Publisher: Next Chapter
Some people take fishing too seriously. Retired Admiral Bobby Burns did, and it cost him his life. There is no shortage of suspects. His wife, Pattie Grace, is also accused of the murder. Niki Dupre, the most famous private investigator in Louisiana, doesn't believe her former Sunday School teacher could kill her husband. Soon, the case turns from fishy to dangerous. But who killed the admiral?
Two music obsessives embark on a hilarious quest to track down Buttery Cake Ass’ Live In Hungaria, an album as legendary as it is obscure. Their pursuit of one of the greatest bands ever unknown takes them down many a bizarre path teeming with grand ideas and grander egos in this ode to record shopping and what it’s like to be in your first band. Packed with puns, allusions, and references across a wide range of culture, both popular and not, Stone offers up a big slice of the fun and frustration of playing rock n roll. ONE OF VULTURE’S BEST COMEDY BOOKS OF 2023“like being taken on a rock n roll road trip by Holden Caulfield with a head injury in the best of ways.” – Dave Hill, comedian, rocker, awesome dude “humour of the absurdist school pitched somewhere between Monty Python and Spinal Tap” – Louder Than War“What really propels the story forward, is Stone’s narrative voice — comic and wistful, shot through with a lackadaisical intelligence, and injected with a heavy dose of the countercultural tone that created both Thomas Pynchon and indie-rock music journalism.” – Brian Slattery, New Haven Independent “reads as if Douglas Adams wrote it if he was raised in a record shop by Monty Python and Kurt Vonnegut” – Lance Marwood, V13.netShow book
Five more minutes. That was all the woman standing outside his floundering business, Todd Jones Realty, wanted. Just five minutes. What could go wrong? Surprisingly, everything. And that’s what Todd Jones is about to learn when he allows the enigmatic Caterina Kadlec to enter his office. He’s hoping that her wealthy client, and the big fat commission he’ll earn, will be the answer to his prayers. Unfortunately, Caterina has other plans and those plans include grand larceny. As for the murder, well, sometimes things don’t go as planned, do they? Nope, they sure don’t. And that’s what Todd is also about to learn and learn the hard way. No matter, Todd always has plans of his own and has no qualms about implementing them. Because when it comes to ethics and morality, it’s all a gray area as far as Todd is concerned. To complicate matters, his girlfriend has left him. Again. And his live-in mother, who already insists on keeping an annoying pet pig named Mr. Squeals, has invited a homeless Russian woman to take up residence, thus kicking him out of his home office. If it wasn’t for downhill, it seems Todd’s life would have nowhere to go. And he’s going to have to do something about that…Show book
"The Dead" is a classic holiday tale as we follow Gabriel and his wife to a late night Christmas party full of colorful characters, good cheer, and the constant ache of existential dread.Show book
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language. Growing up in Koscuisko County, Indiana poverty and religion were defining features of his childhood, and he would later describe his parents as “unwashed savages” and fanatically religious, showing him little affection but always quick to punish. He came to resent religion, and his introduction to literature appears to be their only positive effect. At age 15 Bierce left home to become a printer’s devil, mixing ink and fetching type at The Northern Indian, a small Ohio paper. Falsely accused of theft he returned to his farm and spent time sending out work in the hopes of being published. His Uncle Lucius advised he be sent to the Kentucky Military Institute. A year later he was commissioned as an Officer. As the Civil War started Bierce enlisted in the 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment. In April 1862 Bierce fought at the Battle of Shiloh, an experience which, though terrifying, became the source of several short stories. Two years later he sustained a serious head wound and was off duty for several months. He was discharged in early 1865. A later expedition to inspect military outposts across the Great Plains took him all the way to San Francisco. He remained there to become involved with publishing and editing and to marry, Mary Ellen on Christmas Day 1871. They had a child, Day, the following year. In 1872 the family moved to England for 3 years where he wrote for Fun magazine. His son, Leigh, was born, and first book, ‘The Fiend’s Delight’, was published. They returned to San Francisco and to work for a number of papers where he gained admiration for his crime reporting. In 1887 he began a column at the William Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner. Bierce’s marriage fell apart when he discovered compromising letters to his wife from a secret admirer. The following year, 1889 his son Day committed suicide, depressed by romantic rejection. In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’. Success and further works including poetry followed. Bierce with Hearst’s resources helped uncover a financial plot by a railroad to turn 130 million dollars of loans into a handout. Confronted by the railroad and asked to name his price Bierce answered “my price is $130 million dollars. If, when you are ready to pay, I happen to be out of town, you may hand it over to my friend, the Treasurer of the United States”. He now began his first foray as a fabulist, publishing ‘Fantastic Fables’ in 1899. But tragedy again struck two years later when his second son Leigh died of pneumonia relating to his alcoholism. He continued to write short stories and poetry and also published ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’. At the age of 71, in 1913 Bierce departed from Washington, D.C., for a tour of the battlefields where he had fought during the civil war. At the city of Chihuahua he wrote his last known communication, a letter to a friend. It’s closing words were “as to me, I leave here tomorrow for an unknown destination,” Ambrose Bierce then vanished without trace.Show book
On an alien moon a showdown is unfolding between a giant space slug that's heading towards a planet to destroy it, and a military group readying to defend their home world. A small fluffy dog runs through the night intent on regaining its previous life, and a pizza delivery man leaves his shift hoping to attend a university party. All of these events connect as sinister forces maneuver themselves in the background waiting to strike. You should buy this audiobook. It's narrated by a real person. He's very good. It's a comedy. However, to help you in your retail purchasing decisions, might I offer you these possibilities: 1) You love it. Thus, you have a wonderful day, and this audiobook was well worth the purchase. 2) You hate it. Then you gift it to your frenemy, and it was once more worth the cost, as you finally one-up your nemesis. 3) You neither love it nor hate it, so you print the cover, encase it in resin and convert it into a coffee table as a discussion piece about the meaning of knowledge and the impermanence of the digital age, and again the audiobook has earned its keep. 4) Should you be lacking a printer, and you find that it falls under option 3 above, might I suggest that you use it to level out that wonky table in your memory palace instead. Why is that table in your memory palace wonky? I don't know, it's your memory palace. You should probably do something about that, and this audiobook can help. I wish you well on your future purchase. As one final incentive, here is a message for you from your future self that was sent back in time. "Wow, I'm sure glad I purchased that audiobook. Maybe I should buy three more and give them out as inspiration/warnings for future authors!" please remove words as appropriate - your future self. And if that doesn't prove time travel, I don't know what will. Also, if you buy several copies you are winning at the game of life. Good for you!Show book
What happens when a seductive e-mail goes to the wrong recipient—your boss? If Jess Tandon were any hotter, he’d be a fire hazard! The oh-so-sexy president of TLC Advertising is more than just delicious eye-candy. He’s caught the eyes and heart of his normally play-it-safe executive assistant, Alexa Worthington. Too bad the only sex Alexa is having is safe text. She’s only just gotten over tragic heartbreak in her life, but she now wants to move on. She takes a romance writing class for therapy and creates a sizzling fantasy love scene starring her boss, Jess, and herself. When she e-mails it to a friend to critique, it ends up going to the wrong recipient—to Jess himself. Is this a disaster waiting to happen—or the beginning of something too hot to handle?Show book
