For April, I’m inspired by my least favorite “holiday” (April Fools) to feature: Humor! I’ve never been one to enjoy playing or being the recipient of pranks, and every year as a kid, I’d cringe and hide in my room, waiting for the awful trick my parents wanted to play on me, hoping, mercifully, for it to be over and done with. Not the best memories, and I’m not sure why I detested it so.
But there’s a lot to say about humor in writing, and it’s the perfect time of year to focus on a little light-hearted joy.
So this month, I’ll be focusing on the comedy. Not necessarily comedian-written books – I’m looking more at humorous stories, sarcastic tones, and sassy expressions of literature.
Soul-Fool-ly Funny Literature. (See what I did there?) I know. Bad Mom joke. Hey, if dads can do it, why not us?
This month, I’ll be asking my social media followers some questions about humor-inspired novels as part of my funny theme. Feel free to comment with your own thoughts and insights below!
1. What is the best tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic piece you’ve ever read to date?
So surprisingly (to me), I don’t think I’ve read all that many comedies, and that concerns me. I need to read more! But I recently read the two Finlay Donovan books by Elle Cosimano, and they were rip-roaring hysterical with the botched antics of a murder writer finding herself in real life murder scenarios. Check them out if you want a blend of humor and mystery. 2. What autographical books by a comedian have you enjoyed or been surprised by?
For me, Kevin Hart and his book, I Can’t Make This Up, was so much more than a funnyman telling a story. It was deep, insightful, genuine, and his authenticity in owning up to his flaws, mistakes, and how he rose above them endeared me to him more. 3. Talk to me about your favorite books of satire?
I could (and should) go old school and claim classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Animal Farm, but instead, I’m going to go off-book (haha) and instead go with the stories behind the musical, Something Rotten, which pulls apart Shakespeare in a fantastically satirical way—and pokes fun at the concept of musicals themselves. 4. Comedians come in all styles—who are some of your favorites?
Aside from my Long Island friend Manny of course (hi, Manny!), I love clean, yet self-deprecating comics like John Pinette (RIP, you cherub-like buffet-monger), and I love the dirty and naughty, a la Amy Schumer (I can’t resist an empowered badass, and crude doesn’t bother me). I just love to laugh.
What would your responses be? We could all use a few more laughs in life, so follow me throughout the month on a (hopefully) hilarious hopscotch of humor. What’s a funny book that you’ve read recently?