Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Bemusement
Earth
by Jon Stewart
A humorous and satirical look at human history, culture, and behavior.
The eagerly awaited new book from the Emmy-winning, Oscar-hosting, Daily Show-anchoring Jon Stewart–the man behind the megaseller America (The Book). Where do we come from? Who created us? Why are we ... (Goodreads)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
Quirky comedic intergalactic adventure, exploring the absurdities of life.
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of the The Hitch ... (Goodreads)
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
by Douglas Adams
An offbeat detective story set in a surreal, supernatural world.
Dirk Gently, who calls himself a " holistic detective", has happened upon what he thinks is a rather comfortable situation. A wealthy man in the record industry has retained him, spinning a story ... (Wikipedia)
To Say Nothing of the Dog
by Connie Willis
Time-traveling historian visits Victorian England in search of an artifact, amidst a comedy of errors.
Ned Henry is a time traveler in 1940 studying Coventry Cathedral after the Coventry Blitz of World War II . He is specifically searching for the location of the "Bishop's bird stump ", a MacGuffin ... (Wikipedia)
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
by Jonas Jonasson
A quirky and humorous tale of a small Swedish town, and the unlikely events that unfold.
In 1961, Nombeko Mayeki is born a poor black girl in Soweto . She leaves the slums and a twist of fate – she is run over but survives – puts her into the employ of the engineer who ran her over, as a ... (Wikipedia)
Hollywood
by Charles Bukowski
A gritty and wild novel of the film industry and its desperate players.
Adopting the stylized alter-ego, Henry 'Hank' Chinaski , a character used in previous novels, this book relates his experiences of working with a director, finding financial backing, losing financial ... (Wikipedia)
Moscow to the End of the Line
by Venedikt Erofeev
A surreal, comedic journey through the Soviet Union and its culture.
In this classic of Russian humor and social commentary, a fired cable fitter goes on a binge and hops a train to Petushki (where his "most beloved of trollops" awaits). On the way he bestows upon ... (Goodreads)
Life, the Universe and Everything
by Douglas Adams
An intergalactic quest to find the answer to the ultimate question of life.
After being stranded on pre-historic Earth after the events in, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, , Arthur Dent is met by his old friend Ford Prefect , who drags him into a space-time eddy , ... (Wikipedia)
The Master and Margarita
by Mikhail Bulgakov
A fantastical, satirical examination of Soviet life, intersecting with the supernatural.
The novel has two settings. The first is Moscow during the 1930s, where Satan appears at Patriarch's Ponds as Professor Woland . He is accompanied by Koroviev, a grotesquely-dressed valet; Behemoth , ... (Wikipedia)
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments
by David Foster Wallace
Collection of essays and arguments, exploring the absurdities of contemporary culture.
In this exuberantly praised book — a collection of seven pieces on subjects ranging from television to tennis, from the Illinois State Fair to the films of David Lynch, from postmodern literary ... (Goodreads)
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto
by Chuck Klosterman
An exploration of pop culture and its influence on contemporary life.
Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation, but no one has done it quite like Chuck Klosterman. With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an almost effortless ability to ... (Goodreads)
The Sheltering Sky
by Paul Bowles
An exploration of the human condition, as a couple travel through the Sahara desert.
The story centers on Port Moresby and his wife Kit, a married couple originally from New York who travel to the North African desert accompanied by their friend Tunner. The journey, initially an ... (Wikipedia)
Gormenghast
by Mervyn Peake
A darkly humorous fantasy epic of a crumbling castle and its eccentric inhabitants.
Titus Groan is seven years old. Lord and heir to the crumbling castle Gormenghast. A gothic labyrinth of roofs and turrets, cloisters and corridors, stairwells and dungeons, it is also the cobwebbed ... (Goodreads)
The Good Soldier Švejk
by Jaroslav Hašek
A Czech soldier's satirical adventures during WWI, highlighting the absurdity of war.
The story begins in Prague with news of the assassination in Sarajevo that precipitates World War I . Švejk displays such enthusiasm about faithfully serving the Austrian Emperor in battle that no ... (Wikipedia)
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
An eccentric space adventure filled with comedic misadventures and cosmic revelations.
At last in paperback in one complete volume, here are the five novels from Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker series. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a ... (Goodreads)
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
by Marina Lewycka
A humorous tale of two sisters dealing with their father's marriage to a much younger woman.
The novel describes the reactions of two daughters when their widowed, 84-year-old father Nikolai marries a highly sexual and much younger Ukrainian immigrant, Valentina. Concerned about Valentina’s ... (Wikipedia)
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
by Douglas Adams
A comedic tale of a man's journey through the universe, encountering aliens and coming to terms with his own identity.
While hitchhiking through the galaxy, Arthur Dent is dropped off on a planet in a rainstorm. He appears to be in England on Earth, even though he saw the planet destroyed by the Vogons . He has been ... (Wikipedia)
Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches
by John Hodgman
Exploration of life's struggles and society's absurdities, through humorous anecdotes.
Although his career as a bestselling author and on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart was founded on fake news and invented facts, in 2016 that routine didn't seem as funny to John Hodgman anymore. ... (Goodreads)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
by Douglas Adams
An eccentric detective's surreal journey through time and space to solve a mysterious case.
Richard MacDuff attends the Coleridge dinner at his old college St Cedd's , where he witnesses his former tutor, Professor Urban "Reg" Chronotis , perform an inexplicable magic trick in which he ... (Wikipedia)
Breakfast of Champions
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A humorous exploration of life's absurdities, through a madcap journey of a protagonist.
Kilgore Trout is a widely published, but ignored and virtually invisible writer who is invited to deliver a keynote address at a local arts festival in distant Midland City. Dwayne Hoover is a ... (Wikipedia)
The Far Side Gallery
by Gary Larson
Collection of single-panel cartoons exploring the absurd, surreal and humorous aspects of life.
1984 FarWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Far Side and the Larson signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc. The Far Side Gallery is an anthology of Gary Larson's The Far Side comic ... (Goodreads)
Crazy Rich Asians
by Kevin Kwan
An entertaining look at the extravagant lifestyles of the ultra-wealthy in Singapore.
The book is told from the perspective of five main characters: Rachel Chu, Nicholas (Nick) Young, Eleanor Young, Astrid Leong, and Edison Cheng. The story revolves around the grand wedding of ... (Wikipedia)
SantaLand Diaries
by David Sedaris
An absurdist account of the author's working at a Christmas theme park.
'Santaland Diaries' contains six of David Sedaris' most profound Christmas stories, from Dinah, the Christmas Whore to Season's Greetings to our Friends and Family. ... (Goodreads)
Inherent Vice
by Thomas Pynchon
A comedic crime story set in a strange, surreal world of 1970s California.
The setting is Los Angeles in 1970; the arrest and trial of the Manson Family is featured throughout the novel as a current event. Larry "Doc" Sportello, private investigator and pothead, receives a ... (Wikipedia)
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
by Hunter S. Thompson
A wild journey through the 1972 US presidential election, tackling issues of politics and power.
Hilarious, terrifying, insightful, and compulsively readable, these are the articles that Hunter S. Thompson wrote for, Rolling Stone, magazine while covering the 1972 election campaign of President ... (Goodreads)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
by Tom Stoppard
A humorous exploration of fate and free will, seen through the eyes of two minor characters in Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
Hamlet told from the worm's-eye view of two minor characters, bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, reality and illusion mix, and where fate leads heroes to a ... (Goodreads)
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
by Douglas Adams
Quirky sci-fi adventure following a group of time travelers seeking to save the future.
Arthur Dent , Ford Prefect , Trillian , and Zaphod Beeblebrox leave the planet Magrathea on the Heart of Gold . A Vogon ship attacks them, and Arthur's attempt to have the ship's computer make him a ... (Wikipedia)
Interesting Times: The Play
by Stephen Briggs
A chaotic comedy of errors in a fantasy world of wizards, dragons, and politically-manipulated gods.
A new stage adaptation of one of Pratchett's best-selling novels,The Discworld's most inept wizard has been sent from Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork to the oppressive Agatean Empire to help some ... (Goodreads)
Without Feathers
by Woody Allen
Collection of humorous short stories, exploring the absurdities of life.
Here they are–some of the funniest tales and ruminations ever put into print, by one of the great comic minds of our time. From THE WHORE OF MENSA, to GOD (A Play), to NO KADDISH FOR WEINSTEIN, old ... (Goodreads)
Scientific Progress Goes "Boink"
by Bill Watterson
A humorous account of a boy's adventures as he tries to make sense of the world around him.
In this collection, Calvin and his tiger-striped sidekick Hobbes are hilarious whether the two are simply lounging around philosophizing about the future of mankind or plotting their latest ... (Goodreads)
The Woman Who Died a Lot
by Jasper Fforde
A humorous detective story set in a parallel universe, with eccentric characters and a mysterious plot.
The BookWorld's leading enforcement officer Thursday Next is four months into an enforced semi-retirement following an assassination attempt. She returns home to Swindon for what you'd expect to be a ... (Goodreads)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts
by Douglas Adams
A comedic exploration of the universe, featuring an eccentric cast of characters.
Charting the whole of Arthur Dent's odyssey through space are: THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace ... (Goodreads)
The Code of the Woosters
by P.G. Wodehouse
A series of comic misadventures of a bumbling British gentleman in search of a silver cow creamer.
Jeeves wants to go with Bertie on a round-the-world cruise but Bertie is not interested. Bertie's Aunt Dahlia sends Bertie to go to a particular antique shop and sneer at a silver eighteenth-century ... (Wikipedia)
The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
by Oscar Wilde
Satirical plays that explore the hypocrisies and absurdities of Victorian society.
Combining epigrammatic brilliance and shrewd social observation, the works collected in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays are edited with an introduction, commentaries and ... (Goodreads)
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
by Laura Joffe Numeroff
A humorous story of a young boy's attempt to satisfy the endless requests of a mouse.
A boy gives a cookie to a mouse. The mouse asks for a glass of milk. He then requests a straw (to drink the milk), a mirror (to avoid a milk mustache), nail scissors (to trim his hair in the mirror), ... (Wikipedia)
Fool
by Christopher Moore
A bawdy and whimsical take on the classic tale of King Lear and the madness that ensues.
Pocket is the royal fool at the court of King Lear of Britain. To prevent Lear from marrying off his daughter Cordelia, a girl Pocket is especially fond of, he schemes with Edmund of Gloucester. ... (Wikipedia)
The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove
by Christopher Moore
A quirky and surreal journey into a small town filled with strange characters.
Pine Cove suffers a major crisis when the town psychiatrist, Val Riordan — who has been haphazardly issuing prescriptions instead of dealing with the real mental problems of her patients — suffers a ... (Wikipedia)
The Diaries of Adam and Eve
by Mark Twain
A humorous exploration of the differences between men and women, as seen through the eyes of Adam and Eve.
"Good deal of fog this morning. I do not go out in the fog myself," notes Adam in his diary, adding, "The new creature does. It goes out in all weathers. And talks. It used to be so pleasant and ... (Goodreads)
Stuff White People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions
by Christian Lander
Satirical exploration of the lifestyle preferences and cultural quirks of white people in the United States.
They love nothing better than sipping free-trade gourmet coffee, leafing through the Sunday New York Times , and listening to David Sedaris on NPR (ideally all at the same time). Apple products, ... (Goodreads)
The Areas of My Expertise: An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order
by John Hodgman
A humorous almanac of random knowledge and trivia, organized into various topics.
The brilliant and uproarious #15 bestseller (i.e., a runaway phenomenon in its own right-no, seriously) - a lavish compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom - all of ... (Goodreads)
Mostly Harmless
by Douglas Adams
A humorous, intergalactic adventure as a hapless protagonist struggles with existential crisis.
Arthur Dent plans to sightsee across the Galaxy with his girlfriend Fenchurch , but she disappears during a hyperspace jump, a result of being from an unstable sector of the Galaxy. Depressed, Arthur ... (Wikipedia)
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope
by Ian Doescher
A reimagining of the classic Star Wars story, in the style of a Shakespearean play.
MAY THE VERSE BE WITH YOU! Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas's epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) ... (Goodreads)
Convenience Store Woman
by Sayaka Murata
A darkly comic story of a woman's search for acceptance and belonging in a society that doesn't fit her.
Keiko Furukura is a 36-year old woman who has been working part-time at a convenience store , or konbini , for the last 18 years. She has known since childhood that she is "different" and that ... (Wikipedia)
Homesick for Another World
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Collection of darkly humorous short stories probing the human condition.
«NO HI HA CAP HISTÒRIA QUE NO SIGUI ORIGINAL I ESTIGUI PERFECTAMENTCONSTRUÏDA. EL TALENT DE MOSHFEGH ÉS ÚNIC.» - NPR Si bé per les sevesnovel·les Ottessa Moshfegh ha rebut tota mena d'elogis i ... (Goodreads)
The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain
by Bill Bryson
A humorous account of an American's journey through the British Isles, exploring its customs and culture.
The hilarious and loving sequel to a hilarious and loving classic of travel writing:, Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson’s valentine to his adopted country of England In 1995 Bill Bryson got into ... (Goodreads)
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
by David Foster Wallace
Collection of essays exploring the human experience in a humorous, thoughtful and often absurd way.
Do lobsters feel pain? Did Franz Kafka have a funny bone? What is John Updike's deal, anyway? And what happens when adult video starlets meet their fans in person? David Foster Wallace answers these ... (Goodreads)
I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats
by Francesco Marciuliano
A book of humorous poems from the perspective of cats, exploring the unique personalities of felines.
Animal lovers will laugh out loud at the quirkiness of their feline friends with these insightful and curious poems from the singular minds of funny cats. In this hilarious book of tongue-in-cheek ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Five Parts
by Douglas Adams
Intergalactic adventure full of comedic twists, exploring the nature of the universe.
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy * The Restaurant at the End of the Universe * Life, the Universe and Everything * So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish * Mostly Harmless Suppose a good friend ... (Goodreads)
I Was Told There'd Be Cake: Essays
by Sloane Crosley
A collection of humorous essays depicting the highs and lows of modern life.
Hailed by David Sedaris as "perfectly, relentlessly funny" and by Colson Whitehead as "sardonic without being cruel, tender without being sentimental," from the author of the new collection, Look ... (Barnes & Noble)
Taxi
by Khaled Al Khamissi
A young man's chaotic journey through Cairo, exploring the complexities of urban life.
تاكسي: حواديت المشاوير الذي لاقى نجاحا نقديا وجماهيريا كبيرا وغير متوقع، فأثنى عليه الكثير من الكتاب والنقاد واستضافت مؤلفه عدد من البرامج التلفزيونية مثل العاشرة مساء والبيت بيتك والقاهرة اليوم، ... (Goodreads)
Carry On, Jeeves
by P.G. Wodehouse
A series of comedic stories filled with eccentric characters, witty banter and outrageous scenarios.
The titles of the first story in this collection—'Jeeves Takes Charge'— and the last—'Bertie Changes His Mind'—sum up the relationship of twentieth-century fiction's most famous comic characters. In ... (Goodreads)
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops
by Jen Campbell
Lighthearted collection of humorous conversations between bookshop customers and staff.
A simple Twitter question posed by John Cleese—“What is your biggest pet peeve?”—inspired Jen Campbell to start a blog collecting all the ridiculous conversations overheard in her bookstore. “Did ... (Barnes & Noble)
Agent to the Stars
by John Scalzi
A rookie agent takes on the job of representing an alien species, navigating the world of Hollywood.
Tom Stein is a celebrity agent, representing a handful of Hollywood actors, the most famous of which is Michelle Beck, an earnest but brainless blonde who wants to break into serious acting despite ... (Wikipedia)
The Far Side Gallery 3
by Gary Larson
Collection of absurd, surreal and darkly humorous cartoons.
The third, Far Side, treasury. 1988 FarWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Far Side and the Larson signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc. ... (Goodreads)
A Fraction of the Whole
by Steve Toltz
A quirky, whimsical exploration of family dynamics, life's absurdities, and the human condition.
A Fraction of the Whole uses a multi-perspective narrative, often going back in time to show Martin's perspective on events before returning to Jasper's story in the present. The framing narrative of ... (Wikipedia)
The Men Who Stare at Goats
by Jon Ronson
An exploration of strange military experiments, exposing the hidden world of military intelligence.
From the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry and So You've Been Publicly Shamed . In 1979 a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within ... (Goodreads)
Decline and Fall
by Evelyn Waugh
A satirical comedy of manners, exploring the fall of an irresponsible young man in the British social class system.
Modest and unassuming theology student Paul Pennyfeather falls victim to the drunken antics of the Bollinger Club and is subsequently expelled from Oxford for running through the grounds of Scone ... (Wikipedia)
Vile Bodies
by Evelyn Waugh
A satirical look at the decadence of the Bright Young Things of the 1920s.
Adam Symes has a novel to finish and, with the proceeds, plans to marry Nina Blount. Returning from France, his manuscript is impounded as obscene by customs officers, while in the next room his ... (Wikipedia)
Gore ot Uma
by Alexander Griboyedov
A satirical comedy of manners that follows a young man’s misadventures in Moscow high society.
"Горе от ума" - одна из первых русских комедий, разодранных на пословицы и поговорки, которыми до сих пор украшена речь всякого мало-мальски начитанного человека. "Горе от ума" - комедия, давшая ... (Goodreads)
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
by Chelsea Handler
A comical look at life and relationships, as seen through the eyes of Chelsea Handler.
The hilarious new book from the star of Chelsea Lately and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. Get ready for big laughs as Chelsea Handler lets loose ... (Goodreads)
One of Our Thursdays Is Missing
by Jasper Fforde
A zany and thrilling detective story set in a world of fantasy and fairytales.
Literature detective Thursday Next, who has the ability to travel between the RealWorld and the BookWorld, disappears before stopping a genre war. Her BookWorld counterpart, Thursday Next, receives a ... (Wikipedia)
Scoop
by Evelyn Waugh
A humorous and satirical look at journalistic misadventures in Africa.
Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of the "Daily Beast", has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, ... (Goodreads)
The Far Side Gallery 4
by Gary Larson
Collection of humorous single-panel cartoons, exploring the absurd and the surreal.
1993 FarWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Far Side and the Larson signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc. ... (Goodreads)
Porno
by Irvine Welsh
A darkly comic look at the lives of a group of drug-addled youths in Scotland.
The novel is divided into three sections, each of which comprises chapters with different narrators . Unlike Trainspotting which had more narrational diversity, Porno is reduced to just five ... (Wikipedia)
Undermajordomo Minor
by Patrick deWitt
A young man's strange and humorous adventures in a distant land.
Friendless and loveless, young and aimless, Lucien (Lucy) Minor is the resident odd duck in his bucolic hamlet of Bury, a weakling and compulsive liar in a town famous for producing brutish giants. ... (Barnes & Noble)
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