Books to make you smile
Witty and uplifting reads from writers I admire
My reading habits have changed in recent years. Before the pandemic, I read a lot of memoir and literary fiction. But, for the past few years, I have taken comfort in books that make me smile.
I’ve read romance, comedies and memoir, and most of them have been uplifting feel-good fiction and nonfiction.
I’ve returned to the kind of books I loved when I was in my teens and early twenties, the kind of books I used to read on the London Underground on my way to university, before getting there and having to discuss the heavier tomes on my reading list. Books like Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy. Â
I am not alone in my experience. It’s been reflected in the publishing industry, with many readers turning to comfort reads. Cosy mysteries and romance have done particularly well recently.
In my own work, I write about the highs and lows of everyday life and always try to do it with honesty and humour. For me, being able to laugh, even when times are hard, is essential. And that’s reflected in my reading too. I love books that address difficult themes but still make me laugh. I’ve always believed that a good writer can make the reader feel something, can evoke an emotion, whether that’s laughter or tears.
So, for this Substack piece, I wanted to share some of my favourite witty writers who have influenced my writing and whose books and journalism have certainly made me smile.
Sue Townsend
Sue Townsend has to be at the top of my list. She is one of Britain’s most celebrated comic writers, best known for the fictional diaries of Adrian Mole. I love her writing and I adore the Adrian Mole books. My friend recently reread the entire series and I’m thinking about doing the same. I can’t recommend them enough.
Marian Keyes
I’ve been enjoying Marian Keyes books for as long as she’s been writing them, which is close to thirty years. I have so many fond memories of reading them when I was younger, in between all the heavy reading on my university list.
I love how she writes about dark themes, but in an uplifting and humorous way. Many of her earlier books were about the Walsh family, and I am so pleased that she is returning to their stories now. She published Again, Rachel in 2022, following on from her 1997 novel, Rachel’s Holiday. Her latest book, My Favourite Mistake, out next month, returns to the story of Anna Walsh. I can’t wait to read it. Â
Tim Dowling
Journalist and author Tim Dowling has been a big influence on my writing. He writes a weekly column in the Guardian about his life with his family in London.
He started writing it in 2007, replacing Jon Ronson. I loved Jon’s column, so I was wary about the new writer taking over my favourite slot in the paper. Thankfully, everything worked out fine.
Tim captures the chaos of ordinary life, and his writing always makes me laugh. Reading the column with a cup of tea is a highlight of my Saturday. I know, I probably need to get out more!
I met Tim a few years ago at Sheffield’s Off the Shelf Festival of Words, where he was discussing his book Dad You Suck. He was just as funny in person as on the page.
He’s written two books: How to Be a Husband and Dad You Suck. Both are nonfiction and in the style of his columns.
Nora Ephron
I’ve mentioned Nora before on my Substack—in Books I’ve gifted for Christmas.
Nora was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is probably best known for writing When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, but it’s her journalism, blogs and essays that I prefer.
Her nonfiction includes I Feel Bad About My Neck, one of my favourite essay collections. If you are new to Nora, I recommend starting with this. She wrote her novel, Heartburn, after her divorce. It could be called an autobiographical novel because it’s the story of a pregnant woman who discovers that her husband is having an affair, very much mirroring her own life.
Nora died in 2012, but her work has remained just as popular, if not more so. A few years ago, her son made a documentary about her life. It’s called Everything is Copy and is worth a watch.
Lucy Mangan
Lucy is a journalist, author and columnist, and is currently a TV critic at the Guardian. She’s written a lot of nonfiction, including My Family and Other Disasters, which is a collection of her columns; The Reluctant Bride, the lightly fictionalised story of her wedding; Inside Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, a commemoration of 50 years of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; and Bookworm, a personal history and celebration of children’s literature. Her debut novel, Are We Having Fun Yet, was published in 2021.
I really enjoy Lucy’s writing and was excited to meet her at the Off the Shelf Festival a few years ago. She was lovely and so funny. I’m a fan.
Caitlin Moran
A confession here. I was very late to the party in reading Caitlin Moran. I read her novel How to Build a Girl a few years ago, which I loved. And last year, twelve years after it was published, I finally got round to reading How to Be a Woman.
It’s brilliant and had me laughing out loud so many times. I’m looking forward to catching up on her other books.
David Sedaris
I’ve bought a lot of David Sedaris books for my husband for Christmas and birthday presents, mainly because I wanted to read them.
David writes essays and short stories about his life and family in a very self-deprecating way. He’s also published a lot of his diaries, which I found interesting not only for their humour but also for showing how he went from struggling writer to a successful writer almost overnight. Not everyone will find that interesting, but as I’m in the struggling writer camp, it gave me hope and determination to keep on writing.
It only takes one piece of writing to do well, and everything could change.
Fran Hill
Fran is a Warwickshire-based author who I know from my work with the Women Writers Network. She is a retired English teacher who wrote short pieces of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry before—in her words—deciding to make a little more effort.
Her funny teacher-memoir, Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean?, was published in 2020 and Cuckoo in the Nest, her first full-length novel, came out in 2023.
Having taught in schools, I could relate to her memoir. It’s very funny. I read Cuckoo in the Nest on holiday last year and it was one of my favourite reads of the year.
Whatever Fran writes, whether it’s a Tweet, a blog post, or a book, she always makes me laugh.
Deborah Jenkins
Deborah is a freelance writer and primary teacher who has worked in schools in the UK and abroad. Her first novel, Braver, was shortlisted for the Society of Authors’ ADCI Award and the Writers’ Guild Best First Novel. She is also the author of Winter Lights, a short story collection. I recommend both.
Braver focuses on themes of anxiety, loneliness, the power of friendship, and community, and does so in a wonderfully uplifting and compassionate way. I read it on holiday last year and loved it.
Nina Stibbe
Nina Stibbe is another favourite of mine. She won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize and Comedy Women in Print Prize for her novel, Reasons to be Cheerful, which I read during the pandemic years, because I needed a few reasons to be cheerful.
I’ve also read Man at the Helm, her semi-autobiographical novel, and have just bought Went to London, Took the Dog: A Diary of when she went to London aged sixty and took her dog. It’s been described as a ‘side-splitting sequel to the bestselling Love, Nina’, which is about her time as a nanny in London’s Gloucester Crescent, home at the time to many of the literary elite.
Comedy Women in Print
Comedy Women in Print is the UK and Ireland's first comedy literary prize dedicated to celebrating witty women's writing.
It was set up by comedian Helen Lederer and aims to recognise, celebrate and encourage witty women authors. It’s now in its fourth year and has introduced me to some brilliant writers. I’ve made a list of the books that have won and been short and long listed, and I’m slowly making my way through it.
I’ve just finished Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen. Set in Northern Ireland during the summer of 1994, the book tells the story of Maeve Murray, who wants to escape her ‘shitty wee town’. There are so many one-liners in this book, but it also addresses the violence and division of the time. And I adored Maeve Murray.
Jesse Q Sutanto
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto won the Comedy Women in Print prize in 2021.
As I was reading it, I kept thinking about how perfect the story would be on screen. I obviously wasn’t the only one, because Netflix bought the rights in a competitive bidding war.
Waterstones describe the book as ‘A black comedy suffused with gallows humour and spiky wit’.
I describe it as a really fun read with some fantastic scenes and brilliant one-liners.
Samantha Irby
Samantha Irby is an American comedian, essayist, blogger and television writer, who has written for shows including the Sex and the City reboot. She writes a popular blog called Bitches Gotta Eat and writes humorous observations about her own life and wider society.
I’ve got two of her books. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life and Wow, No Thank You, which I definitely recommend. She is funny, honest and open to writing about anything and everything. I am really looking forward to reading more of her work.
Sloane Crosley
Sloane Crosley writes fiction and nonfiction, but it’s her nonfiction I prefer. I loved the title of her first collection, I Was Told There’d Be Cake. She’s also written How Did You Get This Number and Look Alive Out There.
Her next book, Grief Is for People, has just been published. It’s about loss so I’m not sure how funny it will be, but I’ve read reviews that it’s her best book yet.
What a great list! I only started reading memoirs this year. I actually didn't read a book last year although I consume a lot of other written content. Then I realise how long it had been and how much I'd missed just reading a book. So I started this year with Maggie Smith's "You Could Make This Place Beautiful". It was the first memoir I'd ever read - and now I'm hooked. I'm not sure what I thought a memoir was but for some reason I thought they'd be boring. They aren't. So I'll be adding some new ones from your list!
Have you read Sue Townsend's 'Rebuilding Coventry'? In some ways it's unlike anything else she wrote and is probably my favourite of her books.