Rick's creations

I was having lunch with a friend yesterday, and we got to talking about how much we like books that make us laugh out loud. So I put this list together for her, and I will share it with the world, because God knows we all need something to laugh about these days.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple, is about a woman who fulfills all of our fantasies and just runs away from home. I also liked her latest book, Today Will Be Different, about an unrepentant snob.

The Financial Lives of the Poets,by Jess Walter is a hilarious book that no one will read because of the title. Read it anyway, one of my favorites.

It Won’t Always Be This Great, by Peter Mehlman, who was a writer for Seinfeld. MOT’s will especially like this one, but you gentiles will laugh too.

Nobody’s Fool, by Richard Russo, is about a curmudgeon who would cut off his face to spite his face. Russo’s early books are all funny. These days he is more about being profound, ugh.

The Fundamentals of Caregiving, by Jonathan Evison is an irreverent look at living with a debilitating disease. But it’s funny and charming anyway. I like his other books, too.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest and The Lager Queen of Minnesota, by J Ryan Stradal are insiders’ accounts of being midwesterners. More warm and compassionate than humorous, but still full of out-loud laughs. The chapter in Kitchens about bars is a classic.

The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simpson is one of Bill Gates’ favorites. You’ll see why pretty quickly. This book is very funny, and he’s written a couple of sequels that are more of the same.

This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper. He’s written several books about interfamily warfare, this is my favorite.

High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby, is about a purposeless slug. It’s full of wisdom about uselessness. His other books are good, too, I liked About a Boy.

Skinny Dip, by Carl Hiassen is my favorite of his many books about nutty folks in South Florida. There is no shortage of material for him there.

Then We Came to the End, by Jonathan Ferris, is a wry, true tale of working in an office. The best I’ve ever read about the absurdities of the jobs most of us do.

*PG Wodehouse doesn’t really fit on this list, his books are older and many of them are short stories. But if there is a Pope of humor writing, I would elect him. I can revisit his books at any time I want a few laughs. I can almost recite the story about the gambling syndicate formed for the second grade picnic by heart.

There you have it, my favorite humor novels. Let me know if you try any of them.

A couple of caveats: The Best Books of 2019 are neither the Best nor 2019. They are the Best of what I read, and some were not written in 2019.  

To earn a 5 from me a book must be entertaining and feature extraordinary writing. Sometimes they are also insightful and emotionally powerful. These met some or all of those challenges.

Washington Black is an engrossing tale of a runaway slave. I learned some things from it, but mostly it’s a lot of fun. A good start to the year.

The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney I read because I enjoyed his November Road last year. I liked this one even more, it’s fast paced, suspenseful, and smart. He’s terrific.

Once Upon a River is a beautifully written picaresque tale of a village in England. Unique and special.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout is a linked set of stories about an aging woman and her neighbors in a small town in Maine. Ms Strout is the best portrayer of human emotions that I have read this side of Tolstoy. Read this book, as well as its predecessor Olive Kitteredge and her other recent works.

The 4.5 rated books fell just short of my top ratings. Read them too.

A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself I read because I liked William Boyle’s previous book The Lonely Witness. Like Berney’s books, it’s fast paced and true.

The Maze at Windermere is five stories about Newport, RI. It’s clever, impactful, and full of history. All good.

Big Sky is a crime novel by Kate Atkinson in her series starring Jackson Brody. Atkinson is one of my favorite writers, if she writes it. I read it.

Virgil Wander and So Brave, Young, and Handsome are by Leif Wander. I loved the former, which came out this year, so I read the latter next. Virgil does not have a lot of plot, Brave is more plot-driven. But Enger is an astounding craftsman with our language. If you read just for action they may not be for you, but his sentences are works of art.  

I love Laura Lippman mysteries, and Lady in the Lake is my favorite. And she’s a new friend of a friend, too.

I read everything Michael Connelly writes, too. The Night Fire is him at his best, with three of his usual protagonists. He’s the best of the police procedural genre.

Last and deserving of special mention is Miracle Creek by Angie Kim. Angie is my former neighbor and good friend, and Creek is her first novel – and a best seller! And I actually helped her with it ever so slightly. It is distinctive, suspenseful, and powerful, and you will learn a lot from it. So excited for Angie, and eager to read her next one!

Here’s the whole list. Your comments welcome.

1. Washington Black                               5
2. A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself    4.5
3. The Silent Patient                                3.5
4. The Lost Night                                     3
5. The Maze at Windermere                  4.5
6. Big Sky                                                 4.5
7. Gutshot Straight                                  4
8. The Lonely Witness                             3.5
9. The Long and Faraway Gone              5
10. The Man Who Came Uptown             4
11. The Feral Detective                            3
12. Cari Mora                                           2.5
13. Lanny                                                   3.5
14. The Dutch House                                 4
15. Virgil Wander                                     4.5
16. American Spy                                      4
17. Miracle Creek                                     5
18. Lady in the Lake                                      4.5
19. The Night Fire                                     4.5
20. The River                                             3.5
21. So Brave, Young, and Handsome        4.5
22. The New Girl                                       4
23. Daisy Jones and the Six                            4
24. Chances Are                                        3
25. Once Upon a River                              5
26. Transcription                                       4
27. Olive, Again                                        5