Regina Barreca, Ph.D., in an article in Psychology Today, entitled “Snow White Doesn’t Live Here Anymore – Laughter, Pleasure, Malice, and the Pursuit of Adult Fun”, lists 30 books that she finds “very funny” . . . so funny that they make her laugh until her “mascara starts to run”.

Dr. Barreca says, “These are books to read over your first cup of coffee or just before you go to sleep. Remember: a day you’ve laughed is day you haven’t wasted–even if you didn’t get out of bed.”

Gina Barreca, Ph.D., is Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, author of It’s Not That I’m Bitter: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World (St. Martin’s Press), and has appeared on 20/20, The Today Show, CNN, Joy Behar, Dr. Phil, and Oprah to discuss gender, power, politics, popular culture, and humor.

Here is her list:

1. Cold Comfort Farm
by Stella Gibbons

2. Three Men in a Boat and Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
by Jerome K. Jerome

3. But Enough About You and If You Can’t Live Without Me, Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?
by Cynthia Heimel

4. The Sylvia Chronicles
by Nicole Hollander

5. When Do They Serve the Wine?
by Liza Donnelly

6. In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories
by Jean Shepard

7. How I Got To Be Perfect
by Jean Kerr

8. The World According to Dave Barry or anything else written
by Dave Barry

9. Heartburn
by Nora Ephron

10. Without Feathers
by Woody Allen

11. The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
by Fay Weldon

12. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
by Anita Loos

13. The Complete Stories of Dorothy Parker
by Dorothy Parker

14. With Malice Towards Some
by Margaret Halsey

15. Molly Ivins Can’t Say That, Can She?
by Molly Ivins

16. The Best of Robert Benchley or anything else written
by Robert Benchley

17. How to Raise Your I.Q. By Eating Gifted Children
by Lewis Burke Frumkes

18. Social Studies and Metropolitan Life
by Fran Lebowitz

19. A Marriage Made in Heaven–or Too Tired for an Affair and
I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression
by Erma Bombeck

20. City Boy
by Herman Wouk

21. The Loved One
by Evelyn Waugh

22. Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger

23. Brain Droppings
by George Carlin

24. Help! I’m a Prisoner in a Chinese Bakery! and
Whoever Owns His Own Home, Deserves It
by Alan King

25. The Hypochondriac’s Guide To Life. And Death.
By Gene Weingarten

26. The Queen and I
by Sue Townshend

27. Not Waving, But Drowning and
A Good Time Was Had by All
by Stevie Smith

28. Small World
by David Lodge

29. The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
by Jane Wagner

30. Is Sex Necessary?
by James Thurber and E.B. White

I must admit that I have not read all of these books . . . and although I agree that the Woody Allen, George Carlin and Robert Benchley books, among some others, are very funny, I can’t see myself laughing until my mascara runs whilst reading Catcher in the Rye.

Here are some books that I thought were truly funny:

These are just the ones that immediately came to mind . . . and, yes, I realize that they are not great examples of “literature”; however, they are truly funny!

It would be great if you would add a comment to this post and share with us the books that you think are very funny.