I love comedy, and especially in these tense, often depressing times, I appreciate a comedian who can make me laugh without constant F-bombs, lewd sexual humor, or borderline-racist jokes. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy the occasional dick-and-fart joke as much as the next guy, not to mention the raunchy acts of any number of comedians, from Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor all the way through Dave Chappelle and Sarah Silverman. But there’s something heartening about well-timed, relevant, observational humor that doesn’t rely on shock value.

While comedic material, whether from stage or screen, often fails to translate to the page—recent notable exceptions include books by Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, Patton Oswalt, Judd Apatow, and the editors at The Onion—there are two releases by comedians that deliver enough humor to keep the pages turning but also offer genuine insight along the way.

Mike Birbiglia’s upcoming book, The New One: Painfully True Stories From a Reluctant Dad (Grand Central Publishing, June 16), is a worthy sophomore effort. (Kirkus was not a fan of his debut, Sleepwalk With Me.) This time around, in “self-deprecating reflections on the peaks and valleys of modern fatherhood,” the author is on-point. As the father of an almost5-year-old, I very much relished the countless moments in Birbiglia’s book that brought up fond—and not-so-fond—memories of raising an infant. The author capably captures all of the joy and frustration of the seemingly endless days and nights of new parenthood, and Birbiglia’s wife, J. Hope Stein, intersperses “evocative” poetry that dovetails nicely with the main text.

“Never clinical or overly extreme,” writes our critic in a starred review, “Birbiglia’s lighthearted, refreshingly droll approach to starting a family will appeal most to readers who can identify with both his reluctance to couple up and his acceptance and embracement of parenting. There are also shared moments of introspection and maturity, not to mention useful wisdom.” Whether he’s lamenting the travel that his work requires or opining on the lack of acceptable role models for children—“the men we used to think were great were priests, politicians, and gymnastics doctors. It hasn’t ended well for great”—Birbiglia delivers a “hilarious, relatable, cringeworthy, and effortlessly entertaining” narrative.

There’s little cringeworthy material in the latest book from comedian Tom Papa, You’re Doing Great…and Other Reasons To Stay Alive (St. Martin’s, May 12), but there is plenty of wholesome entertainment from the stand-up comic and NPR contributor. (Like Birbiglia’s, Papa’s first book did not thrill Kirkus.) Much of the narrative will be familiar to listeners of the author’s charming “Out in America” segment on NPR, in which, just as in this book, he “muses on life, love, and simple pleasures.” That word, “muses,” is a useful descriptor here, as there is little revolutionary or groundbreaking in Papa’s observations; he just tells it like it is—and no, not like Donald Trump—in a manner that is altogether pleasant and almost entirely PG–rated.

Throughout, the author refreshingly displays little anger or annoyance, remaining generally positive, encouraging, and, most importantly, open to the wonderful, diverse possibilities that life in America has to offer. In this “collection of funny, warmhearted essays whose overarching messages are, ‘we should be grateful for what we have’ and ‘shouldn’t take life all that seriously,’ ” Papa proves a fun, “genial guide” to life in these times. It’s the perfect bathroom book, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Eric Liebetrau is the nonfiction and managing editor.