Funny Books

[nikki]

My Mom is 85 years old. She asked me to get her some humorous books to read. I know she'd prefer a joke book, or a book of short stories, rather than a novel. Any suggestions will be appreciated! :) Thank you!

ETA: Nothing raunchy, no trendy stuff... preferably not cartoon -- like Simpsons, etc. She's 85 years old!!

[lihingmui]

If she has not already read them, My Life and Hard Times and The Thurber Carnival, both by James Thurber.

I recommend these books not because of her age but because they really are amusing. I reread The Night The Bed Fell On Father a while back (after first reading it many years ago) and I couldn't help but smile.

[Honoruru]

How about anything by James Thurber?

He only wrote short pieces; and they're all funny. And the fact that they were written in the 30's, 40's and 50's means they won't be too "trendy" for your grandmother, nothing "raunchy" that I can remember.

He is also famous for his cartoons, but these are New Yorker magazine cartoons. It might turn out that she likes his cartoons better than his short stories; they'll make her smile, or laugh out loud. Either way, I think your grandmother would enjoy Thurber (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-4653830-8268760?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=James+Thurber&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go).

[Honoruru]

If she has not already read them, My Life and Hard Times and The Thurber Carnival, both by James Thurber.

Ooops! I started writing the previous post and got interrupted. Didn't notice that you had already posted something about Thurber. But I concur, Thurber would be a good choice.

[lihingmui]

You know what they say about great minds :D

[nikki]

Thanks, you guys... I'll be checking out James Thurber!

[Leo Lakio]

Bill Bryson's travel narratives are entertaining and humorous. He's written about driving around the US (lower 48), walking the Appalachian Trail, bicycling in Australia, and living for several years in the UK. He also has some great books about the evolution and usage of the English language, also filled with wit.

James Thurber is a classic - everyone should get a dose of him. Robert Benchley, in a similar vein.

[scrivener]

The funniest book of all time is Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which your mom might get a kick out of revisiting. In fact, just about anything by Twain is pretty dang hilarious.

Other good choices:
Stuff by David Sedaris, if your mom doesn't shy away from the occasionally raunchy. I would recommend Naked as a good place to start.

[U'ilani]

I love the Bryson and Sedaris recommendations. I'd also highly recommend the hilarious book by Amy Sedaris (sister of David S.), I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (http://www.amazon.com/Like-You-Hospitality-Under-Influence/dp/0446578843/ref=pd_sim_b_5/002-4761256-4892803).

[scrivener]

Oh, have I got a funny book. Two, really.

If your mom isn't set on fiction, check out Daniel Pinkwater's Fishwhistle, if you can find a copy of it. Pinkwater is the host of public radio's Chinwag Theater and the author of a zillion hilarious children's books. The short essays in Fishwhistle are transcripts of his pieces on NPR. They are hilarious.

Another of his collections is called Chicago Days, Hoboken Nights, which is also very funny, but not quite as funny as Fishwhistle.

[shaveice]

Oh, have I got a funny book. Two, really.

If your mom isn't set on fiction, check out Daniel Pinkwater's Fishwhistle, if you can find a copy of it. Pinkwater is the host of public radio's Chinwag Theater and the author of a zillion hilarious children's books. The short essays in Fishwhistle are transcripts of his pieces on NPR. They are hilarious.

Another of his collections is called Chicago Days, Hoboken Nights, which is also very funny, but not quite as funny as Fishwhistle.

this book seems to come close but is not exactly what you described:
Hoboken Fish and Chicago Whistle (Paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/Hoboken-Chicago-Whistle-Daniel-Pinkwater/dp/0738804258

found this online: seems that the book above is fishwhistle under a new title/name.
"...So, since I especially like Daniel Pinkwater's commentaries on NPR, I got a copy of his collection of radio essays, 'Fishwhistle.' I practically ate those essays, reading them over and over and over again. (This book went out of print, but is now available, along with Pinkwater's out-of-print 'Chicago Days, Hoboken Nights,' in a book with the entwined title Hoboken Fish and Chicago Whistle .)..."

[nikki]

thanks everyone, these are great suggestions!!!

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Go find some classic Erma Bombeck on ebay. EB related very well to your mom's demographic.

[reineke]

I'd get a collection of different authors. You can't go wrong with the classics (well, you can but...)

You can decide yourself here and then you're off to Amazon or wherever. You can also print out what you like in large print if your mom doesn't mind. Mine loves it :)

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/10947