Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Made Us Laugh Out Loud

This week’s topic is a tricky one, but it’s also a lot of fun: books that made us laugh out loud. Thanks to That Artsy Reader Girl for another great Top Ten Tuesday! 

Pete’s five

Oddballs by William Sleator 
This is the first book I can recall making me laugh—I read it in sixth grade and loved the antics of these autobiographical short stories.

You Shall Know Our Velocity! By Dave Eggers
Several Eggers books fit this category, but this is the one I laughed at the most. Its naive protagonists make for one of my favorite road-trip stories.

The Keep by Jennifer Egan
Focusing on another out-of-touch protagonist, this book features the single scene that has made me laugh hardest in any book. I don’t want to spoil it, but I couldn’t stop giggling for days whenever I remembered the scene.

Conversations by César Aira
This novella is based on one conversation between two friends based entirely on a simple misunderstanding. It reads almost like one long joke, but the ending is worth it.

Pastoralia by George Saunders
Saunders is easily my favorite satirical author, and this collection contains one of my favorite short stories: “Sea Oak.” It has a premise to bizarre to describe, and it is a joy to read. 

Indiana’s Five

Chemistry by Weike Wang
This narrator was so surprisingly funny (perhaps because the book dealt with such serious topics) that I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at some passages. 

Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggers
Eggers is one of the funniest writers I’ve ever read. This one follows a mother and her two young kids on a strange journey through the Alaskan wilderness, where they face wildfires and a host of other disasters. 

Bream Gives Me Hiccups by Jesse Eisenberg
I read this one so long ago that I don’t even remember what most of the stories in this collection covered. However, I do remember laughing so loud while reading it on lunch break that people stared. 

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by K.G. Campbell
Between DiCamillo’s hilarious and heartfelt writing and Campbell’s comical illustrations, this squirrely and silly story had me laughing.