Humor Audio Books: Infectious Laughter in the Air

Comedian David Brenner believes that if a person can laugh, he can live and so went on a national tour right after September 11. Humor is our best defense against bad hair days, aggressive pets, obnoxious bosses, traffic jams, even war and a bad economy. If you want humor read to you, then get a humor audiobook, play it and feel yourself float away for a while and then come back to a place where life is funnier, lighter and definitely better.

Most major internet audiobook sites carry humor audiobook titles, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, as well as First-Class-Audiobooks. These sites offer specials and discounts on rentals and purchases with paid memberships, although books may be bought off most sites even without signing up.

To inject more humor into your life, why not check out these titles:

'Fierce Pajamas: Selections of Humor from an Anthology of Humor Writing from The New Yorker'
This compilation of some of the best and funniest writings from the well-respected publication is edited by David Remnick (editor of The New Yorker and Pulitzer Prize winner) and Henry Finder (editorial director of The New Yorker). And it should be The New Yorker has practically defined comic writing and put it in a sophisticated class of its own. Spoofs and parodies are included in this humor audiobook along with short stories, reviews and some equally hilarious reporting.

'Worst Noel: Hellish Holiday Tales'
Imagine five compact discs and six hours of some of the darkest humor involving one of the most loved holidays in the world. This humor audiobook features 18 stories from 18 writers, resulting to a diverse mix of dark holiday humor that can help you laugh away some holiday jitters and apprehension. Stories include 'That Just About Enough Figgy Pudding, Actually' by Catherine Newman, ''Twas the Bite Before Christmas' by Stanley Bing, 'The Jew Who Cooked a Ham for Christmas' by Neal Pollack and 'The Gift of the Magi Redux' by Binnie Kirshenbaum.

'Boomerang Joy: The Joy that Goes Around, Comes Around' by Barbara Johnson
Johnson is a popular writer ('Stick a Geranium in Your hat and Be Happy') and speaker. This audiobook is a funny devotional and invites women to make small changes in their lives by spreading humor and laughter. More than a tell-a-joke how-to, this audiobook is an inspiring look at how laughter changes our lives for the better. If you're feeling tired and down, this is the audiobook that will bring joy back to your life.

'I Feel Bad about My Neck' by Nora Ephron
What's a list of humor audiobooks without Nora Ephron? Her brand of disarming sense of humor is evident in some of her most famous work that made it in films: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Heartburn and You've Got Mail and it is also aplenty in this audiobook. From her days as an intern at the White House during the Kennedy years to her amorous adventures with Bill Clinton except that he doesn’t know anything about it.

Ephron's humor is totally absorbing and relatable. Who among us has not experienced the things and situations that she chronicles in her audiobook like bad work days and vain attempts at preserving youth, which is the reason for the title. This audiobook may seem a little of an elegy, but aging is handled well with Ephron's wry smile. A great gift to oneself or to a good friend, this audiobook is a frank and hilarious look at a certain period in one remarkable woman's life.

While on the subject of laughter, why not try 'Drive-By Comedy', a compilation of original material performed by the writers themselves George Carlin, Amy Sidaris, Paul Dinello, Margaret Cho, among others. If comedy were a whole cow, consider this audiobook as prime cut. Funny, relevant and timely observations of some of the comic industry's top comedians, this audiobook includes topics like childhood, modern life, love, sex and Flintstone vitamins put together in one of the best selections of original humor available.

Also worth checking: 'Double Whammy' by Carl Hiaasen, 'Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates' by Tom Robbins 'A Confederacy of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole and 'The Pleasure of My Company' by Steve Martin, who also narrates. For topnotch entertainment try a humor audiobook today.