7 Hilarious Books Written by Women

By The Hairpin June 8, 2015

by Laura Brennan

We’ve heard of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling — strong women who are not afraid to talk about their experiences with insight, intelligence, and wit. If you haven’t read their best-selling memoirs, I highly recommend all of them. There are also a plethora of funny women writers whose stories you have not heard. No one’s life is fun (or funny) all the time, but these ladies have given us permission to laugh at their embarrassment, their triumph, and their lack of ability to perform adult tasks. No doubt you’ll start to think about your own life… and the times you said, “someday we’ll laugh about this.” Someday can start now, on the beach, with a cool drink in your hand.

Enter to win a year’s supply of books from Read It Forward!

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir
by Jenny Lawson
Jenny Lawson never fit in; her family is too eccentric and, turns out, so is she. Her hilarious and occasionally painful account of her obsession with taxidermy, general anxiety, and unorthodox upbringing will have you laughing out loud.

I Was Told There’d Be Cake
by Sloane Crosley
This collection of essays is written in a clear, funny, genuine voice. A young woman living in the city and struggling isn’t a new topic — but Crosley addresses it in a new way. She’s unabashedly clumsy in all her endeavors and it appears the harder she tries, the more ridiculous things become.

Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase
by Jen Lancaster
Jen Lancaster takes a look back the fashion choices that accompanied the decisions of her younger self. From girl scout to sorority girl to working woman, we get an honest & funny take on growing up and figuring things out. You’ll relate to her feelings even if you haven’t gone through these experiences yourself.

I Love Everybody
by Laurie Notaro
Notaro takes us through her thirties in another hilarious set of essays. She’s got the husband, the house, and the hounding mother who wants grandchildren right away. Laurie jumped into the corporate world instead of motherhood, and she has plenty of tantrums left in her before she spawns someone else to have them!

Girl Walks into a Bar…: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters, and a Midlife Miracle
by Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch was a staple on SNL in the early-mid 2000’s. After her stint ended, Dratch found she had time to date! A long distance relationship turned serious and Rachel became pregnant with the child she never thought she’d have. This mid-life-adventure memoir from one of our favorite funny ladies does not disappoint.

Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own
by Doreen Orion
Orion is a princess. Her husband is a nature lover. Along with the pets, they pile in an RV and travel cross country. The trip proves to be a learning experience, and as a reader you will stay completely entertained by both upsets and romantic moments along the way.

Night Terrors: Sex, Dating, Puberty, and Other Alarming Things
by Ashley Cardiff
Amazingly funny and brutally honest, Cardiff shares stories from her awkward childhood (which she always felt a little too old for) to her slightly-less awkward adulthood. She analyses sex and relationships while forming opinions from her own (often ridiculous and unique) experience.

You’ll enjoy these stories long after you’ve stopped reading.