What to read from the comedy genre. Do you want to laugh? Best humorous literature

Those who love to immerse themselves in book worlds will agree that sometimes there is a desire to start reading serious literature that touches on important social and life topics. But sometimes you just want to relax and cheer yourself up with the help of a literary creation. In such situations, humorous books become relevant.

Such works are incredibly popular, because thanks to comic techniques, funny storylines and charismatic heroes are created positive stories filled with light and great mood. Many books are simply collections humorous stories, which are designed to distract from problems and charge with positivity.

You should not look in such works deep meaning or something serious. They are created for completely different purposes. Many girls love to read love prose with a touch of humor, because what could be better than beautiful story love combined with comic situations and bad jokes.

The best books of this type turn into tabletop books and always play the role of an assistant in getting rid of melancholic mood and depression. Authors publish entire series of novels that are popular, but only those writers who have a very subtle sense of humor and boast excellent writing talent reach this level.

Humorous books are considered easy to read and allow you to carefreely “plunge” into the world described by the author, filled with vivid emotions. Today, this category includes children's stories, detective novels, and even some classic works.

Modern writers try not to use features of other genres too much in their work, so that there is no temptation to switch from comedy to drama. It is worth noting that not all writers become recognized creators in the genre of humorous prose. Not everyone can create a high-quality plot and correctly frame it with funny elements.

Therefore, many young writers who try themselves in this field do not always produce good things from under their feast. In any case, you need to get acquainted with the works of famous and popular authors, because their works are presented on our portal.

For many book lovers, the site is well known and studied in detail. Beginners are pleasantly surprised, because here you can read online or download for free without registration directly from the site or via torrent. humorous stories. Files are available in epub, fb2, pdf, rtf and txt formats.

As said main character famous film“The same Munchausen,” “an intelligent face is not a sign of intelligence. Smile, gentlemen!” How more people laughs, the healthier and happier he is. April 1 is a good reason to start reading something fun, life-affirming and look for new ways to make fun of others. RIA PrimaMedia, together with the team from the Read-Gorod store, have compiled a list of 10 books that will make you smile more than once.

Terry Pratchett "Feint"

Terry Pratchett Feint. Photo: Maria Borodina, RIA PrimaMedia

London, Victorian England. Seventeen-year-old Dodger scours the city's sewers in search of lost treasure. It’s an unrespectable occupation, whatever one may say, but it’s not theft. One day, on a dark, stormy night, Turnpike saves a young maiden with golden hair from two villains who were trying to take her away against her will in an unknown direction. How could the lively boy know that this event was just the beginning of amazing and dangerous adventures in his life. The trickster is expected to meet the great writer Charles Dickens, the infamous hairdresser Sweeney Todd and the equally famous politician Benjamin Disraeli. And the finale of the young Londoner’s grandiose adventures will be an audience with Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

Alexander Tsypkin "Women of Relentless Age"

Alexander Tsypki "Women of Relentless Age". Photo: Maria Borodina, RIA PrimaMedia

Everything in these stories is strange, unexpected, but at the same time paradoxically reliable. This makes it easy, free and fun. Reading the book "Women of Relentless Age" will make you laugh. Sometimes it's indecently loud. The hooligan lyrics of the charismatic St. Petersburg PR man and journalist Alexander Tsypkin have deservedly outgrown network success and popularity in periodical media. This book will restore your appetite for life, and maybe your love for people.

Richard Feynman "Of course you're joking, Mr. Feynman!"

Richard Feynman "Of course you're joking, Mr. Feynman!" Photo: Maria Borodina, RIA PrimaMedia

He was known for his passion for jokes and pranks, painted amazing portraits, played exotic musical instruments. An excellent speaker, he turned every lecture into an exciting one. intellectual game. Not only students and colleagues, but also people simply passionate about physics were eager to attend his speeches. The autobiography of a great scientist is more exciting than an adventure novel. This is one of the few books that will forever remain in the memory of everyone who reads them.

Wendy Northcutt "Darwin Award"

Wendy Northcutt "Darwin Award" Photo: Maria Borodina, RIA PrimaMedia

The Darwin Award is a virtual joke award for particularly impressive evolutionary gambits. To be awarded it, one must die in the most ridiculous way possible, or at least lose the ability to reproduce, thereby saving our gene pool from its desperate recklessness - or from its extreme stupidity. American Wendy Northcutt is the “chronicler” of the Darwin Award. Many years ago, after learning about this natural phenomenon, she began documenting the stories of the laureates, and subsequently created the famous website. Letters about the adventures of worthy candidates for the award poured in from all over the world. The most striking stories are collected in this book, which clearly demonstrates that the evolution of our species is characterized by a merciless sense of humor.

Manu Joseph "Serious Men"

Manu Joseph" Serious men". Photo: Maria Borodina, RIA PrimaMedia

A sharp, biting, irreverent, funny and smart novel about India and Indian men. About male ambitions and inflated egos, about the battle of Indian bonds with inexorable progress, about quiet love and its strange consequences. Ayyan - from low caste people like him do not make their way to the top, the path there is forbidden to them - by caste restrictions, poverty and lack of education. But Ayan is unique. Too smart, dexterous and enterprising. He has already achieved the impossible - at the age of forty he is not only alive and well (which for an Indian man from a lower caste is tantamount to a miracle), but he also works not as a rickshaw puller, not as a laborer for everything, but personal assistant a brilliant scientist, an astrophysicist with a worldwide reputation and an obnoxious character. But this is not enough for Ayan, he is hatching a cunning and ambitious plan - to fly into the stratosphere of society. And his own son will serve as his launch vehicle - a boy who torments his teachers with his “prodigy” antics.

Mikhail Zhvanetsky "Who am I not to drink"

Mikhail Zhvanetsky "Who am I not to drink." Photo: Maria Borodina, RIA PrimaMedia

Zhvanetsky is not a person, not a writer, not destiny, or even a diagnosis. Zhvanetsky is how we see ourselves. This is the harmless truth spoken by the person we love. He taught us so well that we do not perceive him as a Teacher. We simply speak in his words, which have long become ours. "Zhvanetsky said this." And there’s no getting away from it, and I don’t want to. The book offered to your attention includes treatises written by the author after 2000.

Pelham Greenville Woodhouse "Jeeves, you are a genius!"

Pelham Greenville Woodhouse "Jeeves, you are a genius!" Photo: Maria Borodina, RIA PrimaMedia

You look forward to meetings with the characters from the works of the English writer Pelham Granville Wodehouse - with the cute rascal Bertie Wooster and his experienced valet Jeeves, Aunt Agatha and Lord Emsworth, who adores pigs, Uncle Dynamite and Bingo Little - like meetings with close friends. Wodehouse's heroes live in their own cozy little world, in which serious passions boil, cunning intrigues are woven and bold matrimonial plans are made. These brilliant stories have been rightfully considered classics of English humorous prose for many years.

Faina Ranevskaya "Mulya, don't make me nervous!"

Faina Ranevskaya "Mulya, don't make me nervous!" Photo: Maria Borodina, RIA PrimaMedia

“I often say out loud what others are afraid to even think”, “Officials have the most harmful work. No one does more harm than them”, “By career ladder It’s easiest to climb on your knees”, “Our hands are golden, they just grow from...”, “If there is the speed of light, there must also be the speed of darkness?” For the first time, this book publishes not only unknown witticisms and aphorisms of Ranevskaya, but also her drawings, caricatures, cartoons. The great actress was always famous for her sense of humor and sharp tongue - but, it turns out, she also had a sharp eye and a steady hand. They say the truth: talented person talented in everything. And although Ranevskaya herself admitted: “I like to draw, but I don’t know how” - this publication proves the opposite.

Alexander Malenkov "Red Cucumbers"

Alexander Malenkov "Red Cucumbers". Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

Anton Opushkin is an ordinary designer, a young man floating with the flow of life. But everything changes in one day when he falls in love with someone else's wife, and in one night when he witnesses a murder. Can you afford the luxury of being normal if the world is crazy? Will criminal aggression withstand the logic of an intellectual? How long do hallucinogenic mushrooms last? The author tries to find answers to these questions together with his hero. Bandits, special forces and a drug-addicted inventor do not make this task any easier, and danger, friendship and love befall Anton from the most unexpected sides.

Vladimir Vishnevsky "Darling, I know you're online"

Vladimir Vishnevsky “Darling, I know you’re online.” Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

Vladimir Vishnevsky is one of the most quoted modern poets, whose poems and aphorisms managed to become part of Russian colloquial culture. Being one of those rare creative people, thanks to which the spirit of “akynism” still lives in Russia, Vladimir Vishnevsky, however, does not lag behind his time one step, and this time delights his readers with his own online diary. A new book“Akyna” fully complies with the main laws of the network space: “Live to post” and “Understand and repost.” Surrounded by the inexpressible Russian reality, the improvising poet ironizes the current events and the clichés generated by them.

Kir Bulychev How to become a science fiction writer...I try never to reflect my own memories or experiences in prose. It’s awkward...I belong to that broad category of Russian citizens whose families were created by the revolution, and whose genealogy was destroyed. In the normal course of events, my parents would not have been able to meet, but I would have known the biographies of my grandparents, aunts and uncles... our reality has always been more fantastic than fiction!... The distrust of communists towards communists... was a common phenomenon... .Life tried me on several times, discussing who it would make me. In the ninth and tenth grades, I had no doubt that I would go to a geological exploration institute and become a paleontologist. I didn't even get an education to my liking. I was going to geological exploration, but entered translation. In the spring of the tenth grade, a man from the district Komsomol committee came to our school. We were gathered, and a man from the district committee explained that Comrade Stalin had ordered the organization of a special faculty for future intelligence officers. But it is called modestly: the Faculty of Translation of Inyaz.... The first books that I read contained a fantastic element. Today I know that they are fantastic. I didn’t even suspect it then. "Doctor Aibolit" is a science-fiction thriller, "Domino" by Setton-Thompson is a fantasy about the life of animals. And then mom brought “The Adventures of Karik and Valya.” Somewhere in the fifth or sixth grade I was incredibly lucky. My introduction to science fiction went quickly. Mom found the Red Cross library on Arbat Square, which for some reason was not captured by censorship purges recent years. ..where there was a bookstore that sold books that caused physiological trepidation in me....I couldn’t write realistic prose. It didn’t work out. I was a completely loyal Soviet person, and when it was necessary to write a report on a conversation or a secret report for a boss who was in an alcoholic coma, I dutifully did it. But I was not ready for a new life and new responsibilities. I never joined the party and never shaved my beard. I did not join the Writers' Union, because I considered it indecent to be a member of an organization whose ideals, in particular, method socialist realism and party literature, did not accept. ..Not only did I not want to join the party, but also my heroes living in the future did not know about this party. I did not participate in campaigns, seminars or battles, I did not vote or expel. But it was impossible to expel me from anywhere. We thought that our Soviet reader was the smartest, most prudent and intelligent in the world. It turned out that post-Soviet man is a creature that is slightly ahead of Neanderthal man in development, and only wants to read “cool” thrillers. You can still earn more from “cool” literature, but I have a feeling that the pendulum of public taste, which swung sharply towards mass culture, has now swung back. In Russia, literature has always played a greater role than in Europe, because in Europe, it was a personal matter and occupation of the writer, and in Russia - an act of heroism or meanness, a challenge to the Empire or support for the regime. I don't believe that beauty will save the world, or in the transformative role of art and literature. And yet literature can make a certain contribution to the salvation of humanity. Let it be small. But we don’t know when, what and how much we will need. Warn, reassure, set an example...

Every person has episodes in life when melancholic sadness, melancholy or depression rolls in, and at such moments the best savior is interesting book. Immersed in it, a person forgets about everything else, problems real world recede into the background. Good book- this is a lifeline in the ocean of life's unrest, and an interesting and funny book is even more so, and if we paraphrase the words of Bernard Werber, we can say: “A book is like a sword, humor is like a shield.” Let's hit melancholy and bad mood with a good book and protect myself with humor from all life's ups and downs!

A sense of humor is a very subjective concept, therefore all tops of the best, ratings and other comparative actions are obviously doomed to condemnation, because 100% of the same opinions about one work do not exist, much less about a funny book. The most objective thing in this case is time-tested, so below is a list of works from this category.

Play in verse

This work is literally filled with quotes by readers in every second column. “The Tale of Fedot the Archer, a Daring Young Man” was written in 1985 by a Russian author based on the famous children’s fairy tale “Go there - I don’t know where.” The play in verse instantly won the hearts of readers; its inimitable style in the spirit of a parody of a folk tale with a classic plot and an ancient style in a modern manner makes it unique and relevant at all times. This is one of the few books that, even in audio format, do not lose their sparkle and zest.

In 2008, a cartoon for adults was made based on this work, which is very accurately intertwined with Filatov’s idea and manner of presentation. The whole point interpersonal relationships, politics and moral values ​​is shown in “The Tale of Fedot the Archer, the Daring Young Man,” which will be just as modern, relevant, interesting and funny for decades to come.

The plot is quite simple and ordinary, as in all folk tales: an evil king, good fellow and a beauty. The Tsar, wanting to get Fedot’s beloved, gives him difficult tasks, in order to die from the light. But as you know, in fairy tales good always triumphs over evil.

"My Family and Other Animals" by Darrell Gerald

This is an autobiographical story telling about several years of the author's residence on the island of Corfu. The story is told from the perspective of a ten-year-old boy who would later become an outstanding naturalist and biologist. His large family, each member of which has his own “cockroaches in his head,” and their living together against the backdrop of these differences - this is the main plot.

Most members of large families will see themselves in this funny book: the most interesting thing is that the situations are ordinary, but the author’s presentation of the plot, dialogues and small parts such that you want to re-read it again and again, realizing that somewhere there are just as crazy and crazy families, and this makes yours no longer seem flawed and inadequate. The author very simply, skillfully and unobtrusively immerses the reader in colorful world plant and animal kingdoms, intertwining it all with stories about their relatives, flavoring it with an amazing sauce of humor and fun. And also “My Family and Other Animals” - people love animals and nature in general, it is very touching and sincere.

“Notes of the cat Shashlik”

An unusual creation by Alex Axler, in which the narration is told from the perspective of a cat with strange name: his cynical view of what is happening is sometimes too harsh and subjective. After reading this book, many of your pet’s actions become more understandable and obvious, despite the comedy of the situation, and the mood will definitely increase a hundredfold from Shashlik’s caustic tirades. From the very first lines it becomes clear that the cat is still a piece of fruit, arrogant, ungrateful, but he is also a Cat! Divine being higher order. And in the process of reading, there will be a change in attitude towards him from indignation at frankly base actions to tenderness and touching several times.

Although some readers responded differently to Axler’s book: low-grade tavern humor bordering on vulgarity, propaganda of laziness and drunkenness in the image of the cat’s owner, absolutely not funny situations and lack of morality. But not all works of writers need to be in the spirit of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky - sometimes light reading on a day off or during a vacation will give a person more than volumes of the great classics. This is again a subjective thing, so it is better to read and draw your own conclusion than to be limited by the opinions of others.

Brilliant works of Ilf and Petrov

“The Twelve Chairs” is a unique book. It belongs to those works that stand in the “eternal” column: each generation of readers finds in them a reflection of their time, despite the fact that the first book was written in 1927. The young charismatic adventurer Bender and his ward Kisa are looking for diamonds hidden in one of 12 chairs, their adventures on this wave are presented in such an amazing sauce of humor and satire that even the most cynical critic cannot resist.

Quotes from this work wander among the people, while not everyone knows their origin and authors: “The ice has broken, gentlemen”, “Don’t teach me how to live”, “Famous”, “How much is opium for the people”, “Or maybe you need more give the key to the apartment where the money is” and many other incredibly strong and meaningful phrases that are used all the time. The book is a must-read for everyone; it is like a powerful cleanser that cleanses the mind, washing away limitations and stereotypes.

"The Golden Calf" - a book by the same authors, is a continuation of the adventures of Ostap Bender, who is now competing with two more "sons of Lieutenant Schmidt" and is trying to seize other people's wealth by cunning and tricks. This novel is also full of famous catch phrases: “An idiot’s dream has come true,” “I will command the parade,” “I would take it in parts, but I need it right away.” The book “The Golden Calf” is simply filled with amazingly sharp words and remarks that are not immediately noticeable to an inexperienced reader.

"Everything is red"

Despite the fact that this work is most often classified as a detective story, it reads like an excellent ironic novel with elements of the grotesque. In the story, they are killed at a party. young man, who is trying to warn the hostess of the fun about something extremely important, naturally, does not have time, and she herself main character becomes the object of persecution and murder attempts, most often unsuccessful. The entire outline of the work is imbued with stunningly subtle humor, hilarious situations, interspersed with discoveries about the real essence of man.

The author of the novel does not consider his creation to be a masterpiece or worthy to stand on the same shelf as Gogol or Chekhov, it is rather homemade reading under a blanket on an autumn day - to cheer up, get rid of melancholy and laziness. The work is one of the funniest books of our time, despite the tragic plot.

Trilogy by Mikhail Uspensky

"The Adventures of Zhikhar" is a modern fantasy in the spirit folklore mixed with humor, witticisms and modern slang. The red-haired Zhikhar is friends with King Arthur himself (neither more nor less) and the Chinese Liu, with them he finds himself in various situations on which the book is based. A pile of extraordinary and frankly fabulous accents in the form vehicle the sorcerer, flights to the moon, pagan Baba Yaga, Leshego and Vodyany mixed with the modern train of thoughts, words and actions of the main character gives rise to a kind of mess, which only by the middle of the novel somehow calms down and shows the main essence.

At the same time, it is useless to wait for subtle “British” humor - everything here is our way, in a simple way, shoulder-to-shoulder and backhand. Therefore, lovers of subtleties consider this trilogy to be low-grade garbage on the level of Dontsova.

But folk tales Few people compare them with the classics either, but they occupy an honorable place in every family and are rightfully considered the first teachers. Therefore, perhaps we shouldn’t demand much from modern fantasy fairy tales, allowing them to simply while away the evenings with readers, because any smile and laughter prolongs life, no matter from reading “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” by Gogol or “The Adventures of Zhikhar” by Mikhail Uspensky.

The most popular work by a Czech author

The first mention of the name of the author of this work immediately gives rise to one association - soldier Schweik. “The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik” by Jaroslav Hasek has long become a classic modern literature: the adventures of an unprepossessing little man in a filthy overcoat and worn-out boots, walking along a military road from one incident to another, but not losing his optimism and breadth of soul, will make even the most stern and experienced reader smile. Sharp satire to the point of tears, reminiscent of soldiers' tales around the fire with a drink, and a call running through the entire novel to stop all wars make this novel worthy of respect and recognition. Great in its simplicity, accessible to any level of understanding, Hasek’s novel won millions of hearts around the world, and his talkative character became a symbol of ingenuousness and kind primitiveness.

The adventures of the good soldier Schweik begin with the fact that he was disqualified due to “poverty of mind,” but during the First World War he was again drafted into the army as an extra, or as they like to say now. On the way to the front line, the brave soldier is bothered by representatives of different strata of society, they twist him as they want, but he inexorably continues to move forward, towards obvious death.

Sarcasm seasoned with nostalgia and sadness

“Legends of Nevsky Prospect” is a collection of stories telling about the life of ordinary, unremarkable people in the city of Leningrad in the 20th century: doctors, speculators, military men and even women of easy virtue. The life and customs of people of that time are depicted in a sharp satirical form with a large dose of sarcasm, the mentality of Russia shines through in every story, you often get the feeling that the characters are familiar people: a neighbor or co-worker, a friend’s uncle or a brother’s wife. It is this realism of the characters that makes you experience the moments described in the book in a particularly vivid way; there is a feeling of bitter reality and the truthfulness of what is happening in the spirit of “I was there too.” After all, all the stories described in the book seem incredibly real.

The book was first published in 1993 and since then has gained Mikhail Weller enormous popularity among the Russian-speaking population. Laughing out loud is about “Legends of Nevsky Prospekt”, so it is ideal for long winter evenings and pleasant companies. For those who cannot laugh at themselves, the book is contraindicated: it will cause nothing but disgust for the world and people.

Adams' fantasy novel

According to the BBC, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is ranked fourth on the list of most popular books, and the creator is considered one of the best science fiction writers of our time. The book consists of several parts, the first of which was written in 1979. In the first three months, 250 thousand copies were sold, four more parts of the book followed, and in 2005 the novel was filmed. This is truly a sensation in the world of science fiction!

The plot of the novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is based on the intergalactic travels of the loser Arthur Dent, who suddenly learns that planet Earth is about to be destroyed by hostile alien creatures, and his friend, whom he has known for many years, is also an alien. A moment before the destruction of the Earth, he and his friend find themselves on a starship.

If you start reading the novel, it will initially seem that absurdity is built on absurdity, gives birth to absurdity on the verge of madness and a complete lack of logic, the world in the novel seems so strange, but painfully real, and against the backdrop of general madness, deep philosophical thoughts about Space, about its habitability: other races and life forms. Many of the funny moments in the book cannot be understood without some knowledge of physics, so it makes sense to keep a reference book handy. And all these factors are mixed with jokes and comic situations to the point of stomach cramps and homeric laughter.

Inimitable English humor

The English writer Pelham Wodehouse created a whole series of comedy novels and short stories “Jeeves and Wooster” about the adventures of an English aristocrat, a confirmed bachelor, and his ubiquitous valet. The first story was written back in 1916, and periodically the story was replenished with stories until 1974. The novels inspired a British TV series starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, which still serves as an example of good humorous filmmaking.

The stories are based on funny and embarrassing situations, mainly with women trying to marry a young aristocrat: the narrow-minded, but brilliantly brought up Wooster gets into them, from which he is rescued by the resourceful valet Jeeves. For example, in the novel “That Inimitable Jeeves” the plot is woven best friend Wooster - Bertie, who is too greedy for women: he decides to marry a bar waitress, bypassing the opinion of his aristocratic relatives, against this background, Bertie Wooster's attempts to get rid of annoying attempts to marry himself to another girl seem even more ridiculous. As always, the amazingly erudite Jeeves comes to the rescue, deftly resolving the situation one by one.

Refined, subtle English humor, combined with unobtrusiveness and delicacy, without deep philosophical and rhetorical heaps, does credit to the author, whose books are rightfully considered one of the funniest books in British literature.

Finally

The ones listed above are not all the funniest books that are worth reading, but just the subjective opinion of the author. There is also a huge list of works worthy of the reader’s attention, but with more varied taste preferences: since those who prefer the novels of Olga Gromyko are unlikely to be interested in the zest of humor of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, and fans of “How to Live with a Neurotic Dog” or the works of Slava Se will not always get into it in a subtle veil of refined irony in “ Heart of a Dog"and the works of Viktor Pelevin (who is also a humorist!).

Everyone’s sense of humor, like their sense of tact, is subjective, which is why different things make people laugh, sometimes completely opposite and incomprehensible to others. Therefore, we will not impose thoughts, but will allow the reader to make a personal choice. And most importantly: smile, gentlemen, smile!

Each of us has had a book in our lives that, throughout the entire reading, made us smile, giggle into our fists, choke with laughter, or, disregarding decency, laugh loudly right in public places!

Narine Abgaryan "Manyunya"

Anna, 23 years old, seller in a bookstore:

“Actually, I warmly recommend the entire trilogy about the girl Manyuna! And I’m just about to re-read it myself. This is a pure, unclouded adult nonsense like politics, psychology and some kind of expectations from life! The way everyone should have it, and from which such wonderful adults as the author, Narine Abgaryan, then grow. This book is an excellent vaccination against everything superficial and a reminder that life is nothing if you treat it correctly! "

Favorite quotes:

“Who would dare refuse Ba’s help? No one! Everyone wanted to live.”

“How can I explain to you what they give away for stewed vegetables? Take a school apron, cut it into strips, fill it with chalk and a treble clef. Add D’s in algebra and geometry. Simmer for a day in milk with foam. That’s how sad the stewed vegetables smell and look.”

“To enhance the aroma, Manka sprinkled us with the Wild Berry air freshener. The amber we exuded could have overwhelmed a fully combat-ready company of infantrymen.”

Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov "Golden Calf"

Tatyana, 29 years old, teacher:

“A wonderful book: sparkling, radiant and comprehensive! In many ways superior to the first part of the stories about the “great schemer”. I read it with great pleasure and laughed to tears! The authors’ sense of humor is subtle, without vulgarity, so sincere and kind that you want to re-read the book repeatedly and advise everyone around!”

Favorite quotes:

"Don't hit your bald head on the parquet!"

“In Rio de Janeiro, for example, stolen cars are repainted in a different color. This is done for purely humane reasons - so that the previous owner would not be upset when he sees that a stranger is driving around in his car.”

“You are an interesting person! Everything is fine with you. It’s amazing, with such happiness - and in freedom.”

Douglas Adams "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Ekaterina, 24 years old, engineer:

“This is my personal No. 1 in humorous literature. An absolutely brilliant work, with quotes from which I often talk with friends. It’s impossible to retell the content, because it’s not easy space adventures crazy heroes - in his book, Douglas Adams reflects on the Meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything Else! A subtle and smart book that pretends to be an entertaining, humorous bestseller, but has many deeper layers. An example of that legendary English humor(and one of its best incarnations, in my opinion)."

Favorite quotes:

“A man who has traveled the length and breadth of the Galaxy, gone through hunger, poverty and deprivation, and still has a towel with him - this is a man with whom you can do business.”

“The main difference between an object that can go bad and an object that can’t go bad is that an object that can’t go bad cannot be repaired if it does go bad.”

“The technology that makes something invisible is so infinitely complex that 999,999,999 times out of a billion it is much easier and more efficient to simply take it and run off with it to an unknown destination.”

And, of course, signature quotes (for those in the know): "Don't Panic!!!" and "42".

Helen Fielding "Bridget Jones's Diary"

Alexandra, 26 years old, technical writer:

“In general, I rarely read books that make you smile and lift your spirits, I prefer all sorts of adventures and gothic fantasy, and there’s no time for smiles... But at one time I was very amused by the book “Bridget Jones’s Diary”: in places I just laughed and read her twice. Including in English. What this book, probably, the whole world knows about: about a not very lucky girl of about thirty, lonely, whose head and life are full of problems and awkward situations with men, parents, overweight etc., who one day decides to start a diary in order to somehow put her life in order. Well, it does!”

Favorite quotes:

“I realized that the secret to losing weight is not to weigh yourself.”

“Being a woman is even worse than being a farmer. There is so much that needs to be fertilized and cleaned up: waxing the hair on the legs; shaving the hair under the arms; plucking the eyebrows; scrubbing the heels with a pumice stone; tinting the regrown hair roots; cleansing the skin with a scrub and moisturizing with cream; acne "disinfect with lotion; file nails; paint eyelashes; massage cellulite; strengthen abdominal muscles with exercises. And this entire labor process must be perfectly organized - if you take a break from it for just a few days, all your efforts will be nullified."

“The need to open your mouth while applying mascara to your eyelashes is a great and inexplicable mystery of nature.”

Sergey Dovlatov "Compromise"

Tatyana, 28 years old, sound engineer:

“From my rather extensive reading experience, almost all of Sergei Dovlatov’s works were and remain the most “smiling.” And first of all, precisely because this smile is not toothy: one, you know, that does not turn into laughter, but no less pleasant for this. Like him he himself said that among his characters there are no good or bad ones, each of them has a little bit of everything mixed in. And with each of them, like with each of us, such ordinary, everyday funny and sad joys happen. "Compromise" (a series of short stories from very different times), I can say without exaggeration, I know it almost by heart and re-read it every time I feel like I lack the spontaneity with which the heroes of these books look at life.”

Favorite quotes:

“A decent person is one who does nasty things without pleasure.”

“A boxing match was shown on Leningrad television. A Negro, black as wax, fought with a blond Pole. The announcer explained: “You can distinguish a Negro boxer by the light blue border on his shorts.”

- At least you wouldn’t lie! Who is this red-haired, fidgety big thing? I saw you from the bus this morning...

- This is not a red-haired, fidgety big thing. This is the metaphysical poet Vladimir Erl. He has this hairstyle...

Irina and Leonid Tyukhtyaev "Zoki and Bada: a guide for children on raising parents"

Tatyana, 35 years old, health worker:

"This wonderful book"for everyone who has ever been a child" I first read in in electronic format about 10 years ago, and recently I bought a paper one, with beautiful illustrations. It is very funny (based on a play on words), kind, easy to read and liked not only by me, but also by my husband and 12-year-old daughter, who actually doesn’t like to read at all. The idea of ​​the book is for adults to learn to understand children better, and for children to understand adults better. This book always lifts my spirits, so I will read it again and again!”

Favorite quotes:

“I’m so tired of you,” Bada groaned, “it would be better if you weren’t here.”

“And there is no one better than us,” objected Mu-odov.

“So, bada, we were with you, are and will be there,” confirmed Mu-odov.

“Good dogs don’t lie on the road, they lie on the sofa.”

“Here you go,” said Bada, “he treated and treated... What, the headache didn’t go away?

“I guess not,” Myu-odov hesitated, “actually, I wanted to find out: here

did your head go away?

Slava Se "Plumber, his cat, wife and other details"

Elena, 27 years old, journalist:

“Very, well, just very funny reading! And by the words “very funny” we should not mean “hee-hee” and “ha-ha”, but a wild guffaw that erupts completely uncontrollably! Therefore, at work, like me, you still read it’s not worth it... Slava Se is like Dovlatov (I’m not afraid of this surname), only closer, not so brilliantly unattainable, and also a little sad, but very lively and understandable. Besides, I don’t remember my father’s notes at all in our literature, especially about his daughters , about little ones, and written so warmly and with such love. Seriously, universal remedy from the blues! And you can read from anywhere."

Favorite quotes:

“Whoever throws away a Christmas tree in January is paranoid. And a pathetic slave of order. A determined owner dries the tree until it becomes crispy.”

“It’s easy to raise two girls. I know how to bark, “Come on, eat!” and “Come on, go to sleep!” I’m good at it. Lyalya is already asleep at the thirteenth chapter. Masha - I don’t know, after the hundredth I fall asleep myself.

I know how to cook sausages, I know where the tights are (I don’t know whose). It’s just the hair... In the mornings, you need to whip up compositions “like a princess” using them and elastic bands. I can only play "woman from Mars".

"We found a kitten. The color is metallic leopard print. Affectionate, with small velvet eggs on the back child size. Responds to the names Kuzya, Tobik, Lena, Petya and Where did you put the remote control. Funny, bites everyone's toes at night. He eats well, went to the potty three times, out of necessity and just out of interest. Smart as Feuchtwanger.

If this is your kitten and you are not indifferent to its fate, add a comment here, and I will post it once a week interesting stories about his personal growth."

Tibor Fischer "Philosophers from the Highway"

Olga, 26 years old, editor:

"The wittiest, kindest and very funny story about a fat and lazy loser philosopher and his disabled partner robbing banks. Moreover, it happens to them completely by accident, and often unexpectedly for them. Luxurious style narratives - in the spirit of a philosophical treatise with subtitles like "A Series common places" and "The train as a way to cover your tracks." About love, friendship, sex, philosophy, logic and bandits: "This is a robbery! Everyone should read it!"

Favorite quotes:

“Themistocles riding around the agora in a chariot drawn by prostitutes... This picture has nothing to do with philosophy. But what is the thought!”

“Other details of the orphanage education are omitted: a priori it was assumed that if this was not hell itself, then one of its branches.”

"And then there's always the morning when you have to get up disgustingly early and go rob five banks in Montpellier."

Georgy Danelia "The toastee drinks to the dregs"

Irina, 36 years old, economist:

“These are the director’s memories - about his childhood, about his films (in particular, “Afonya”, “Mimino”, etc.), about the actors, about the oddities on the set, the history of creating scripts for our favorite comedies. The book cannot be called funny in literally this word is rather ironic. But it definitely lifts the mood!”

Favorite quotes:

"This is not music, this is a tripper." - "Why clap?" - “Because it catches on quickly and is difficult to get rid of.”

“Once in Tashkent I watched on TV Tatyana Lioznova’s film “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” dubbed into Uzbek. There Bormann, when he entered the Fuhrer’s office, threw out his hand and exclaimed: “Salaam alaikum, Hitler-aha!”

“Meet, this is my mother,” I told my new friends. I stood up and offered to drink to her health. Mom said that if I drank less to her health, there would be more of it.”

Igor Guberman "Gariki for every day"

Inna, 29 years old, dentist:

“A collection of short, very apt and vital quatrains. The humor, of course, is more masculine, and this is confirmed by the profanity that occurs, but most of the “gariks” are so truthful that, noticing the imperfections of existence, ourselves and the world around us, they invariably make us smile - they say, "Yes, that's exactly how it is! The book is as funny as it is sad - but I highly recommend reading it!"

Favorite quotes:

Yesterday I ran to get a tooth filled
and I laughed as I ran:
all my life I've been dragging around my future corpse
and cherish it zealously.

An era is upon us,
and in the corner there is a bed,
and when I feel bad with my woman,
I don't care about the era.

Sometimes you wake up like a bird,
winged spring on platoon,
and I want to live and work;
but by breakfast it goes away.

What books will you add to this list?

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