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How To Write a Novel in 20 Pies: Sweet and Savory Secrets for Surviving the Writing Life
by Amy WallenAs a novelist, memoirist, and associate director of the New York State Summer Writers Institute, Amy Wallen has a few things to say about the writing world, many of them irreverent and snarky. From her perspective as a teacher, mentor, and published author, her belief is that the way to survive the hard knocks of writing a book and trying to get published is to bust a gut working, laughing, and eating pie.With chapters including "Oh Agent, Where Art Thou?", "Revising, Rewriting, and Reimagining," and "The Joy of Rejection," Wallen balances out the challenging stages of the writing process with both sweet and savory goodness, featuring recipes for chocolate pecan pie, salmon and portobello pie, and the recipe for the best cherry pie ever. Throughout the book, Wallen demystifies the vagaries of the publishing business, providing delicious recipes that will keep your belly full even when you're staring at an empty page. Her writing advice is neatly paired with the brilliant illustrations of Emil Wilson, who shares her sharp wit, sardonic look at the demands of the writing life, and her mad love of pie. Combined, the stories, lessons, images, and recipes will provide encouragement and camaraderie for the novel-writing journey, from putting pen to page, to finding an agent, to celebrating publication—all with a piece of pie.
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems
by Randall MunroeThe world's most entertaining and useless self-help guide, from the brilliant mind behind the wildly popular webcomic xkcd and the #1 New York Times bestsellers What If? and Thing Explainer <P><P>For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole. <P><P>Bestselling author and cartoonist Randall Munroe explains how to predict the weather by analyzing the pixels of your Facebook photos. He teaches you how to tell if you're a baby boomer or a 90's kid by measuring the radioactivity of your teeth. He offers tips for taking a selfie with a telescope, crossing a river by boiling it, and powering your house by destroying the fabric of space-time. And if you want to get rid of the book once you're done with it, he walks you through your options for proper disposal, including dissolving it in the ocean, converting it to a vapor, using tectonic plates to subduct it into the Earth's mantle, or launching it into the Sun. <P><P>By exploring the most complicated ways to do simple tasks, Munroe doesn't just make things difficult for himself and his readers. As he did so brilliantly in What If?, Munroe invites us to explore the most absurd reaches of the possible. Full of clever infographics and fun illustrations, How To is a delightfully mind-bending way to better understand the science and technology underlying the things we do every day. <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems from Randall Munroe of xkcd
by Randall MunroeRandall Munroe is . . .'Nerd royalty' Ben Goldacre'Totally brilliant' Tim Harford'Laugh-out-loud funny' Bill Gates'Wonderful' Neil GaimanAN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe world's most entertaining and useless self-help guide, from the brilliant mind behind the wildly popular webcomic xkcd and the million-selling What If? and Thing Explainer For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally bad that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole. 'How strange science can fix everyday problems' New Scientist'A brilliant book: clamber in for a wild ride' Nature
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems from Randall Munroe of xkcd
by Randall MunroeThe world's most entertaining and useless self-help guide, from the brilliant mind behind the wildly popular webcomic xkcd and the million-selling What If? and Thing Explainer.For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally bad that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.Bestselling author and cartoonist Randall Munroe explains how to predict the weather by analyzing the pixels of your Facebook photos. He teaches you how to tell if you're a baby boomer or a millennial by measuring the radioactivity of your teeth. He offers tips for taking a selfie with a telescope, crossing a river by boiling it, and getting to your appointments on time by destroying the moon. And if you want to get rid of this book once you're done with it, he walks you through your options for proper disposal, including dissolving it in the ocean, converting it to a vapour, using tectonic plates to subduct it into the Earth's mantle, or launching it into the sun.By exploring the most complicated ways to do simple tasks, Munroe doesn't just make things difficult for himself and his readers. As he did so brilliantly in What If?, he invites us to explore the most absurd reaches of the possible. How To is a delightfully mind-bending way to better understand the science and technology underlying the things we do every day.(P)2019 Penguin Random House Audio
How Underwear Got Under There: A Brief History
by Regan Dunnick Kathy ShaskanDid you know that warriors at the time of Genghis Khan invented arrow-resistant silk underwear? Or that the recommended age to begin wearing a corset in the late 1800s was four years old? Or that King Tut had a particular fondness for underwear? He was buried with 145 pairs!<P><P> This lively text consists of ten chapters on various aspects of underwear, including the social and historical ramifications of different undergarments and their development for warmth, support, protection, cleanliness, and status. Regan Dunnick’s clever illustrations and Kathy Shaskan's accessible text is giggle-worthy, page-turning, and well-researched. From boxers to bustles to briefs, from history to humor, from support to society, the story of underwear is the story of humanity itself.
How We Got to Today: The funny, life-affirming romance you won't be able to put down!
by Ben EllisHow can you find love, when you've lost sight of yourself?Alternately funny, tragic, and life-affirming, Ben Ellis' HOW WE GOT TO TODAY is a delightful mix of the everyday and the surreal, the romantic and the comic. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Mhairi McFarlane.'Funny, heartwarming and uplifting' ***** Reader Review'A very worthwhile and enjoyable read that had me riveted until the end' ***** Reader Review'I really enjoyed this thought provoking book, a distinctive take on our history and way of life' ***** Reader Review'A wonderful story that made me smile and a touching finish. Wonderful characters and a well written thought out plot' ***** Reader Review_______Sheridan doesn't know what he looks like. There's nothing wrong with his vision, it's just that he's the only person in the world who can't see his own face.Despite this, he has it all going for him - a good job as an optometrist, a nice home, and a wonderful girlfriend. All until Heidi, totally out of the blue, dumps him.And to make matters worse, not only has she broken his heart, but she's disappeared. Distraught, Sheridan begins to search for her, and ends up finding himself along the way. . ._______This is a story about how sometimes it's the people closest to us that see us the best and, if we lose sight of ourselves, can tell us who we really are.
How We Got to Today: The funny, life-affirming romance you won't be able to put down!
by Ben EllisHow can you find love, when you've lost sight of yourself?Alternately funny, tragic, and life-affirming, Ben Ellis' HOW WE GOT TO TODAY is a delightful mix of the everyday and the surreal, the romantic and the comic. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Mhairi McFarlane.'Funny, heartwarming and uplifting' ***** Reader Review'A very worthwhile and enjoyable read that had me riveted until the end' ***** Reader Review'I really enjoyed this thought provoking book, a distinctive take on our history and way of life' ***** Reader Review'A wonderful story that made me smile and a touching finish. Wonderful characters and a well written thought out plot' ***** Reader Review_______Sheridan doesn't know what he looks like. There's nothing wrong with his vision, it's just that he's the only person in the world who can't see his own face.Despite this, he has it all going for him - a good job as an optometrist, a nice home, and a wonderful girlfriend. All until Heidi, totally out of the blue, dumps him.And to make matters worse, not only has she broken his heart, but she's disappeared. Distraught, Sheridan begins to search for her, and ends up finding himself along the way. . ._______This is a story about how sometimes it's the people closest to us that see us the best and, if we lose sight of ourselves, can tell us who we really are.
How Winston Lost His Math Homework
by Matt Faulkner Linda Rae ApolzonWinston is in trouble. He didn’t bring his math homework to school, and his teacher isn’t happy! It wasn’t his fault, though. He’d been chewing bubblegum and blowing bubbles, and one of his bubbles goes on an adventure—and takes his homework with it!
How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived
by Leslie JordanViral sensation and Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan regales fans with entertaining stories about the odd, funny, and unforgettable events in his life in this unmissable essay collection that echoes his droll, irreverent voice. <P><P>When actor Leslie Jordan learned he had “gone viral,” he had no idea what that meant or how much his life was about to change. On Instagram, his uproarious videos have entertained millions and have made him a global celebrity. Now, he brings his bon vivance to the page with this collection of intimate and sassy essays. <P><P>Bursting with color and life, dripping with his puckish Southern charm, How Y’all Doing? is Leslie doing what Leslie does best: telling stories that make us laugh and lift our spirits even in the darkest days. Whether he’s writing about his brush with a group of ruffians in a West Hollywood Starbucks, or an unexpected phone call from legendary Hollywood start Debbie Reynolds, Leslie infuses each story with his fresh and saucy humor and pure heart. <P><P>How Y’all Doing? is an authentic, warm, and joyful portrait of an American Sweetheart— a Southern Baptist celebutante, first-rate raconteur, and keen observer of the odd side of life whose quirky wit rivals the likes of Amy Sedaris, Jenny Lawson, David Rakoff, and Sarah Vowell. <P><P><b>A New York Times Best Seller</b>
How You Get The Girl
by Anita Kelly'No one understands the beauty of quiet moments in romance quite like Kelly' ALISON COCHRUN'Kelly never fails to bring the perfect combination of humor, swoons, and grounded emotion' Timothy Janovsky'I can't get enough of Anita Kelly's writing' Ava WilderChemistry sizzles in this workplace rom-com set in the world of high school basketball from the author of Love & Other Disasters, named a "must-read" by USA Today, PopSugar, SheReads, and Harper's Bazaar.____________________When a smart-mouthed junior joins East Nashville High's basketball team, Coach Julie Parker's ready for the challenge. What she's not prepared for is the teen's new foster parent, a super-hot ex-WNBA baller and star of Julie's fantasies. Julie knows the cool and confident Elle Cochrane is way out of her league. But despite being completely tongue-tied around her, somehow Julie persuades Elle to step in as her assistant coach. Elle has not been on a court since her career-ending injury, but she can't seem to resist Julie, who is just as adorable as her nervous babbling. Maybe because being around her makes Elle feel sparks for the first time in long while-which is why she offers to help when Julie reveals her lifelong insecurity about dating and how she wishes she could practice at it...like sports. As Elle helps Julie navigate dating life, lines grow increasingly blurred, and the two must decide whether they'll stay on the sidelines-or finally take their shot.____________________Readers gave Love & Other Disasters ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'This book had so many great elements that it's no surprise I fell absolutely head over heels for it . . . the unabashed queerness in this book made my heart so happy . . . there was so much joy in this book that had me smiling from ear to ear''Funny, uplifting, true to life, relatable, and cheerful. If you need cheering up this is the perfect book for you''Such a fun read!'More raves for Love & Other Disasters!'Wildly charming, exquisitely vibrant, and achingly tender . . . I can't wait to buy it for everyone I've ever met' Rosie Danan'With only one book, Anita Kelly has landed among my all-time favorite authors' Meryl Wilsner'Anita Kelly has the perfect recipe for romance . . . I didn't want it to end and I'm so hungry for more' Ruby Barrett'A nonbinary protagonist in a mainstream romance is cause for excitement and the characters spark with chemistry. The heartwarming result will leave readers eager for more from Kelly' Publishers Weekly
How You Get the Girl
by Anita KellyChemistry sizzles in this workplace rom-com set in the world of high school basketball as the author of Love & Other Disasters delivers a sapphic romance full of humor and heart. When a smart-mouthed junior joins East Nashville High&’s basketball team, Coach Julie Parker&’s ready for the challenge. What she&’s not prepared for is the teen&’s new foster parent, a super-hot ex-WNBA baller and star of Julie&’s fantasies. Julie knows the cool and confident Elle Cochrane is way out of her league. But despite being completely tongue-tied around her, somehow Julie persuades Elle to step in as her assistant coach. Elle has not been on a court since her career-ending injury, but she can&’t seem to resist Julie, who is just as adorable as her nervous babbling. Maybe because being around her makes Elle feel sparks for the first time in long while—which is why she offers to help when Julie reveals her lifelong insecurity about dating and how she wishes she could practice at it…like sports. As Elle helps Julie navigate dating life, lines grow increasingly blurred, and the two must decide whether they&’ll stay on the sidelines—or finally take their shot.
How You Ruined My Life
by Jeff StrandA new hilarious novel from the author of The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever and Stranger Things Have Happened. <P><P>Rod's life doesn't suck. If you ask him, it's pretty awesome. <P>He may not be popular, but he and his best friends play in a band that has a standing gig. <P>Yeah, it's Monday night and they don't get paid, but they can turn the volume up as loud as they want. <P>And Rod's girlfriend is hot, smart, and believes in their band—believes in Rod. <P>Aside from a winning lottery ticket, what more could he ask for? <P>Answer: A different cousin. <P>When Rod's scheming, two-faced cousin Blake moves in for the semester, Rod tries to keep calm. <P>Blake seems to have everyone else fooled with good manners and suave smile, except Rod knows better. <P> Blake is taking over his room, taking over his band, taking over his life! <P>But Rod's not about to give up without a fight. <P>Game on. <P>May the best prankster win...
How not to starve in Portugal
by Lucy PepperHow an English woman learned to love the real Portugal. What is like to be a foreigner living in Portugal? Even if you learn the language and try to integrate into Portuguese life, the truth is it is never easy to understand the Portuguese. Lucy Pepper moved from London to a Portuguese village in 1999 and, with no other foreigners nearby, she had to learn Portuguese and Portuguese habits as quickly as she could. Above all, she had to learn to love Portuguese food because, as far as she could see back then, there was nothing else to eat. Through food-filled stories, Lucy Pepper shows us her Portugal, the real Portugal, which is not exactly that one seen on postcards.
How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow
by Monica Sweeney Feronia Parker-ThomasThe Sun and the Clouds are best friends. Together they keep the world warm, the gardens growing, and the sky full of beautiful rainbows. But one day they get into a fight and refuse to be in the sky together. And that means there are no longer any rainbows. Without rainbows, the colors start disappearing until Earth was left with no color ... except for one little forgotten box of crayons in one little school desk. <p><p> Determined to save the rainbows and fix the Sun and Clouds’ friendship, the crayons draw rainbows all over town. Their attempts go unnoticed. Soon they realize that they’re going to have to do something big to get the attention of the former friends. So, the crayons create the biggest rainbow they can and hope it’s enough to bring color back to the world.How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow teaches the importance of teamwork and perseverance through seven crayons with unique personalities and their desire to see the world in color.
How the Finch Stole Christmas!: A Meg Langslow Mystery (Meg Langslow Mysteries #22)
by Donna AndrewsAs in her previous Christmas mysteries, Six Geese a-Slaying, Duck the Halls, and The Nightingale Before Christmas, Andrews continues to write “firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie’s Christmas books” (Toronto Globe and Mail).New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews takes us home to Caerphilly for the holidays in her new hilarious Christmas mystery How the Finch Stole Christmas! Meg's husband has decided to escalate his one-man show of Dickens' A Christmas Carol into a full-scale production with a large cast including their sons Jamie and Josh as Tiny Tim and young Scrooge and Meg helping as stage manager. The show must go on, even if the famous—though slightly over-the-hill—actor who's come to town to play the starring role of Scrooge has brought a sleigh-load of baggage and enemies with him. And why is Caerphilly suddenly overrun with a surplus of beautiful caged finches? How the Finch Stole Christmas! is guaranteed to put the "ho ho hos" into the holidays of cozy lovers everywhere with its gut-bustingly funny mystery.
How the Hell Did This Happen?: The Election of 2016
by P. J. O'Rourke“This election cycle was so absurd that celebrated political satirist, journalist, and die-hard Republican P. J. O’Rourke endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. As P.J. put it, “America is experiencing the most severe outbreak of mass psychosis since the Salem witch trials of 1692. So why not put Hillary on the dunking stool?” How the Hell Did This Happen?”, P.J. brings his critical eye and inimitable voice to some seriously risky business. Starting in June 2015, he asks, “Who are these jacklegs, high-binders, wire-pullers, mountebanks, swellheads, buncombe spigots, four-flushers and animated spittoons offering themselves as worthy of America’s highest office?” and surveys the full cast of presidential candidates including everyone you’ve already forgotten and everyone you wish you could forget. P.J. offers a brief history of how our insane process for picking who will run for president evolved, from the very first nominating convention (thanks, Anti-Masonic Party) through the reforms of the Progressive era (because there’s nothing that can’t be worsened by reform) to the present. He takes us through the debates and key primaries and analyzes everything from the campaign platforms (or lack thereof) to presidential style (“Trump’s appearance—indeed, Trump’s existence—is a little guy’s idea of living large. A private plane! A swell joint in Florida! Gold-plated toilet handles!”). And he rises from the depths of despair to come up with a better way to choose a president. Following his come-to-Satan moment with Hillary and the Beginning of End Times in November, P.J. reckons with a new age: “America is experiencing a change in the nature of leadership. We’re getting rid of our leaders. And we’re starting at the top.”
How the Hungry T-Rex Got Fixed
by Papa Philip Marcus Loo CuaWhat if a small kid were to be suddenly confronted by a ferocious and hungry T-Rex dinosaur? What can he do, especially when he was virtually left all alone to deal with this monster with his Mother petrified and his Papa running off to get some weapon?Find out in this story created by a 4-year-old child himself, on how he outsmarted and outmaneuvered his detested adversary with his hilarious and clever counter ploys.
How the Marquis Got His Coat Back
by Neil GaimanA Neverwhere short story from one of the brightest, most brilliant writers of our generation - the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning The Ocean At the End of the Lane. The coat. It was elegant. It was beautiful. It was so close that he could have reached out and touched it.And it was unquestionably his.***'Gaiman's achievement is to make the fantasy world seem true' The Times
How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge (The Thorne Chronicles #2)
by K. EasonRory Thorne must use the fairy blessings gifted to her to change the multiverse in the second book in this space opera duology.After avoiding an arranged marriage, thwarting a coup, and inadvertently kick-starting a revolution, Rory Thorne has renounced her title and embraced an unglamorous life as a privateer on the edge of human space. Her new life is interrupted when Rory and her crew--former royal bodyguards, Thorsdottir and Zhang, and co-conspirator Jaed--encounter an abandoned ship registered under a false name, seemingly fallen victim to attack. As they investigate, they find evidence of vicious technology and arithmancy, alien and far beyond known capabilities. The only answer to all the destruction is the mysterious, and unexpected, cargo: a rose plant. One that reveals themself to be sentient--and designed as a massive biological weapon. Rose seeks to escape their intended fate, but before Rory and her friends can get Rose off the derelict ship, the alien attackers return. Rory and her friends must act fast--and wisely--to save themselves, and Rose, and maybe the multiverse, too, from a war humanity cannot win.
How the Other Half Laughs: The Comic Sensibility in American Culture, 1895-1920
by Jean Lee ColeHonorable Mention Recipient for the Charles Hatfield Book PrizeTaking up the role of laughter in society, How the Other Half Laughs: The Comic Sensibility in American Culture, 1895–1920 examines an era in which the US population was becoming increasingly multiethnic and multiracial. Comic artists and writers, hoping to create works that would appeal to a diverse audience, had to formulate a method for making the “other half” laugh. In magazine fiction, vaudeville, and the comic strip, the oppressive conditions of the poor and the marginalized were portrayed unflinchingly, yet with a distinctly comic sensibility that grew out of caricature and ethnic humor.Author Jean Lee Cole analyzes Progressive Era popular culture, providing a critical angle to approach visual and literary humor about ethnicity—how avenues of comedy serve as expressions of solidarity, commiseration, and empowerment. Cole’s argument centers on the comic sensibility, which she defines as a performative act that fosters feelings of solidarity and community among the marginalized. Cole stresses the connections between the worlds of art, journalism, and literature and the people who produced them—including George Herriman, R. F. Outcault, Rudolph Dirks, Jimmy Swinnerton, George Luks, and William Glackens—and traces the form’s emergence in the pages of Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World and William Randolph Hearst’s Journal-American and how it influenced popular fiction, illustration, and art. How the Other Half Laughs restores the newspaper comic strip to its rightful place as a transformative element of American culture at the turn into the twentieth century.
How the Supervillain Stole Christmas (Spandex and Superheroes)
by Charles PayseurRex Devious (Dr. Devious to meddlesome do-gooders everywhere) can go toe-to-toe with superheroes without blinking an eye. So picking out a Christmas present for his new boyfriend should be no problem. After all, he and Sanjay seem perfect for each other. But with a terrible track record for finding gifts that won't scare his potential partners away, Rex is paralyzed with insecurity. Until, of course, he decides to change tactics. Instead of having to pick out that perfect present, why not just destroy Christmas altogether? If his nemeses (or his conscience) can't stop him first, he might just become the supervillain who stole Christmas.A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2016 Advent Calendar "Bah Humbug."
How the Two Ivans Quarrelled (The Art of the Novella)
by Nikolai Gogol John Cournos"How dared you, in disregard of all decency, call me a goose?"This lesser-known work is perhaps the perfect distillation of Nikolai Gogol's genius: a tale simultaneously animated by a joyful, nearly slapstick sense of humor alongside a resigned cynicism about the human condition. In a sharp-edged translation from John Cournos, an under-appreciated early translator of Russian literature into English, How The Two Ivans Quarreled is the story of two long-time friends who have a falling out when one of them calls the other a "goose." From there, the argument intensifies and the escalation becomes more and more ludicrous. Never losing its generous antic spirit, the story nonetheless transitions from whither a friendship, to whither humanity, as it progresses relentlessly to its moving conclusion. The Art of The Novella Series Too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story, the novella is generally unrecognized by academics and publishers. Nonetheless, it is a form beloved and practiced by literature's greatest writers. In the Art Of The Novella series, Melville House celebrates this renegade art form and its practitioners with titles that are, in many instances, presented in book form for the first time.
How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents
by Jimmy O. Yang Mike JudgeStandup comic, actor and fan favorite from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley shares his memoir of growing up as a Chinese immigrant in California and making it in Hollywood."I turned down a job in finance to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. My dad thought I was crazy. But I figured it was better to disappoint my parents for a few years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life. I had to disappoint them in order to pursue what I loved. That was the only way to have my Chinese turnip cake and eat an American apple pie too."Jimmy O. Yang is a standup comedian, film and TV actor and fan favorite as the character Jian Yang from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley. In How to American, he shares his story of growing up as a Chinese immigrant who pursued a Hollywood career against the wishes of his parents: Yang arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong at age 13, learned English by watching BET RapCity for three hours a day, and worked as a strip club DJ while pursuing his comedy career. He chronicles a near deportation episode during a college trip Tijuana to finally becoming a proud US citizen ten years later. Featuring those and many other hilarious stories, while sharing some hard-earned lessons, How to American mocks stereotypes while offering tongue in cheek advice on pursuing the American dreams of fame, fortune, and strippers.
How to Apocalypse: An illustrated guide
by Stephen WildishApocalypse.... Now?Prepare for every possible end of days with this essential survival guide.Covering crucial survival skills, the ideal Plan A and Plan B, tips for survival on the road as you travel from chaos to salvation, and assembling the perfect team, this hilarious book has everything you need when Doomsday strikes.Includes: Zombies, Alien Invasion, Nuclear Fallout, Climate Crisis, Asteroids, Viruses, Robots and more!
How to Appear Normal at Social Events: And Other Essential Wisdom
by Lord BirthdayHow to Appear Normal at Social Events is an oddly cheering book of illustrated lists. Largely based on Lord Birthday's popular Instagram account, the book offers excessively absurd, occasionally wise advice on topics ranging from finding your life's purpose to defending yourself against forest clowns. (Hint: Set an oatmeal trap.)