reforms her gloomy rural relatives.
- Funny
Where to read
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Lucky Jim
A junior lecturer blunders through university life.
- Funny
Where to read
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Scoop
A nature columnist is mistakenly sent to cover a war.
- Funny
Where to read
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Pnin
A bumbling Russian professor in an American college.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
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Where'd You Go, Bernadette
A teenager searches for her eccentric mother.
- Funny
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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The Rosie Project
A genetics professor designs a questionnaire to find a wife.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
A socially awkward woman's life changes after a small kindness.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
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A Man Called Ove
A grumpy widower is drawn into his neighbours' lives.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
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Anxious People
A failed bank robber takes a group of apartment-viewers hostage.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
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The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
A man escapes his care home and stumbles into adventure.
- Funny
Where to read
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Big Little Lies
Three mothers' lives unravel at a school trivia night.
- Funny
- Gripping
Where to read
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Crazy Rich Asians
A New Yorker meets her boyfriend's ultra-wealthy family in Singapore.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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The Hundred-Foot Journey
An Indian family opens a restaurant opposite a French one.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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Yes Please
A comedian's essays on work, family and fame.
- Funny
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Bossypants
Tina Fey on comedy, women and work.
- Funny
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Essays on friendship, work and television.
- Funny
Where to read
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Me Talk Pretty One Day
Essays on family and learning French.
- Funny
Where to read
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Naked
Essays about growing up and moving through odd jobs.
- Funny
Where to read
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Born a Crime
A comedian's memoir of growing up in apartheid South Africa.
- Funny
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Let's Pretend This Never Happened
A blogger tells her unusual life story.
- Funny
Where to read
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Furiously Happy
Humor and honesty about mental illness.
- Funny
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Dad Is Fat
A comedian on raising five kids in a small apartment.
- Funny
Where to read
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Lamb
The missing years of Jesus told through his best friend.
- Funny
Where to read
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Fool
King Lear retold from the point of view of his jester.
- Funny
Where to read
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Sourcery
A wizard-son of a wizard threatens the Discworld.
- Funny
Where to read
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Wintersmith
A young witch learns to deal with the Winter's spirit.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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Going Postal
A con man is made postmaster of Ankh-Morpork.
- Funny
- Gripping
Where to read
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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Austen's novel with the undead.
- Funny
Where to read
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The Sellout
A satire of race in modern America.
- Funny
- Thoughtful
Where to read
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Gentlemen of the Road
Two Jewish swindlers travel the Caucasus in 950 AD.
- Funny
- Gripping
Where to read
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A Walk in the Woods
Bill Bryson sets out to hike the Appalachian Trail.
- Funny
- Inspiring
Where to read
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Notes from a Small Island
Bryson's farewell tour of Britain.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
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Neither Here nor There
Bryson's travels around Europe.
- Funny
Where to read
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Diary of a Nobody
A pompous clerk records the small events of his life.
- Funny
Where to read
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Hyperbole and a Half
Illustrated stories about life and depression.
- Funny
- Moving
Where to read
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The Sisters Brothers
Two hired killers travel across the Old West.
- Funny
- Gripping
Where to read
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Get Shorty
A loan shark heads to Hollywood.
- Funny
- Gripping
Where to read
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Eats, Shoots & Leaves
A zero-tolerance guide to punctuation.
- Funny
Where to read
Each link opens that store’s search for the book. Availability and prices vary by store and country. We may earn a commission from some stores, which never changes the ranking.
Types of humor books
Looking for something more specific? These are the main kinds of humor, with the sort of story or subject each one covers.
Comic novels
Fiction written to amuse.
Satire
Humour with a point of view.
Humorous memoirs
True stories told by funny people.
Funny essays
Short pieces for dipping in and out.
Absurd and fantastical comedy
Jokes in strange worlds.
Travel humour
Comic journeys.
Want to write and publish your own humor book?
Many readers of this page are also writers. The stores in the lists above are where readers find books, while Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital are the tools authors use to publish and distribute a book to those stores. You can also publish to Barnes & Noble Press and Google Play Books directly.
Our free KDP calculators help with print cost, royalties and cover size, and our publishing services can take care of setup for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the funniest book ever written?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Good Omens and Three Men in a Boat are regularly named.
What are good funny books for adults?
Bridget Jones's Diary, A Man Called Ove, Born a Crime and the Discworld novels are good places to start.
Where can I read or buy the best funny books?
Each of the 50 books has links to Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Google Play Books. Authors who want to publish their own humor book can start with our free guides to Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital.
Not sure what to read next?
Pick a genre and a mood and the book finder will suggest three books to try.