November Links Roundup (and Bonus Gift Recs)

Including funny books, a newsletter fellowship, and a comfort audio listen

Hello and welcome to Humor Me’s monthly links roundup.

This month I’ve been listening to Ina Garten’s memoir on audio and have found it to be a great comfort listen that feels appropriate for this food-centric month. It’s also made me want to open a specialty food shop and/or go camping in France. Will let you know if either of those things pan out.

In the funny department, Jack Handey’s Deep Thoughts have been making me laugh and this is a good thread of them. I also laughed at this Threads post. And I recently enjoyed Piece by Piece, the new Lego movie, which is a Pharrell Williams biopic. I thought it was an interesting view into his life and creative process and my kids liked it too (although I think it may be more appealing to slightly older kids than some of the other Lego movies)

Keep reading for more funny stuff, opportunities, and gift recs highlighting things I (and my kids) have enjoyed this year.

-JV

• Humor Opportunity:

  Greg Nix
  sent me this opportunity for humor writers: “Chortle is a daily humor publication that delivers sharp, original writing every weekday. We’re building a space where great humor thrives—and writers get paid. If you’ve got a funny piece under 600 words, we want to see it. We're currently able to pay $40 per post. Submit finished pieces to greg@chortle.blog with the word SUBMISSION and the name of the piece in the subject line. Sign up for a free subscription to get a feel for the kind of stuff we publish at www.chortle.blog!”

• Fellowship Opportunity: Anne Friedman is offering a fellowship focused on nonfiction writers wanting to establish a newsletter that looks like a good opportunity.

• Scary Mommy Pitches: A Scary Mommy editor put out a recent call for pitches on LinkedIn. They can be a good spot for humorous essays.

• Book Award: Zibby Awards are open for nominations and are worth checking out if you have a recent book out —I spotted a category for books that made you laugh.

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Humor Me Supporter Shout-Outs:

Last month I asked paid subscribers if they wanted to shout something out and as a result, I am highlighting a couple below that you should check out:

A Wonderful Mess is a weekly newsletter about navigating parenthood with humor, compassion, and common sense written by a psychologist and mom of four.

Something Funny, Something True is a Substack on life, literature, and the pursuit of hilarity; a collection of essays and nerdy nostalgia by Amy Colleen, a tired mom, sometimes-student, always-reader, frequent list-maker.

I’m going to keep the Humor Me supporters shout-out option open until December 15th, find more details here.

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This month I’m starting a new section where funny authors recommend a funny book. First up is Renee Burns Lonner, whose book recently came out.

Renee’s book:

Here is Renee’s description: “My new book We're Sorry to Inform You That . . . YOUR FORTIES ARE OVER is intended (obviously!) for women in midlife. Women who can identify with such subjects as -- ‘Chapter 1: OMG, That Can't Be MY Neck -- Make It Stop!’ and the last chapter ‘Your Culture, As You Knew It -- Going, Going, Gone!’ -- will enjoy the book.

Your Forties Are Over is funny but there is some solid advice woven in; it's an excellent gift book for a girlfriend having a milestone birthday or for oneself as a treat.”

Renee’s book rec:

“One of the funniest books I've read recently is "Lean the F**k Out! How to Aim Lower, Get Less Done and Find Your Happiness" by Talia Argondezzi, writing professor at Ursinus College and well-published satirist/humorist. While the book is hilarious, the message is totally serious—women need to give themselves a break.

Having Mondays as a take-out night sounds like a great idea and Talia makes many other excellent major and minor points. What I liked most, however, is the central message (obvious from her killer title) that if you are working and have a family, being exhausted and looking for ways to do a little less is not a character flaw or a sign of low energy.

Rather, it is indicative of the fact that "having it all" doesn't mean all at the same time! Talia is an awesome writer and a great observer of the human species. Her book is a most worthwhile - and LOL funny - read.”

Thanks, Renee! Learn more about Renee on her website.

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Gift Ideas

‘Tis the season for gift guides, so I am celebrating it with some recs.

I hope you are impressed by my Canva skills!

1. Edible gift: I am a fan of fancy cherries for mocktails and cocktails and these are great. I also found some at Costco recently.

2. Arc lighter: We got this lighter last year and it is a nice combo of cool/functional. Get it for the person in your life who wants to light something on fire (like a candle, obviously).

3. Hair product: I do not buy a lot of beauty products and wear my hair in a bun about 87% of the time, but I find this mascara-like hair stick helpful. You use it to smooth down random flyaway hairs (of which I seem to always have many).

4. Lotto tickets: My go-to stocking stuffer gift is scratch-off tickets. I like to think of it as a donation disguised as a chance to win some cash.

1. Pokemon cards. Getting stuff for kids is tricky because many kids have a lot of stuff. But I like Pokemon cards because they are not a plastic thing and can potentially be held onto or passed on in the future. My kids have also consistently come back to playing with them several times over the years and you can get them in a lot of different sizes (from a $5 pack and up).

2. Subscriptions my kids like: My mom got my kids subscriptions to The Week Junior and the Highlights brainPLAY magazines last year and they really like both of them. The Week is weekly and has lots of current info and brainPLAY is a magazine with puzzles that comes once every two months.

3. Kid mocktail book: I got this kid mocktail-making book for one of my kids last year and he had fun making different things from it and still pulls it out periodically.

4. Books: I think books are always a good gift option for kids. I put together a couple of Bookshop lists that may help in this department. One is funny graphic novels my kids have enjoyed and another is this list of books that my kids have gotten a lot of mileage out of by reading many times over the years. I also think this What If book can make a good gift for slightly older kids who like to wait until 10 pm at night to ask you what the earth’s core is made of.

• New essay: I wrote a piece for Slate about serving the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving dinner to kids. I added the pitch letter I sent to my successful pitch letter collection.

• Funny book recs: I am trying to get ahead on planning for having funny authors recommend funny books in 2025. If you have a funny book that came out in 2024 or is coming in 2025 and would like to be considered for a guest rec, fill out this form.

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Thanks for reading Humor Me, a newsletter featuring funny stuff and writing tips. In case you’re new here — I’m a humor writer and freelancer whose work has appeared in New Yorker Shouts, McSweeney’s, Real Simple, and more. I’m the author of a humorous advice book for introverted parents that would make a great gift for the new or expecting parent in your life. Find out more about me at julievick.com.

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