Best Humorous Dark Comedy

1 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine: Debut Bestseller and Costa First Novel Book Award winner 2017
One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life. Skilled, perceptive , Eleanor's world will feel familiar to you from the very first page. --Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You "Like a contemporary Jane Eyre, Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is a woman scarred by profound loneliness, and the shadow of a harrowing childhood she can't even bear to remember. --Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow "Honeyman's debut is a stunner, as buoyant and charming as it is heartwrenching and emotionally sophisticated. --Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You "Like a contemporary Jane Eyre, Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is a woman scarred by profound loneliness, and the shadow of a harrowing childhood she can't even bear to remember. --Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow "Moving, hilarious, and intriguing, just like its unique, anti-social, anti-heroine.You will fallin love with Eleanor Oliphant." --J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest "Honeyman's debut is a stunner, as buoyant and charming as it is heartwrenching and emotionally sophisticated. --Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You "Like a contemporary Jane Eyre, Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is a woman scarred by profound loneliness, and the shadow of a harrowing childhood she can't even bear to remember. --J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest "Honeyman's debut is a stunner, as buoyant and charming as it is heartwrenching and emotionally sophisticated.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"She lacks social skills and tends to spout off facts to people just having conversations. Things start to change in her life when her company’s IT guy, Raymond, and Eleanor help an old man who has passed out in the street. In the beginning, I thought that I didn’t care too much for her but as time went on and she opened up, well, I fell in love with her."
"There has been a wonderful glut recently of captivating book titles featuring quirky characters (A MAN CALLED OVE, THE CURIOUS CHARM OF ARTHUR PEPPER, LILLIAN BOXFISH TAKES A WALK, BRITT MARIE WAS HERE), a lot of which are of a similar genre that I love. There is dialogue between characters but the most insightful parts are when we are reading Eleanor's thoughts and see how, as the plot unfolds, she is faced with decisions and choices that upend her very existence."
"The writing drew me in from very beginning A friend recommended to me - Without knowing what it was about or where it was leading, I followed most willingly - And enjoyed every step of the journey - Recommended to both my dtrs."
"The author does a great job of weaving the story and bringing characters to life."
"I started the book with rather low expectations, not really enjoying the pace or Eleanor very much."
"The reviewer who compared it to “A Man called Ove” was right; it’s that kind of book."
"Eleanor Oliphant is wonderful ... strong, unique, a true survivor who is learning to let go and thrive."
"I couldn't put it down!"

It’s 2011, and Samuel Andresen-Anderson—college professor, stalled writer—has a Nix of his own: his mother, Faye. As he does so, Samuel will confront not only Faye’s losses but also his own lost love, and will relearn everything he thought he knew about his mother, and himself. At its center is Samuel Andresen-Anderson, a failed writer and increasingly apathetic college professor, who gets a second chance at literary fame from the most unlikely source—the mother who abandoned him as a child. The American public is up in arms about a rather absurd crime that Samuel’s mother committed against an obnoxious politician. While Sam is shocked and surprised to learn the whereabouts of his estranged mother, he also realizes it’s the chance of a lifetime to tap into the zeitgeist with some choice tidbits about her, if he can write it before media A.D.D. Such is our greed for them.” Hill has created a brilliant junction of mother-son saga and comic satire about our self-righteous and obsessive society. --Seira Wilson, The Amazon Book Review “If any novel defied an elevator pitch in 2016, it was The Nix . Acid critique of millennial entitlement, videogame addiction, and clueless academia; tender meditation on childhood friendship, first loves, and maternal abandonment; handy tutorial on ’60s radicalism and Norwegian ghost mythology: Nathan Hill’s magnificently overstuffed debut contains multitudes, and then some. the story surges, ricocheting from sleepy ’80s suburbia and the 1968 DNC riots to WWII-era Norway, post-9/11 Iraq, and beyond. It’s not just that Hill is a brilliantly surreal social satirist in the gonzo mode of Don DeLillo or Thomas Pynchon (a male news anchor’s face is ‘smooth as cake fondant’; one doomed union is ‘like a spoon married to a garbage disposal’), it’s that he does it all with so much wit and style and heart.” —Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly (Best Book of 2016). “A fantastic novel about love, betrayal, politics and pop culture—as good as the best Michael Chabon or Jonathan Franzen.” — People “It broke my heart, this book. “Hill has so much talent to burn that he can pull of just about any style, imagine himself into any person and convincingly portray any place or time. The Nix is hugely entertaining and unfailingly smart, and the author seems incapable of writing a pedestrian sentence or spinning a boring story. [A] supersize and audacious novel of American misadventure.” — Teddy Wayne, The New York Times Book Review. Nathan Hill is an important new writer, able to variously make readers laugh out loud while providing a melancholy, resonant tale.” —Eliot Schrefer, USA Today (4/4 Stars).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Samuel is an underachieving assistant professor of literature at a nothing college outside Chicago who dislikes his students, spends way too much time playing an online fantasy game, got a huge advance for a novel he never wrote, and is pining for the girl he loved when he was eleven. His life is stalled out big time, but he is dragged out of stasis when his estranged mother, who abandoned him when he was eleven and has never been heard from since, makes national headlines for throwing rocks at a Presidential candidate - she is the Packer Attacker! The story of Samuel and his mother is a jumping-off point for Mr. Hill to write about a huge range of things: let's see, he covers second-rate higher education, gaming addicts, the ravenous news media, music prodigies, child abuse, child abandonment, thwarted love, the 1960s counter-cultural revolution, Allan Ginsberg, Walter Cronkite -- at one point, no joke, there is a sequence inside the head of Walter Cronkite where he imagines himself as a bird flying above the Chicago riots... and I still haven't skimmed the surface of all the things this book is really about. You see the immense beauty of the animal, the strength, the speed, it easily outpaces the rest of the field, you know you're at the beginning of something special."
"Nathan Hill fluently passes between the stories, sometimes abruptly ending one, but in the end, they are all part of the intricate puzzle."
"A real pleasure."
"The background spans from the 60's till the days of Occupy Wall Street, with characters ranging from frightened children to lost adults, with at least one ghost thrown in."
"Not only did I live through theses events, but I volunteer at the museum of the sixties at bethel woods, home of Woodstock."
"So many interesting characters- the college professor/. blocked writer, (main character); his mother, the aging baby boomer, (who he reconnects. with); entitled college student(s); gaming addicts."
"At best, the book makes you think about choices you made and wish you had done something different at key points in your life."
"Maybe he does this intentionally to tell us something about the character, but the result is an over-long book with some dull passages."

I know revenge isn’t right but come on, it's the super rat from high school and he doesn't even recognize me! Okay, yeah… maybe I shouldn’t be blackmailing her into pretending to be my fiancée to fool my stubborn, moneybags father but she’s perfect! If my dirty, rotten son and the girl think they can fool me with their phony scam, they’ve got another thing coming. If you’re up to a crazy, feel good, laugh-out-loud, emotional, roller coaster ride romantic comedy story that will warm its way into your heart, then pick up a copy today and have fun. And remember… if after buying the Kindle version you change your mind, Amazon will give you a full refund, if returned within 7 days of purchase. “I bought this book and many others to read on a 10 hour plane trip to Europe and COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!”. Not that she didn't want to but she was nobody's cheap l*y and I loved her for it… I don't want to give anything away but the heroine's revenge tactics were "kick ass" brilliant! “I loved how the nerdy girl in High School grew into a beautiful woman and was a bit of a spit-fire to boot. Girl gets hurt in high school and years later plans her revenge, what can go wrong? Anna Mara's novel, Her Perfect Revenge is a fabulous tale of three stubbornly clever characters who find themselves tied up in a shrewd battle of mind games, fraud, secrets, and of course a few lies -and the only rule, there are no rules... Well written with witty, sarcastic dialogue, this is a fun story to get lost in. (CF) " - Chicklit Club Review "Her Perfect Revenge can be perfectly described as an emotional roller coaster. - Sandra's Book Club Review If you pick up one of my books, what are you going to get?A good story with strong characters, and lots of twists and turns.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Would have liked to see another chapter showing one year later but it had a good ending nonetheless."
"One good thing about the story is that it included almost every person's POV."
"The story involves Christina, who was bullied and harrassed in high school by Bill. Christina can't seem to get past her teen years involving the bullying situation."
"Her perfect revenge is a great story of a woman who couldnt let her tramatizing high school past go. And it is then she makes a deal not only to help him stay in good graces with his rich father, but to get in the den of the devil to find out where to hurt him the most and carry out her plan of revenge."
"Buckle yourself in and hang on for dear life this ones a hell raiser."
"I absolutely loved the h. She was witty, had an awesome strong personality who didn't melt just by looking at him and didn't let the H walk all over her. I am sick and tired of "angsty" books so this was a breath of fresh air!!"
"I chose this book because I want a love story and a comedy book."
"The book was annoying because just about no one in real life would ever act the way the characters in this book act, and I suppose that's a good thing."
Best British & Irish Humor & Satire

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide . It could only happen to the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his comrades as they hurtle across the galaxy in a desperate search for a place to eat. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Back on Earth, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. Mostly Harmless Just when Arthur Dent makes the terrible mistake of starting to enjoy life, all hell breaks loose. It's safe to say that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the funniest science fiction novels ever written. Then in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe , Arthur and his new friends travel to the end of time and discover the true reason for Earth's existence.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The humor sustains the jerky pacing and lack of central plot but I wonder how well this will hold up across all five chapters."
"This book takes one by surprise, because it shows he could also write with great tenderness, gentleness, and love."
"It did. Douglas Adams really started something when he wrote this parody of one genre, and in so-doing he started his own genre and others have followed in his footsteps such as Robert Aspirin, Terry Pratchett and even Piers Anthony could be counted among those who have emulated this tongue in cheek, irreverent treatment of what had in the past come to be a science fiction genre that took itself very seriously indeed. It didn't need to be in my opinion, but others might find it entertaining and informative."
"Read this book after watching a poor movie remake (bcs of Allen rickman being in it)."
"However, once you have read it, and you know that you like it, this is a represntation of the story that is very fun to read."
"They tried to cram as much of the different books into a single movie and ended up losing almost all of what makes these books so great."
"So many parts of these books are a part of our family lexicon - 42, so long and thanks for all the fish, thank you for making a simple door very happy, life...don't talk to me about life, and it just goes on from there."
Best Short Story Anthologies & Collections

After losing my wife, I thought love and marriage were out of the question. But my son decided he wanted a mom. And my meddling brother signed me up on a dating site. Six months to find a woman who’s smart, beautiful, wild in the sack and unimpressed by my money. Yeah right. That unicorn doesn’t exist.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A widower with a 7 year old son the hero is an ex-Air Force pilot and he now owns his own company and continues to fly. So, he has his share of women trying to hit on him but so far no real connection. He was very much in love with his wife, she died giving birth to his son. He starts a conversation with her and finds that he is very interested. They have a lot of fun and sex as they get to know each other and eventually fall for one another."
"Dani and Ty meet on a dating site that has been arranged by his brother and her aunt and seem to hit it off sexually, and intellectually however, Ty is still holding himself back emotionally."
"Ty, Dani, Bobby, and Blake's story is based around a sexy widower, with an adorable seven year old son, and the love that grows between them as a family unit, as well as Ty and Dani as a couple."
"There are a wide varity of genre - contempory, paranormal and post-apocoliptic with the common theme of single parent meeting or reconnecting with their one and only and the hero is very wealthy."
"There was humor, flirting, some idiocy (courtesy of our hero Ty) and forgiveness (Dr. Dani) for the HEA we romance readers love."
"Each one has their own problems to deal with they needed to deal with."
"I really enjoyed this book."
"I recommend this "super" romance to anyone who has tried a dating website!"
Best Humorous Literary Fiction

So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. “If there was an award for ‘Most Charming Book of the Year,’ this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down” ( Booklist , starred review). Rules are made to be followed, signs are meant to be obeyed, and don’t even get him started about computers and mobile phones. But a young couple and their two children (a third is on the way) move in next door, his oldest friend and most feared enemy is about to be forcibly removed to a nursing home, and a street-scarred cat insinuates itself into his life. Suddenly, Ove’s suicide plans get delayed as he helps solve neighborly crises large and small. Though Ove’s dark mission mitigates any treacly upstaging by animals and small children, readers seeking feel-good tales with a message will rave about the rantings of this solitary old man with a singular outlook. You’ll also want to move to Scandinavia, where everything’s cuter.” (People). “Even the most serious reader of fiction needs light relief, and for that afternoon when all you want is charm, this is the perfect book." “You will laugh, you will cry, as his heartbreaking story unfolds through the diverse cast of characters that enter his life, all uninvited. The lyrical language is the confetti thrown liberally throughout this celebration-of-life story, adding sparkle and color to an already spectacular party. “A funny crowd-pleaser that serves up laughs to accompany a thoughtful reflection on loss and love… The author writes with winning charm.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “This charming debut novel by Backman should find a ready audience with English-language readers… hysterically funny… wry descriptions, excellent pacing… In the contest of Most Winning Combination, it would be hard to beat grumpy Ove and his hidden,generous heart.” (Kirkus Reviews). “Poignant and unpredictable, Backman’s book is filled with many twists and turns, as well as enjoyable characters and humorous situations." A Man Called Ove seems deceptively simple at the start, yet Frederik Backman packs a lifetime's worth of hilarity and heartbreak into this novel.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Such a sweet, well written story of despair and hope.Having just lost a husband less than a year ago, I can certainly relate to his sorrow and feelings of worthlessness - being old and useless."
"Therefore, I give the book five stars for being exactly what it claims to be--a story about one man and the circle of friends that he makes despite his grouchy personality. I bought the audio book to listen when I couldn't read and the narrator was flawless. The 50-somethings in my office know what an iPad is, how to use computers, have the latest cell phones, and are pretty up on all the new tech gadgets because they are the ones that can afford them! I wonder why the author chose such a relatively young main character to act like my grandfather would."
"He complains about everything, has put up signs around his neighborhood with rules about what should and shouldn't be done, and feels there is a proper place for everything. After an accident with the lanky one, Ove is forced to help this family, complaining the entire time. Throughout the book Ove also speaks to his wife, complaining about the neighbors, the rule breakers, and how much he misses her (very minor spoiler). I will say by the end of the book, a bunch of dust was flying around the room and some got into my eyes. Backman interweaves the two (funny and tragic) quite well and doesn't make it overly heartwarming."
"It's written just as if I've was the o e whispering his story quite reluctantly to a stranger."
"I can't wait to read more books by this author."
"At first I was finding it a little depressing but as I read, it gave many insights into a lonely man's thoughts after he lost his wife."
"As always, though, its the people -Ove's neighbours who rescue this story, and turn the unattractive and deeply unlucky Ove into a bit of a hero."
Best General Humorous Fiction

So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. “If there was an award for ‘Most Charming Book of the Year,’ this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down” ( Booklist , starred review). Rules are made to be followed, signs are meant to be obeyed, and don’t even get him started about computers and mobile phones. But a young couple and their two children (a third is on the way) move in next door, his oldest friend and most feared enemy is about to be forcibly removed to a nursing home, and a street-scarred cat insinuates itself into his life. Suddenly, Ove’s suicide plans get delayed as he helps solve neighborly crises large and small. Though Ove’s dark mission mitigates any treacly upstaging by animals and small children, readers seeking feel-good tales with a message will rave about the rantings of this solitary old man with a singular outlook. You’ll also want to move to Scandinavia, where everything’s cuter.” (People). “Even the most serious reader of fiction needs light relief, and for that afternoon when all you want is charm, this is the perfect book." “You will laugh, you will cry, as his heartbreaking story unfolds through the diverse cast of characters that enter his life, all uninvited. The lyrical language is the confetti thrown liberally throughout this celebration-of-life story, adding sparkle and color to an already spectacular party. “A funny crowd-pleaser that serves up laughs to accompany a thoughtful reflection on loss and love… The author writes with winning charm.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “This charming debut novel by Backman should find a ready audience with English-language readers… hysterically funny… wry descriptions, excellent pacing… In the contest of Most Winning Combination, it would be hard to beat grumpy Ove and his hidden,generous heart.” (Kirkus Reviews). “Poignant and unpredictable, Backman’s book is filled with many twists and turns, as well as enjoyable characters and humorous situations." A Man Called Ove seems deceptively simple at the start, yet Frederik Backman packs a lifetime's worth of hilarity and heartbreak into this novel.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Such a sweet, well written story of despair and hope.Having just lost a husband less than a year ago, I can certainly relate to his sorrow and feelings of worthlessness - being old and useless."
"Therefore, I give the book five stars for being exactly what it claims to be--a story about one man and the circle of friends that he makes despite his grouchy personality. I bought the audio book to listen when I couldn't read and the narrator was flawless. The 50-somethings in my office know what an iPad is, how to use computers, have the latest cell phones, and are pretty up on all the new tech gadgets because they are the ones that can afford them! I wonder why the author chose such a relatively young main character to act like my grandfather would."
"He complains about everything, has put up signs around his neighborhood with rules about what should and shouldn't be done, and feels there is a proper place for everything. After an accident with the lanky one, Ove is forced to help this family, complaining the entire time. Throughout the book Ove also speaks to his wife, complaining about the neighbors, the rule breakers, and how much he misses her (very minor spoiler). I will say by the end of the book, a bunch of dust was flying around the room and some got into my eyes. Backman interweaves the two (funny and tragic) quite well and doesn't make it overly heartwarming."
"WOW, I must say it's one of the best books I've ever read and so I purchased this one for someone I work with on her birthday."
"But by the end of the book, I was sold on Ove's principled simplicity, decency and that the community finally pulls together despite their differences."
"I have made several attempts to read this novel."
Best American Humorous Fiction

It’s going to be hard for Stephanie to keep her hands off all that ice cream, and even harder for her to keep her hands off Ranger. Praise for Janet Evanovich: 'Among the great joys of contemporary crime fiction' GQ A laugh-out-loud page-turner Heat Making trouble and winning hearts USA Today Romantic and gripping... An absolute tonic Good Housekeeping Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Knight and Moon series, the Fox and O’Hare series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Troublemaker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The writing quality has continually depreciated over the last several books in the series, and I suspect they are largely being written by someone else."
"The idea is she is a college grad with no usable skills, does the bounty job half way & hops back & forth between 2 men."
"After 23 books, I'd like to see a little more substance, more of Joe and Ranger, and maybe even a third love interest to kick Joe and or Ranger into gear."
"My favorite character is Grandma Mazur, she is not a huge part of this story and I was more than dIsappointed, the wasn't a lot of Stephanie's bumbling and accidental captures as in the other books."
"I've leaned my lesson reading the end of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse. At the end, the authors have made their money and don't care about the FANS."
"After years and years of planning the next 48 hours after a book was released I just don't care."
"You just can't do it anymore."
"This will be my last Stephanie plum novel."