Humor
Top 15 in Humor
Week of October 19, 2026
Top 15 in Humor
Week of October 19, 2026
by Jenny Hagel
From the Emmy-nominated Late Night with Seth Meyers writer and co-head writer of The Amber Ruffin Show comes a heartfelt and very funny collection of essays built around a list of life-changing recommendations — from the practical (wear black when you travel, buy an analog watch) to the profound. Jenny Hagel dispenses the advice no one asked for but everyone, deep down, kind of wants.
by Joe Bageant
A Web columnist describes the permanent and largely invisible underclass that resides in many American small towns, examining a section of society that exists in a world of taverns, churches, and double-wide trailers.
by Hal Rammel
A magical tour through the imaginary terrain of the comic imagination as revealed in children's lore, literature, folktales, travel lies, film comedies, cartoons, comic books, and folksongs. With 14 bandw illustrations. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
by Garrison Keillor
"Garrison Keillor made it possible, after twenty years of black humorto be both funny and nice, hip and winsome, scathing and loving, all in the flick of a single many-barbed quip - -The Washington Post Book World "Keillor's literary style is as flexible and assured as his vocal delivery. It can slip from mood to mood so subtly and quickly you're never quite sure where you are. [His] writing has the silvery slip of running water, so graceful and easy it's hard to believe it can carry so much that is jagged and unresolved. His integrity lies in his not smoothing away those rough edges in the swift current of his prose; they're bruisingly, sometimes cuttingly there." -The Village Voice
by Adam Carolla
The bestselling comedian returns to respond and rant on real questions about life and love, careers and cars, and everything else from fans and famous friends. Ever wonder what you would say or do if you didn’t give a f**k? Adam Carolla can tell you. In his sixth book, the comedian, podcaster, and provocateur does what he does best—doles out advice and opinions with utter disregard for our politically correct, self-righteous, virtue signaling, woke times. Thanks to decades of hosting MTV and radio’s Loveline, his Guinness World Record–breaking podcast and touring the stand-up circuit, no one in comedy is as gifted at thinking on their feet. Taking actual questions from his fans—and even some celebrity friends, including Ray Romano, Maria Menounos, and Judd Apatow—Adam dishes out hilarious rants, unpredictable tangents, brilliant inventions, sage advice, and controversial opinions in a way only a self-proclaimed asshole can.
by Sam Tallent
Billy Ray Schafer is a comedian. Forty-six years old, estranged from his children, divorced twice, and bloated on cocaine and booze, Billy Ray is at the lowest point of his misspent life. A former headliner known throughout the country, he now finds himself grinding out a shabby existence in the seedy underbelly of stand-up comedy. Over the course of one grim, snowbound week in Wichita, Billy Ray must reckon with the choices that brought him here. Sam Tallent's debut novel is a hilarious, harrowing, and unflinching descent into the world of the working road comic.
by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling
"Simultaneously hilarious, poignant, and deeply unsettling." ―The New Republic A tiny American town's plans for radical self-government overlooked one hairy detail: no one told the bears. Once upon a time, a group of libertarians got together and hatched the Free Town Project, a plan to take over an American town and completely eliminate its government. In 2004, they set their sights on Grafton, NH, a barely populated settlement with one paved road. When they descended on Grafton, public funding for pretty much everything shrank: the fire department, the library, the schoolhouse. State and federal laws became meek suggestions, scarcely heard in the town's thick wilderness. The anything-goes atmosphere soon caught the attention of Grafton's neighbors: the bears. Freedom-loving citizens ignored hunting laws and regulations on food disposal. They built a tent city in an effort to get off the grid. The bears smelled food and opportunity. A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear is the sometimes funny, sometimes terrifying tale of what happens when a government disappears into the woods. Complete with gunplay, adventure, and backstabbing politicians, this is the ultimate story of a quintessential American experiment -- to live free or die, perhaps from a bear.
by Bob Fenster
From the genius of funnyman Bob Fenster, who brought you Duh!, They Did What!?, and Well, Duh!, comes another in real-life idiocy. The Duh Awards honors the intellectually challenged and utterly inept. From historical explorers to politicians to celebrities to everyday people, no one is spared from lampoon. Ever notice there seems to be an award show for just about everything? And that everyone who wins is rich, beautiful, and brilliant? Good-looking, intelligent winners are everywhere. The Duh Awards is for the rest of us. These awards are handed out to the not-so-smart, the underworked, the overpaid, the wacky, the weird, and the downright stupid. And it's about time! Chapters include such ridiculousness as: Boss of the Year and Other Slave Driver Awards; Champion Scoffers, Scorners, Insulters, and Other All-Star Wise Guys; and Only in Hollywood-The Anti-Oscars. Here are just a excerpts from this hilarious book: The Know-a-Little, Talk-a-Lot Society presents the Anti-Expert Awards: In 1931 President Herbert Hoover somehow missed the impact of the Great Depression when he offered this solution: "If someone could get off a good joke every ten days, I think our troubles would be over." Winning Mind Games: All-Star Shockers, Psych-Outs, and Gross Champs: During the halftime show of the 2004 Super Bowl, singer Justin Timberlake removed part of singer Janet Jackson's shirt to reveal one of her star breasts on national TV. This upset viewers who had tuned in to watch rapper Nelly
by David Sedaris
David Sedaris returns with his most deeply personal and darkly hilarious book. If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself. With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny--it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's powers of observation have never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future. This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet--and it just might be his very best.
by Adam Carolla
The comedian, actor, television host, podcast king, and New York Times bestselling author of President Me, Not Taco Bell Material, and In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks now lays down the law on the plight of the modern parent. Parents, do you often think that if your kids had to grow up the way you did—without iPads, 70-inch flatscreen TVs, American Girl dolls, and wifi in the climate controlled minivan—that they might actually be better off? Do you feel underappreciated or ignored? Do you worry you’re raising a bunch of spoiled softies who will never know how to do anything themselves—because you do everything for them? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need Daddy, Stop Talking. Adam rips parenthood a new one, telling it straight about what adults must do if they don’t want to have to support their kids forever. Using his own crappy childhood as a cautionary tale, and touting the pitfalls of the kind of helicopter parenting so pervasive today, Daddy, Stop Talking is the only parenting book you should ever read. Here, too, is sage advice to Adam’s own kids—and to future parents—on what matters most: dating; drinking and drugs; buying your first house and car; puberty; and what kind of assholes his kids (and yours) should avoid becoming. Even if his own son and daughter pretty much ignore everything he says, you shouldn’t. And you’re welcome. Again.
by Jon Ronson
From the acclaimed author of "Them" comes a truly disturbing, often hilarious look at the U.S. military's long flirtation with the paranormal--and the psy-op soldiers who are still fighting the battle.
by Florence Scovel Shinn
The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn is a timeless self-help classic that blends metaphysical wisdom with practical guidance. First published in 1925, it teaches the power of positive thinking, faith and visualization in achieving success and fulfillment. Through affirmations and real-life anecdotes, Shinn inspires one to harness their thoughts and beliefs to manifest their desires and transform their lives. Change your thoughts, change your life! Offers actionable guidance and practical exercises, making complex metaphysical concepts accessible and applicable to everyday life. Combines the power of positive thinking, visualization and faith to create a comprehensive guide for achieving personal and professional fulfillment. Helps readers understand the connection between thoughts, beliefs and reality. Emphasizes the importance of inner belief and mental discipline. A seminal work from 1925 that has inspired countless individuals and remains relevant in contemporary self-help literature. Optimized for digital reading, this ebook offers a smooth, immersive experience on any device.
by Catherine O'Reilly
Background stories of everyday items, including the blender, the fire extinguisher, the cheese grater, the toiler, deodorant, Post Its, fabric softener, the clock radio.--From publisher description.
by Adam Carolla
Three-time New York Times bestseller Adam Carolla is back to take on social media, social justice warriors, and a society gone to s**t. In I’m Your Emotional Support Animal, Adam Carolla examines how our culture went careening off a cliff. We used to have one that created real warriors who fought world wars. Now it spawns social justice warriors who fight Twitter wars. He takes on those who are traumatized by Trump and “emotional support animal” owners who proclaim their victimhood at every airport. He stands up for the collateral damage of the #MeToo movement and for freedom of speech on “safe space” filled college campuses. Examining the calculated commercials churned out by Madison Avenue, like the ones about cars “made with love,” Carolla rants on ads designed to either bum us out or make us think the corporation is run by Mr. Rogers. Turning to social media, Adam takes down the “hashtag heroes” who signal their virtue daily from atop Twitter mountain. And in the era of the Roomba, performances by dead celebrity holograms, and meals-on-demand delivery services, he looks down the road at our not-so-bright future as a species. Frank, funny, and utterly unapologetic, this is not a book for those who need a trigger warning, but is THE book for everyone who wants to hit the snooze bar on the “woke” culture.
