(Part 3) Best humor essays according to redditors
We found 1,205 Reddit comments discussing the best humor essays. We ranked the 318 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 41-60. You can also go back to the previous section.
A Scotsman is visiting America and decides to go hunting. While in the woods a huge beast runs by and the Scotsman shoots, but misses. 'What was that!' yelled the Scot. 'It was a moose' replied his guide, to which the Scotsman replied: If that was a moose, I don't want to see what your rots look like!
The joke is originally from Issac Asimov (he has a really great joke book) so blame him for the accent!
I learned about this in How to be a Canadian. Draw the ire of Canadians by saying "Yeah, I've been to Canada. Just Toronto."
Instantly remember this from Simon Rich's book Free Range Chickens. He also wrote Ant Farm, and both books are fantastic and hilarious.
And here I thought it was just the cover of a David Sedaris book.
https://www.amazon.com/Chapo-Guide-Revolution-Manifesto-Against-ebook/dp/B079RLXFYB
lol the Chapo book
>In a manifesto that renders all previous attempts at political satire obsolete, The Chapo Guide to Revolution shows you that you don’t have to side with either the pear-shaped vampires of the right or the craven, lanyard-wearing wonks of contemporary liberalism. These self-described “assholes from the internet” offer a fully ironic ideology for all who feel politically hopeless and prefer broadsides and tirades to reasoned debate.
Yeah this is exactly the meme movement you thought it was all along lmao
Bonus: It's being published by the same people who were going to publish Milo's book
He just needs a copy of The Deeper Meaning of Liff to help him lighten up.
Hi there!
I would strongly recommend viewing and posting in /r/TrollXChromosomes
Those ladies are vulgar, gross, amazing, smart, and fun in all the best ways.
If you have a local library, the book Ant Farm by Simon Rich is super funny and easy to read. It's a collection of short stories.
If you are interested in a little schadenfreude, I check out r/cringepics
Speaking of schadenfreude, the soundtrack to Avenue Q is amazeballs even if you haven't seen the musical. Classics include: "The Internet is for Porn" "Everyone is a Little Bit Racist", "If You Were Gay (That'd be okay)", and "What do you do with a BA in English".
Here is one of my favorite less-known comic strips: http://www.marriedtothesea.com/
Of course there is always: http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/
Friends always help too. :)
I know I must be missing some, but these are all that I can think of at the moment.
Fiction:
Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
White Noise by Don Delilo
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot
Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by DFW
Infinite Jest by DFW
Of these, you can't go wrong with Infinite Jest and the Collected Fictions of Borges. His Dark Materials is an easy and classic read, probably the lightest fare on this list.
Non-Fiction:
The Music of the Primes by Marcus du Sautoy
Chaos by James Gleick
How to be Gay by David Halperin
Barrel Fever by David Sedaris
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
Secret Historian by Justin Spring
Of these, Secret Historian was definitely the most interesting, though How to be Gay was a good intro to queer theory.
David Sideris' "When you are engulfed in flames" is really pretty good.
http://smile.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/ref=smi_www_rcolv2_go_smi?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
I'm going to fall back on a couple of non-fiction books that are mind-blowing, although not necessarily on the same scale you're talking about.
On germs, plagues and bio-containment:
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston:
http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Zone-Terrifying-True-Story/dp/0385495226/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266864059&sr=8-1
The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett:
http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Plague-Emerging-Diseases-Balance/dp/0140250913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266864094&sr=1-1
I read both of these books back to back and it's like reading the same story first covered by the National Enquirer (Hot Zone) and then again by the New York Times (Coming Plague). It's a fascinating look at disease distribution and protection. The Hot Zone is a light easy read that's more sensationalist than scientific, the Coming Plague is the polar opposite, but both are good reads.
Road Fever by Tim Cahill:
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Fever-Tim-Cahill/dp/0394758374/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266864207&sr=1-1
Guy is hired by GM for a promotional stunt. Drive their new truck from the tip of Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska as fast as he can. The problems he has getting through South and Central America are amazing, and not just culturally, politically.
Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O'Hanlon:
http://www.amazon.com/Into-Heart-Borneo-Redmond-OHanlon/dp/0394755405/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266864285&sr=1-1
Take your average academic natural history book reviewer and throw him in the jungle for a month! It will be great!
Scapegoat? Nah, Canadians are pretty polite. Here's a fun book by Will Ferguson. Bashing America is a pastime but we are also very self-deprecating.
.https://www.amazon.ca/How-Be-Canadian-Even-Already/dp/1553653114
In case you want it explained like you're a bit older, [Here] (http://www.amazon.com/Jokes-Philosophical-Thoughts-Joking-Matters/dp/0226112314) is a good book about it.
Everything by David Sedaris is excellent. He writes about his life in short, easy to read snippets combined into books. My favorite by him is When You Are Engulfed In Flames.
I love reading books! If reddit raffle picks me, I'd love the first Scott Pilgrim book. :)
Thank you for the contest!
Patton Oswalt returns to The Trap. We discuss the relative performance styles of the Black Israelites and Donald Trump, then move on to talk about Trump's public interactions with the Parkland survivors, reactionary 80's action films, Jon McNaughton's terrible art, and America's stunted self-awareness. Finally, we together return...to The Sauce.
Pre Order The Chapo Guide to Revolution:
www.indiebound.org/book/9781501187285
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-chapo-g…/1127949899#/
www.amazon.com/Chapo-Guide-Revol…ook/dp/B079RLXFYB
Here's the link for the US
https://www.amazon.com/Chapo-Guide-Revolution-Manifesto-Against-ebook/dp/B079RLXFYB/
There is only one pharmacy book my friend. Everything else is just background noise. https://www.amazon.com/Your-Prescription-Takes-Damn-Long/dp/1453887695/ref=sr_1_8_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497655441&sr=8-8&keywords=pharmacy
Doubt it
http://www.amazon.com/Merde-French-Never-Taught-School/dp/0684854279/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368841585&sr=8-1&keywords=merde
http://www.amazon.com/Merde-Encore-French-Taught-School/dp/0684854287/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1368841585&sr=8-3&keywords=merde
Oldies but goodies. Le langage populaire is pretty fluid, but if you're already in Paris I would think you'd have plenty of opportunities for exposure to the real deal. Do you spend much time with Francophones?
Buy Jim's book he has 5 kids to support, the poor bastard.
I can strongly recommend: Two is Enough which details the Childless by Choice project with interviews of couples in all phases of the decision.
I also read I Hate Other People's Kids which is just funny and terrible stories of dealing with other people's kids (title is a bit self explanatory)
I have a lot of thoughts about it, but there's nothing I can say quickly. There are some great books by much smarter people than me on the /r/comedywriting reading list:
There's also /r/standup. Doing standup has greatly informed my writing. I highly recommend it for anyone who thinks they're funny.
In addition to what /u/MaceWumpus recommended, I have a friend in grad school who for a time was interested in the philosophy of humor (and likely still is, I suppose, I couldn't tell you), and he was reading this book by the late Ted Cohen.
Merde!
The one book you need:
Eats, Shoots and Leaves https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007329067/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9EYDCbDDWW9SC
I'm a writer by trade and that book taught me all i've ever needed to know about punctuation and grammar :)
The Meaning of Freedom and Other Difficult Dialogues.
The Abrahmson Effect.
Men Explain Things to Me.
This might be a misdirection joke. You hear the zodiac signs, and you think the last answer has to be something zodiac-related too. It's not, but it also isn't a joke, so the audience trips on its own expectations. If this were in a good joke book I might call it an Anticlimax. In this circumstance I think that might be giving the setup a bit too much credit.
i highly recommend the book 'the liberal redneck manifesto' especially the audio version
https://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Redneck-Manifesto-Draggin-Dixie/dp/1501160389
ETA- shame this is being DVed because this is a hilarious book that really looks at the redneck stereotypes/life styles in an extremely smart way. "Smart, hilarious, and incisive, the Liberal Rednecks confront outdated traditions and intolerant attitudes, tackling everything people think they know about the South—the good, the bad, the glorious, and the shameful—in a laugh-out-loud funny and lively manifesto for the rise of a New South. Home to some of the best music, athletes, soldiers, whiskey, waffles, and weather the country has to offer, the South has also been bathing in backward bathroom bills and other bigoted legislation that Trae Crowder has targeted in his Liberal Redneck videos, which have gone viral with over 50 million views."
WHY YOUR PRESCRIPTION TAKES SO DAMN LONG TO FILL
"I Hate Other People's Kids" by Adrianne Frost is another book that goes well in this library.
There seems to be a printing of David Sedaris' "When You Are Engulfed In Flames" that uses Angus Mckie's art: https://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687
http://sayhellospaceman.blogspot.com/2012/06/unknown-2-2012.html
So good memory.
How about Douglas Adam's Meaning of Liff.
It's already been done.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race
I would reccomend http://www.amazon.com/Plato-Platypus-Walk-into-Understanding/dp/081091493X. Not critical thinking per say, but it'll get one to think critically.
going off in a tangent i'd highly recommend this book to all reddit viewers
Your question reminded me of the Daily Show's book, Earth. It is written for aliens who come to our planet after the extinction of the human race to explain what we left behind. The book is hilarious.
I thought everyone had at least one book or magazine in their bathroom. I bought a few books just for my bathroom. This, this, and this always keep me busy in my porcelain throne. If not, shampoo bottles.
This? http://www.amazon.com/Isaac-Asimovs-Treasury-Humor-Asimov/dp/0395572266
Some other classic tomes every well-rounded reader should have in his or her library:
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar is an entertaining overview of a pretty wide variety of philosophical ideas. The interesting hook for it is that they introduce the ideas through really old jokes, where the punch lines refer to the philosophy. It's a fun read.
Ted Cohen, RIP, wrote a book on Jokes. Maybe that'd be something you'd be interested in.
I seem to recall this being pretty good
And this being interesting.
I'll second the Jimmy Carr book too
Have you read Tim Cahill's Road Fever? He and a professional long-distance driver journey from Tierra del Fuego to Prudhoe Bay, AL in under 24 days to try to beat the world driving record. A quick but fun and interesting read!
https://www.amazon.com/God-No-Already-Atheist-Magical-ebook/dp/B004G8QTNE
The evidence is all around you.
I had Isaac Asimovs joke book when I was a kid.
Try the book. Its amazing.
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Farting-Reepah-Gud-Wan/dp/1583940855/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1
I like Jim Gaffigan
conviviality
What did you get?
This! So much this!
Edit: You're not Will Ferguson, are you?
There are many more that exist, of course, but here are some of my favourites:
Bitchfest - A collection of essays from Bitch magazine
Female Chauvanist Pigs: Women and the rise of raunch culture by Ariel Levy
Men explain things to me - Rebecca Solnit
Backlash - Susan Faludi
Bad feminist by Roxane Gay - I'm just in the middle of reasing this now, really enjoying it.
Tim Cahill wrote an interesting book called Road Fever where he drives the entire route. It's about 25 years old, but still good.
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Author...Editor...Father
We finally peel away the layers of rumor and intrigue and get to the bottom of Will's secret family history with the help of his father, Daniel Menaker
Felix brings us Dana Loesch's Harsh Normie Tweets, and we examine the link between normie-ism and fascism
Finally, Dennis Prager complains about how liberals complain too much to be happy.
Tix for West Coast Tour available at chapotraphouse.com/
Pre Order The Chapo Guide to Revolution:
www.indiebound.org/book/9781501187285
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-chapo-g…/1127949899#/
www.amazon.com/Chapo-Guide-Revol…ook/dp/B079RLXFYB
This joke is so old, there's a book written about it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Lynne-Truss/dp/0007329067
Ha!!!! Oh shit. Well, I totally appreciate your honesty. Lol.
I just got Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, but I want that to be my beach book for when I go on vacation in a few months... I like...interesting things.. I need something to keep my attention. It can be funny, gory, ridiculous, I don't care, as long as it isn't boring. Lol.
I hear this book is amazing and I really want to read it. Thanks for the contest!
How are things these days? I'm planning on someday driving down to Costa Rica (from the US) and would pass through Nicaragua, would you say it is relatively safe to drive through? I read Road Fever not too long ago and Nicaragua was the one country they were most worried about making it through but that was quite a while ago.
When You are Engulfed in Flames
I have since considered reading it while actually engulfed in flames. What a hot trip that would be!
I love a good crock pot and you can get a pretty decent one for under $20. It's the perfect remedy to having a busy schedule and dealing with winter blues.
Here's a funny book.
Sorry, he writes.
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long To Fill...
This book is a great place to start. I quit cold turkey when I turned 31 this year, July 19. My experience has been very similar to the experience David Sedaris describes in the last (hilarious) essay in this book. The best part about Rational Recovery, is that YOU are accountable. There is no “alcoholism” disease. That disease doesn’t exist. Drinking alcoholism is hedonistic. You do it for the pleasure, not because you have some mythical disease. You can do it all by yourself. You don’t need to sit around with a bunch of strangers you have nothing in common with (other than addiction), telling them details of your life that is none of their business. The “alcoholism disease” is an excuse to keep drinking. It takes the pressure and the accountability off the person who is CHOOSING to drink.
By the way – I switched to pot for the first couple weeks. I was getting very, very baked every night since I couldn’t drink. I’m sure it doesn’t work for everyone, but for me it was the perfect “patch.” For the last 2 weekends, I’ve actually partied with my friends. I was the only one who didn’t drink. (It’s kinda nice being the only one without a hangover…and getting up early on Sunday. My weekends last three times as long!) I’ve already lost 10 pounds and I’ve actually been eating WORSE (muchies). 20 pounds more to go, and I’ll be in perfect shape. Life is great. You can do it! By yourself. You don’t need God or AA or an “accountability buddy” just like Dumbo didn’t need that stupid magic feather. That book will help you learn AVRT – Addictive Voice Recognition Technique. As soon as you know how to recognize the addictive voice inside your head who will say anything to get you to take just one more drink, you’ll have the power to tell that voice “fuck off. I don’t drink anymore and my life is better because of it.”
I loved to read Plato and a Platypus... to review my knowledge of philosophy learned from high school. It explains several philosophical branches through jokes, so it serves as a great introduction and as an amusing read!
Edit: Formatting, grammar.
The book I Hate Other People's Kids...oh, and Mirena.
I think that this book is more his style.
Zen of Farting
Here's a sneak peek of /r/librulz using the top posts of all time!
#1: Librulz rulz!
#2: Pelosi hogs mic for the whole day, middle 10% of America collectively rolls their eyes. | 1 comment
#3: A must read for any liberal who's serious about making in-roads and winning more in enemy territory. | 0 comments
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https://www.amazon.com/Merde-French-Never-Taught-School/dp/0684854279
You should get this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Merde-French-Taught-School-Series/dp/0684854279
It made my French classes a lot more fun.
Nah man, they've been around forever. Already have a book.
https://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Redneck-Manifesto-Draggin-Dixie/dp/1501160389/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487825106&sr=1-1&keywords=liberal+redneck+manifesto
https://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Redneck-Manifesto-Draggin-Dixie/dp/1501160389
First, if you haven't ever really read anything about atheism, perhaps because you've naturally been one all your life, it might be worth reading a bit. If you want a hysterical and easy start, try Penn Jillette's two books, "God, no!" and "Every Day is an Atheist Holiday". These and other more serious and thoughtful books on atheism may give you the confidence and perspective that not only are you right in your beliefs, but that it matters, and that you are doing a good thing in the long run by choosing to live in the world as it is, not pretend it's something that it's not.
And I think you already know that you haven't done anything to deserve anyone else's anger, that's exactly why it upsets you. If people were angry at you for good reason, you would understand why, but they're not. It's counterintuitive, but you may find that being a more confident non-believer (I totally understand not considering yourself an atheist; Neil Degrasse Tyson often points out that he doesn't have to identify himself as a non-golfer, why should he have to label himself for not being religious?) will actually cause religious folks to respect you more than if they feel like you're just a down and out Christian in need of tough love. Some will certainly recoil and say nasty things, but as long as those types leave you alone, isn't that better than the current state? Once they recognize someone confined in their beliefs, most will respect that and simply drop the subject. And some, you may find, even want to actively discuss it, not necessarily in an attempt to persuade you, although it may feel like it, but out of a genuine curiosity how someone they know can believe something so fundamentally different from what they believe.
Lastly, you might be surprised if you look around your social circle how many closet atheists there are. Think about folks who've never gone out of their way to mention religion, god, or go to church, and then find a non-committal way to edge into it. Many of them are probably what I call casual believers or deists, although they may not realize it. These are the folks who say things like, "I believe in God or some kind of higher power, but I don't agree with most organized religion," or "I'm spiritual, but not religious," or "I'm agnostic, how can we possibly know?". These are folks to spend time with. Even if you don't believe in any kind of god at all, these people are for practical purposes on your page, and with a little discussion might also agree that maybe they don't believe at all after all.
And if you really can't think of any people like that in your life, seriously try meetup.com. It's loaded with atheist/freethinker/agnostic groups who at the very least can understand your plight and empathize with you. In my experience some of them have been a little strange, but who isn't. Give it a shot and see if you make a new friend.
Best of luck!
No grammar nazi should be without a copy
There is a manual.
Footnotes
(1) The label "rape culture" is a great example: It's basically devolved into an uber-polarizing red herring that ensures the discussion will entirely spiral into nothing more than frothing accusations of "femnazi SJWs and their safe spaces".
(2) I really REALLY hate the patronizing tone
youeveryone uses for "safe space". Having a place to vent and talk about issues that are only experienced by marginalized groups --without the conversation being derailed by the mob-- isn't a bad thing. It provides a venue for women to discuss and share ways of how to handle the little things and collectively decide when to turn something into a "big" thing.(3) Obviously when I say "everyone" I'm exaggerating to describe the workplace... Many of the friends I made there are still my friends today.
(4) Here's a excerpt of chat that I had:
>Friend 1:26 PM:
>lol, he is awesome. but he's abrasive and I am quite used to hearing the opposite from people
>ahhhhhhh
>never mind
>makes perfect sense
>kimb00 1:26 PM:
>huh?
>Friend 1:26 PM:
>becauseboobs
>:)
-------
(5) Reading Material Suggestions:
Where's Lynne Truss when you need her?
Penn has his own book now. You will never forget the blow dryer story.
http://www.amazon.com/God-No-ebook/dp/B004G8QTNE/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1344913268&sr=8-1
!
I also encourage:
"Last Chance to See"
"The Deeper Meaning of Liff"
Both are excellent books. Honestly he was a great writer, and greatly missed.
Have you read Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long To Fill? Or, do you have enough wacky experiences to be able to fill a book of your own one day?
(No vested interest in the book, btw, just someone who appreciates the amount of work pharmacists and the techs do to get my meds right, even more so after reading the book.)
thank you. I highly recommend this book. it made me realize it's okay to hate other people's children.
Oh god, also Ant Farm, by Simon Rich is probably the most hilarious book I've ever read. Its full of very short short stories and I tried reading one of them aloud to a friend once but I was laughing so hard I couldn't get the words out. Its gold. GOLD.
I would love to have this book used! It is supposed to be a fantastic read!
He just had a book come out, that'd be a good place to start!
https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Show-Book-History-Correspondents/dp/1455565385
I haven't read that one yet, but I own this one and it's a fucking gem: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446199435/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0446199435&pd_rd_r=HM6EMA8B18N7CF4QD5WM&pd_rd_w=0HHEw&pd_rd_wg=zPzwr&psc=1&refRID=HM6EMA8B18N7CF4QD5WM
Also, here is a handy list compiled by a fan of the Daily Show of all books that had been featured there, but it's not super well organized so I would start from the back of the list as page 1 are the most recent ones featured and that'd be Trevor Noah.
http://www.dailyshowbooklist.com/browse-books-by-cover.html
Here is one
https://www.amazon.com/God-No-Already-Atheist-Magical-ebook/dp/B004G8QTNE
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar
Who's got book recommendations? Here are mine:
Yaaaaaaay~! Ant Farm! Hilarious book =)
Ant Farm
Buy his book!
I'm going to let you pick, since I couldn't decide which I wanted more.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Deeper-Meaning-Liff-Dictionary/dp/0307236013/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=5F684CD3QI40&coliid=I2XY1Z1PUR50NV
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Plush-Battle-Buddies-Figure/dp/B000AP1I88/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=5F684CD3QI40&coliid=IDE37SS4CXURH
:)
The book
I'm an American who moved to Canada 5 years ago for grad school and never looked back. Read this book... it will tell you everything you need to know and it's a hilarious and captivating read!
And if you're looking into Economics, look at Carleton University in Ottawa... it's a beautiful city and an excellent scene for attending school. I miss living there.
> Anyone who might even have an idea for a book?