IT is always weird to be sitting somewhere quiet and then someone reading a book suddenly bursts out in uncontrollable laughter. But such is the power of really, really funny books. Sense of humor being relative and all, some books are clearly funnier than others. Here are a few recommendations, books that, if read while you’re drinking soda, will send softdrinks through your nose:

1. “Twisted” by Jessica Zafra: The first of Zafra’s smart, acerbic essay collections remains the best. Originally published in 1995, it is still sharp after over a decade.

2. “The Best of Pugad Baboy” by Pol Medina Jr.: These small books gathering Medina’s strips about the overweight denizens of Pugad Baboy are particularly effective when read in moving vehicles and waiting rooms.

3. “No Shitting in the Toilet” by Peter Moore: Aussie Moore has been around the world, riding and eating and drinking it up. His tips, recommendations and warnings are universal.

4. “Leading with my Chin” by Jay Leno: If you think Leno is hilarious now, you should read about him growing up. This memoir shows that he found the funny in everything—especially school.

5. “Confessions of a DOM” and pretty much anything by Gary Lising: The manic Lising can’t stop being funny even when doing regular things and his go-to topics (his looks, sex, stupidity) are evergreen.

6. “The More The Manyer”: Wow, we use a lot of bizarre malapropisms, don’t we? “Keep that bear in mind” is a good one and Elbert Or’s drawings are a good pulutan.

7. “Ngalang Pinoy” edited by Nenin Sta. Romana-Cruz: From nicknames to storefronts, this book has all the evidence you need that we find humor in any situation.

8. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris: To borrow the phrase, the Sedarises puts the “fun” in dysfunctional. You won’t believe what David and his mates come up with to keep from being boredom.

9. “Nextwave: Agents of Hate” by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen: This comic book series from Marvel Comics takes superhero tropes and sends them up—in regular Marvel continuity. Oddly enough, Aaron Stack—Machine Man—came out of this run a hot commodity.

10. “Wala Lang” by Bud Tomas: This underrated collection of essays about a guy’s travails through grade school all the way to high school is smart and hits the right spot.

Read about all the funny stuff in the March 8 issue of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine.