1. The Salmon of Doubt : Hitchhiking the Universe One Last Time by Douglas Adams

A final installment in the series that began with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is taken from the late author's previously unpublished personal files and features the same offbeat adventures of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, and their companions.

Amazon: 4.5* | Goodreads: 3.92*

Appeal

• Genre: Humorous Stories, Science Fiction
• Character: Quirky
• Subject: Detectives, Misadventures, Time Travel
• Tone: Funny
• Writing Style: Witty

2. No Phule Like an Old Phule by Robert Aspirin with Peter J. Heck

Determined to kick Phule out of the Space Legion, General Blitzkrieg sends a team of environmental investigators to uncover the truth about Phule and his Omega Company, which is currently hosting a group of big-game hunters out to bag a dinosaur on Zenobia. This book is part of a series: Phule's Company, book 5.

Amazon: 4.0* | Goodreads: 3.78*

Appeal

• Genre: Humorous Stories, Science Fiction
• Subject: Aliens, Misfits, Space Warfare
• Storyline: Plot-driven
• Tone: Funny

3. Lunatics by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel

An uproarious tale told in alternating voices follows the stories of a pet shop owner and a curmudgeon who find themselves on the run from police, terrorists, and a pizza chain mascot.

Amazon: 4* | Goodreads: 3.56*

Appeal

• Genre: Humorous Stories
• Subject: Misadventures, Voyages and Travels
• Tone: Funny, Offbeat

4. The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

Dahlia Moss, unemployed and at the end of her rope, accepts a new job that will lead her to murder, a massive online game, and maybe even love.

Amazon: 3.9* | Goodreads: 3.62*

Appeal

• Genre: Coming-of-age-stories, Mysteries
• Character: Authentic, Likable, Quirky
• Subject: Misfits, Amateur Detectives
• Tone: Funny
• Writing style: Engaging, Witty

5. The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland

Over the course of several months, two retail workers at an office supply superstore--Roger, a divorced, middle-aged "aisles associate" at Staples, and his young co-worker, Bethany, an early twenty-something, former Goth--strike up a unique epistolary friendship, in a novel about love, loneliness, and the offbeat comforts of modern-day life.

Amazon: 3.9* | Goodreads: 3.5*

Appeal

• Genre: Diary Novels, Psychological fiction
• Subject: Misfits, Eccentrics
• Storyline: Intricately Plotted, Unconventional
• Tone: Funny
• Writing Style: Witty

6. Dogwalker: Stories by Arthur Bradford

A collection of short fiction by an O. Henry Award-winning author presents twelve thought-provoking, humorous tales that capture the lives and fortunes of some of society's colorful misfits and mutants.

Amazon: 3.8* | Goodreads: 3.83*

Appeal

• Genre: Humorous stories, Short stories
• Subject: Misfits, Eccentrics
• Tone: Darkly Humorous, Offbeat, Thought-provoking

7. The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang

A wealthy but fractured Chinese family loses everything in the financial crisis before embarking on a haphazard but ultimately redemptive journey across America as part of an effort to reclaim ancestral lands in China.

Amazon: 3.3* | Goodreads: 3.3*

Appeal

• Genre: Coming of age stories, Misadventures
• Character: Flawed
• Tone: Funny, Moving
• Writing Style: Engaging

8. Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple

Initiating small changes that she hopes will reverse negative patterns in her life, Eleanor Flood is derailed by her family members' unethical practices before an encounter with a former colleague triggers dramas that reveal a buried secret. By the author of national best-seller "Where'd You Go, Bernadette."

Amazon: 3.1* | Goodreads: 3.19*

Appeal

• Genre: Domestic fiction, Humorous stories
• Character: Quirky, Snarky
• Subject: Misadventures
• Themes: Comedy of Manners
• Tone: Offbeat, Sardonic
• Writing style: Engaging, Witty