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Quick answer: The best funny books for book clubs make you laugh out loud and still give you something real to discuss. Top picks include Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Good Omens, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Bossypants, Me Talk Pretty One Day and Anxious People.
After a few heavy picks, a book club needs a break. Funny books lighten the mood, bring back members who drifted away, and lead to some of the most relaxed meetings of the year. The best comic books aren’t shallow, though. Underneath the jokes there’s usually something true about family, work, love or being human. This list mixes comic novels, satire, humorous memoirs and essays, so you can match your group’s sense of humor. Bonus: members love reading their favorite lines aloud.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Style | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where’d You Go, Bernadette | Maria Semple | Comic novel | Satire lovers |
| Good Omens | Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman | Comic fantasy | Fantasy fans |
| The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams | Comic science fiction | Groups that love absurd humor |
| Bossypants | Tina Fey | Humorous memoir | Audiobook lovers |
| Me Talk Pretty One Day | David Sedaris | Essays | Busy groups |
| Let’s Pretend This Never Happened | Jenny Lawson | Humorous memoir | Readers who like the unexpected |
| The Rosie Project | Graeme Simsion | Romantic comedy | Light, feel-good meetings |
| A Confederacy of Dunces | John Kennedy Toole | Comic classic | Literary groups |
| Anxious People | Fredrik Backman | Comic drama | Mixed-taste groups |
| Bridget Jones’s Diary | Helen Fielding | Comic novel | Rom-com fans |
| Crazy Rich Asians | Kevin Kwan | Satire | Summer picks |
| Cold Comfort Farm | Stella Gibbons | Comic classic | Classic lovers |
| Catch-22 | Joseph Heller | Satire | Ambitious groups |
| The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared | Jonas Jonasson | Comic adventure | Travel-loving groups |
| Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? | Mindy Kaling | Humorous essays | Easy summer read |
1. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
When her brilliant, anxious mother vanishes before a family trip to Antarctica, 15-year-old Bee pieces together what happened through emails, documents and letters. It’s a sharp send-up of Seattle life with a warm heart.
Talk about: Was Bernadette a villain, a victim or something else?
2. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
An angel and a demon who’ve grown fond of life on Earth team up to stop the apocalypse, but they’ve lost track of the Antichrist. It’s witty, absurd and packed with footnotes worth reading aloud.
Talk about: Which character would you most want to have dinner with?
3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Moments before Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, Arthur Dent is rescued by his friend Ford Prefect, who turns out to be an alien. It’s short, silly and endlessly quotable.
Talk about: What do you think the answer “42” really says about the question?
4. Bossypants by Tina Fey
Fey writes about her awkward youth, Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock and juggling work and motherhood. It’s packed with jokes, and it also has real insight about women in comedy and leadership.
Talk about: Which of Fey’s lessons about work stuck with you?
5. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Sedaris’s essays range from childhood speech therapy to struggling with French lessons in Paris. Because each essay stands alone, it’s perfect for members who can’t finish a whole novel.
Talk about: Which essay made you laugh hardest, and why?
6. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
The blogger known as The Bloggess describes growing up in rural Texas with a taxidermist father, along with her adventures in anxiety and adulthood. It’s outrageous and surprisingly touching about mental health.
Talk about: How does humor help Lawson talk about anxiety?
7. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Genetics professor Don Tillman designs a questionnaire to find the perfect wife. Then Rosie, who fails every criterion, walks into his life. It’s sweet, clever and very funny.
Talk about: Can love really be planned, or does it have to surprise us?
8. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Ignatius J. Reilly is an overeducated, lazy, outrageous man in 1960s New Orleans who is forced to get a job. This Pulitzer winner was published after its author’s death, and it’s a cult favorite.
Talk about: Did you find Ignatius funny, unbearable or both?
9. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A failed bank robber takes a group of strangers hostage at an apartment viewing. What follows is chaotic, funny and deeply kind about the way people struggle. Content note: suicide is a theme.
Talk about: Which hostage’s story surprised you the most?
10. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
Bridget records her weight, cigarettes, calories and disastrous love life over a year in London. It’s a loose spin on Pride and Prejudice and still very funny decades later.
Talk about: How does Bridget compare to heroines in today’s rom-coms?
11. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, only to discover his family is outrageously wealthy, and not thrilled about her. It’s glamorous, funny and full of footnoted gossip.
Talk about: What does the book say about family expectations?
12. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Orphaned and practical, Flora Poste moves in with her gloomy relatives at a doom-laden farm and sets about tidying up their lives. It’s a hilarious parody of melodramatic rural novels.
Talk about: Is Flora a hero or a busybody?
13. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Bombardier Yossarian is desperate to get out of flying combat missions in World War II, but the military’s logic keeps trapping him. It’s darkly funny and still sharp about bureaucracy and war.
Talk about: Where have you encountered a real-life Catch-22?
14. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
On his 100th birthday, Allan Karlsson escapes his nursing home and sets off on an adventure involving a suitcase of cash. Flashbacks reveal his accidental role in major events of the 20th century.
Talk about: Which of Allan’s historical adventures was your favorite?
15. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
Kaling writes about growing up as a chubby child of immigrants, breaking into comedy and working on The Office. It’s breezy, self-deprecating and full of laugh-out-loud moments.
Talk about: What did you learn about Kaling that surprised you?
Tips for a Funny Book Club Meeting
- Start with favorite lines. Ask everyone to read one passage that made them laugh.
- Talk about what makes it funny: timing, voice, exaggeration or a ridiculous situation.
- Look for the serious side. Most comic books hide a real theme under the jokes.
- Accept different senses of humor. Not everyone laughs at the same thing, and that’s a great discussion point.
- Try the audiobook, especially for memoirs read by the author.
- Plan a funny pick after heavy reads to keep members coming back.
Related: the best book club books for coworkers and the best memoirs for book clubs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good funny book for a book club?
Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Good Omens, Anxious People and Me Talk Pretty One Day are popular funny picks that also offer plenty to discuss.
Are funny books good for book clubs?
Yes. Humorous books lighten the mood after serious picks, are easy to finish and often hide deeper themes about family, work and relationships.
What is a good funny memoir for a book club?
Bossypants by Tina Fey, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson are funny memoirs that also give groups plenty to talk about.