Historical Humor

"Michaels truly shines in this gem of a historical romance rich in witty dialogue and intriguing political maneuverings.” -- Review by Patty Engelmann American Library Association Perry Shepherd, Earl of Brentwood, presents himself to Society as a bit of a fribble; carefree, fairly indolent, and bored to flinders by anything remotely political. But appearances can deceive, because scratch that polished surface and the real Perry appears, an invaluable and rather ruthless covert asset to England during the late war with Bonaparte. Perry ignores the reappearance of Princess Caroline, ...

When London journalist Eleanor-Rigby Donovan receives an anonymous letter alluding to a crime committed by her deceased mother, her life is turned upside down. It points her to a bar on the Baltimore Harbor, where she finds a stranger who has received the same mysterious letter about his own mother. Together, Eleanor-Rigby and this young man, George-Harrison Collins, embark on a quest through the shadowy past of the Stanfields, a moneyed Maryland family full of unimaginable secrets.

If only Flashman had got on with his dinner and ignored the handkerchief dropped by a flirtatious hussy in a Calcutta hotel... well, American history might have been different, a disastrous civil war might have been avoided, and Flash Harry himself would have been spared one of the most hair-raising adventures of his misspent life. If only... but alas, the arch-rotter of the Victorian age could never resist the lure of a pretty foot.

From the publisher of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies comes a new tale of romance, heartbreak, and tentacled mayhem. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters expands the original text of the beloved Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities.

It's the summer of 1989. Jack McGuinn is a dockporter, transporting tourists' luggage piled high in the basket of his bike on Mackinac Island, Michigan. It's a summer resort where cars are outlawed and pedal power rules. He's got the season wired tight: a family cottage on the bluff, a dream job, and a loyal crew of hell-raising, tip-hustling buddies. When his old friend turned rival challenges him to ride a record-setting load of luggage, he takes the bet. Soon, he realizes he's not just carrying suitcases; he's carrying the island's future, which is about to be paved over for profit.

Mrs Tim goes to the Highlands of Scotland and is involved in a plot to rescue a naval officer from the toils of a siren; but, alas, the best laid plans "gang aft agley". The characters are skilfully drawn, from the fierce Mrs London, with her heart of gold, to the garrulous Mrs Falconer, whose muddled stories of her girlhood make excruciatingly funny reading.

A forged heirloom. A ruined reputation. And a spoonful of secrets. In a town where legacy is everything, forgery is personal. Magda Lane authenticated the silver. Ivy put it on display. One quiet swap and now the café is unraveling and Magda’s name is going down with it. The lock wasn’t picked. The display wasn’t touched. But the spoons? Fakes. Magda doesn’t do scandal. She does antiques and quiet afternoons. But now everyone’s looking at her like she got it wrong. A slick auctioneer with a legacy to reclaim. A locksmith willing to turn a blind eye. And Janice Bell, gracious, ...

👾🎩❤️ Mrs. Bennet and the other marriage-minded mamas have their sights on snagging the perfect match for their daughters. But their schemes are soon upstaged as strange happenings and close encounters throw Meryton into a tizzy. Strange lights, thunder in cloudless skies, cattle mutilations and more... when bizarre silver objects appear in the sky, rumors swirl about a secret French invasion. When Mr. Darcy takes charge, Elizabeth isn't sure he can be trusted to safeguard the community. But even the militia are following his lead. Will this unearthly crisis bring Lizzy and Darcy ...

When Hubert Larnaudie invites some fellow residents of his Parisian apartment building to drink an exceptional bottle of 1954 Beaujolais, he has no idea of its special properties. The following morning, Hubert finds himself waking up in 1950s Paris, as do antique restorer Magalie, mixologist Julien, and Airbnb tenant Bob from Milwaukee, who's on his first trip to Europe. After their initial shock, the city of Edith Piaf and An American in Paris begins to work its charm on them.

Finally available as an audiobook, Joyce Carol Oates' lost classic: a satirical, often surreal, and beautifully plotted Gothic romance that follows the exploits of the audacious Zinn sisters, whose 19th-century pursuit of adventurous lives turns a lens on contemporary American culture.

In this humorous re-imagining of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet's pet cat causes an unfortunate accident to befall the haughty Mr. Darcy, forcing the injured gentleman to reluctantly take up residence at Longbourn - more specifically, in the parlor of Longbourn! In pain, forbidden to leave by his doctors, Mr. Darcy cannot escape the ridiculous antics of the Bennet clan. And when Georgiana Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh arrive to visit the invalid, chaos, confusion, and hilarity ensue!

Karen Cushman's Newbery Honor-winning book tells the story of a medieval girl who works to avoid the marriage her father has arranged for her during her 14th year. Contained in this program is Catherine's diary - Catherine, called Little Bird or Birdy, daughter of Rollo and the lady Aislinn, sister to Thomas, Edward, and the abominable Robert. Against a vivid backdrop of everyday life on a medieval English manor, Catherine's earthy, spirited account of her fourteenth year is a richly entertaining story with an utterly unforgettable heroine.

Faye Bright always felt a little bit different. And today she’s found out why. She’s just stumbled across her late mother’s diary which includes not only a spiffing recipe for jam roly-poly, but spells, incantations, runes and recitations...a witch's notebook. And Faye has inherited her mother’s abilities. Just in time, too. The Crow Folk are coming. Led by the charismatic Pumpkinhead, their strange magic threatens Faye and the villagers.

A Small Town, Absurdist, Dark Humor from the Twisted Mind of Count Fathom. A dying man delivers, with his last breath, a message to a tavern full of drunks, in a storm. Struck by lightning, this modern prophet says he speaks with the stars and beyond. His message he sets in the hearts of the new apostles. They, in turn, spread the message to build a brand around the Martyr, bringing unity, hope, and financial prosperity to the town, and to themselves most of all. The drunks spill their cups in a mad dash down fortune’s path, as greed leads the town astray. Cursed with the common self-...

Harry Flashman: the unrepentant bully of Tom Brown's schooldays, now with a Victoria Cross, has three main talents - horsemanship, facility with foreign languages, and fornication. A reluctant military hero, Flashman plays a key part in most of the defining military campaigns of the 19th century despite trying his utmost to escape them all.

Everyone’s heard of Nostradamus. No one’s heard of Philibert Montmorency. One was a legend. The other, not so much.... A newly discovered Nostradamus prophecy has taken the internet by storm thanks to "The Oblivion Doctrine", a group of online conspiracy theorists. Apparently the end is nigh. And in case anyone’s interested, nigh is definitely a Tuesday. Doctor Ally Oldfield, professor of Medieval Languages, is summoned to Lyon for a second opinion. She’s not happy about it. But then again she’s rarely happy about anything.

Inspired by classic Film Noir and vintage TV works of Alfred Hitchcock, enjoy this eccentric collection of ordinary folks in bungling attempts at investigation or intrigue, often ending with a bit of comeuppance too. Forget: 'Who done it.' This is more like: 'They had it coming.' BTW: As always, resemblance of these characters to ANY colleagues (past or present) or colleagues of family or friends is PURELY coincidental! Why is everything about you? Stories include: THIS SHADY BUSINESS: Early 1950s, a nosy neighbor and complaints to skeptical cops lead to shady plots. CARETAKER'S GARDEN: ...

Dermot McEvoy sweeps his listeners into the midst of one of the most heated political races in New York City history, where an unlikely player decides to make her presence known. First it hits the papers that the Virgin Mary has appeared to Jackie Swift, an affable G.O.P. congressman with a couple of nasty habits. She then appears in a dream to Wolfe Tone O'Rourke, a liberal political consultant who is still haunted by the ghost of Bobby Kennedy, whose death he feels responsible for.

While transporting a woman to an insane asylum, Deputy Kopp discovers something deeply troubling about her story. Before she can investigate, another inmate bound for the asylum breaks free and tries to escape. In both cases, Constance runs instinctively toward justice. But the fall of 1916 is a high-stakes election year, and any move she makes could jeopardize Sheriff Heath's future - and her own. Although Constance is not on the ballot, her controversial career makes her the target of political attacks.

In this slyly funny and lavishly inventive novel, Nobel Prize winner V. S. Naipaul traces the unlikely career of Ganesh Ramsumair, a failed schoolteacher and impecunious village masseur who in time becomes a revered mystic, a thriving entrepreneur, and the most beloved politician in Trinidad. Witty, tender, filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of Trinidad's dusty Indian villages, The Mystic Masseur is Naipaul at his most expansive and evocative.