Laughter is something I can confidently say absolutely everyone could do with more of. So while there is a time and a place for weighty, sad or just plain miserable reads, given that the world feels as heavy as it does, it is possibly not now.
Funny books, on the other hand, are ideal. The following 14, which range across fiction and nonfiction, are each hilarious, whip-smart, and guaranteed to lift your spirits. Just read them in public at you peril…
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
In 412 BC Sicily, out-of-work potters Lampo and Gelon decide to direct a Greek tragedy; their cast are the imprisoned Athenian soldiers who lie about starving in the quarry. Narrated in a modern Irish vernacular with all the wit to match, this novel is a delight.
(Fig Tree, £16.99)
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
In a story about growing up and making mistakes, Hera’s affair with her older, married colleague might be hard to read if it weren’t for the fact this protagonist is so very bawdy and the writing so rip-roaringly funny.
(W&N, £18.99)
Nuclear Family by Kate Davies
A terrific comedy of manners about what happens when a DNA testing kit results in blowing up a family unit, this novel is as compelling and absorbing as it is suffused with humour. An absolute treat.
(Borough Press, £16.99)
Killing Time by Alan Bennett
A whimsical, darkly comic novella set in a home for the elderly during Covid, Killing Time is replete with uniquely Bennett wit – and his magic writerly touch.
(Faber and Profile, £10)
Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
Down-to-earth Eden and her love interest Rufus would have their happily ever after if it weren’t for his mother’s schemes. No one does romantic comedy quite like the Crazy Rich Asians author.
(Hutchinson Heinemann, £18.99)
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
Reid is so lauded for her literary talents that it is easy to forget that she writes with a whip-smart, caustic humour. This campus novel, centred on student Millie Cousins and professor Agatha Paul, is dripping with it.
(Bloomsbury, £16.99)
All Fours by Miranda July
A perimenopausal woman leaves behind her husband, child and job and moves into a motel. One of the most talked about books of the year, this novel is filled with big ideas (and lots of sex), while also being very, very funny.
(Canongate, £20)
The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer
A follow-up to the comedian’s debut The Satsuma Complex, this is an equally absurd, hilarious story in which our extremely ordinary hero Gary makes a rather big life decision – while trying not to end up dead.
(Gallery, £22)
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
In this novel with a magic realist touch, Lauren’s attic is providing an endless supply of husbands for her: send one up and a new one comes down. Filled with clever observations on love and life, while also being laugh-out-loud funny.
(Chatto & Windus, £16.99)
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
From an author who is quickly becoming the new queen of bittersweet comedy, Sandwich follows the three generations of a family on their annual summer trip to Cape Cod. It will make you both cry and laugh.
(Doubleday, £16.99)
Why We Were Right by Rosie Holt
Subtitled ‘A catalogue of Conservative successes’, the comedian cleverly critiques the 14 years of our former government through parody and painfully good satire. So very witty, and so much fun.
(Ebury, £14.99)
My Family by David Baddiel
Bringing his late parents back to life, and not sparing any of the details (sex! rudeness! affairs!), never has a family memoir been so jaw-droppingly candid – or this hysterical.
(Fourth Estate, £22)
You Don’t Have to be Mad to Work Here by Dr Benji Waterhouse
Treading a delicate line of being both humane and hilarious, this memoir from an NHS psychiatrist is a bit like Adam Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt, but set on a psychiatric ward.
(Jonathan Cape, £18.99)
A History of Britain in Ten Enemies by Terry Deary
Only the Horrible Histories author could make a lesson on the past so side-splitting. His first book for adults is a ridiculously good romp through our country’s history, told through the tales of those who wanted to attack us.
(Bantam, £20)
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