Our Laugh-out-Loud Books Collection highlights titles that bring levity to literature through satire, dark humor, or hilarious dialogue. Representing genres ranging from romantic comedies to classic children's titles, this Collection features titles to tickle every reader's funny bone.
Publication year 2005
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Animals, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography, Humor
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog (2005) is an autobiography by journalist John Grogan. This guide is based on the 2005 first edition. The story was inspired by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Grogan’s obituary for his dog Marley.The book was adapted into a full-length film in 2008 and has also been adapted into a series of children’s stories about Marley. The title is borrowed from a chapter near the... Read Marley And Me Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Music, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Humor, Music, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 1988
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Children's Literature, Bullying, Education, Education, Humor
Roald Dahl’s 1998 children’s fantasy Matilda tells the darkly humorous story of a brilliant and kindly little girl who reads grown-up books, plays pranks on her emotionally abusive parents, and uses her telekinetic ability in her battles with a tyrannical school principal.Dahl is widely considered one the greatest children’s storytellers. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide; they include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and... Read Matilda Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews, introduces us to Greg S. Gaines, 17-year-old senior at Benson High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Greg is also the narrator of the novel. Over the course of his educational career, he has diligently developed a system that allows him to survive the daily pandemonium of life in high school. He maintains a surface-level, friendly-but-not-too-friendly connection to every clique in school so that he can remain... Read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Summary
Publication year 1990
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Community
Tags Historical Fiction, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature, Humor
Medicine River, originally published in 1989, is a novel by Thomas King, one of the most prolific Indigenous American writers of the 20th century. The title of the novel takes its name from the town in Alberta, Canada, where the characters live, near a Blackfoot reservation. Their stories, as told by protagonist Will, delve into themes such as Friendship and Forbearance within the frame of Life in an Alberta Blackfoot Community. As Will tells these... Read Medicine River Summary
Publication year 2000
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Tags Creative Nonfiction, Humor, Biography
David Sedaris’s Me Talk Pretty One Day is a collection of twenty-seven essays exploring the author’s childhood in North Carolina, his relationship with his family, his time living in France, and observations about American social life. The book is comprised of two sections, Part One and Part Deux in which the latter half focuses primarily on Sedaris’s time in Normandy, France. Told with sardonic humor, each chapter deploys various levels of fantasy, irony, and other... Read Me Talk Pretty One Day Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Immigration
Tags Children's Literature, Humor, Biography
Publication year 2011
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Society: Education, Self Discovery, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Bullying
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Humor
Publication year 2013
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Humor, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Children's Literature
Publication year 2015
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Tags Sociology, Humor, Psychology, Psychology, Relationships, Romance
Aziz Ansari’s Modern Romance, published in 2015, is a nonfiction work that combines statistics, interviews, and comedy to explore the current landscape of dating in the modern age. Ansari is an actor and comedian, as well as a writer. He got his start on television in the role of Tom Haverford in Parks and Recreation, which ran on NBC. He starred in Human Giant and went on to perform in several movies. His first comedy... Read Modern Romance Summary
Publication year 1961
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Humor, American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satire, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Post Modernism
Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut, is a World War II novel first published in 1961. Vonnegut’s third novel, it garnered little recognition when it was first released, and it wasn’t until Vonnegut’s success with Cat’s Cradle in 1963 and his breakout fifth novel, Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), that Mother Night was revaluated as a powerful work of moral exploration by an author who would go on to become America’s leading satirist and who is now recognized as... Read Mother Night Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Humor, Magical Realism, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Social Justice, Race / Racism, Religion / Spirituality, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Education, Education
Publication year 1974
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth
Tags Humor, Children's Literature
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Humor
Mrs. Fletcher is a 2017 comic novel by American author Tom Perrotta. It follows the sexual reawakening of middle-aged divorcée Eve Fletcher after her son, Brendan Fletcher, departs for college. Meanwhile, Brendan finds the campus environment inhospitable to his unthinking “lacrosse bro” misogyny. Mrs. Fletcher is the seventh novel by Perrotta, best known for 1998’s Election (adapted into a movie of the same name, starring Reese Witherspoon) and 2011’s The Leftovers, which was adapted into... Read Mrs. Fletcher Summary
Publication year 1947
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Education
Tags Children's Literature, Fantasy, Humor
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance, Humor, Great Depression, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Humor
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Grief / Death