The best books to make you laugh and leave you smiling

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always loved reading and its ability to take you far away to a distant time and place and lift you up. As a kid, I never left the house without a book, and the ones that made me laugh were my go-to's. I believe the ability to make people laugh is a truly special talent, especially while making the text relatable, so the reader’s always asking, wow, what would I do in that situation? My readers often tell me that my writing sounds just like me, which is wonderful because there’s no need to pretend. You will always know what you’ll get with me!


I wrote...

The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices

By Liz Foster,

Book cover of The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices

What is my book about?

This book is a clever and quirky narrative infused with humour and wit, set between Bondi and a goat farm in northeast Victoria. It follows Libby Popovic, a country girl who loses her home and possessions when her husband Ludo is jailed for financial fraud and her unorthodox ways to survive and protect her family.

Readers are taken on an emotional journey filled with ups and downs and profound reflections. Libby's return to the rural goat farm where she was raised adds a unique charm to the narrative. These elements provide both comic relief and a sense of groundedness, creating a world that is both relatable and enchanting. It's a witty exploration of the intricacies of life, trust, and self-discovery.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Rachel's Holiday

Liz Foster Why did I love this book?

I absolutely adored the way the narrative creates almost continual laugh-out-loud moments whilst tackling some pretty heavy themes.

Drug abuse and its effect on others is handled in a genuinely uplifting way, alongside hilarious family and relationship dynamics. I love Keyes’ ability to shine light through darkness every time.

By Marian Keyes,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Rachel's Holiday as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Here's Rachel Walsh, twenty-seven and the miserable owner of size 8 feet. She has regular congress with Luke Costello, a man who wears his leather trousers tight. And she's fond - some might say too fond - of recreational drugs. Until she finds herself being frogmarched to the Cloisters - Dublin's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. She's outraged. Surely she's not thin enough to be an addict? Heartsick and Luke-sick, she seeks redemption in the shape of Chris, a man with a past. A man who might be more trouble than he's worth.


Book cover of Project Hail Mary

Liz Foster Why did I love this book?

As something I would never have chosen to read, this book club pick had me gripped from the start alongside our hapless protagonist Ryland Grace, a middle school scientist who wakes in a spaceship and discovers he has to single-handedly save the world. He joins forces with Rocky, a giant blind spider-like alien.

The moment they pull off their mission and Rocky puts on his ‘best’ clothes to celebrate is a golden scene that made my cheeks ache from smiling. I found it to be one of the most original, clever, and funny books I’ve ever read. 

By Andy Weir,

Why should I read it?

23 authors picked Project Hail Mary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through…


Book cover of Someone Else's Shoes

Liz Foster Why did I love this book?

I found this book wonderfully relatable, imagining myself as either of the two main protagonists who accidentally swapped shoes at the gym and whose lives are changed accordingly. The mix-ups and mess-ups that ensued had me clutching my sides.

I was so invested in both the characters and how their lives would turn out I nearly cried when I finished it. I found this book very clever and believable as well; a tiny bit far-fetched but still realistic.

By Jojo Moyes,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Someone Else's Shoes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances, this is the new novel from international sensation Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You and The Giver of Stars

'A delightful reverse-Cinderella story of two women who seem polar opposites - until circumstance forces them to experience each other's lives. Nobody writes women the way Jojo Moyes does - recognizably real and complex and funny and flawed' JODI PICOULT

Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else's shoes?

Meet Sam . . .
She's not got much, but she's grateful for what she…


Book cover of Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year

Liz Foster Why did I love this book?

I found it a true delight to read such a clever, gentle tale full of humour and life observations.

Mrs. Winterbottom and her husband have both retired, but while she’s keen to set off around the globe, he’s happy in the garden.

I really loved the way Nell shows us Mrs. Winterbottom’s irritation with her husband, at the same time as making it clear they love each other. It’s relatable and realistic, and every line’s a gentle gag.

By Joanna Nell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It's never too late for the adventure of a lifetime . . .

Heather Winterbottom has worked side by side with her husband as GPs in their idyllic rural practice for over forty years. But as the time comes to hang up their stethoscopes, the Winterbottoms discover that they have rather different visions of retirement . . .

Heather dreams of exploring the Greek Islands, of escaping the shackles of her routine life and embracing an exciting new adventure. Alan dreams of growing his own vegetables.

When things come to a head at a family lunch, Heather announces that she…


Book cover of The Bullet That Missed

Liz Foster Why did I love this book?

This is my favourite in the popular Thursday Murder Club series, as it cleverly creates scenes of high tension and drama which are still somehow comical.

I love the four main characters, who all live in a retirement village and are all as different as chalk and cheese. But retirement is a great leveler, and the ex-MI6 operative is just as useful at solving crime as the former nurse.

It’s like Agatha Christie meets James Bond.

By Richard Osman,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Bullet That Missed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Brought to you by Penguin.

A new mystery is afoot in the third book in the Thursday Murder Club series from record-breaking, bestselling author Richard Osman.

It is an ordinary Thursday and things should finally be returning to normal.

Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A decade-old cold case leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers.

Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill. . . or be killed.

As the cold case turns white hot, Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience…


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The Wallace House of Pain: A Novelette

By S.M. Stevens,

Book cover of The Wallace House of Pain: A Novelette

S.M. Stevens Author Of The Wallace House of Pain: A Novelette

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Animal lover Renewable energy advocate Alternative music lover Mother

S.M.'s 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Activist Xander Wallace and his straitlaced father do not have an easy relationship. Jim’s views on race, immigration, gender, sexuality, and even Millennials alienate his son no matter how hard Xander tries to find common ground. Toss in Jim’s second marriage ten months after Xander’s mother died, and it’s a volatile cocktail. How, against this backdrop, will Xander ever dare to bare his soul and reveal his greatest secret?

Winner of a 2023 American Fiction Award, a First Place prize in the Chanticleer International Book Awards, and a 5-Star Readers’ Favorite review.

The Wallace House of Pain: A Novelette

By S.M. Stevens,


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