Top 10 Humor and Entertainment eBooks for iOS

Join me on a journey through the ever-evolving landscape of iOS Humor and Entertainment eBooks as I showcase the best of the best. Whether you're a seasoned iOS aficionado or a newcomer to the platform, my curated selection aims to cater to diverse tastes, preferences, and needs, ensuring that you stay informed and inspired in your quest for the ultimate reading experience.

Two Hundred Sketches, Humorous and Grotesque (Illustrated)

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Gustave Doré
• Price: $0.99
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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Black and white illustrations (engravings) with very little text.  According to Wikipedia: ""Paul" Gustave DorÈ (January 6, 1832 ñ January 23, 1883) was a French artist, printmaker, illustrator and sculptor. DorÈ worked primarily with wood engravingÖ At the age of fifteen DorÈ began his career working as a caricaturist for the French paper Le Journal pour rire, and subsequently went on to win commissions to depict scenes from books by Rabelais, Balzac, Milton and Dante... In the 1860s he illustrated a French edition of Cervantes's Don Quixote, and his depictions of the knight and his squire, Sancho Panza, have become so famous that they have influenced subsequent readers, artists, and stage and film directors' ideas of the physical "look" of the two characters. DorÈ also illustrated an oversized edition of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", an endeavor that earned him 30,000 francs from publisher Harper & Brothers in 1883. DorÈ's illustrations for the English Bible (1866) were a great success, and in 1867 DorÈ had a major exhibition of his work in London. This exhibition led to the foundation of the DorÈ Gallery in Bond Street, London... DorÈ's later work included illustrations for new editions of Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Milton's Paradise Lost, Tennyson's The Idylls of the King, The Works of Thomas Hood, and The Divine Comedy. DorÈ's work also appeared in the weekly newspaper The Illustrated London News."

Dickens and Prince

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Nick Hornby
• Price: $10.99
• User Rating: N/A
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“An ardent fan letter from Hornby that makes you want to re-read Great Expectations while listening to Sign o’ the Times.” —Vogue

"This pairing -- two magnificent creatives, centuries and genres apart -- makes stunning sense in the hands of their wisest, wittiest fan." -- People

From the bestselling author of Just Like You, High Fidelity, and Fever Pitch, a short, warm, and entertaining book about art, creativity, and the unlikely similarities between Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and modern American rock star Prince

Every so often, a pairing comes along that seems completely unlikely—until it’s not. Peanut butter and jelly, Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong Un, ducks and puppies, and now: Dickens and Prince.

Equipped with a fan’s admiration and his trademark humor and wit, Nick Hornby invites us into his latest obsession: the cosmic link between two unlikely artists, geniuses in their own rights, spanning race, class, and centuries—each of whom electrified their different disciplines and whose legacy resounded far beyond their own time.

When Prince’s 1987 record Sign o’ the Times was rereleased in 2020, the iconic album now came with dozens of songs that weren’t on the original— Prince was endlessly prolific, recording 102 songs in 1986 alone. In awe, Hornby began to wonder, Who else ever produced this much? Who else ever worked that way? He soon found his answer in Victorian novelist and social critic Charles Dickens, who died more than a hundred years before Prince began making music.

Examining the two artists’ personal tragedies, social statuses, boundless productivity, and other parallels, both humorous and haunting, Hornby shows how these two unlikely men from different centuries “lit up the world.” In the process, he creates a lively, stimulating rumination on the creativity, flamboyance, discipline, and soul it takes to produce great art.

What's So &%#@ Funny ? (Humor and How it Gets That Way)

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Agnes Franz
• Price: $3.99
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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Why smile? Why laugh? Why chuckle? Because it is so darn important.

We all enjoy joy. This book talks about how friendly humor can be and how good it tastes. There’s a place for humor in a wide and diverse range of the human experience. We take a look at humor from the perspective of how exciting it is. For example, kids are naturally fun. Writers, parents, instructors, salespeople, business types and curious intellectuals, and just ordinary folk get an important lift out of a good chuckle. It can be a life saver, not just fun.

Here we are, let’s examine the exploitation, adventures and fun humor has experienced over time.

Funny stuff just happens. There’s the classic where an unaware guy slips on a banana peel. There’s a bit of trickster in most of us. No necessarily nastiness, but young-at-heart playfulness. “You will live—but not long,” a veiled threat that usually passes as a joke.

So much of our communication is colored with witty stuff that innocently strays into conversations, writing, and our thoughts. These sixteen chapters address most of those topics, rather than follow fun chronologically through the decades. Gallows Humor, Clowns, How High is School, Kids, Show Biz, Words, Business, and lots of Sarcasm and Satire. We dig deeply into sarcasm, that beloved form of satire that graduates from snobbery.

We also look at the black side of things. Why hesitate to show friends and family how completely we’re surrounded by evil and deceit, lousy crooks and grumpy salespeople? Do something about it. Why not lighten up? We can tell a joke, play a prank or sing a funny song left over from elementary school. “My old sneakers are friends of mine, You can’t trust any shoes that shine….” Just like Sandra Boynton, humorist, songwriter etc., tells kids. Making jokes and witty pleasantries is an excellent way to spread happiness and make friends. Unfortunately, not everyone has the knack.

There’s water cooler wit, that’s where there’s some insight into how business tension is dispelled with a light or even dark, nasty touch of humor. Everyone is a specialist and supposedly hates The Boss, so some pretty scathing steam gets blown off right there. Not every working person has a desk, or even a water cooler. Take the rodeo clown who diverts the bull from injuring the bull riders as well as clown around to entertain the crowd. There are many well-trained and often over-educated, bartenders with good ears, a ready smile, and off-all color jokes.

"What’s So &%#@ Funny?" examines the adventures and fun humor has undergone over time. From “Knock, knock” through back stage burlesque to Bob Hope’s USO tours, and bankable comedy club performers. What does go on between the actor and the audience, anyway? What is funny on one side of the mountain is not necessarily funny on the other side. Same darn thing from one part of town to the other or from one social level to another.

Puns have a short lifetime and are a one-time thing. Jokes can be retold. Cemeteries are places where literary humor can become eternal. Written in stone, as in gravestones. Humorist Erma Bombeck started her humorist career working as a newspaper obituary writer. We’ve heard that she also wrote her own epitaph, “I told you I was sick.”

Wit wins when people simply surrender with a good laugh. Witty folks do their best to bring the audience to its knees. Humor can also calm tempers, soothes jagged nerves, break the gloom of growing old and achey.

The writer has seen the pains of people buffered and soothed by a lighthearted remark or twinkle in the eyes of a stranger. She’s experienced a great deal of anger diminished through a witty retort or a heavenward roll of the eyes along with a tiny, gentle smile. This sort of thing has been used since the beginning of time. That’s why this book has been written.

A Giraffe and a Half

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Shel Silverstein
• Price: $12.99
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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From Shel Silverstein, the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree, comes a riotous rhyming picture book about a boy and his giraffe! Featuring rhythmic verse and iconic illustrations, A Giraffe and a Half will surely leave every reader, young and old, laughing until the very end. Beloved for over fifty years, this classic captures Silverstein’s signature humor and style.

If you had a giraffe and he stretched another half, you would have a giraffe and a half. But what happens if you glue a rose to the tip of his nose? Or if you used a chair to comb his hair? Join this giraffe on a rollicking and ridiculous journey that will charm readers from beginning to end.

And don't miss Runny Babbit Returns, the new book from Shel Silverstein!

The One and Only Ivan

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Katherine Applegate
• Price: $10.99
• User Rating: N/A
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The #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning novel The One and Only Ivan is now a major motion picture streaming on Disney+

This unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated book is told from the point of view of Ivan himself. 

Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.

In the tradition of timeless stories like Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create an unforgettable story of friendship, art, and hope.

The One and Only Ivan features first-person narrative; author's use of literary devices (personification, imagery); and story elements (plot, character development, perspective).

This acclaimed middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 8, for independent reading, homeschooling, and sharing in the classroom.

Plus don't miss The One and Only Bob, Katherine Applegate's return to the world of Ivan, Bob, and Ruby!

But how can a captive gorilla save a baby elephant with only crayons and paper?
Newbery Award Winner: A modern classic beloved by children, parents, and teachers, perfect for readers of Charlotte’s Web.Found Family: Experience the unbreakable bond between Ivan the artistic gorilla, Stella the wise elephant, and Bob the stray dog as they protect the newest member of their family, Ruby.Based on a True Story: Inspired by the incredible life of the real Ivan, a captive gorilla who learned to express himself through art and captured the heart of a nation.Books About Animal Welfare: A gentle but powerful introduction to the importance of empathy and proper animal care, making it an ideal choice for classroom and family discussions.

Fables and Stories

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Rick Carter
• Price: $9.99
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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Rick Carter has been writing songs and playing music professionally for over fifty years. His first book, Fables and Stories - Tales From an Alabama Troubadour, is a compilation of short stories, prose, observations on life, song lyrics, and one-liners. As he always says of his songwriting, the songs come from both sides of the brain…some are silly and some will tug at your heartstrings. Fables and Stories is a window into, both, the humor and the heart of the author.

4000 Miles and After the Revolution

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Amy Herzog
• Price: $9.99
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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"After the Revolution is a smart, funny and provocative play. . . . Herzog deftly avoids simple-minded polemics in favor of richly detailed people who are as ready to examine their relationships as they are their consciences."—Variety

"A funny, moving new play . . . 4,000 Miles is a quiet meditation on mortality. But it's hardly a downer: Ms. Herzog's altogether wonderful drama also illuminates how companionship can make life meaningful, moment by moment, in death's discomforting shadow."—The New York Times

Known for delicately detailed character studies that subtly balance humor and insight, Amy Herzog is swiftly emerging as a striking new voice in the American theater. After the Revolution, an astute and ironic drama about how society appropriates history for its own psychological needs, was heralded by The New York Times as one of the Ten Best New Plays of 2010. Herzog's other critical hit, 4,000 Miles, is a quiet rumination on mortality in which twenty-one-year-old Leo seeks solace from his feisty ninety-one-year-old grandmother Vera in her New York apartment.

Amy Herzog received the 2011 Whiting Writers' Award and the 2008 Helen Merrill Award for Aspiring Playwrights. Her plays have been produced or developed at the Yale School of Drama, Ensemble Studio Theater, Arena Stage, Lincoln Center, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, New York Stage and Film, Provincetown Playhouse, and ACT in San Francisco. Her newest play, Belleville, premiered at Yale Rep in fall 2011.

The One and Only Bob

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Katherine Applegate
• Price: $10.99
• User Rating: N/A
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A #1 New York Times bestseller and a #1 Indie bestseller!

"Good dog Bob. Great to have a best friend.”—Danny DeVito

Return to the unforgettable world of the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling novel The One and Only Ivan in this incredible sequel, starring Ivan’s friend Bob! Catch up with these beloved friends before you see the star-studded film adaptation of The One and Only Ivan, now available on Disney+!

Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.

Bob, Ivan, and Ruby have touched the hearts of millions of readers, and their story isn’t over yet. Catch up with these beloved friends before the star-studded film adaptation of The One and Only Ivan hits theaters in August 2020!

One and Only Bob is an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, embraced by new and old fans of Katherine Applegate's beloved One and Only Ivan. Great for summer reading or anytime! A Today show pick for “25 children’s books your kids and teens won’t be able to put down this summer!"

In the tradition of timeless stories like Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create an unforgettable story of friendship, family, and hope.

The One and Only Bob features first-person narrative; author's use of literary devices (personification, imagery); and story elements (plot, character development, perspective).

This acclaimed middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 8, for independent reading, homeschooling, and sharing in the classroom.

Told from Bob’s hilarious and heartfelt point of view, this adventure features:
First-Person Dog Narrator: Jump into the action with Bob, a tiny mutt with a huge, sarcastic personality. His funny and moving voice makes this a story you won’t forget.Heartwarming Animal Friendships: The beloved trio is back! Follow Bob, Ivan the gorilla, and Ruby the elephant as their incredible bond is tested by a dangerous storm.High-Stakes Animal Rescue: When a hurricane and tornado strike, Bob must brave the floodwaters on a thrilling mission to find his long-lost sister, Boss.A Story About True Courage: A perfect book for middle grade readers that explores what it really means to be brave and the power of the family you choose.

Lysistrata and Other Plays

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Aristophanes
• Price: $2.99
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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Greek playwright Aristophanes spins wonderful stories combining politics, satire, and classic Greek gods in this collection of "Lysistrata and Other Plays." "Lysistrata" focuses on the women of Greece whose husbands leave for the Peloponnesian War. The women do not care about the war as much as they care about missing their husbands; Lysistrata also insists that men rarely listen to women's reasoning and exclude their opinions on matters of the state. In retaliation, the women of Greece organize a strike, refusing to give their husbands sex until both sides agree to cease fighting. What makes the play tongue-in-cheek is that the men become more upset with their wives than they do with their enemies of war. It was also notable due to its positive portrayal of a woman's rationality in a male-dominated society. Its comedic portrayal of the dumbfounded men has made it a favorite of theatre lovers for years. The other plays, "The Clouds" and "The Acharnians," are both remembered for their absurd humor and their importance to the Greek theatre. Aristophanes' intelligence and wit is present in all of his works, and the plays contained in "Lysistrata and Other Plays" will captivate and entertain readers for many more years to come.

The comick magazine; or, Compleat library: of mirth, humour, wit, gaiety, and entertainment. By the greatest wits of all ages & nations. Enriched with Hogarth's celebrated ... prints. [pt.1]

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: William Hogarth
• Price: Free
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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The comick magazine; or, Compleat library: of mirth, humour, wit, gaiety, and entertainment. By the greatest wits of all ages & nations. Enriched with Hogarth's celebrated ... prints. [pt.1], William Hogarth. The comick magazine; or, Compleat library: of mirth, humour, wit, gaiety, and entertainment. By the greatest wits of all ages & nations. Enriched with Hogarth's celebrated ... prints. Hogarth, William, ill. 1697-1764, Harrison & Co., v., plates ; 21 cm (8⁰). Vol. I. [No. I.-no. X. [1796-1797]] London [England] : printed for Harrison and Co. no. 18, Paternoster Row, MDCCXCVI. [i.e. 1797] Title page partly engraved. Chief title repeated as caption at head of first page of text. Frontis. plate in each issue forms part of a series: Industry and Idleness, detailing the progress of two apprentices. Plates dated: April 1, 1796 to January 2, 1797. With continuous pagination. Collections of jokes, anecdotes, and comick verse. Reproduction of original from the British Library. NCBEL, II:1311 Ward, W.S. Index of serials, p. 34 Times handlist, p. 47 Crane & Kaye, 1132 English Short Title Catalog, ESTCP6308. Issue and volume lack chronological designation apart from imprint date and dates of plates. No more published. Electronic data. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale, 2003. Page image (PNG). Digitized image of the microfilm version produced in Woodbridge, CT by Research Publications, 1982-2002 (later known as Primary Source Microfilm, an imprint of the Gale Group). Collects, with added prefatory material, individual issues of The Comick Magazine.

Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Frank Bello
• Price: $18.99
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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Frank Bello, bassist with the legendary New York thrash metal band Anthrax since 1984, has sold over ten million albums, travelled the globe more times than he cares to count, and enthralled audiences from the world’s biggest stages. His long-awaited memoir would be a gripping read even if its pages only contained stories about his life as a recording and touring musician. While those stories are indeed included―and will blow your mind―Bello also focuses on deeper subjects in Fathers, Brothers, and Sons. Once you’ve heard his life story, you’ll understand why. Born into a family of five, Frank grew up in difficult circumstances. His father abandoned his wife and children, and Frank’s mother moved heaven and earth to keep them fed and educated. Left with no male role model, Frank found inspiration in heavy metal bass players, following their example and forging a career with Anthrax from his early teens―first as a roadie, and then as the group’s bass player. International stardom came Frank’s way by the mid-to-late 1980s, when he was still in his early twenties, but tragedy struck in 1996 when his brother Anthony was murdered in New York. Although the case went to trial, the suspected killer was released without charge after a witness, intimidated by violent elements, withdrew his testimony. Two decades later, Frank is a father himself to a young son. Like many men who grew up without the guidance of a dad, he asks himself important questions about the meaning of fatherhood and how to do the job well. This is the wisdom which Fathers, Brothers, and Sons offers readers. Despite the emotive nature of these topics, Fathers, Brothers, and Sons is a funny, entertaining read. A man with a keen sense of humor and the perspective to know how surreal his story has been, Frank doesn’t preach or seek sympathy in his book. Instead, he simply passes on the wisdom gained from a lifetime of turbulence, paying tribute to his loved ones in a way that will resonate with us all.

And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little

• Platform: Apple Books
• Author: Paul Zindel
• Price: $6.99
• User Rating: 0.0 (0 Reviews)
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Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Zindel's brilliant Broadway success. This biting, touching and often wildly funny play probes deeply into the tortured relationship of three sisters whose lives have reached a point of crisis. "In Paul Zindel we seem to have that rarity—a playwright who can write intelligent, sensitive, entertaining plays for a wide public." —Newsweek. "It is funny and fierce and, well, absolutely extraordinary." —Boston Globe. "…he has created three parts that most actresses would trade their souls to play." —Hollywood Reporter.



The Story: Their father having deserted them in their childhood, the three Reardon sisters have grown up in a house of women, dominated by their mother, who is only recently dead. But time has erased the tender closeness of girlhood; one sister has married and cut herself off; another has begun to drink more than she should; and the third, after a scandalous incident at the school where she teaches, is on the brink of madness. When the married sister comes to dinner to press the need for committing her sibling to an institution, the simmering resentments of many years burst alive and are exacerbated by the intrusion of a well-meaning but boorish neighbor couple, whose unexpected arrival impels the action towards its shattering conclusion—in which all the pathos, humor and searing honesty of the play combine with overwhelming effect.