your TOP 6 FUNNY READS

Thanks to all of you who submitted your selections for the funniest books your book club has read. We compiled a best-of list from all of them, so anytime you need a pick-me-up, just settle down with one of these – they’re guaranteed to make you laugh, and the best of them will also shift your perspective a little, as good humour does.

This month’s winning book club (all five of your books ended up on our list!) is Word-Brained from Parktown North. This group of 12 women (‘12 is the best number, because one gets to host every month’) has been together for nine years. ‘We started when we all had young kids and desperately needed to get out of the house and have some fun,’ says Carin Mills, who submitted their entry. ‘So humour was a big part of what got us – and kept us – together.’

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S Thompson

And the journey really is savage: very dark and often offensive, this famous road trip is not for everyone – but it is very funny indeed.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

When Princess Leia’s home planet is destroyed, the impact is such that we’re still feeling it 756 Star Wars movies later… but when Earth is destroyed to make way for an intergalactic superhighway, Arthur Dent says, ‘I’m a bit upset about that.’ Brit humour at its subtle, sarcastic, bonkers best.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

There have been many excellent books about the madness of war, but this manages to skewer the absurdity of it more than most. Clever.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

One of the most intelligent and interesting columnists around, all of his books are brilliant. This, however, is a favourite. Ranging from his mad (in a good way) family to his life in France, he is consistently smart and hilarious.

How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

Cheers to the woman who made feminism cool again! Caitlin Moran is fierce and funny – no matter how provocative she is, she uses humour and warmth to reel everyone in and keep them on her side. An essential read.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones is a hot mess, no doubt – but one we could probably all relate to at some stage in our lives. This book almost certainly shifted more Chardonnay than Platter ever did, and that has to be a good thing, right?