9 Humorous Essay Collections to Help You See the Bright Side

The Bloggess is back, this time with a collection of essays perfect for anyone dealing with their mental health. 

Each short chapter offers tidbits that have helped Lawson through her own struggles and is filled with sharp observations to help give you hope, no matter what you’re going through.

You might know him from Comedy Central. Or This American Life. Or the Bob & Tom Show. And if you don’t, then you can get to know comedian Mike Birbiglia now. 

He’s ready to share some really personal stories about his life. His dad told him not to. He did it anyway. And now he’s sharing them with you. You’re welcome.

Have you ever wondered what makes a great best friend? Or what makes a great guy? Mindy Kaling is going to tell you. She’s going to tell you a lot of things. Mostly about her life, growing up, and being in Hollywood. 

Sprinkled in between this tour of her life are her very unscientific thoughts on friendships, romance, and fame, along with plenty of other observations to keep you thoroughly entertained.

Author of The Clasp and Cult Classic, Sloan Crosley shifts gears in this collection of essays about her life in the city that shaped her. 

With pieces like “Bring Your Machete to Work Day” and “Lay Like Broccoli,” Crosley’s striking voice offers a provocative yet intimate glimpse at a woman who somehow can’t get things right despite having the best intentions.

Lindy West has long been known for her sharp commentary in international magazines on everything from pop culture to social justice and beyond. 

In her literary debut, West brings that unshakeable candor and wit to a collection of essays covering how she became a loud feminist and wrangled success in a culture that was largely hostile to fat, funny women. 

And maybe by the end, you’ll decide you’re tired of staying quiet, too.

Success is supposed to be glamorous. So why is Samantha Irby living in the Midwest, with neck pain, hiding Entenmann’s cookies and bills under her bed? 

Now that she’s forty, Irby is finally comfy in her skin. By all measures, she’s living a life of dreams. Probably her dreams. Someone’s dreams, anyway.

David Rakoff doesn’t belong—anywhere. Not in the department store window impersonating Freud during the holidays. Not climbing an icy mountain in cheap loafers. 

Not learning about primitive survival in New Jersey. But somehow, he’s here, sharing some of his most damaging life stories, hoping to show that in the end, no one should take life too seriously.

From the woman who brought us some of the most iconic romcoms to date, Nora Ephron wants to get real. Being a woman is great! Until she starts to age. 

Travel with her through her life as a young woman in the Kennedy White House all the way until she reaches a certain age, when she spends time and money attempting to slow the aging process, even though nothing ever works. 

It’s a book of life, wisdom, and advice. But don’t worry, it’s also filled with plenty of laughs.

Anne Fadiman is a lifelong reader. For her, reading is more than a hobby. It’s pathological. Don’t believe her? That’s okay. 

Let her tell you about how she learned about sex from her father’s copy of Fanny Hill. Or the time she read her roommate’s 1974 Toyota Corolla manual because she’d already read literally everything else in the apartment twice.

And what happened when she and her husband merged their literary collections. For the bookworm who needs to laugh at themselves, this collection of essays will help you do exactly that.