Three Men in a Boat is the funniest book I've read, what are some others?

blu- · 03-12-2012, 07:38 PM

I've read some other "funny" books, but they really only gave me a smile or two. To name a few: Good Omens, Discworld books, Christopher Moore books.

Three Men in a Boat was genuinely laugh out loud all the way through.

GA Russell · 03-12-2012, 07:44 PM

blu-, Mobileread's Patricia Clark Library has books by Thorne Smith.

I laughed out loud at all of them, but of course YMMV.

carpetmojo · 03-13-2012, 04:39 AM

"Three Men on the Bummell" ....... for those who think this a joke - it isn't !

Contains the unforgettable observation that Germans do not walk on the grass, unlike the English...........

HarryT · 03-13-2012, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

"Three Men on the Bummell" ....... for those who think this a joke - it isn't !

Contains the unforgettable observation that Germans do not walk on the grass, unlike the English...........

Perhaps I'm missing something, but why would anyone think it's a joke?

Hamlet53 · 03-13-2012, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

blu-, Mobileread's Patricia Clark Library has books by Thorne Smith.

I laughed out loud at all of them, but of course YMMV.

I just finished reading The Night Life of the Gods by Thorne Smith and it was hilarious.

I also thought Three Men in Boat was very funny. Three Men on the Bummell as well, but not nearly as much as Three Men in Boat.

HarryT · 03-13-2012, 07:31 AM

For the sake of accuracy, the word "Bummel" (which means "a leisurely journey") only has one "l".

issybird · 03-13-2012, 08:34 AM

Along these lines, The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith and The Young Visiters by Daisy Ashford.

Mike L · 03-13-2012, 10:48 AM

I always enjoy reading Jerome K Jerome, especially the two "Three Men ..." titles mentioned here (he's written a lot more than those). But for sheer laughter content, it's hard to beat P.G. Wodehouse.

Mike

howyoudoin · 03-13-2012, 02:04 PM

I agree with Mike L.

P. G. Wodehouse is a legend. He was as funny as he was prolific. Those who say that a picture conveys a lot more than words have never read a Wodehouse.

I'm reading Wodehouse's A Damsel in Distress currently.

A messenger boy, two shabby men engaged in non-essential industries, and a shop girl paused to observe the scene. Time was not of the essence to these confirmed sightseers. The shop girl was late already, so it didn't matter if she was any later; the messenger boy had nothing on hand except a message marked "Important: Rush"; and as for the two shabby men, their only immediate plans consisted of a vague intention of getting to some public house and leaning against the wall; so George's time was their time. One of the pair put his head on one side and said: "What ho!"; the other picked up a cigar stub from the gutter and began to smoke.

"A young lady just got into your cab," said the stout young man.

"Surely not?" said George.

"What the devil do you mean--surely not?"

"I've been in the cab all the time, and I should have noticed it."

At this juncture the block in the traffic was relieved, and the cab bowled smartly on for some fifty yards when it was again halted. George, protruding from the window like a snail, was entertained by the spectacle of the pursuit. The hunt was up. Short of throwing his head up and baying, the stout young man behaved exactly as a bloodhound in similar circumstances would have conducted itself. He broke into a jerky gallop, attended by his self-appointed associates; and, considering that the young man was so stout, that the messenger boy considered it unprofessional to hurry, that the shop girl had doubts as to whether sprinting was quite ladylike, and that the two Bohemians were moving at a quicker gait than a shuffle for the first occasion in eleven years, the cavalcade made good time. The cab was still stationary when they arrived in a body.

carpetmojo · 03-13-2012, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Perhaps I'm missing something, but why would anyone think it's a joke?

If they didn't know the book, they might well think it was a made up title ?
Like, for instance, our builder - who is a builder when he gets bored with his property developing - who fell about when I mentioned it, after he said he had just read "....in a Boat" and loved it.

There's also a superb BBC audio version.

[Harry, yes, I thought I'd perhaps been lazy with the title - but I looked at it and thought "Oh, what the L....." ]

And I heartily agree about Wodehouse - priceless, wot ?

Mike L · 03-14-2012, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

I'm reading Wodehouse's A Damsel in Distress currently.

Ah, yes. A Damsel in Distress. A classic example.

I re-read it a few weeks ago, after seeing the film, which was not nearly as funny as the book (but it did have a great Gershwin score).

b0rsuk · 03-15-2012, 06:43 AM

It all depends on your sense of humor. I can't promise you will like it. If you like Pratchett or Voltaire, there's high probability you will.

Journey Beyond Tomorrow - Robert Sheckley

I'm not going to quote any parts. It would be difficult, as a lot of the humor is situational. It also tastes better if you've been put in a good mood by an earlier part of the book.

It's a vision of (if I remember correctly) year 2010, as imagined back in the day. However, "today", 3000 years later, it's just a collection of folk tales from Polynesian storytellers. Understandably, some details are a little messed up.

Joenes was a bookish young man raised on an island on South Pacific. His parents settled there and were in charge of a power plant. He's a civilized man, although he spent his youth in company of Polynesian natives. One day he decides to venture out into the world.

The book really has a structure similar to, say, the Bible. Chapters are short and isolated. It's a witty and thought-provoking satire. I literally had to make breaks in reading, not because I was worn out, but because (to borrow a phrase from Pratchett) I felt like my hairs are going to burn out from the inside. I literally couldn't sleep after this book.

Some people compare it to Voltaire. As far as I can tell it is true, although the majority of Voltaire's work hasn't made it to our times. He was writing pamphlets and, like many other philosophers, was a genuine troll.

In some parts it might offend more sensitive readers. There's a bit of black humor, and although he very clearly blows thing out of proportion in a big hyperbole, it's those parts that I found mildly disturbing. Not because some topics shouldn't be made fun of. But because I know a lot of what he writes about is, tragically, true (just not on the same scale as in this book, thankfully). I had the same feeling about the ending of Sheckley's Dimension of Miracles.

I mentioned Terry Pratchett earlier. Don't be discouraged ! While Pratchett is very repetitive on many occasions, and very keen to recycle his ideas and characters (with just a name change), and will tell you the Librarian's backstory over and over and over, Sheckley doesn't do this. His style is similar to Pratchett, but more philosophical and much less constrained. Sheckley's books are separate works, and so are his often brilliant short stories. Because he was not afraid to step away from the tried and true, his prose is more varied.

bfisher · 03-15-2012, 02:00 PM

If you're not averse to science fiction, you might like Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat (Slippery Jim DiGriz) books. Also by Harrison, the Bill the Galactic Hero books.

stonetools · 03-16-2012, 09:07 AM

Just finished reading " An Unexpected Twist", a Kindle Single by Andy Borowitz. Makes colon surgery humorous. Also recommend following his Twitter feed.

FatDog · 03-16-2012, 08:10 PM

Try "To say nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis. Time travel meets "Three men and a boat".

Try the first Spellman Files book by Lisa Lutz.

Try Janet Evanovitch - Stephanie Plum novels. Start with "One for the Money".

If you liked Pratchett - try Jasper Fford - the Thursday Next novels. Try "The Eyre Affair" or "The Third Bear" for the Nursery Crime Novels.

03-12-2012, 07:38 PM	#1
blu- Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 25968 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: prs 650	Three Men in a Boat is the funniest book I've read, what are some others? I've read some other "funny" books, but they really only gave me a smile or two. To name a few: Good Omens, Discworld books, Christopher Moore books. Three Men in a Boat was genuinely laugh out loud all the way through.

03-13-2012, 02:04 PM	#9
howyoudoin how YOU doin? Posts: 1,100 Karma: 7371047 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: India Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPad Pro 10.5”, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2	I agree with Mike L. P. G. Wodehouse is a legend. He was as funny as he was prolific. Those who say that a picture conveys a lot more than words have never read a Wodehouse. I'm reading Wodehouse's A Damsel in Distress currently. A messenger boy, two shabby men engaged in non-essential industries, and a shop girl paused to observe the scene. Time was not of the essence to these confirmed sightseers. The shop girl was late already, so it didn't matter if she was any later; the messenger boy had nothing on hand except a message marked "Important: Rush"; and as for the two shabby men, their only immediate plans consisted of a vague intention of getting to some public house and leaning against the wall; so George's time was their time. One of the pair put his head on one side and said: "What ho!"; the other picked up a cigar stub from the gutter and began to smoke. "A young lady just got into your cab," said the stout young man. "Surely not?" said George. "What the devil do you mean--surely not?" "I've been in the cab all the time, and I should have noticed it." At this juncture the block in the traffic was relieved, and the cab bowled smartly on for some fifty yards when it was again halted. George, protruding from the window like a snail, was entertained by the spectacle of the pursuit. The hunt was up. Short of throwing his head up and baying, the stout young man behaved exactly as a bloodhound in similar circumstances would have conducted itself. He broke into a jerky gallop, attended by his self-appointed associates; and, considering that the young man was so stout, that the messenger boy considered it unprofessional to hurry, that the shop girl had doubts as to whether sprinting was quite ladylike, and that the two Bohemians were moving at a quicker gait than a shuffle for the first occasion in eleven years, the cavalcade made good time. The cab was still stationary when they arrived in a body. Last edited by howyoudoin; 03-13-2012 at 02:09 PM.

03-15-2012, 06:43 AM	#12
b0rsuk meles meles Posts: 109 Karma: 163588 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Persepolis Device: Pocketbook InkPad 3	It all depends on your sense of humor. I can't promise you will like it. If you like Pratchett or Voltaire, there's high probability you will. Journey Beyond Tomorrow - Robert Sheckley I'm not going to quote any parts. It would be difficult, as a lot of the humor is situational. It also tastes better if you've been put in a good mood by an earlier part of the book. It's a vision of (if I remember correctly) year 2010, as imagined back in the day. However, "today", 3000 years later, it's just a collection of folk tales from Polynesian storytellers. Understandably, some details are a little messed up. Joenes was a bookish young man raised on an island on South Pacific. His parents settled there and were in charge of a power plant. He's a civilized man, although he spent his youth in company of Polynesian natives. One day he decides to venture out into the world. The book really has a structure similar to, say, the Bible. Chapters are short and isolated. It's a witty and thought-provoking satire. I literally had to make breaks in reading, not because I was worn out, but because (to borrow a phrase from Pratchett) I felt like my hairs are going to burn out from the inside. I literally couldn't sleep after this book. Some people compare it to Voltaire. As far as I can tell it is true, although the majority of Voltaire's work hasn't made it to our times. He was writing pamphlets and, like many other philosophers, was a genuine troll. In some parts it might offend more sensitive readers. There's a bit of black humor, and although he very clearly blows thing out of proportion in a big hyperbole, it's those parts that I found mildly disturbing. Not because some topics shouldn't be made fun of. But because I know a lot of what he writes about is, tragically, true (just not on the same scale as in this book, thankfully). I had the same feeling about the ending of Sheckley's Dimension of Miracles. I mentioned Terry Pratchett earlier. Don't be discouraged ! While Pratchett is very repetitive on many occasions, and very keen to recycle his ideas and characters (with just a name change), and will tell you the Librarian's backstory over and over and over, Sheckley doesn't do this. His style is similar to Pratchett, but more philosophical and much less constrained. Sheckley's books are separate works, and so are his often brilliant short stories. Because he was not afraid to step away from the tried and true, his prose is more varied. Last edited by b0rsuk; 03-15-2012 at 06:45 AM.

03-16-2012, 09:07 AM	#14
stonetools Wizard Posts: 2,016 Karma: 2838487 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Washington, DC Device: Ipad, IPhone	Just finished reading " An Unexpected Twist", a Kindle Single by Andy Borowitz. Makes colon surgery humorous. Also recommend following his Twitter feed. Last edited by stonetools; 03-17-2012 at 11:15 AM.

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03-12-2012, 07:44 PM	#2
GA Russell Stampeders are hot! Posts: 7,692 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	blu-, Mobileread's Patricia Clark Library has books by Thorne Smith. I laughed out loud at all of them, but of course YMMV.

03-13-2012, 04:39 AM	#3
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	"Three Men on the Bummell" ....... for those who think this a joke - it isn't ! Contains the unforgettable observation that Germans do not walk on the grass, unlike the English...........

03-13-2012, 07:31 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	For the sake of accuracy, the word "Bummel" (which means "a leisurely journey") only has one "l".

03-13-2012, 08:34 AM	#7
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 21,289 Karma: 234636059 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: Mini, H2O, Glo HD, Aura One, PW4, PW5	Along these lines, The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith and The Young Visiters by Daisy Ashford.

03-13-2012, 10:48 AM	#8
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	I always enjoy reading Jerome K Jerome, especially the two "Three Men ..." titles mentioned here (he's written a lot more than those). But for sheer laughter content, it's hard to beat P.G. Wodehouse. Mike

03-15-2012, 02:00 PM	#13
bfisher Wizard Posts: 1,638 Karma: 28483498 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Sony PRS-T3, Galaxy (Aldiko, Kobo app)	If you're not averse to science fiction, you might like Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat (Slippery Jim DiGriz) books. Also by Harrison, the Bill the Galactic Hero books.

03-16-2012, 08:10 PM	#15
FatDog Witless protection Agent Posts: 290 Karma: 1002898 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle	Try "To say nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis. Time travel meets "Three men and a boat". Try the first Spellman Files book by Lisa Lutz. Try Janet Evanovitch - Stephanie Plum novels. Start with "One for the Money". If you liked Pratchett - try Jasper Fford - the Thursday Next novels. Try "The Eyre Affair" or "The Third Bear" for the Nursery Crime Novels.