Our reading recommendations for the new year
Looking to begin 2024 with a book to put a smile on your face, or a novel to help you turn over a new leaf? We’ve trawled our archive in search of the wittiest works and books to inspire a fresh start
10 of the funniest books from the Booker Library
You might have concluded from some recent Booker Prize winners that great novels aren’t particularly funny any more. It’s true that 2023’s winner, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, is a story of fear and oppression – therein lies its power – and that recent shortlists have sometimes been light on laughs. But if you’re looking for a book to cheer you up, the good news is that the Booker Prize has always had an ear for comedy as well as tragedy. Recent winners that are properly funny include Paul Beatty’s The Sellout – a blazing satire of racism in America – and George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo. And you don’t have to dive far back into the Booker Library to find further comic riches.
Well-established comic writers have always featured in the Booker Prize, from winners like Iris Murdoch, J.G. Farrell, Kingsley Amis and Howard Jacobson, to shortlisted authors such as Beryl Bainbridge, David Lodge, Edward St Aubyn and Muriel Spark. But for this list we’ve avoided some of the more well-known names and delved a little deeper into the Booker archives, with humorous gems from writers including Marina Lewycka, Magnus Mills, Molly Keane and Timothy Mo.
Ten Booker-nominated books to inspire a fresh start
The start of a new year is often a period of reflection – a time when we can consider new opportunities and take a moment for a personal reset. So, as we look forward to the year ahead, we’ve compiled a list of books, all of which have been nominated for the Booker Prize or International Booker Prize, that may inspire you to turn over a new leaf (literary pun intended), from illuminating debuts to deeply introspective masterpieces, from novels about new beginnings to imaginative accounts of epic journeys, with authors including Martin MacInnes, Geetanjali Shree, Jon Fosse and Anita Brookner.
More recommendations from the Booker Library
If you’re looking for more books to add to your 2024 TBR pile, visit our website for a wealth of Booker-nominated recommendations, including books for fans of Emerald Fennell’s hit film, Saltburn, our favourite novels within novels, the best very short and very long books from the Booker Library and a selection of cosy, winter reads.