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Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Laugh (or at least chuckle)

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that other bloggers are welcome to join in, to create Top Ten lists on varying topics. This week it’s Top Ten Books That Will Make You Laugh (or at least chuckle)

Paein

Well, this is difficult! Apparently I felt the need to make a ‘made me cry’ shelf on Goodreads but not a ‘made me laugh’ shelf. I may need to fix this. Though I do often update with funny quotes whilst reading a book on goodreads. I’ll trawl through them…

rebel belle vampire academy shadowstudy the martian the shadow thone

1 Rebel Belle

by Rachel Hawkins

Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper’s destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.
Just when life can’t get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she’s charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper’s least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David’s own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.
With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y’all beg for more.

A proper young lady from the Deep South finds herself with wonder woman type powers sounds like it should be good. When you throw in sharp wit, some hilarity can be involved too!

“That was very nice of you, David. Now hold on because I’m about to drive into a fence.” 
“Yeah, ok. You do that. Wait, what?!”
- page 90

I remember loving this quote because it was funny, so I’m pretty sure I laughed here.

2 Vampire Academy series

by Richelle Mead

Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies . . . 
Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires – the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.
After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger . . . and the Strigoi are always close by.
Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever . . .

I loved Rose’s sense of humour, it was perfect and that’s possibly why I didn’t like the second series as much, I missed her. Pretty much the second half of the series had so many updates it was crazy. But this is my example today:

“Dimitri was at a total loss. It was a common reaction for people when I agreed to something reasonable.”
- Last Sacrifice, book 6, page 113

3 Shadow Study

by Maria V Snyder

Once, only her own life hung in the balance…
When Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. She survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia.
Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.
Suddenly, though, dissent is rising. And Valek’s job—and his life—are in danger.
As Yelena tries to uncover her enemies, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked.And now she must find a way to keep not only herself but all that she holds dear alive.

I found this second series far more enjoyable than the first, and I loved the first! This was funny and tense and adorable. Just don’t skip the Glass series between!!!

“Now’s your chance to sneak inside. Watch out for guards. If you see anyone, don’t engage. We can always come back later tonight. I’ll meet you at the black cat tavern”
“Get inside, avoid guards, Don’t get married, meet at the cat. Got it.”
- Page 89

4 The Martian

by Andy Weir

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate the planet while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded on Mars’ surface, completely alone, with no way to signal Earth that he’s alive — and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone years before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark’s not ready to quit. Armed with nothing but his ingenuity and his engineering skills — and a gallows sense of humor that proves to be his greatest source of strength – he embarks on a dogged quest to stay alive, using his botany expertise to grow food and even hatching a mad plan to contact NASA back on Earth.
As he overcomes one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next, Mark begins to let himself believe he might make it off the planet alive – but Mars has plenty of surprises in store for him yet.
Grounded in real, present-day science from the first page to the last, yet propelled by a brilliantly ingenious plot that surprises the reader again and again, The Martian is a truly remarkable thriller: an impossible-to-put-down suspense novel that manages to read like a real-life survival tale.

This book was just fantastically funny. If you have any like or love for sciencey/Science fiction books, I recommend this book to you by far! I’m not a scientist myself (haha) but I think it comfortably covers any sciency plot holes they had in the film – which is silly considering the book came first.

“He’s stuck out there. He thinks he’s totally alone and that we all gave up on him. What kind of effect does that have on a man’s psychology? I wonder what he’s thinking right now.”
‘How come Aquaman can control whales? They’re mammals! Makes no sense.’
- Page 64

5 The Asendence Trilogy

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point—he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

This was such a clever series, almost the YA version of the GreatCoats series by Sebastien de Castell. Both are so clever I’m pretty sure I laughed many times out of sheer surprise. Fantastic stuff.

“By the end of the day I will be Carthya’s king. This outfit offends me!”
“Carthya is honoured to offend you.”
- The Shadow Throne, Book 3, Page 289

Ms4Tune

I have an odd sense of humour and apparently don’t read many books that make me laugh… hmmm will definitely be hunting other peoples lists this week for future read inspiration.

terry P canteville ghost Finding Audrey Ritter_BeastlyBones_jkt_COMP.indd Nimona

6 ANYTHING by Terry Pratchett

Seriously this man knew how to write a funny book! I feel his satirical style can make anyone laugh. I love his Discworld novels and I’m slowly working my way through them. If these don’t make you laugh I think you need help.

7 The Canterville Ghost

by Oscar Wilde

This is Oscar Wilde’s tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance its tired ghost. The family — which refuses to believe in him — is in Wilde’s way a commentary on the British nobility of the day — and on the Americans, too. The tale, like many of Wilde’s, is rich with allusion, but ends as sentimental romance. . .

I will probably shock everyone by saying I’ve only just read this but I always presumed it would be a ghost/horror story so avoided it because I find older horrors to not be as scary as new ones. But hell was I wrong! I was in creases! This book was written 100 years before I was even born and yet it still worked! It’s story is just as relevant today, it is timeless. Definitely worth a read if you’re looking for a short classic.

8 Finding Audrey

by Sophie Kinsella

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

This book tackles some difficult issues about disorders but at the same time managed to infuse it with humour. Audrey’s family are hilarious. There is nothing funnier than a realistic dysfunctional family and at the centre of this book is the perfect example of this! This was right up my street.

9 Beastly Bones

by William Ritter

“I’ve found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I’ve known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality.” In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer R. F. Jackaby are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

Book one (Jackaby) was funny but this book was hilarious. I loved the banter between Jackaby and Abigail Rook. These two characters really bounced off each other. I hope that it will make other people chuckle just as much as I did.

10 Nimona

by Noelle Stevenson

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones. Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are. But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

I loved this graphic novel. Noelle Stevenson has a wonderfully witty style. I loved Nimona’s strong will and disregard of danger. There were some quite funny moments :)

 

pam id pics paein pam id pics and pam id pics ms4tune

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10 comments on “Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Laugh (or at least chuckle)

    1. Paein

      I just loved Rose! I love how she seemed to pull the humour out of Dimitri too.

    1. Paein

      Oooohh. The books are so much better. I LOVED the film and I saw it so many times, it drove me to read the books. I’m sad to say I can’t stand the film right now. The books are that much better. I’d love to know what you think of the books if you ever decide to read them!

    1. Paein

      It was a great series, but I’d recommend borrowing it from the library if you can. It was good, but I’m not sure if I’m ever likely to read it again and I’m going to give my set to Ms4Tune – not that she knows this yet. XD

  1. betwixt-these-pages

    I SO agree with the “anything by Pratchett” ! I always always pick him up when I’m looking for a laugh from a book!

    Also, The Martian is absolutely hilarious. I almost cracked all my ribs to pieces reading that book!

    Great list this week, from both of you! Here’s my TTT. Happy book-ing to you!

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