Laugh-out-Loud Books

Our Laugh-out-Loud Books Collection highlights titles that bring levity to literature through satire, dark humor, or hilarious dialogue. Representing genres ranging from romantic comedies to classic children's titles, this Collection features titles to tickle every reader's funny bone.

Kitchen Confidential

by Anthony Bourdain

Publication year 2000

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Nostalgia, Mental Health, Food, Teamwork

Tags Food, Arts & Culture, Humor

Kitchen Confidential is a nonfiction work by chef, author, and travel television host Anthony Bourdain, based on his 1999 essay, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” published in The New Yorker. In part a memoir of Bourdain’s years in the restaurant industry, it is also a candid exposé of New York City’s restaurant scene in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Bourdain takes his readers on a wild ride through his career journey while providing a realistic... Read Kitchen Confidential Summary

Klawde

by Johnny Marciano

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Childhood & Youth, Environment, Friendship, Self Discovery, Power & Greed

Tags Science Fiction, Humor, Animals, Fantasy, Children`s Literature

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Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

by Sarah Vowell

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fathers

Tags US History, World History, French Literature, Biography, American Revolution, Humor, Politics & Government

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States is a 2015 history of America written by Sarah Vowell. Vowell uses the perspective of the Marquis de Lafayette—a Frenchman who longed to fight with the Americans and win military glory—to give an irreverent, timely history of the United States, with relevant implications for America’s modern political situation.When Lafayette came to America, he was only 19. He was a wealthy, educated orphan who wanted to acquire personal honor and... Read Lafayette in the Somewhat United States Summary

Lamb

by Christopher Moore

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Friendship, Coming of Age, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Absurdism, Religion & Spirituality, World History

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Last Days of Summer

by Steve Kluger

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World War II, Sports, World History, Humor

The Last Days of Summer is an epistolary novel written by Steve Kluger and published in 1998. The novel offers a view into the life of Joey Margolis, an articulate, resourceful, tender-hearted young Jewish baseball fan who resides in Brooklyn, New York during the 1940s. His parents’ divorce results in Joey’s estrangement from his father, who marries a Manhattan socialite and fails to maintain contact with his son, as well as relocation from the Hasidic... Read Last Days of Summer Summary

Lawn Boy

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 2007

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Economics, Childhood & Youth, Teamwork

Tags Humor, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Business & Economics, Social Class, American Literature, Education, Education

Lawn Boy, a novella by Gary Paulsen published in 2007, is a middle grade chapter book about a 12-year-old boy who receives an old lawn mower as a birthday gift from his grandmother. As underwhelming as the gift appears, this moment launches a sequence of events that ends with the boy owning $480,000 and being the sole investor of a heavyweight boxer. Full of quirky humor and digestible lessons in capitalism, Paulsen’s story leads the... Read Lawn Boy Summary

Less

by Andrew Sean Greer

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity

Tags LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Humor

Written by Andrew Sean Greer and published in 2017, Less is a satirical comedy novel. It portrays the journey of Arthur Less, who after a difficult breakup plots a round-the-world trip to better understand himself. It won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.Plot SummaryApproaching 50, Arthur Less sits in a hotel lobby waiting to be picked up for a literary event. He is a writer and will be interviewing another writer, albeit a sci-fi author... Read Less Summary

Level 13

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Coming of Age, Friendship

Tags Children`s Literature, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor

... Read Level 13 Summary

Liar, Liar

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Conflict, Coming of Age, Family, Friendship

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Humor

... Read Liar, Liar Summary

Life on the Mississippi

by Mark Twain

Publication year 1883

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Teamwork

Tags Action & Adventure, US History, American Civil War, American Literature, World History, Travel Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction, Biography

Life on the Mississippi is a powerful narrative concerning the past, present, and future of the Mississippi River, including its towns, peoples, and ways of life. The narrative is written by Mark Twain, whose real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Twain explains in the narrative how he “stole” this nickname from an old steamboat captain who was also a writer. Mark Twain is a nautical term and a pilot’s phrase that means “two fathoms.” Two... Read Life on the Mississippi Summary