3 Comedy Books to Read This Winter
The winter is upon us, which is always a good time for those books that are easy to read and hard to put down. So, if you are looking for something breezy and not too taxing on the remaining brain cells you have left after living through a global pandemic, I have three perfect comedy books for your night stand.
- Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide
By John CleeseJohn Cleese is a comedy icon. He was a co-founder of the legendary group Monty Python and he also co-wrote and starred in Faulty Towers, so when he talks about creativity, he's got my ear. This book is a guide to some of the things he has learned along the way when it comes to being creative, giving us antidotes from his life and from the lives of other creative types. He does not limit this to just artists, but encourages creativity in all walks of life by saying, “Where you can find a way of doing things that is better than what has been done before, you are being creative.”What I loved about the book:
It's really short — 100 pages. You will read it in 30 minutes or less. It lives up to its subtitle, which means that it is cheerful, not necessarily funny, but he makes creativity practical and attainable. The points that really stuck with me were about how we can access the subconscious mind in the creative process and how “the greatest killer of creativity is interruption.” His advice is so simple, it’s genius. In the time it takes you to read this book, you will be inspired.
- Born Standing Up: A comic’s life
By Steve MartinYet another comedic icon. Before Steve Martin was a successful actor, playwright and author, he was “the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up comedy.” This is his story about how he made it in comedy, from starting out working at Disneyland as a teenager to hosting Saturday Night Live to selling out stadiums before he quit stand-up. We get a glimpse into Martin’s stoic home life and get a feel for how comedy was changing in Martin’s era.What I loved about this book:
Martin is one of those rare writers who is very funny but who can move the narrative, making his book really easy to read. He shares his struggles starting out and how his act evolved over time, as well as the years he put in before he became famous. Every comedian comes from some sort of pain in their life, and for Martin, it seemed to come from his relationship with his father. I found his resolution at the end of the book to be really moving. This is a beautiful book about an artist’s journey and why he had to stop doing what he once loved. This is recommended reading for anyone in comedy. - The Comfort Book
By Matt HaigSurprise! Matt Haig is not a comedy icon, but he is a New York Times best-selling author. He is primarily known as a novelist, however, this book is not a novel. I would not describe this book as self-help; it’s more a collection of life lessons he has picked up along the way. He also shares thoughts from people who have inspired him, from Kierkegaard to Bruce Lee. Some chapters are super short, like only a sentence, and some are a couple of pages long. He even throws in a couple of recipes.What I love about this book:
This book does not need to be read cover to cover. You can pick it up and read a couple of pages and get enough inspiration for the day. He is an excellent writer, but he doesn’t have to show off how great of writer he is. Sometimes these quasi-self-help books can be so dense that you lose interest, but not this one. He keeps things concise and light. He also has a real sense of humility, sharing with us what has worked for him, which is refreshing in these kinds of books. Reading this is kind of like to talking to that friend who always puts you in a good mood. And we always need more of those.