Looking for my mom! She's read all of his books at least twice, and I'd like to find her something new. She's older (70's), so the humor needs to be relevant or relatable – probably a Gen X or Boomer author. I gave her one of Samantha Irby's books (definitely writing as a millennial) and it just did not compute for my mom. She also prefers content that's not focused on sex or dating. Any suggestions?
by LightSweetCrude
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A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson
Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Queenan Country, Joe Queenan. Man’s solo journey to discover the heart of the UK, without having to bow to his English wife’s whims or family. It was hilarious.
Agreed on the Bill Bryson suggestions.
Nora Ephron’s essays, perhaps? I Feel Bad About My Neck in particular is about aging.
If your mother likes history and politics, Sarah Vowell, intertwines those in her essays.
I’ll also throw out Sloane Crosley, who’s an elder millennial but often gets compared to Sedaris.
Billy Crystal’s Still Foolin’ ‘Em
I don’t know if it’s Sedaris-like, but I loved Action Park by Andy Mulvihill. It’s a memoir. Andy is the son of the creator of this famed/infamous New Jersey attraction which was determined to put visitors in the literal driver’s seat and allow them to risk their safety if they wanted to. Andy was in charge of the water park. He’d be an older Xer or late Boomer. It was very funny and is also a family saga.
Different type of book but Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up is probably a great and fun read for someone her age. It’s not just a book about stand up or the traditional celeb memoir.
His sister Amy wrote some extremely funny books, “I Like You” and “Simple Times.” And some of the projects and advice are genuinely good. She also co-wrote a book with Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello called “Wigville.”
Jenny Lawson!
James Thurber!
Anything by Dave Barry is hilarious and probably your mom’s age range.
try John Niven – character driven humour – not dissimilar to Sedaris
I’m your mom’s age and here are some humor books I love:
Nora Ephron — she wrote some amazing essays back in the day, really funny & clever, and some books. You could probably get a compendium, or you could look for collections of her essays and the novel “Heartburn.”
“Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” by Jesse Q Sutanto
“Unruly” by David Mitchell
“Hyperbole and a Half” by Allie Brosh
“And Then We Came to the End” by Joshua Ferris
“At Home” by Bill Bryson
Woody Allen– yes, yes I know but his two early collections of short stories/essays are screamingly funny
Joan Rivers — Still Talking
The humorist/artist Mimi Pond has a new book out that your mom might also really enjoy, it’s great: “Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me” (it’s a delightful, beautifully drawn graphic novel)
Sloane Crosley’s essays sound about perfect for her. I just reread I Was Told There’d Be Cake, How Did You Get This Number, and Look Alive Out There, which came out in 2008, 2010, and 2018, and they’re still pretty damn amusing even if they’re very much a product of their time.
edit: misread mom’s age, my bad, just saw “gen X writer.” But she still may find them amusing.
Different style but her era – Braindroppings by George Carlin – lots of fun wordplay.
Celeste Barber- Challenge Accepted
Was thinking she might also enjoy Amy Sedaris, and then maybe Tina Fey and Betty White, too? Betty White wrote quite a few books. Sandi Toksvig has been a host on a lot of British shows, and she is a great writer. I really enjoyed her Between The Stops.
Funnily enough, I was just thinking this week that Alan Bennett is the British David Sedaris.
He’s best known as a playwright (and the audiobook voice of Winnie the Pooh), but as he’s aged he’s started writing quirky, slice of life stories that are quite Sedaris-like.
Try THE LADY IN THE VAN or THE CLOTHES THEY STOOD UP IN. I just finished THE UNCOMMON READER, which was excellent, but more of a modern fairy tale.