Life Satire

When death shows up at a crowded park, pandemonium reigns.

Newlywed Rosie has grown disenchanted with NYC. Inspired by Instagram ads, she starts thirsting for a rural life upstate—one full of beauty and authenticity. She just needs to convince her tech-bro husband, Jordan, of her vision for the future. Willing to do anything for Rosie’s happiness, Jordan signs on, and they offer—well above asking price—on a beautiful, historic fixer-upper in the Hudson Valley. But when Jordan suddenly loses his job, the couple is forced to rent out the property’s dilapidated outbuilding. There’s no heat, it’s overrun with mold, and nothing works.

*BERYL AND FRED IN SPAIN now available, containing this book plus Beryl, Fred and a Dog called Ted at a reduced price.* Beryl and Fred Pedley, doyens of the Spanish travelling scene since the publication of Fred’s poignant memoir of their maiden voyage with their faithful dog Ted, are hitting the road in Vernon the camper van once again. Ted, sadly, is no longer with us, but in his place we meet Cheryl, a remarkably talented cat and the author of this volume. After selling their unwanted cottage on the Isle of Lewis, we follow their journey to the isolated village of Puebla de Don ...

When Mr Alec Quigley, superannuated insurance clerk, leaves the Bedfordshire bungalow of his indomitable niece Angela and makes his way to the Spanish village that he once read about in a history book, things are unlikely to go smoothly. A man with many foibles, not least his tendency to fantasise, his guardian Angela wants him home before he can get into any of the frequent scrapes that have dogged his – and, of late, her – existence. He is, however, intent on carving out a new life for himself in the Spanish interior and soon enlists the help of Fernando the fireman, Jorge the ...

Someone committed a crime in a fantasy kingdom. The suspect is a fearsome dragon. Jimmy Delehanty and Enid O’Malley, hardboiled private detectives and dragon hunters, are on the case. Enid’s the brainy one. Jimmy? Definitely not. Along the way they meet a diverse cast of characters – a narcissistic woodsman, a grouchy leprechaun, a giant with body shame, a tortoise who can’t get over his childhood, a bad-tempered oak tree, and a witch named Francine. The High Heeled Dragon Hunter is a mashup of fantasy, detective story, and a healthy dose of romantic tension between two pulp fiction...

Based on his widely read columns for The New Yorker, Ian Frazier’s uproarious first novel, The Cursing Mommy’s Book of Days, centers on a profoundly memorable character, sprung from an impressively fertile imagination. Structured as a daybook of sorts, with the Cursing Mommy - beleaguered wife of Larry and mother of two boys, twelve and nine - trying (more or less) valiantly to offer tips on how to do various tasks around the home, only to end up on the ground, cursing, surrounded by broken glass.

One minute I'm working in a bookshop and the next minute a vampire decides to kill me. Enter the tall, dark, handsome stranger who’s been hanging around the store lately. He has a deal he says I can’t refuse. I can either a) die or b) become a vampire and Queen of the Wayward. Great choices there, hey? Obviously, I choose option b. So here I am, trying to get used to not only being undead, but to my new royal role where I'm in charge of the Home of Wayward Souls. Yep, any newly dead spirits that are wild, unhappy, and out to cause trouble. All mine.

"[A] dystopian novel too close to today's political world..." –Lea Wait, USA Today Bestselling author 2020 International Book Awards Finalist – Humor 2019 Best Book Awards Finalist - Humor Life on Mars takes a satirical look at evolution vs. Intelligent Design — a sort of feint by anti-evolutionists to get creationism into the classroom by assiduously avoiding the mention of God. Instead, reference is made to a “higher” or “superior” intelligence. The novel’s conceit is this: what if the Intelligent Design folks are right and the evolutionists are wrong? What if a higher ...

VINE VOICE: "A really good mystery." VINE VOICE: "A fun quick read." "Expect the unexpected, expect to laugh out loud, to see returning "bad guys" in this newest series installment." "An author so excellent and true to her brand of crime novels." “Edelheit’s style is once again engaging, fast-paced in The Lush Life." "Great mystery!" After selling their art gallery to someone else, Clay learns his friends, Alicia & Chris Worth are thinking of leaving New Hope, and taking a month's trip to Europe to collect some personal art. Clay is considering buying their big stone house. “A whole ...

Jerry Wonder is the hero of this hilarious coming-of-age novel. A 19-year-old Mormon missionary, Jerry leaves South Dakota to save souls in New Zealand for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Elder Wonder's path is fraught with challenge. He misses his girlfriend, Susan, who tried valiantly to seduce him before he left, but to his regret, he remained strong for both of them. Now, he worries he will lose her in his two-year absence. And he is flawed.

From Roald Dahl, the master of the sting in the tail, a newly collected audiobook of his darkest stories, read by Juliet Stevenson, Cillian Murphy, Adrian Scarborough, Tamsin Greig, Stephanie Beacham and Andrew Scott. 'There is a pleasure sure in being mad, which none but madmen know.' Our greatest fear is of losing control - of our lives, but, most of all, of ourselves. In these 10 unsettling tales of unexpected madness master storyteller Roald Dahl explores what happens when we let go our sanity.

If you fail at Pee-Wee Hockey, you fail at life. Right? Charlie and Kate Miller are involved, supportive parents who have always loved to watch their little athlete play. Until now. When their son Brett makes a competitive U12 ice hockey team, they have no idea how fully it will engulf their lives. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that to the dad-coach and parents around them youth hockey isn’t just for fun—it’s a way of life. While the Millers attempt to keep perspective, they slowly find themselves spending endless hours of idle time at the rink, jockeying for the affections of...

Jacob Grove grew up in a house that looked like it swallowed Versailles, well not quite that big, but it was an impressive estate on the water in Kingspoint, New York. Every year his parents, Peggy and Daniel Grove had a small Halloween party. In 1992 due to unforeseen circumstances, the party was canceled. The circumstances were that a neighbor plowed Daniel over with his Ferrari while he was bent over picking up dog poop. It was the dog's last poop, and as it turned out, it was Daniel's last poop as well.

Turn every corner and you'll easily find someone ready to tell you what to do, but you won't find many willing to tell you what NOT to do. WHY? Because it would show vulnerability and may even be a little embarrassing. That's where F-BOMB YOUR LIFE COMES IN.

A Harvard reunion prompts a Boston Brahmin’s search for meaning in this comedy of manners by the number-one New York Times best-selling author of Point of No Return.

After eight and a half years and 323 pageants, Miranda Miller has become the ultimate stage mother. Her mission in life is to see that her nine-year-old daughter, Bailey, continues to be one of the most successful child pageant contestants in the southern United States. Lately, though, that mission has become increasingly difficult. Bailey wants to retire and has been secretly binge eating to make herself "unpageantable". But Miranda has a plan.

Zach Post is an editor for It magazine with an impressive history: his father is a famous architect, his mother a socialite, and he has attended Colgate, Berkley, and Liverpool University. Or, at least that's what everyone thinks. When obnoxious new editor Mark Larkin is quickly promoted, Zach's secrets are threatened, and his future no longer seems bright. But he knows what to do-Mark Larkin must be eliminated.

Coach Randy is working mightily to keep it together, and not simply with his vaguely unhappy wife, distant child, and a new boss who's eliminating half the sales force. This season's soccer parents are a demanding bunch. Diane's wine-fueled group emails are almost unintelligible; team mom Jacqui's enthusiasm for the league verges on manic; a divorced couple can barely conceal their murderous rage at each other; and another mom is laser-focused on schooling everyone on what constitutes a healthy snack option.

A hilariously funny, touching, and revelatory book from one of America's preeminent humorist. In his plays, his screenplays, and his writing for The New Yorker and Premiere, Paul Rudnick has established himself as a comic master whose talents transcend genre. Now, in I Shudder, he trains his wickedly perceptive eye on everything from his New Jersey family to Hollywood to demented alcoholic Broadway stars waving swords.

This short novel follows the fate of Sissy Jupe, a warm-hearted circus child, and the family that adopts her. Deserted by her ailing father, Sissy is taken into the cold household of the Gradgrind family, which operates a school. The "eminently practical" Thomas Gradgrind believes only in facts and figures and has raised his children accordingly, thoroughly suppressing the imaginative side of their nature, and the consequences are devastating.