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  A Modest Proposal and Other...

  Jonathan Swift

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  Easing poverty in Ireland by eating the children of the poor was the satirical "solution" suggested by Jonathan Swift in his essay "A Modest Proposal" (1729). Here Swift unleashes the full power of his ironic armory and corrosive wit, striking his targets--the ruling class and avaricious landlords--with deadly precision.  
  This masterly essay is accompanied by a generous selection of prose works, among them humorous pamphlets critiquing British rule in his native Ireland, articles and correspondence, a loving eulogy to his beloved "Stella," the daughter of a house servant whom he mentored, and pieces on such diverse subjects as the nature of broomsticks, the joys of punning, and comical rules for servants.

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  Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii

  Mark Twain

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  Embark on a literary journey with 'Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii,' a fascinating collection of writings that reveal a lesser-known side of the iconic author. In this audiobook, you'll discover Twain's firsthand accounts and observations as he explores the enchanting landscapes and cultures of Hawaii during his travels. Through his witty and insightful letters, Twain provides a unique perspective on the Hawaiian islands, blending humor, adventure, and keen observations. This audiobook is a delightful voyage into the mind of a literary giant, offering a captivating glimpse into his adventures and the timeless allure of Hawaii.

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  Useless Miracle

  Barry Schechter

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  George Entmen just turned forty, and he can't complain. As the James Lydecker Chair of Hermeneutics in the English department at Northwestern, he is honored in his field, beloved by friends and family, and ready to drift quietly into tenured middle age. But then he discovers he can fly.
  
  Sure, he can only fly very, very slowly—he needs to have his hands thrust out in front of him like Superman—and he only flies three or four inches above the ground. In fact, as he has to be prone to do it, he is, in flight, further from the sky than ever.
  
  But why does this nonetheless amazing phenomenon drive so many people into a rage? Why do he and his family find themselves dodging livid magicians, exploitative friends, scheming billionairesses, thirteen-year-old boys who are sure they saw the wire, and, perhaps worst of all, angry hermeneuticians?
  
  George's friend Harvey tells him that, beneath all the chaos, his gift has to have a meaning. But to find it, Harvey says, George needs to understand one thing: "You're not flying, you're being flown."

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  Learning to Drive

  William Norwich

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  A member of New York City’s glitterati careens down memory lane in this debut novel by the gossip columnist and Vogue editor-at-large.   In 1980s New York City, Julian Orr has made himself into the ultimate insider—a journalist at a glossy fashion and gossip magazine and resident expert on contemporary urban living. But now, at the advanced age of thirty-seven, he’s about to embark on a totally new venture: learning to drive. His ultimate goal is to drive himself out of the city to visit his parents' graves and the small Connecticut town where he grew up.   But confronting his difficult childhood will be a breeze compared to the trials he faces at the hand of his not-quite-hinged driving instructor. What begins as an innocent act of personal liberation escalates soon escalates into a fiasco of front page proportions in this funny, poignant and personal debut novel.   The e-book edition published in 2019 includes a new preface by the author.

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  Poor Angus

  Robin Jenkins

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  “A blackly comic romp” of art, ambition, and sexual politics in the Scottish Isles: “a remarkable novel…written with the lightest of touches” (The Sunday Times, UK).   Struggling painter Angus McAllister has returned to the idyllic Hebridean island of his birth in the hope that it will inspire him to create his masterpiece. But soon, his privacy is invaded by Janet, a visitor with relatives on the island, who has decided that an affair with an artist would be the simplest way to incense and recapture her husband, a golf-fanatic devoid of imagination. So begins an irresistible story of comic lightness and serious implications; a tale told with Jenkins’s characteristic ironic wit that explores the attitudes of men and women to sex and relationships, and which focuses on the psychology of the artist and the justification, if any, for art.“Poor Angus is a strange, wonderful love story [and] Jenkins a remarkable writer whose gentlest touch induces the greatest of pleasures.”—The Times, UK

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  The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café

  Alexander McCall Smith

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  In this delightful fifteenth installment, Mma Ramotswe has her hands full both at home and in the office. To add to her current challenges, her devoted partner, Grace Makutsi, has decided to branch out on her own and open The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe. But even “Miss 97 Per Cent” can't quite meet all the demands of running a business—not to mention those that a lightning strike makes on her building. Eventually, she'll have to accept all the help she can get—even if it comes from a completely unexpected source.

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