Top 15 in Humor
Week of October 26, 2026
by Alison Leiby
I'm a Lot: Surviving Myself and All the People I've Been. In this hilarious and unforgettable debut collection of essays, comedian and TV writer Alison Leiby examines all of the different people she has been — and proudly embraces the identities we're told to grow out of. Sharp, warm, and very funny, it's like having a glass of wine with your funniest, smartest, coolest friend.
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
Carolla's comedic gospel of modern America rips into the absurdity of the culture that made Steve Miller a rock star, demonized the peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, and put its citizens at the mercy of a bunch of minimum-wagers with axes to grind.
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 Sam Tallent
A blistering tale of love and violence, Brut is the story of a man measuring the circumference of his soul in bulletholes. Is his life — or any other — worth saving? From the author of the underground comedy classic Running the Light comes a propulsive, electrifying novel about a hitman confronting the wreckage of the life he has made. Sam Tallent's Random House debut is savage, funny, and unforgettable.
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 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 Stephen E. Kercher
We live in a time much like the postwar era. A time of arch political conservatism and vast social conformity. A time in which our nation’s leaders question and challenge the patriotism of those who oppose their policies. But before there was Jon Stewart, Al Franken, or Bill Maher, there were Mort Sahl, Stan Freberg, and Lenny Bruce—liberal satirists who, through their wry and scabrous comedic routines, waged war against the political ironies, contradictions, and hypocrisies of their times. Revel with a Cause is their story. Stephen Kercher here provides the first comprehensive look at the satiric humor that flourished in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. Focusing on an impressive range of comedy—not just standup comedians of the day but also satirical publications like MAD magazine, improvisational theater groups such asSecond City, the motion picture Dr. Strangelove, and TV shows like That Was the Week That Was—Kercher reminds us that the postwar era saw varieties of comic expression that were more challenging and nonconformist than we commonly remember. His history of these comedic luminaries shows that for a sizeable audience of educated, middle-class Americans who shared such liberal views, the period’s satire was a crucial mode of cultural dissent. For such individuals, satire was a vehicle through which concerns over the suppression of civil liberties, Cold War foreign policies, blind social conformity, and our heated racial crisis could be productive
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 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 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 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 Adam Carolla
The popular podcaster and author of the best-selling In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks collects new favorite rants about things that drive him crazy, sharing stories from his underdog youth that offer insight into his views and career. 100,000 first printing.
by Simon Beecroft
From the backyard to outer space, Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts has been charming the world for more than 70 years. In this celebration of Schulz and his beloved work, explore rarely seen sketches, influential comic strips, and collectors' artifacts. Pore over evolving artworks of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang. Chart the rich history of Peanuts as it grew to become the world's favorite comic, and travel from 1950 to the present day, from California to Japan. Every page of this visual guide is an exhibition to treasure. Discover the enduring and nostalgic charm of Peanuts in this stunning anniversary book. With a foreword by Stephen Colbert. © 2020 Peanuts Worldwide LLC
