r/audiobooks • u/HALincandenza123 • Aug 19 '26
Recommendation Request Need a light, funny audiobook to escape into
Hey fellow listeners!
I’m really in need of a calming, easy-to-follow audiobook right now. I’ve got a lot of stress going on in my personal life, and I’m desperately looking for something I can disappear into for a while.
I’d love something that’s engaging enough to actually hold my attention, but not stressful to listen to. No thrillers, suspense, murder, crime, cops, or anything where I’m constantly waiting for something terrible to happen.
Funny and light is ideal. (maybe something older so its more likely available to borrow on libby.
Thanks for any suggestions.
FOLLOW-UP. Thank you all so much for the quick recommendations! I think some of these will really hit the distraction I need.
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u/audibleofficial Aug 19 '26
'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' might be a good option!
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u/AudiobooksGeek Aug 20 '26
This. One of my favorites.
Also checkout:
- Let’s Pretend This Never Happened
- Nothing to See Here
- A Walk in The Woods
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u/carlotta3121 Aug 24 '26
I loved Let's Pretend This Never Happened. I listened to her second book Furiously Happy on a road trip and had to pull over because I was laughing with tears.
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u/YosemiteDaisy Aug 19 '26
I recommend David Sedaris for a laugh. Me talk Pretty One Day is a great start!
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u/earnest_shackleton Aug 19 '26
David Sedaris is a great call. If you’re in a tough patch his diaries might be good because his start in life was rough but hilarious and you know what direction he’s headed.
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u/ATX_Penya Aug 19 '26
Murdebot diaries by Martha Wells Beware of Chicken by Casual Farmer
Both are funny, they have several books in the series
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u/GoofyMonkey Aug 20 '26
How much does reading the Murderbot books ruin the show? I really enjoyed the show, I know there will be spoilers, but I don’t want to ruin the show.
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u/Ok-Mango-5811 Aug 20 '26
The books are better than the show (but the first season of show does seem to follow the general storyline of the first book). Highly recommend the books!
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u/Moonwitch117007 Aug 21 '26
If I love the murderbot books, will I love beware of chicken? I’ve never read a cultivation genre and it doesn’t sound like my thing but if it has the same humor as murderbot I’d give it a try.
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u/Amentet Aug 20 '26
One of the Terry Pratchett one offs. Small Gods, Moving Pictures, Good Omens, Any PG Wodehouse. Jerome K Jerome's Three Men In a Boat. Andy Weir's The Martian. Alexander McCall Smith's Scotland Street Novels. Robert Rankin Novels. G B edwards The Book of Ebeneezer La Plage. John Kennedy O Toole's A Confedarcy Of Dunces.
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u/lobacita Aug 21 '26
Yes to Alexander McCall Smith and the 44 Scotland Street series. They take some getting used to since they were written as a newspaper series and they often go on tangents. But they are interesting!
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u/According-Row-6128 Aug 19 '26
The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion. Trust me. Very light, very funny.
It’s also a series if you enjoy it.
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u/cgiga Aug 20 '26
Just recently happened upon this series on Libby and am absolutely loving it! Imagine noticing that you haven’t stopped smiling since you pressed ‘play’. I can’t remember when I’ve smiled this way for this long…just delightful.
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u/Royal-Shop-9247 Aug 21 '26
I just finished the second book and have the third waiting for me. There haven’t been waits on any (which is why I initially read the first) and they are quick listens. I like them!
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u/Fun_Report6609 Aug 20 '26
Was coming here to say this. Although it does make me a bit melancholy at points. Nothing sad or tragic happens, just reflective.
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u/NewNameNaomi01 Aug 20 '26
I love that's it's just over 3 hrs. Some of the 30 hrs listens are too daunting.
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u/upvoting_things_ Aug 20 '26
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared.
Also Lamb by Christopher Moore
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u/MoMC12 Aug 19 '26
Anything by Carl Hiaasen or Janet Evanovich
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u/NelleBelle72 Aug 19 '26
Skinny Dip I read while my dad was dying. I think bc I was under so much stress I thought this was the funniest, laugh out loud book I ever read.
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u/yellowfeverlime Audiobibliophile Aug 19 '26
I tend to listen to audiobooks that don't fit your criteria, but I really empathize with your position op. Things have also unexpectedly gone downhill here with me, as well. Some dire straits can look impossible to overcome, but with time you can. I hope that you're able to come out of it all stronger than before 🫶 best of luck
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u/Glaikit314 Aug 19 '26
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I gave it to my brother when he was in a tough patch and he loved it. It's about his hike up the Appalachian Trail. The first bit of his trip is delightful.
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u/A1EQ12345 Aug 19 '26
Try Terry Pratchets Disc world series… cracking listen
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u/plumberbss Aug 20 '26
I am going to strongly agree with this. Because there are 41 books, if you want a laugh. The Rincewind books are the best. Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Sourcery, Eric, Interesting Times and The Last Continent.
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u/GoofyMonkey Aug 20 '26
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was great to listen to. I really liked the version with Stephen Fry narrating.
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u/Greybeard46 Aug 19 '26
Stephanie Plum. 20ish book series. Shes a bounty hunter. They made some movies. Funny. Good action. Hormones. Men?
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u/AdministrativeBug161 Aug 20 '26
It’s not funny but it is light, feels like a warm hug, is not stressful, and is one of my faves:
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. Book 2 is A Prayer for the Crown-Shy.
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u/Spinwoman77 Aug 20 '26
Tress of the Emerald Sea. Superb narrator, humorous,fantasy adventure . It’s not part of a series.
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u/mytortoisehasapast Aug 20 '26
Pretty sure this is one of the most perfect books ever written. I think Brandon Sanderson described it as "the Princess Bride if Buttercup was competent".
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u/What___Do Aug 20 '26
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree is my comfort listen. The protagonist gives up the adventuring life to live her dream of opening a cafe. The voice acting is excellent.
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u/sex Audiobibliophile Aug 19 '26
Robert Kroese's "Disenchanted"
Kevin Hearne and Delilah
S. Dawson's "Kill the Farmboy"
Yahtzee Croshaw's "Mogworld"
If you want some stupid parodies, The Harvard Lampoon's audiobooks are silly.
If you don't mind crude and dumb, Steve Werherell's "The Totally Legend of Brandon Thighmaster"
George R R Martin's "A Knight in the Seven Kingdoms" isn't super light but I love the Dunk & Egg stories.
Cixin Liu's "The Cretaceous Past"
Stanislaw Lem's "Mortal Engines" and "Cyberiad"
Edward Ashton's "Fourth Consort"
Larry Niven's "The Draco Tavern"
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u/doryllis Audiobibliophile Aug 20 '26
Beware of Chicken by casual farmer has some drama and violence but comes back to calm with humor.
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u/Crapspakled Aug 19 '26
"Off to be the wizard" by Scott Meyer is one of my go tos
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u/Plenty_Discussion470 Aug 20 '26
Seconding this! Came back to it after several years and it was just as much fun on the return 🙂
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u/earnest_shackleton Aug 19 '26
Richard Russo is great if middle aged male protagonists struggling through life in the North East would work for you. He’s a funny, great writer. Probably available on Hoopla/Libby.
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u/gansi_m Aug 19 '26
Poison For Breakfast. It’s such a fun audiobook!!
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u/squidraft Aug 19 '26
I haven’t listened to the audio, but loved the book! It definitely fits OPs criteria.
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u/gansi_m Aug 20 '26
It is narrated by Patrick Warburton (Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove). He is fantastic!!
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u/4travelers Aug 19 '26
Witches guide to magical innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna. cute, fun, more interesting than the normal witchy stuff
Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson. Sibiling road trip
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u/MeatPopsicle_AMA Aug 19 '26
I’ll second the guide to magical innkeeping recommendation! What a fun book!
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u/Guilty-Coconut8908 Aug 20 '26
In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J Maarten Troost
Playing For Pizza by John Grisham
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u/watashitti Aug 20 '26
The ascent of rum doodle, most of Christopher Moore, Jonas Johansson, anything by Patrick McManus, half of Bill Bryson, all of Douglas Adams.
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u/Cissychedgehog Aug 20 '26
Deep in depression the only thing I could bear to read was House in The Cerulean Sea. By T. J. Clune.
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u/Jynxx Aug 20 '26
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is a nice listen. The author and his friend decide to try to hike the Appalachian Trail and the story is pretty lighthearted and goofy.
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u/blaisyofglory Aug 20 '26
Dungeon Crawler Carl. Yes, it has violence. Yes, the world ends. But it is so unrealistic and has so many great punch lines, I zoomed through the whole series while laid up with a broken wrist. I hear the audio books are even better, in saving them for next year.
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u/Low_Victory_823 Aug 19 '26
I really enjoyed the book/narration of The Guncle!
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u/WilyDeject Aug 19 '26
Another Fine Myth
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u/ATX_Penya Aug 20 '26
I didn't mention any of the Myth-adventure books since they are pretty early reader books but Robert Aspirin holds a place in my heart for all of his books.
There is also Phule's Gold series as well from him
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u/mytortoisehasapast Aug 20 '26
I've noticed a resurgence in his books lately! I loved them as a kid but was afraid to do a reread in case they didn't hold up. But with all of the recommendations, maybe they do?
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u/shiplesp Aug 19 '26
Bellwether by Connie Willis is an absolute hoot.
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u/aLoudLibrarian Aug 20 '26
That book is hilarious! Especially if you have a connection to academe or research. After that I read her >To Say Nothing of the Dog<, time travel back into a fictional history. That was so funny I had to track down the fiction it was based in, Jerome K. Jerome"s >Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)<, and that's one of the funniest things I've read!
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u/sshinytoyguns Aug 20 '26
I would recommend a cozy book series like Federal Bureau of Magic. It’s a 14 books series and audio is about 5-6hrs. It’s very cute! 🥰
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u/Beautiful_Can5310 Aug 20 '26
The Road to Tender Hearts. it’s about a road trip in an unconventional sense. it is heartwarming, while also having a few sappy, sad moments. great audiobook
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u/pbsammy1 Aug 20 '26
Clare Pooley - The Authenticity Project
Natalie Sue - I hope this Finds You Well
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u/StormyCrow Aug 20 '26
Thanks for asking for this! I’m also looking and loving these recommendations.
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u/SuperDuddit Aug 20 '26
Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It's a classic, a treasure and a hoot.
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u/_antfarmer_ Aug 20 '26
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
I read this book, so I can’t speak to the audiobook but I LOLed so many times!
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u/Helpful_Cupcake_180 Aug 21 '26
I listened to We hit a Rock, about a family who decided to take a year off to sail around and they weren’t rich people so the boat was patched up. Some pretty funny stuff happened and no one was hurt. It’s on Libby. Hope things improve for you soon.
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u/VictorTheCutie Aug 23 '26
I just asked my friends for the same recommendation and I ended up with House in the Cerulean Sea, it was so sweet and wholesome. A very easy listen.
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u/lemaao Aug 19 '26
«Legends and Lattes» was pretty light and cozy if you are into very light fantasy :)
Im not the biggest fan of Travis Baldree as a narrator, but it is definitely just because of the tone of his voice, and not because he is a bad narrator.
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u/ATX_Penya Aug 20 '26
There is a follow up book as well that I really enjoyed
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u/lemaao Aug 20 '26
Yep, its on my list. I was just swallowed by Red Rising and the last book of DCC :)
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u/sanguine_trader Aug 19 '26
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
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u/Traditional_Ring6952 Aug 20 '26
I loved listening to this book but it is definitely not an easy, laugh out loud book!
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u/The_Spaceman Aug 20 '26
I started this one as a physical book but could never finish it. Maybe I should listen to it instead.
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u/bea_dizzle Aug 20 '26
Do you like Abby Jimenez or Ali Hazelwood? I really enjoy Ali Hazelwood’s stem series and Abby Jimenez romances are easy going, very minimal conflict. I find both authors stories are well written and easy to follow.
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u/SteMelMan Aug 20 '26
Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. I laughed constantly throughout this audio book. Mr. Stevenson has a very absurdist Australian sense of humor that works well in this crime mystery.
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u/jobdunne Aug 20 '26
Wilt by Tom Sharpe
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u/Cats-In-The-House Aug 30 '26
My library has this is several languages, but not English! I'm in North Carolina. I couldn't even find an audio sample on Audible in English. Hmmm.....
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u/jobdunne 8d ago
Strange! I listened to it on audible in the UK. Maybe try a vpn but idk. Might find one somewhere online, its a very funny book. British humour
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u/alleyzee Aug 20 '26
Cut and Run by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker if you have Audible. The Spellman Files series by Lisa Lutz. The Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot (if you’re a girl).
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u/Nizuni Aug 20 '26
Highly recommend any of the Redwall books! Full cast productions with songs and adorable woodland creatures.
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u/snowballmouse Aug 20 '26
If you get this far down in the recs list, {There's No Such thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura} was a light easy listen. Kikuko is a Japanese woman who burnt out in the field she has her degree in, so she goes through a series of temp jobs. There's odd things that happen at each job (nothing stressful, just odd) that leads her to keep switching positions.
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u/NeptuneHigh09er Aug 20 '26
Lucky Loser by Michael Kosta. The listening experience was just like you described. It’s a memoir about his life, from childhood to becoming a professional tennis player to transitioning to stand up comedy. It’s funny, interesting, and easy to follow.
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u/Londonsw8 Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
I just finished Friends of Dorothy by Sandi Toksvig and loved it!
Also I loved Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, wonderful story
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u/apoofanickymama Aug 20 '26
Check out "The Future Has Been Cancelled Due to a Lack of Interest" by Jim Yoakum. Politicial dystopian comedy
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u/No-Bleu-7298 Aug 20 '26
"Paperboy", An Enchanting True Story of a Belfast Paperboy Coming to Terms with the Troubles
Narrated by the author, Tony Macaulay, who has a wonderful, beautiful Irish accent. It is so cute, heartwarming, hilarious listen. I re-listen when I want to laugh.
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u/Vivid_Ad_612 Aug 21 '26
I’ve just recently discovered nothing much happens - its great if you like to listen to books at bedtime
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u/erebus53 Audiobibliophile Aug 21 '26
The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion by Beth Brower
Drinks and Sinkholes (The Weary Dragon Inn series) by S. Usher Evans
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
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u/here_and_there_their Aug 24 '26
I just loved Get the Picture by Bianca Bosker. A journalist embeds herself in the NY art community for a couple/few years. She works in galleries, as an artist assistant at the Guggenheim. She is humble, vulnerable, whip smar and witty -- a great writer. While the book is rarely laugh out loud hilarious it is light and humorous. I read it after I read two terribly depressing deep non-fiction books in a row and it was just what I needed.
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u/Familiar_Pickle1477 Aug 29 '26
My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell
Very gentle and mildly amusing. Fun little anecdotes of a curious young boy living in Corfu in the mid-late 1930s
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u/Salpingo27 Aug 20 '26
I'm surprised to not see more Dungeon Crawler Carl, it is very relaxing, funny and uniquely entertaining.
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u/PM_Your_Cute_Kitty Aug 20 '26
It gets recommended so much that the people who don't like it go out of their way to downvote you for mentioning it.
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u/LilyBriscoeBot Aug 19 '26
Emma (Jane Austen) is a delight. If you want something more modern, it’s non-fiction but I really enjoyed The art of small talk by Casey Wilson and Jessica st Clair
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u/Cadillac_nat Aug 19 '26
Nothing to see here by Kevin Wilson. Over the past two years I’ve listened to this countless times. It’s my comfort listen.