Richard Ayoade picks his favourite books
The comedian enjoys works by George Saunders, Wallace Shawn and P.G. Wodehouse

Writer and comedian Richard Ayoade picks his favourite books.
The Code of the Woosters
P.G. Wodehouse, 1938
Although, it could be nearly any one of a dozen of his works. Unlike, say, Dorothy Parker, Wodehouse is not a one-liner type. It's an overall spirit of ridiculousness that becomes addictively optimistic – or "bracing", as he might say.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Available on The Week Bookshop
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger, 1951
This is the first book I remember really loving. It felt like meeting two friends at once – the author, and Holden Caulfield. I loved them both. I even got a baseball mitt (not easy to source in Ipswich) and wrote poetry on it – "The Fly" by Blake, since you ask – which further endeared me to all. I tried to find a red hunting hat like Holden. Instead, I bought a farcically small army hat with a red section on the skull – presumably for target practice? In my case, for attracting the phlegm of Suffolk-based well-wishers.
Available on The Week Bookshop
Tenth of December
George Saunders, 2013
I think he is the best writer in the world. Like Kurt Vonnegut mixed with David Foster Wallace and Mark Twain, with the soul of the Russian masters.
Available on The Week Bookshop
Plays 1
Wallace Shawn, 1997
I love all of Wally's writing. His essays are great, but his plays are so well written that you could kid yourself into thinking that they were effortless. How does he manage to make everything sound so natural, so poetic – so unexpected?
Available on The Week Bookshop
Middlemarch
George Eliot, 1871
Lydia, my wonderful and vastly more literate wife, convinced me to read this after years of gentle persuasion. Like many books that feel scary because of their reputation/ size, it is a pleasure – sentences so packed that you cannot believe that they were constructed by a person. Funny, philosophical and compassionate – she seems to see all.
Available on The Week Bookshop
Ayoade will talk about his "The Fairy Tale Fan Club" and "The Unfinished Harauld Hughes" at Cheltenham Literature Festival (5 Oct); cheltenhamfestivals.org
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
July 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include new TSA rules, FEMA cuts, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy complimenting Donald Trump's new wardrobe
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Oasis reunited: definitely maybe a triumph
Talking Point The reunion of a band with 'the power of Led Zeppelin' and 'the swagger of the Rolling Stones'
-
6 helpful (and way cute) phone accessories
The Week Recommends Answer the call of style
-
Kiefer / Van Gogh: a 'remarkable double act'
The Week Recommends Visit this 'heroic' and 'absurd' exhibition at the Royal Academy until 26 October
-
Mark Billingham shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The novelist and actor shares works by Mark Lewisohn, John Connolly and Gillian Flynn
-
Properties of the week: grand rural residences
The Week Recommends Featuring homes in Wiltshire, Devon, and East Sussex
-
Heads of State: 'a perfect summer movie'
The Week Recommends John Cena and Idris Elba have odd-couple chemistry as the US president and British prime minister
-
The Red Brigades: a 'fascinating insight' into the 'most feared' extremist group of 1970s Italy
The Week Recommends A 'grimly absorbing' history of the group and their attempts to overthrow the Italian state