Looking for a funny gift book recommendation? I asked funny women authors (and myself) to recommend humor books to get as gifts. Check out this list for a range of options from satire to fiction to buy for yourself or someone else who enjoys laughter.

Tiffany Midge, Author of Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s

Midge’s Book: For anyone who enjoys satire, McSweeney’s, or thoughtful essays, Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s is a powerful and compelling collection of Tiffany Midge’s musings on life, politics, and identity as a Native woman in America. Artfully blending sly humor, social commentary, and meditations on love and loss, Midge weaves short, stand-alone musings into a memoir that stares down colonialism while chastising hipsters for abusing pumpkin spice. She explains why she does not like pussy hats, mercilessly dismantles pretendians, and confesses her own struggles with white-bread privilege. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon.  

Midge’s Recommendation: Mia Mercado is a national treasure. Her humorous essays collection “Weird but Normal” is like spending a leisurely afternoon over mimosa brunch with a best friend, laughing your ass off, and sharing all the intimate episodes of your life. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon*

Devorah Blachor, author of The Feminist’s Guide to Raising a Little Princess

Blachor’s Book: Smart, hilarious, and thought-provoking, this book tells the story of a feminist parent navigating her daughters’ princess-obsessed years. Author Devorah Blachor takes a non-judgmental, positive approach to this very funny, yet sometimes very complicated, situation. The Feminist’s Guide to Raising a Little Princess would make a great gift for any parent of a toddler. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon.

Blachor’s Recommendation: I recommend New Erotica for Feminists by Brooke Preston, Caitlin Kunkel, Fiona Taylor, and Carrie Wittmer. This is an extremely funny book that turns cultural tropes upside down and manages to skewer literature, history, and erotica while making you laugh out loud. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon

Jessica Delfino, Author of Dumb Jokes for Smart Folks

Delfino’s Book: Dumb Jokes For Smart Folks is a book of riddles, rhymes, one-liners, quips, bits, puns, and yuk yuks for people of all ages, but especially over probably tweendom. (There is a section at the end that is “off limits” to anyone with good taste and class.) It’s a great gift for anyone who really likes wordplay, creative mental leaps, and of course, puns! Get it at Bookshop or Amazon.

Delfino’s Recommendation: You’ll Grow Out Of It, by Jessi Klein. I met Jessi when we were both performing in the downtown comedy scene of NYC and watching her do stand-up was always so fun because she had an interesting and of course very funny way of looking at things. Her book is an extension of that. You may know her as the voice of Jessi on (and a creator and writer of) the show, “Big Mouth,” (and she’s also written for a million other big deal comedy things) and if you’ve ever seen that show, you know how funny she is. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon.

Libby Marshall, Author of Penny Pitching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt

Marshall’s book: Featuring elderly serial killers, a man trying to date after losing his wife to The Salem Witch Trials, and a Chuck E. Cheese haunted by the spirit of Princess Diana, Penny Pinching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt is a fantastically funny, wonderfully weird, and surprisingly sincere collection of short stories that was named one of Vulture’s Best Comedy Books of 2021 (So Far). It would be a great gift for anyone with a dark sense of humor, a taste for the surreal, or who keeps a bottle of champagne ready for the day Henry Kissinger dies. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon. 

Marshall’s recommendation: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. Told from the perspective of a bored temp who is recruited to be a henchperson for a supervillain, this book is perfect for anyone who’s watched a superhero movie and wondered how much it cost the city to repair all the damage that the so-called “heroes” did. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon.

Ali Solomon, Illustrator of I Am “Why Do I Need Venmo?” Years Old

Solomon’s book: I am “Why Do I Need Venmo” Years Old  is the perfect gift for anyone turning a year older, no matter what age they started. It’s for the person who doesn’t believe that age is a number, but rather a small defining moment that everyone can relate to. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon.

Solomon’s recommendation: Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell’s Murder Book. As someone who is also obsessed with the headlines Law & Order is ripped from, this humorous graphic memoir is perfect for the true-crime-lovin’ set. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon. 

Julie Vick, Author of Babies Don’t Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?)

My book: Babies Don’t Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?) is a humorous guide to navigating early parenthood as an introvert. The book includes coping mechanisms for everything from sharing the news that you are becoming a parent to the moment the baby is born (one way or another, it will happen), from managing doctor’s visits to handling playdates. Witty yet valuable, her tips, checklists, and the occasional chart focus on the time from pregnancy through preschool. Publisher’s Weekly said, “This will be an invaluable resource for introverts about to become parents, though anyone with kids will appreciate Vick’s perspective on the absurdity of parenthood.” Get it at Bookshop or Amazon. 

My recommendation: Michelle Woo’s book Horizontal Parenting offers ways for parents to entertain their kids while lying down. As any parent knows, a book like this will be invaluable on days when you are feeling exhausted. Get it at Bookshop or Amazon.

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