Looking for a funny book for women? Here are some of the best funny books for women I've read. Moms lives are filled with extra fun stuff to laugh at--such as the way our "abs" look, or why we think it's okay to pick up a baby and smell his rear end.
These books are written by funny moms who have survived motherhood by their wits alone. (Fine, some of them have resorted to vodka. Can you blame us?) Funny stories for women need to be told over and over so that each new generation understands, in their own language, that we're all in this together.
From funny mother stories, to funny women on dating, to funny menopause--these funny books for moms have it all.
Updated September 2015
Funny Books for Women:
Faking Balance: Adventures in Work and Life
by Lela Davidson
While others are busy leaning in or maxing out, I just keeps making spreadsheets. From fast track to mommy track to yoga-panted freelancer and back again, she has been all kinds of working mother. Whether she's on a pumping break or encouraging her teenagers to pump the brakes on romance, Davidson has a talent for uncovering the humor in everyday family life. In this collection of tender, touching, and funny essays, Davidson delights readers with stories about the choices working mothers face every day. Through her own journey into and out of the workforce, she inspires us all to celebrate the smallest wins and laugh off the rest-because in the quest for work life balance, we're all faking it.
Baby Fat: Adventures in Motherhood, Muffin Tops, & Trying to Stay Sane
by Pauline M. Campos
It’s a memoir. Please don’t call it a mom-oir. That sh*t’s just patronizing. This is the book that wrote itself in Pauline M. Campos’ head when she realized that her baby had become a toddler and the expiration date on her socially acceptable baby weight had worn out.
The Latina Magazine #Dimelo advice columnist and Aspiring Mama blogger gave herself a one-year-or-bust deadline, then embarked on the search to find the mama lost in the muffin top with the requisite weight loss plans, attempted (and failed) exercise programs, and a singular focus on the scale and not wanting to toss it out the window.
Yes Please
by Amy Poehler
In her first book, one of our most beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice.
With chapters like "Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend," "Plain Girl Versus the Demon" and "The Robots Will Kill Us All" Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.
This book isn't even out yet, but I got to read an advance copy and I assure you it's the ideal Mother's Day gift for any new mom, or any old mom.
Beckman's story goes from Manhattan to the Jersey suburbs, but it's really the story of all us who unexpectedly opted off our career paths after the baby came.
Also, it's hilarious.
The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank by Erma Bombeck
Before there were bloggers and TMI moms, there was Erma, telling her stories from the 1970s American suburbs. Things have changed, but not much. We take our diverse stories of motherhood for granted now, but in her day, Erma was it.
The original good enough mother, Bombeck had a way of pointing out the insanity that surrounded her without alienating those who suffered from it.
Blacklisted from the PTA by Lela Davidson
From the high chair to a vinyl restaurant booth on date night, Lela Davidson has captured life on the cul-de-sac with a husband, two kids, and the occasional pet. Whether failing at cloth diaper origami or smug in knowledge that her children have never consumed a PopTart, Lela assures parents they are not alone, and that it's okay to laugh-at yourself, and at your kids.
These are the stories of Everyparent-even if we don't always tell them out loud. Each of these 62 essays can be read in under five minutes for a quick laugh-either with or at the author (which is me!).
Who Peed on My Yoga Mat? by Lela Davidson
Lela Davidson doesn’t like to brag, but her children are clean and fed, her husband likes to cook, and she is rarely referred to as Troll Toes at the yoga studio. In other words, she’s got it all.
Who Peed on My Yoga Mat? peels back the curtain on family life to show that happiness is really a matter of perspective. Between watching adorably annoying toddlers transform into text-obsessed teens, and facing inevitable moments of marital “for worse,” a girl’s got to carve out time for inner peace.
As she did in Blacklisted from the PTA, Davidson (me again!) shows us once again that laughing at yourself and your family is the surest path to tranquility–or at least the most fun.
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Any Tina Fey fan will love this book simply because it's just more Tina. If you don't know her from SNL and 30 Rock (and hair color commercials), this book will turn you into a fan. You can't not like Fey after reading this book. She our comic genius, and our role model for working motherhood.
This book, while very funny because come on, it's Tina Fey, is also just a great read for anyone who wants to know how a successful woman got where she is, and how she balances that success with motherhood.
Live a Little by Kim Green
I can't think of a lot of fiction I read that's funny, and this certainly tops my list. The premise is a woman is mistakenly diagnosed with cancer, but when she finds out the doctors made a mistake, she lets her friends and families believe she's going to die.
My sense of humor may tend toward the dark, but who can't relate to the desire for a little appreciation from those we take care of every day. This book had me laughing out loud with the situations and characters. It's chick lit for grown up chicks.
Longest title ever aside, this is an unflinching look at a real long-term marriage. Which begs the question, how is it even possible? With a lot of humor. Jenna is your foul-mouthed best friend who over-shared before it was cool. With brutal honesty she gives us a peek at her own marriage, and the universal truths it reveals. Throughout the book we get bonus glimpses of other real marriages in the "At least you're not married to him" feature. If you can't relate to this book, you're not married.
Ketchup is a Vegetable and Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves by Robin O'Bryant
In the big world of parenting stories Robin O'Bryant is a singular voice of heart and humor. From the baby days to the toddler tantrums, O'Bryant helps me remember all the good, and not-so-good moments of parenting. Quick reads about common moments in motherhood that every harried parent can relate to. Great shower gift!
What is your favorite funny book? Please share in the comments!
