As I was putting together this list, a pattern started to form. Some of the funniest books I’ve read were also the darkest. I’ve always gravitated to stories about evil in our world…how do we respond when we’re confronted by the corrupt politician, an organization eating away at our societal values, a monstrous act? The problem with these weighty topics is that they can sometimes feel… well, too weighty. The authors I admire most know this, and balance that darkness with a comic tone, aware that stories can become too bleak, and veer into unrealistic territory. No person is all good or all bad, and these moments of levity remind us of that.
So, without further ado, here are five books that made me laugh out loud.