Sometimes we want to laugh when we’re reading (or when we’re doing anything). Thankfully, I’m in the middle of a GREAT run of funny, sharp, and poignant humor books.
Let me tell you a bit about each one.
WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE and MEATY are two hilarious essay collections by Samantha Irby. If you’re not up for tons of swearing, then these may not be for you. I’m usually not a fan of excessive (and repetitive) “bad words,” but it all works woven into Irby’s sharp observations about her life and life in general. She gets personal in both books about living as the youngest child to an older mom with MS and an alcoholic father. So it’s not as if every second is laugh-out-loud funny, but you wouldn’t be able to handle line after line of Irby’s humor without pulling a muscle. Her quieter moments describing some of the pain of her childhood balances out the rest. I loved all the 90s references, too.
LOOK ALIVE OUT THERE is Sloane Crosley’s latest essay collection. It’s a different kind of funny than Irby’s work. I’d say it sits between Irby and Sedaris for humor, which means I was able to read it in bed at night without waking up my husband with my giggles. But don’t misunderstand me. Crosley is also sharp and has many clever turns of phrase. She’s great at using humor that pokes fun of herself while also poking fun at others when necessary. She shares some tender moments too, like a sweet banter with an older neighbor. I was fascinated with the essay “Wolf,” in which she goes to interview the man who bought her domain name when it expired and then sold it back to her for a huge sum. Crosley, like Sedaris, makes me wish I kept better details in my journals. It’s all in the details.
I got an early copy of David Sedaris’s forthcoming essay collection, CALYPSO thanks to netgalley.com. It’s everything you want a Sedaris collection to be. I’d read many of these pieces in The New Yorker and elsewhere over the past five years or so, but that didn’t make me love each essay any less. The one about the way he and his two sisters shop while traveling is my absolute favorite.
Reading anything funny these days?
Links lead to indiebound.org, which helps you find books at your local book shop.
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4 Responses
I just Finished Ali Wentworth’s latest, Go Ask Ali. She always makes me laugh. I don’t know how she’s married to George Stephanopoulos – he doesn’t seem to ever laugh!
Your the second person to mention Ali to me. I’m going to put a few of the audios in my library queue.
I haven’t read a book that made me laugh in awhile – I need to fix that. Honestly, I haven’t been blown away by a book in far too long. I’m going to have to pick up Eternal Life – your description sounds intriguing!
I’d love you to read it so we can discuss it!