This year it is more important than ever to find some humor in the world and turn toward those things that bring us warmth and laughter. The mood already seems to be lifting somewhat, with more hope peeking out along with the sunshine. With this is mind, I wanted to mention some authors and books that provide levity—taking us through to brighter days ahead. Many of these are older titles, convenient if you want to start a well-established series or need something to amuse you while you wait for your holds to arrive. I have separated these roughly by genre, although many can be considered crossovers or even parodies.

• Actor/Comedian Memoir:

  	Vacationland by John Hodgman
  	Bossypants by Tina Fey
  	The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
  	The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by W. Kamau Bell
  	Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
  	The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae
  	Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld

• Humor Writer Essays/Memoirs:

  	I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron
  	The Best of Me by David Sedaris
  	Shrill by Lindy West
  	Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crossley
  	Live Right and Find Happiness by Dave Barry

• Short Stories:

  	Tenth of December by George Saunders
  	Texts from Jane Eyre by Daniel (Mallory) Ortberg

• Mystery/Suspense:

  	The Spellman File Series by Lisa Lutz
  	Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen
  	The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich
  	The Serge Storm Series by Tim Dorsey

• Horror:

  	The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
  	A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
  	The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris

• SciFi/Fantasy:

  	Hitchhiker’s Guide Series by Douglas Adams
  	The Discworld Series byTerry Pratchett
  	Blackout by Connie Willis

• Romance:

  	The Bridget Jones Series by Helen Fielding
  	Made for Love by Alissa Nutting
  	The Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

• Graphic Novel:

  	Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
  	Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

• Travel:

  	I’m a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson
  	Himalaya by Michael Palin
  	Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell
  	Holidays in Heck by P.J. O’Rourke

• Hospitality:

  	I Like You by Amy Sedaris
  	Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen

• Science:

  	How To by Randall Munroe
  	My Planet: Finding Humor in the Oddest Places by Mary Roach
  	Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Humorous “Classic” Fiction Authors:

PG Wodehouse, Oscar Wilde, James Thurber, Kingsley Amis, Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace

March's Featured Reviews

Recent Readings

I just finished listening to Carol Burnett’s wonderful This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection. If you can, get the audiobook version of this one, it is like being reunited with a dear friend.

Right now, I am reading March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, ill. Nate Powell (the Groton Reads graphic novel selection that is simply amazing); A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness; Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers (for the GPL Mystery Book Club!); and listening to Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Did I miss something? Do you know about other books that make you laugh out loud or quote to others? I always love hearing from you (jnmegan@gpl.org) and want to thank you for all the fabulous recommendations!

Until next time: Be well and be well-read!

Joelle

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So, who am I, anyway? I am a resident of West Groton, with a husband, 4 teenaged children and a Samoyed puppy-all of whom are systematically destroying our house during the COVID crisis. I am currently working part time at the Groton Public Library and in a former life I was employed as a Director or PR/Marketing at a high-tech consulting firm. My BA is in Psychology, but most of my time was spent in college earning a Concentration on the Novel. That is all to say that I make no claims at being an expert of any kind and my thoughts, opinions and mistakes are solely my own. I am just a person whose passion for books has continued to grow from the moment I was first able to grip and gnaw on them, and I have been devouring them ever since.