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LDBoblo · 07-26-2009, 05:57 AM

Thanks everyone for the recommendations.

Though I may have gleaned some ideas from this thread so far, I'm not sure how many (if any) of the recommendations I'll actually check out.

(quote and comment deleted, since it broke the spoiler farther down).

I'm reading The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde now, and it has its cute parts and some creative wit, but I can't really call it "funny" by my definition. None of the Discworld novels I've read so far are especially funny, though I do enjoy reading them still. "Another Fine Myth" by Asprin was enjoyable (and I hope to come across more like that--Aahz was a good character), but not really funny. The thing is, these are all in the sort of genre I am most interested in, but the humor is quite tamed in most forms.

Modern novelists offering situational irony and observational humor, especially in essays like Sedaris can be good, but I really am more into slightly more unified narratives. It's a nice, and sometimes effective style of humorist writing, but leaves me feeling empty.

I think Pratchett has a lot of good stuff in it, but the humor is fairly contained. Often since there's a lot going on with different characters, it's hard to implement a lot of silly arbitrary humor. From Christopher Moore's Lamb:

Spoiler:

Perhaps it doesn't have a tremendous amount of subtlety, but the random craziness that crops up just keeps me laughing. It does something to interrupt the linear narrative for a laugh without completely derailing it.

I better keep looking. I hope people keep contributing to this thread. It'd be great to see why you find something humorous, rather than the fact you find it humorous. Since we won't all laugh at the same things, it's nice to know what the recommendations come from.

Thanks again everyone!

07-26-2009, 05:57 AM	#27
LDBoblo Wizard Posts: 1,385 Karma: 16056 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Asia Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Sony PRS-505	Thanks everyone for the recommendations. Though I may have gleaned some ideas from this thread so far, I'm not sure how many (if any) of the recommendations I'll actually check out. (quote and comment deleted, since it broke the spoiler farther down). I'm reading The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde now, and it has its cute parts and some creative wit, but I can't really call it "funny" by my definition. None of the Discworld novels I've read so far are especially funny, though I do enjoy reading them still. "Another Fine Myth" by Asprin was enjoyable (and I hope to come across more like that--Aahz was a good character), but not really funny. The thing is, these are all in the sort of genre I am most interested in, but the humor is quite tamed in most forms. Modern novelists offering situational irony and observational humor, especially in essays like Sedaris can be good, but I really am more into slightly more unified narratives. It's a nice, and sometimes effective style of humorist writing, but leaves me feeling empty. I think Pratchett has a lot of good stuff in it, but the humor is fairly contained. Often since there's a lot going on with different characters, it's hard to implement a lot of silly arbitrary humor. From Christopher Moore's Lamb: Spoiler: Our training went on for two years before I saw the sign that called us home. Life was slow, but pleasant there by the sea. Joshua became more efficient at multiplying food, and while he insisted on living an austere lifestyle so he could remain unattached to the material world, I was able to get a little money ahead. In addition to paying for my lessons, I was able to decorate my nook (just some erotic drawings, curtains, some silk cushions) and buy a few personal items such as a new satchel, an ink stone and a set of brushes, and an elephant. Perhaps it doesn't have a tremendous amount of subtlety, but the random craziness that crops up just keeps me laughing. It does something to interrupt the linear narrative for a laugh without completely derailing it. I better keep looking. I hope people keep contributing to this thread. It'd be great to see why you find something humorous, rather than the fact you find it humorous. Since we won't all laugh at the same things, it's nice to know what the recommendations come from. Thanks again everyone! Last edited by LDBoblo; 07-26-2009 at 06:03 AM.