Antidepressants Contained in a Book?
November 6, 2024 10:52 AM Subscribe
Looking for stuff that will make me laugh mostly. Snarky and kind reqs appreciated.
Especially interested in general or historical fiction, but I'll take whatever.
The only criteria are that it's witty and has a generally kind tone. I definitely don't want to feel worse about the world after reading.
If you can include a brief description of why you liked it, that would be useful. Thanks in advance!
Especially interested in general or historical fiction, but I'll take whatever.
The only criteria are that it's witty and has a generally kind tone. I definitely don't want to feel worse about the world after reading.
If you can include a brief description of why you liked it, that would be useful. Thanks in advance!
Three Men In A Boat (To Say Nothing Of The Dog) by Jerome K Jerome. The narrator, one of the "three men", is prone to take opposite sides of a question, usually without realizing it. The glories/horrors of camping, to cite an early example.
posted by SPrintF at 11:15 AM on November 6 [11 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 11:15 AM on November 6 [11 favorites]
Terry Pratchett is wonderful in this; snarky and kind is a good way to describe his stuff.
Bill Bryson: not fiction, but funny.
Donald Westlake's Dortmunder series; sort of like Leverage but low-budget, funny and oddly gentle (I think there's only 1 actual death in the entire series)
And this is one of my favorite books: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unlikely_Voyage_of_Jack_de_Crow ; a real celebration of kindness.
Edit: I almost mentioned 3 Men In A Boat-- Jack de Crow is kind of a spiritual successor to J and friends.
posted by The otter lady at 11:15 AM on November 6 [5 favorites]
Bill Bryson: not fiction, but funny.
Donald Westlake's Dortmunder series; sort of like Leverage but low-budget, funny and oddly gentle (I think there's only 1 actual death in the entire series)
And this is one of my favorite books: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unlikely_Voyage_of_Jack_de_Crow ; a real celebration of kindness.
Edit: I almost mentioned 3 Men In A Boat-- Jack de Crow is kind of a spiritual successor to J and friends.
posted by The otter lady at 11:15 AM on November 6 [5 favorites]
The science fiction novel To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis it’s based directly on Jerome’s book and is also very sweet and funny.
posted by Countess Elena at 11:18 AM on November 6 [4 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 11:18 AM on November 6 [4 favorites]
The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters is laugh out loud humorous. Written by a real Egyptologist, it's set in 19th century digs in Egypt. They are cozy mysteries, with a little romance and a good historical foundation.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:20 AM on November 6 [3 favorites]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:20 AM on November 6 [3 favorites]
Another gentle and amusing series is The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren. An American moves to Oxford, England and ends up running a knitting shop inhabited by her grandmother who is known to be deceased but has been turned into a vampire and lives below the shop with a nest of sweet knitting vampires. They don't bite, they have a blood bank. Some have lived for centuries. They are very charming cozy mysteries.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:29 AM on November 6 [2 favorites]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:29 AM on November 6 [2 favorites]
I’m currently re-reading Band Sinister by KJ Charles, and it’s such a balm. It’s a queer regency romance set in a hellfire club. It’s a purposefully gentle little confection, where people take care of each other and love and friendship in all its forms are celebrated.
posted by ceramicspaniel at 11:35 AM on November 6 [3 favorites]
posted by ceramicspaniel at 11:35 AM on November 6 [3 favorites]
The James Herriot books and the Durrells books are historical nonfiction that read like fiction sometimes.
posted by knile at 11:37 AM on November 6 [5 favorites]
posted by knile at 11:37 AM on November 6 [5 favorites]
Pretty much any book by Carl Hiassen fits this bill. He writes delicious revenge fiction against the Chads and Donalds of the world. I'd start with Skinny Dip.
posted by tafetta, darling! at 11:59 AM on November 6 [2 favorites]
posted by tafetta, darling! at 11:59 AM on November 6 [2 favorites]
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
posted by aesop at 12:02 PM on November 6 [3 favorites]
posted by aesop at 12:02 PM on November 6 [3 favorites]
Spellman Files and the other books in the series. I love the witty characters, the fact that everyone is very much flawed, and the pacing. The dialogue makes me laugh, and I think it fits the requirement of not wanting to feel worse about the world when you're done reading. One, because the Spellman family is really bad at boundaries, respect, and introspection. And two, because they are somehow all really kind to each other anyway.
posted by toucan at 12:51 PM on November 6 [3 favorites]
posted by toucan at 12:51 PM on November 6 [3 favorites]
Anything by P.G. Wodehouse! The Jeeves stories are wonderful, but if you are feeling bad enough, I recommend some of his short stories. Less of an investment to get into them.
posted by greenmagnet at 12:52 PM on November 6 [8 favorites]
posted by greenmagnet at 12:52 PM on November 6 [8 favorites]
Do you like light murder mysteries? My wife and I have become addicted to the Anty Boisjoly mysteries by PJ Fitzsimmons which read like if PG Wodehouse collaborated with Agatha Christie.
They are very silly, quite short, and Fitzsimmons has a flair for language that results in some laugh-out-loud passages. Technically they are all part of the series but each book is almost completely stand-alone.
posted by AndrewStephens at 12:59 PM on November 6 [2 favorites]
They are very silly, quite short, and Fitzsimmons has a flair for language that results in some laugh-out-loud passages. Technically they are all part of the series but each book is almost completely stand-alone.
posted by AndrewStephens at 12:59 PM on November 6 [2 favorites]
Anything written by Christopher Moore.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 1:07 PM on November 6 [5 favorites]
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 1:07 PM on November 6 [5 favorites]
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. If you happen to be bilingual, get them in your 2nd language (as I did in Spanish)
nthing Christhoper Moore, especially Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
posted by falsedmitri at 2:19 PM on November 6 [4 favorites]
nthing Christhoper Moore, especially Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
posted by falsedmitri at 2:19 PM on November 6 [4 favorites]
I am currently reading High Vaultage by Chris and Jen Sugden and laughing out loud a lot. It's a Victorian steampunk fantasy mystery novel that is, despite involving crime-solving, 95% humorous digressions with absolutely wild quirky worldbuilding.
(I imagine that anyone could enjoy this book, that's how they intended it and wrote it, but it's set in world of the podcast Victoriocity and any fans of that podcast will love it even more.)
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 2:51 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]
(I imagine that anyone could enjoy this book, that's how they intended it and wrote it, but it's set in world of the podcast Victoriocity and any fans of that podcast will love it even more.)
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 2:51 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]
Some thing that have made me laugh out loud many times and stay up all night reading are Allie Brosh's books (and website) and Tina Fey's bio, Bossypants.
posted by aincandenza at 3:11 PM on November 6 [5 favorites]
posted by aincandenza at 3:11 PM on November 6 [5 favorites]
Jenny Lawson, "Let's Pretend This Never Happened." The first part is hilarious, it gets more serious, but you can stick with reading the first few chapters if that's what it takes.
posted by drossdragon at 4:42 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]
posted by drossdragon at 4:42 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree.
"After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success ― not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.
But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.
'Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read.'―Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart"
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:04 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]
"After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success ― not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.
But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.
'Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read.'―Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart"
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:04 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]
Books by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) set in her Temple of the White Rat world. This is a list in order, but you can jump in at any point, you don't have to have read the previous books.
Clockwork Boys
The Wonder Engine
Swordheart
Paladin's Grace
Paladin's Strength
Paladin's Hope
Paladin's Faith
Ursula Vernon is very witty. Her books are chock-full of good people trying to make things better in a world that contains both good and bad things - and while they don't always succeed perfectly, things are always better at the end of the book than they were at the beginning of the book.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:17 PM on November 6 [3 favorites]
Clockwork Boys
The Wonder Engine
Swordheart
Paladin's Grace
Paladin's Strength
Paladin's Hope
Paladin's Faith
Ursula Vernon is very witty. Her books are chock-full of good people trying to make things better in a world that contains both good and bad things - and while they don't always succeed perfectly, things are always better at the end of the book than they were at the beginning of the book.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:17 PM on November 6 [3 favorites]
Nancy Mitford, her biographies of Voltaire, Madame Pompadour, and Louis XIV, and also my favourite novel of hers “The Blessing”.
posted by Balthamos at 11:45 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]
posted by Balthamos at 11:45 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]
Any of Angela Thirkell's early Barsetshire novels: High Rising, Pomfret Towers, etc. They're hilarious and gentle satires.
posted by goatdog at 4:51 AM on November 7 [2 favorites]
posted by goatdog at 4:51 AM on November 7 [2 favorites]
I think Frogkisser by Garth Nix should fit the bill. More witty than snarky, and kind. (Also, fantasy, though you might have gotten that from the name.)
Also seconding Terry Pratchett, especially the Tiffany Aching books.
posted by demi-octopus at 6:26 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
Also seconding Terry Pratchett, especially the Tiffany Aching books.
posted by demi-octopus at 6:26 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
If you find you like Three Men in a Boat, The Ascent of Rum Doodle is a spoof account of a mountaineering expedition in a similar tone.
posted by penguin pie at 6:51 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
posted by penguin pie at 6:51 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
Mark Twain's adaptation and translation of Adam and Eve's Diaries
a few chuckles . Not as well known.as his other works.
posted by hortense at 12:44 PM on November 7 [1 favorite]
a few chuckles . Not as well known.as his other works.
posted by hortense at 12:44 PM on November 7 [1 favorite]
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posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:56 AM on November 6 [3 favorites]