Publisher: Bauer Books
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is a wild yarn involving a case of mistaken identity, a gambler who’d bet on anything, and a very unusual frog named Daniel Webster.
A collection of amusing essays satirizing serious consideration of topics including natural history, social etiquette, or indeed, civilized behavior (especially of the upper classes). (Summary by Arnold Banner)Show book
From the award-winning author of God’s Ear: A “wildly funny, achingly spiritual, profoundly Jewish and feminist” satire of religion and gender politics (The New York Times Book Review). Call Me Ishtar is the outrageous manifesto of a goddess determined to right the wrongs of the three-thousand-year-old patriarchy. She is Ishtar: Mother Goddess, Queen of Heaven, Angel of Death, and Whore of Babylon, and, returning to earth in this most recent incarnation, suburban housewife and sexual subversive. Gallivanting through upstate New York, Ishtar breaks into a Hostess factory to taint its products, catapults a rock band to stardom via satanic rituals, and rises from the coffin at her own funeral—all to overthrow the worship of phallic gods and resume her former glory in this “bouncy, tongue-in-cheek mythmash of The White Goddess and The Feminine Mystique” (Kirkus Reviews). “[Lerman’s] is a unique voice—wildly funny, achingly spiritual, profoundly Jewish and feminist at the same time.” —The New York Times Book ReviewShow book
From his humble beginnings as a circus clown, to his career as a star of the monster hit Jackass, comedian, author, and all-around lunatic, Steve-O has done it all and then some. Loaded with more of the outrageous stunts you've come to love him for, this is more than just a hilarious comedy special — in Guilty as Charged, Steve-O holds nothing back!Show book
In this wry, resonant and darkly funny memoir, journalist Grace Timothy explores a question most women will face at some point: if becoming a mother means the person you were before has gone; who exactly is left in its place? Best described as The Wrong Knickers for mums, in Mum Face Grace explores motherhood as an issue of identity. What begins as shock and then denial of how your life will change has to become acceptance when you’re too big to walk/waddle/work; you’re fully repurposed now; you’re a mum, in everything you do, and everyone knows it. From the physical and emotional changes you encounter to the way your agenda and daily life is altered, your identity is constantly up for redefinition. As the friends and colleagues who shape and support your sense of self slip away, work dwindles as every hour becomes a moment you should be with your child, and your confidence is knocked by the constant feedback from everyone, you try and fit in everywhere – old life, new life – and don’t fit anywhere. It’s the identity crisis that no woman is immune to, belying the credo that being a mother is the most natural thing a girl could do. Grace has experienced mum rage, mom jeans, mum-tum, mum-hair and had to put on her mum face to cope with it all. These are the truths of motherhood too uncomfortable to flow forth at your NCT meet-ups. From bad sex, messed-up friendships and irretrievable labia to questioning everything and everyone around you. The hilarious book follows Grace’s journey from a young married woman at the top of her editorial game in London, to a thirty-something mum, confused as to how she can love someone as much as her daughter and yet feel lost as a person. Compulsively readable, irresistibly written and incredibly well-observed, Grace Timothy’s searingly-honest account of motherhood is essential reading for every mum trying to find their way after the mother of all identity crises. In Mum Face, Grace Timothy presents an unfiltered view of motherhood, exploring the impact on personal health, the evolution of relationships, and the challenges of breastfeeding. Her autobiography is a humorous, heartfelt testament to the trials, triumphs, and transformations of becoming a parent.Show book
A man shares a house with his autistic son and cranky elderly father in this “moving, darkly funny novel” (The Washington Post). Ben Jewell has hit a breaking point. His profoundly autistic ten-year-old son, Jonah, has never spoken, and Ben and his wife Emma are struggling to cope. When Ben and Emma fake a separation—a strategic yet ill-advised decision to further Jonah’s case in an upcoming tribunal to determine the future of his education—father and son are forced to move in with Georg, Ben’s elderly and cantankerous father. In a small house in north London, three generations of men—one who can’t talk; two who won’t—are thrown together. As Ben confronts single fatherhood, he must battle a string of well-meaning social workers and his own demons to advocate for his son, learning some harsh lessons about accountability from his father along the way. As the tribunal draws near, Jonah, blissful in his innocence, becomes the prism through which all the complicated strands of personal identity, family history, and misunderstanding are untangled, in this “funny yet heartbreaking” prize-winning debut (The Independent). “Whether you think Shtum is a novel about autism or about marriage (it’s both, by the way), you will agree that it is, in the end, a love story infused with wit, charm, and a deep appreciation for the complex beauty of damaged souls.” —Jonathan Tropper, New York Times-bestselling author of This is Where I Leave You “This is the literary territory of Tony Parsons and Nick Hornby, infused with the Jewish humor of Howard Jacobson and Shalom Auslander . . . an exhilarating roller coaster ride between pathos, comedy and anger.” —The Guardian “A remarkable book, at once hilarious, horrifying, and heartbreaking, written with the glum humor only Brits can carry off.” —The Toronto StarShow book
Yes, world domination and eternal adoration can be yours!"The way to make a million dollars is to start a religion."Attributed to L. Ron Hubbard, founder of ScientologyWouldn't you like to control countless worshippers with a single word? To call forth bountiful offerings of gold and silver? Wouldn't you love to make your acolytes bow in awe of your greatness?Starting a new religion can be fun and profitable. You'll laugh along with Philip Athans (founder, leader, and sole member of the Church of Phil), as he shows you how to:Gather the flock and keep 'em coming back for moreOrganize mysterious and complex ritualsInterrogate (or just ridicule) the hell out of nonbelieversRecruit celebrity spokespeople, from Tom Cruise to Uma Thurman If you've ever felt the need to sacrifice on an altar beneath a blood-red moon, or just make Friday a holy day (three-day weekend, anyone?), this is the only sacred creed you need.Live long and prosper.Show book
