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SevenPonds / Books to Lend Insight / Funny Books About Death

Funny Books About Death

Sometimes we need to laugh to keep from crying. These books find humor in life’s darkest moments, proving that laughter really can be healing medicine during even the most difficult times.

book cover of bright lights big city

"Bright Lights, Big City"

By Jay McInerney

Published in 1984, Jay McInerney’s novel, ‘Bright Lights, Big City’, remains one of the sharpest, funniest portraits of …

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"Bah, Humbug!"

By Heather Horrocks

Over this holiday break, I read through Heather Horrocks’ “BAH, HUMBUG! (A Romantic Comedy Christmas Novella).” I didn’t…

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“I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman”

By Nora Ephron

Back in 2006 when “I Feel Bad About My Neck ” first came out, my neck was not on my radar yet. But the title caught my a…

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"I Want to Grow Up, I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Go to Boise"

By Erma Bombeck

Until the mid-1980’s, Erma Bombeck considered herself a light comedy writer. In books such as “At Wit’s End” and “Aunt E…

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"Tenth of December: Stories"

By George Saunders

It’s no surprise that George Saunders’ Tenth of December: Stories won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2014. The b…

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"Bobby Wonderful: An Imperfect Son Buries His Parents"

By Bob Morris

How could a book about a Boomer dealing with the death of his parents be so fulfilling and delicious? Bob Morris does ju…

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A Man Without a Country

By Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut is undeniably funny, and so is A Man Without a Country. But Vonnegut’s sort-of-memoir goes beyond wry witt…

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"Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?"

By Roz Chast

Many people might recognize Roz Chast’s cartoons from the New Yorker, where they have appeared since 1978. Personally, m…

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"Famous Last Words"

By Ray Robinson

As we near the end of the year preparing our final New Year’s farewells, what better time to review Famous Last Words; F…

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"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory"

By Caitlin Doughty

Caitlin Doughty’s Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory is at once laugh-out-loud funny and achingl…

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"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven"

By Sherman Alexie

A while back, I reviewed the 1998 film Smoke Signals on the SevenPonds blog. This inspired me to read the collection of …

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