Could anyone suggest some humorous books for elderly readers please?

Another for Tom Sharpe.
Carl Hiaasen's Sick Puppy is light & very funny about an avenging environmentalist vs property developers/politicians.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Penguins Stopped Play - a cricket team set out to play on all 7 continents.

Another suggesting Bill Bryson,
and Jerome K jerome, I think is the author- 3 men on a boat and 3 men on the bummel.

Pilgramage = Pilgrimage

The 100 year old man who climbed out of window and disappeared and The Strange Pilgramage of Harold Fry - my mother enjoyed these. She also loves Bill Bryson.

I am just reading the Count of Monte Cristo. I would never have picked this, but my daughter was reading it.I started it and cannot put it down. What a gem and nothing like I expected. The characters all just leap of the page. After each chapter I am gagging to know what he will do next.

I expect some of your borowers will remember the TVseries in the 1950s where he was a righter of wrongs. It is much more than that and I am sure your readers will enjoy it to

Should also say that I volunteer in a library with a lot of elderly customers, and the main requests we get are for more recent literary fiction, a faster turnover of more 'serious' non-fiction, less crime, (and kneelers to help access the lower shelves ).

My dad is 82, and I think the problem with books like Tom Sharpe, Garrison Keiller etc is that he read them all very many years ago when they were new.

I'll try to remember to ask him for any particular humorous recommendations when I see him later. I know he likes the Jasper Fforde Thursday Next books, also the Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London series.

I do think it's a bit difficult to say what an 'elderly reader' would like. Both my parents fall into that category (my mum's in her late 70s) - but they have quite different tastes! Kindles are a great thing though as any book can become large print at will :)

Mrs Tim books by D E Stevenson (she of Miss Buncle's book). Semi autobiographical humorous diaries in similar vein to Provincial Lady but with occasional romantic diversions.

Lest we forget Barbara Pym.

You can't beat Georgette Heyer for humorous books set in the Regency period. Lots of laughs!

A short history of tractors in Ukrainian and the other books by that author especially we are all made of glue.

My elderly dads all time favourite 3 men in a boat.

About the last book mum read and really enjoyed was the 100 yr old man who climbed out of the window but you bees all your marbles as it's a bit backwards and forwards in time with a " now" and " when he was young" narrative

A lovely funny book is "miss Buncie's Book". A lady write a novel about her village and things in life start to reflect the book.
The travels of Maudie Tipstaff is amusing.

Patricia Wentworth writes the Miss Silver mysteries set in 20s and 30s

Love stories Enchanted April, Slightly Married, Summer on the River, Pomfret Towers, The Musgravess

Angela Thirkell writes lovely stories as does Marcia Willet.

For a long read starting at the 1st World War , R F Delderfield, long summer day.

2nd Alexander McCall Smith and tractors in the Ukraine book.

I second Pratchett. There's a few books that are about older people ... like the one where a group of elderly barbarian heroes goes on their last heroic quest.
Or the witches books - only Magrat, the "maiden" of the circle is a twentysomething, the two other witches are elderly ladies.

Just to say how helpful this thread has been as I've just started choosing books for Housebound Library. Thanks for all the suggestions.

ALso, have just come across a publishing label called Transita which publishes 'for the mature ' woman! (Hit upon it by accident!) You might want to check out some of their titles and authors which you might be able to recommend to your library users.

Also - The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd.
And I too second Persephone Books - check out these. I have enjoyed so many of them since I discovered them. They are reprints of books written early 20C.

I love D.E. Stevenson - mostly gentle romances with really likeable characters - "Miss Buncle's Book" is funny, though.

You might also like to look at the "Girls Gone By" website. I first came across it for Chalet School reprints, but there are loads more authors there - it sounds a bit childish in some ways, but when my mum was I'll recently, she loved being given reprints of old pony books.

Just realised that actually's no-one's mentioned Rebecca Shaw's books, so I'd suggest those too! All set in a village called Turnham Malpas and with the same (large) cast of characters who get up to various antics. She follows their stories from book to book so there's a thread, and parts are actually very funny, although it's the epitome of cosy.

It might be worth checking out her 'Barleybridge' vet novels too. Apparently she has an absolutely enormous readership.

PG Wodehouse

Tome Sharpe

Terry Pratchett is fairly ageless.

There's a series of books by Ann Purser details here set in a small English village - can't immediately remember the book titles (although, ahem, I've read them all, having bought them for my Mum), but they're a really lovely, easy, dare I say cosy read. None the worse for that, though! They're reminiscent of those Rebecca Shaw 'Village' books so would probably be perfect for slightly older readers.

Actually Ann Purser's also written a series of detective novels set in another village and with a cleaning lady called Lois Meade as her heroine - also a very enjoyable read, and quite funny.

Also recommend getting something like The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose' from the library and looking through it for more ideas...

Garrison Keillor's lovely gentle humour in books like 'Lake Wobegon Days' and 'We are Still Married'. PLEASE look for those!

Also 'Going Gently'by David Nobbs who created Reggie Perrin. Look at this link for synopsis:

www.davidnobbs.com/synopsis.asp?ID=13