Publisher: Sheba Blake Publishing
Early in his literary career, English writer Leonard Merrick gained a reputation as a serious writer who tackled tough social issues with unflinching realism. But in his later period, Merrick's style lightened considerably. In this collection of charming comedic short stories, Merrick's witty insight shines through.
Short fiction about people on the edge that “masterfully balances the absurd, the horrific, and the humorous” (Booklist). The characters in Inappropriate Behavior teeter on the brink of sanity, while those around them reach out in support, watch helplessly, or duck for cover. In their loneliness, they cast about for a way to connect, to be understood, though more often than not, things go horribly wrong. Some of the characters come from the darkest recesses of American history. In ‘Lubbock Is Not a Place of the Spirit,’ a Texas Tech student recognizable as John Hinckley, Jr. writes hundreds of songs for Jodie Foster as he grows increasingly estranged from reality. Other characters are recognizable only in the sense that their situations strike an emotional chord. The young couple in ‘The Thing About Norfolk,’ socially isolated after a cross-country move, are dismayed to find themselves unable to resist sexually deviant urges. And in the deeply touching title story, a couple stretched to their limit after the husband’s layoff struggle to care for their emotionally unbalanced young son. Set in cities across America and spanning the last half-century, this collection draws a bead on our national identity, distilling our obsessions, our hauntings, our universal predicament. “Gripping and accomplished . . . These stories will be compared with works by Barry Hannah and Denis Johnson.” —Janet Peery, National Book Award finalist and author of The Exact Nature of Our WrongsShow book
Clinton Kelly is probably best known for teaching women how to make their butts look smaller. But in I Hate Everyone, Except You, he reveals some heretofore-unknown secrets about himself, like that he's a finicky connoisseur of 1980s pornography, a disillusioned critic of New Jersey's premier water parks, and perhaps the world's least enthused high-school commencement speaker.Whether he's throwing his baby sister in the air to jumpstart her cheerleading career or heroically rescuing his best friend from death by mud bath, Clinton leaps life's social hurdles with aplomb. With his signature wit, he shares his unique ability to navigate the stickiest of situations, like deciding whether it's acceptable to eat chicken wings with a fork on live television (spoiler: it's not). Clinton delves into all these topics-and many more-in this thoroughly unabashedly frank and uproarious collection.Show book
A descriptive novel explaining the merits of the english languageShow book
For parents who have been knocked to the floor by bad news and plastered to the ceiling by unwelcome surprises . . . here's a book to prop you up, scrape you down, and (believe it or not) help you laugh again.Bad news is bad enough. .But bad news about your children carries a triple whammy of pain, worry, and "where did we go wrong!" An accident, an illness, an unwholesome lifestyle, a devastating decision?the truth about these awful events can turn your life upside down, isolate you from family and friends, drain you of hope, and overpower you with stress.If that's your experience right now, this book can be a lifesaver. Crammed with practical guidance and sanity-saving laughter, it's a gift of hope to you from "the queen of encouragement," Barbara Johnson and other men and women who are "out there on the dance floor of life, doing the lost-parent shuffle." Drawing on her personal experience, her years of ministering to parents in pain, and the letters she has received from hundreds of hurting (and healing) parents, Barbara Johnson shares:what you can expect in the days ahead?and how to copewhat to do with your shock, pain, and guilthow to find grace for your ongoing stresshow to love your kids without trying to "fix 'em"how to find comfort and encouragement in scripture, friendship, and the knowledge that you're not alonehow to locate a support group?or start one of your ownhow to pull together with your spouse?instead of letting your pain pull you apartShe salts each chapter with wry observations, uplifting letters, sunny day-lifters, cartoons and just plain-funny one-liners?to life your spirits and bring you comfort. Whether you're stuck on the ceiling, groping through the tunnel, smoldering in the fire, or down for the count, this book can keep you moving and even keep you laughing through your tears as you travel the rocky path from "Why me, Lord?" to "Thank you, Lord."Show book
“In this acidly funny novel” of life in Soviet Russia, “a cruel comic romp ends as a surprisingly winning story of hardship and resilience” (The New Yorker). A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A German Book Award Finalist A Huffington Post and Wall Street Journal Favorite Read of the Year When Rosa Achmetowna discovers that her seventeen-year-old daughter, Sulfia, is pregnant, she tries every bizarre home remedy there is to thwart the pregnancy. But despite her best efforts, the baby girl Aminat is born—and immediately wins Rosa’s heart. The dark-eyed Aminat is a Tartar through and through, just like Rosa, and the devious grandmother wastes no time in plotting to steal her away from the woefully inept Sulfia. When Aminat, now a wild and willful teenager, catches the eye of a sleazy German cookbook writer researching Tartar cuisine, Rosa is quick to broker a deal that will guarantee all three women a passage out of the Soviet Union. But as soon as they are settled in the West, the dysfunctional ties that bind mother, daughter, and grandmother begin to fray.Show book
Do you find it difficult to stop smoking habit? Well, this audiobook suggests some funny ideas for you to read and laugh. Laugh and enjoy.Show book
