The perfect April Fools’ Day pranks are all a little ingenious, a little cruel and a bit too revealing. These books capture the same spirit of mischief with collections that straddle the line between memoir and late-night sketch, veracity and embellished storytelling. Whether you’re abstaining or just looking for a more passive brand of humor, these titles offer the same feeling of satisfaction that comes with outsmarting those closest to you. No scheming required.

BOSSYPANTS, by Tina Fey. The hashtag #girlboss could have been created for Tina Fey. Before her book’s release she employed some 200 people on her hit show “30 Rock” and perfected the art of political parody with her portrayal of Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live.” She feeds her memoir with those tales, as well as scenes from motherhood and other episodes from life off the sound stage. But to call the book just a memoir would be misleading. “It’s a spiky blend of humor, introspection, critical thinking and Nora Ephron-isms for a new generation,” Janet Maslin wrote in her review.

IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling. Before Kaling had her own sitcom, “The Mindy Project,” she had another Mindy project: this book. Her collection of essays relies on a trusted format — rehashing the antics of a comically absurd life in New York — but Kaling embues it with confidence and endears fans by inserting herself into a Venn diagram of frivolity with Kelly Kapoor, her breakout character from “The Office.”

HOLIDAYS ON ICE, by David Sedaris. Sedaris is one of the most popular figures in American humor writing. “Holidays on Ice,” written largely before his Ira Glass-adjacent fame, pokes fun at holiday-season consumerism and oneupmanship. The best of this satirical collection is “SantaLand Diaries,” a meditation on his time as an elf for hire, which our reviewer, Alexandra Jacobs, called “at once hilarious and profoundly depressing.”