Top Ten Comedy Books, Chosen by “The Simpsons” Writers

Members of “The Simpsons” writing staff pick their favorite funny books

You may or may not know that my husband is a co-executive producer on the  long-running prime time animated show “The Simpsons.”   It’s a pretty well-regarded show (to judge by the Emmys he’s accrued since working on it), so when Kim and I were brainstorming about possible “best of” lists, I thought it was worth asking Rob if he were willing to survey the Simpsons writers on their favorite humorous books.

The answer was, “Probably not.”

I’m not that easily dissuaded, except when it comes to something important, so I pressed a little harder, telling him that ALL he had to do was say, “Hey, what’s everyone’s favorite funny book?”  He reluctantly agreed to do that much, but warned me that if the other writers regarded it as “more work,” he was dropping the whole thing.

Rob came home that night with dozens of handwritten titles nominated by the writers in the room–and a confession that the discussion had been kind of fun for everyone.

So here’s a list of the funniest books some of the funniest TV writers in America have come up with, somewhat winnowed down and edited by ME, because I’m the one writing the post and a little bit by Rob, too, because he came and looked over my shoulder.  (The ones I don’t have much to say about were the ones Rob said I had to include even though I hadn’t read them, so the less I have to say, the more you can assume the book is terrifically funny.)

1.  Flashman (the whole series) by George MacDonald Fraser.  An unrepentant cheat, liar, braggart and womanizer, Flashman was a minor character in Tom Brown’s Schooldays until Fraser decided the school bully should have his own series. 

2.  How I Conquered Your Planet by John Swartzwelder.  Written by a truly legendary former Simpsons writer (I believe he wrote 53 episodes), this book is just, well, funny.

3.  Our Dumb Century or any other Onion collection.  If your giftee likes humor, he probably knows The Onion, the brilliant fake newspaper.  The collections are staggeringly funny and superb bathroom reading.

4.  Pastoralia by George Saunders.  I haven’t read this one and they didn’t give me any blurbs, but apparently there was a lot of enthusiasm for this one, so I say get it.

5.  Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov.  I handpicked this one from the list I was given because it’s one of my all-time favorite books.  It’s a bit like a placebo: if you can trick yourself into reading it as a serious book, then it’s that much more incredible when you start realizing what’s going on.  A brilliant, brilliant book and the best example of an unreliable narrator you’re ever going to find.

6.  Anything by PG Wodehouse.  Actually, it was specifically the novel P. Smith, Journalist, but since that one may be out of print (and I’ve never read it), I expanded this one to all things Wodehouse.  Yes, I know, he wrote a long time ago, but he’s really really genuinely funny.

7.  Without Feathers, by Woody Allen.  There are books that made me want to be a writer, but this is the book that made me want to be funny.   And even when Allen makes movies like The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, I forgive him because he wrote Without Feathers.

8.  The Magic Christian and/or Candy by Terry Southern.  You know when you first start dating and you’re madly in love and you want your new crush to love everything you love so you give him/her your favorite book to read?  Rob gave me Magic Christian way back when.  And we’ve been together for over 20 years so . . . you know.  It’s good.   I also love Candy, which is Southern’s crazy raunchy take on Candide but it’s definitely not for the kiddies.

9.  Quin’s Shanghai Circus, by Edward Whittemore.  Now I wish I had asked more questions because I know nothing about this book.  Maybe someone will write in with more info about it?  It’s got to be good to make it on the list, right?

10. The Ginger Man by JP Donleavy.  Donleavy is incredible.  My favorite  of his books is The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman, but my comedy credentials aren’t as impressive as those who picked this one, so I defer to them.  Any Donleavy you read or gift is money in the humor bank.

A Merry Christmas (or Chanukah) to all, and to all a good laugh.