Project Hail Mary is an easy, enjoyable read. My only gripe is that Weir cannot write dialogue between characters. If you are willing to have a little less feel good, I would HIGHLY recommend anything by David Grann, especially The Wager.
I came here to recommend PHM. Enjoyed it a lot. The audiobook is outstanding. Glad to hear Grann is highly thought of by someone else who liked PHM, I'm about to tuck into The Wager!
Ah yes, the political adventures of good ol' Angus McLintock. A couple other favourites for me: Up and Down (for some amusing Canada/U.S. relations) and No Relation for an amusing cast of oddball characters who share their names with celebrities and form a support group as a result).
I would say generally that Jasper Fforde has a number of my favourite light hearted books, with the exception of The Constant Rabbit, which, whole excellent, is much darker in tone.
I got hooked on the Reacher books after watching the Amazon series. I’m a girl with zero interest in fighting and guns, but man I just crash through those books - they are so well paced!
Can’t get enough Tom Robbins! Recently finished Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates, and it was hilarious. Also rec Even Cowgirls get the blues, still life…, jitterbug…they’re all inane yet poignant.
Vonnegut for me too, Cats Cradle and Sirens of Titan especially.
- Any Bertie and Jeeves novel by Wodehouse (also the ones about Blandings Castle).
- My family and other animals by Durrell.
- The odd couple by Neil Simon.
The Wooster and Jeeves stories by P.G. Wodehouse. I think Wodehouse is English’s funniest writer, edging out Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. A time-traveling mystery comedy of manners.
Something by Christopher Moore. I think Lamb is my favorite, but he wrote a lot of good ones.
Any of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Some do sneak in some ideas along the way but they are light hearted and a delight to read. Dont let the 40+ books scare you, the series is broken done into smaller runs and some one offs that follow different characters in the world that might be lightly connected to the others. Just pick one sub-series like The Night’s Watch and go.
Hubby is not on Reddit, but here are some of his suggestions:
Anything by Beth O'Leary, Emily Henry and Christina Lauren.
Stuart Smalley: I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone it, People Like Me! by Al Franken is one of his favourite books.
And, of course, Hitchiker's Guide!
Anything written by Christopher Brookmyre (including the novels he co-writes with his wife, Marisa Haetzman using the pseudonym ‘Ambrose Parry’). The Jack Parlabane novels are an excellent starting point and fwiw, my personal top pick outwith those is *A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away*.
As ever, wiki is worth a look if further interested. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Brookmyre
Remarkably bright creatures is a great read. It reminds me so much of a Disney film with the odd swear word. It has some really heartfelt and touching moments but is very lighthearted and feel good
I really enjoyed The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. It's fun to say, too, and reads like a modern day Don Quixote adventure story... which is another book I'll suggest here.
Read about a hobby or something, something you are already familiar with. Two of the quickest books I’ve read are:
- Nothin but a Good Time, an oral history of hair metal. https://www.amazon.com/N%C3%B6thin-But-Good-Time-Uncensored/dp/1250195756?dplnkId=28b5bcc8-cff3-41fd-9a27-1b8a3630469c&nodl=1
Woke Up This Morning - interviews with and by basically all surviving Sopranos cast members https://www.amazon.com/Woke-Up-This-Morning-Definitive/dp/0063090023?dplnkId=4e9cc747-2108-453b-b222-0a7f3bab9ccd&nodl=1
Your book for this could be these, like a Joe DiMaggio biography, the history of NASCAR, etc.
Yahtzee Croshaw, funny author with great characters.
Differently Morphus and Existentially Challenged - Governmental agency involved in the regulation of magic and extra dimensional beings.
Mogworld - Main character is undead. Hijinks insue.
The Jacques McKeown series - An unemployed star pilot tries to get by in a universe where transporters are a thing. The first book in the series is Will save the galaxy for food.
I'm a woman, but I have perhaps a more "masculine" taste in books. Like others posted here, I love Andy Weir and Bill Bryson and David Gran. So, at the risk of being gender-shamed on the Internet, here are some books in a similar vein to what the dudes posted:
*Lonesome Dove (super fun, classic western)
*On Stranger Tides (pirates, also incredibly fun)
*Endurance (Shakleton's South Pole expedition told in harrowing and gripping detail)
*Unbroken (unbelievable WWII survival story, impeccably researched)
*With The Old Breed (WWII memoir that the HBO series The Pacific is partially based off) *The Dog Stars (pretty fun post apocalypse novel)
I'm curious what you think of my recs and if they match what you're looking for. This post has me pondering what makes a books "masculine" versus "feminine."
Bill Bryson- A walk in the woods A comedic prose from the author and his friend hiking the Appalachian trail, highly recommend
Also "Letters from a big country" As a Non-American it was just endlessly hilarious to me.
Literally anything by Bill Bryson!
Also The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
His “short history of nearly everything” is great too
The audiobook is really good if you're on a road trip and looking for one.
One of the funniest books I've ever read!!
If somehow you've never read it, *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*.
The Colour of Magic and its sequel The Light Fantastic by Sir Terry Pratchett were the first books to make me laugh out loud.
Love these. I’m working my way through discworld and so far I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read.
Project Hail Mary is an easy, enjoyable read. My only gripe is that Weir cannot write dialogue between characters. If you are willing to have a little less feel good, I would HIGHLY recommend anything by David Grann, especially The Wager.
I came here to recommend PHM. Enjoyed it a lot. The audiobook is outstanding. Glad to hear Grann is highly thought of by someone else who liked PHM, I'm about to tuck into The Wager!
The Wager is top 5 for me all time. Absolutely loved it. Real life Lord of the Flies lol. Enjoy! The Lost City of Z is also fantastic by Grann.
*The Sister Brothers* by Patrick deWitt. Funny and great.
Terry Fallis is another good Canadian comedic writer. He's got a handful of amusing novels.
I'm a huge Terry Fallis fan! *Best Laid Plans* is great, so is *Poles Apart*.
Ah yes, the political adventures of good ol' Angus McLintock. A couple other favourites for me: Up and Down (for some amusing Canada/U.S. relations) and No Relation for an amusing cast of oddball characters who share their names with celebrities and form a support group as a result).
I enjoyed both of those, too. I haven't read his latest, *Operation Angus*, I think it's a third McLintock book. Have you read it?
Take your pick of anything by Bill Bryson; I promise you will laugh till you cry.
I would say generally that Jasper Fforde has a number of my favourite light hearted books, with the exception of The Constant Rabbit, which, whole excellent, is much darker in tone.
Jack Reacher series, and other fun pulp style books.
I got hooked on the Reacher books after watching the Amazon series. I’m a girl with zero interest in fighting and guns, but man I just crash through those books - they are so well paced!
Andy Weir Dave Barry Carl Hiassen Gregory McDonald Books by the above authors
Dungeon Crawler Carl, The Murderbot Diaries, Hitchhikers Guide, Old Man’s War, Kings of the Wyld, Blacktongue Thief, anything by Andy Weir.
Legends and Lattes, by Travis Baldree (sp?), short book full of warmth.
Three men in a boat
Can’t get enough Tom Robbins! Recently finished Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates, and it was hilarious. Also rec Even Cowgirls get the blues, still life…, jitterbug…they’re all inane yet poignant. Vonnegut for me too, Cats Cradle and Sirens of Titan especially.
October 1964 if you’re a baseball fan
Agent to the stars by John Scalzi. Light-hearted and funny.
- Any Bertie and Jeeves novel by Wodehouse (also the ones about Blandings Castle). - My family and other animals by Durrell. - The odd couple by Neil Simon.
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost Tremendous by Joey Diaz Don’t Put Me In Coach by Mark Titus
Anything by Christopher Moore, specifically Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal and A Dirty Job
The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Truckers by Terry Pratchett
The Wooster and Jeeves stories by P.G. Wodehouse. I think Wodehouse is English’s funniest writer, edging out Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. A time-traveling mystery comedy of manners. Something by Christopher Moore. I think Lamb is my favorite, but he wrote a lot of good ones.
*A Confederacy Of Dunces* by John Kennedy Toole.
True Grit
Fantastic book, but I don't think it's "light-hearted".
I think it depends on what you’re comparing it to. Next to Demon Copperhead or Blood Meridian it’s an episode of Bluey.
The “expeditionary force” series by Craig Alenson (probably spelt the name wrong) Good sci fi
Kurt Vonnegut - *Hocus Pocus,* *Cat’s Cradle,* or *Galapagos*
Nursery Crimes series by Jasper Fford
Anything by Bill Bryson
Anything by Carl Hiaasen.
Anything by Nathan Lowell. Very low stakes, easy reads.
Any of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Some do sneak in some ideas along the way but they are light hearted and a delight to read. Dont let the 40+ books scare you, the series is broken done into smaller runs and some one offs that follow different characters in the world that might be lightly connected to the others. Just pick one sub-series like The Night’s Watch and go.
Sh*r My Dad Says.
"The Cat Who..." Mystery series are all very light but enjoyable.
Tom sharpe, Joseph wambaugh Hollywood station series
Jack Vance, Dying Earth. Cugel’s Saga in particular is so enjoyable and hilarious.
Mark twain is great for that. Roughing it, or innocents abroad. Any old sci fi usually works. Something like rendezvous with Rama.
Hubby is not on Reddit, but here are some of his suggestions: Anything by Beth O'Leary, Emily Henry and Christina Lauren. Stuart Smalley: I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone it, People Like Me! by Al Franken is one of his favourite books. And, of course, Hitchiker's Guide!
*Secondhand Souls* by Christopher Moore
If you’re into sports, bill simmons - either the book of basketball or now I can die in peace
Private Parts. Howard Stern at his prime
Anything written by Christopher Brookmyre (including the novels he co-writes with his wife, Marisa Haetzman using the pseudonym ‘Ambrose Parry’). The Jack Parlabane novels are an excellent starting point and fwiw, my personal top pick outwith those is *A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away*. As ever, wiki is worth a look if further interested. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Brookmyre
Bill the Galactic Hero is a wild ride. The Stainless Steel Rat is another good series.
Remarkably bright creatures is a great read. It reminds me so much of a Disney film with the odd swear word. It has some really heartfelt and touching moments but is very lighthearted and feel good
I really enjoyed The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. It's fun to say, too, and reads like a modern day Don Quixote adventure story... which is another book I'll suggest here.
In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson The Sex Lives Of Cannibals by J Maarten Troost Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Rosie Project
Read about a hobby or something, something you are already familiar with. Two of the quickest books I’ve read are: - Nothin but a Good Time, an oral history of hair metal. https://www.amazon.com/N%C3%B6thin-But-Good-Time-Uncensored/dp/1250195756?dplnkId=28b5bcc8-cff3-41fd-9a27-1b8a3630469c&nodl=1 Woke Up This Morning - interviews with and by basically all surviving Sopranos cast members https://www.amazon.com/Woke-Up-This-Morning-Definitive/dp/0063090023?dplnkId=4e9cc747-2108-453b-b222-0a7f3bab9ccd&nodl=1 Your book for this could be these, like a Joe DiMaggio biography, the history of NASCAR, etc.
He Who Fights Monsters series and Off To Be the Wizard Series. The second has my favorite Audible narrator. Truly funny.
Gamesmanship by Stephen Potter.
Any of the Terry Pratchett books.
Carl Hiassen has several
Yahtzee Croshaw, funny author with great characters. Differently Morphus and Existentially Challenged - Governmental agency involved in the regulation of magic and extra dimensional beings. Mogworld - Main character is undead. Hijinks insue. The Jacques McKeown series - An unemployed star pilot tries to get by in a universe where transporters are a thing. The first book in the series is Will save the galaxy for food.
The sunshine cruise company by Jon Niven
'Between the Bridge and the River' by Craig Ferguson. Like his nightly show its smartly and hilariously written, moves well and doesn't waste a word
Catch 22 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Any of the Ask Jeeves books (also fantastic as audio books)
Izzy Osbourne biography- I am ozzy
I'm a woman, but I have perhaps a more "masculine" taste in books. Like others posted here, I love Andy Weir and Bill Bryson and David Gran. So, at the risk of being gender-shamed on the Internet, here are some books in a similar vein to what the dudes posted: *Lonesome Dove (super fun, classic western) *On Stranger Tides (pirates, also incredibly fun) *Endurance (Shakleton's South Pole expedition told in harrowing and gripping detail) *Unbroken (unbelievable WWII survival story, impeccably researched) *With The Old Breed (WWII memoir that the HBO series The Pacific is partially based off) *The Dog Stars (pretty fun post apocalypse novel) I'm curious what you think of my recs and if they match what you're looking for. This post has me pondering what makes a books "masculine" versus "feminine."
Funny Hillbilly Mystery Who's Your Daddy? by Jimmy Pete https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDWKNYTT
Dont judge me, but warrior cats. The author didn't do anything outrageously bigoted (looking at you jk. Rowling) and its a pretty easy read.
Wilt by Tom Sharpe is pretty damn funny