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None of This Was Planned: The Stories Behind the Stories
by Mike MccardellVancouver news icon and co-host of CTV's "The Last Word," Mike McCardell is the crafter of human-interest stories that counteract the doom and gloom of conventional news programming. With his unerring instinct for teasing out the powerful "hook" of human connection from the most innocuous (or bizarre) events, McCardell's unique perspective has endeared him to hundreds of thousands of fans.He has also collected many of his favourite stories within several essay collections that have sold a combined total of seventy-five thousand copies, making him as well known for his written tales as for his TV appearances. Recently, McCardell also explored new genres with such titles as Haunting Vancouver and Cardboard Ocean, delving into both the history of Vancouver and his personal history. With None of This Was Planned, McCardell returns to his classic format of the quirky and uplifting short essays that established him as a local legend. Fans of his previous works will delight in a new selection of stories featuring McCardell's familiar voice and offering both moments of surprise and the reassurance that joy and humour can be sparked from the simplest acts.
None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive: A Novel
by Carolyn PrusaPerfect for fans of Maria Semple and Jennifer Weiner, this smart and witty debut novel follows Ramona through the forty-eight hours after her life has been upended by the discovery of her husband&’s affair and an approaching Category Four hurricane.Ramona&’s got a bratty boss, a toddler teetering through toilet training, a critical mom who doesn&’t mind sharing, and oops—a cheating husband. That&’s how a Category Four hurricane bearing down on her life in Savannah becomes just another item on her to-do list. In the next forty-eight hours she&’ll add a neighborhood child and the class guinea pig named Clarence Thomas to her entourage as she struggles to evacuate town. Ignoring the persistent glow of her minivan&’s check engine light, Ramona navigates police check points, bathroom emergencies, demands from her boss, and torrential downpours while fielding calls and apology texts from her cheating husband and longing for the days when her life was like a Prince song, full of sexy creativity and joy. Thoroughly entertaining and completely relatable, None of This Would Have Happened if Prince Were Alive is the hilarious, heartwarming story of a woman up to her elbows in calamities and about to drive off the brink of the rest of her life.
None of the Answers: Racing Through Life in Reverse
by Jeff SwaneyYou&’re invited to take a wild ride in life with tenacity, risk, danger, and near death—yielding lessons, rewards and mantras—Buckle Up!None of the Answers is a revealing memoir by successful American entrepreneur Jeff Swaney. Written in the lost art of Gonzo journalism, the stories chronicle a life lived outside the box. Follow Swaney from the start of his life, born dirt poor in Detroit, Michigan—facing the challenges of a city collapsed around him to fast forward reflections of a life well lived. Death-defying outdoor stunts, collegiate misadventures, penniless far-flung world travel, and birthing illegal night clubs would eventually lead to Swaney becoming a business leader in the city he loves most—Dallas, Texas. He would go on a life-altering journey, becoming a single father to two young children at age sixty. Moving from rags to riches and financial collapse to astounding recovery, Swaney brings an inspired world view. This rich, textured page-turner launches the reader into memory lane, inspiring a search for our own best selves through reflection and questioning beliefs. It explores how we take the chaos of living full out, thriving with patience, perseverance, and purpose. The search for answers with pants pulled down self-deprecation provides an avenue for the reader&’s innocuous introspection, hair pulling, and deep belly laughs. Highly entertaining, None of the Answers recounts terrifying experiences on mountain summits, illegal all-night parties, and unspeakably difficult family tragedy, validating that we are all a little crazy navigating this world gone mad. It&’s a tell-all. Fasten your seatbelts!
Nonsense and Meaning in Ancient Greek Comedy
by Stephen E. KiddThis book examines the concept of 'nonsense' in ancient Greek thought and uses it to explore the comedies of the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. If 'nonsense' (phluaria, lēros) is a type of language felt to be unworthy of interpretation, it can help to define certain aspects of comedy that have proved difficult to grasp. Not least is the recurrent perception that although the comic genre can be meaningful (i. e. contain political opinions, moral sentiments and aesthetic tastes), some of it is just 'foolery' or 'fun'. But what exactly is this 'foolery', this part of comedy which allegedly lies beyond the scope of serious interpretation? The answer is to be found in the concept of 'nonsense': by examining the ways in which comedy does not mean, the genre's relationship to serious meaning (whether it be political, aesthetic, or moral) can be viewed in a clearer light.
Nonstop Nonsense
by Margaret MahyA joyful jumble of poems, songs and stories.A full colour paperback edition of this wonderfully witty and delightfully silly collection of stories and rhyming nonsense from all-star author and artist team, Margaret Mahy and Quentin Blake.Poems, prose and rhymes from bestselling author Margaret Mahy, and beautifully illustrated by inaugural Children's Laureate, Quentin Blake, this edition of NONSTOP NONSENSE is a perfect gift that children and adults will enjoy again and again.
Nonstop Nonsense
by Margaret MahyA joyful jumble of poems, songs and stories.A full colour paperback edition of this wonderfully witty and delightfully silly collection of stories and rhyming nonsense from all-star author and artist team, Margaret Mahy and Quentin Blake.Poems, prose and rhymes from bestselling author Margaret Mahy, and beautifully illustrated by inaugural Children's Laureate, Quentin Blake, this edition of NONSTOP NONSENSE is a perfect gift that children and adults will enjoy again and again.
Noodlehead Nightmares (Noodleheads #1)
by Tedd Arnold Mitch Weiss Martha HamiltonFrom the author who brought you Fly Guy comes an easy-to-read graphic novel about two very funny brothers—&“great fun for newly independent readers and graphic novel newbies&” (School Library Journal) Mac and Mac, who love pie and hate making their beds, are hollow-headed. "See in here? Nothing! Zippo! Nada!" Mac explains. That&’s why they're so easy to fool—and their clever friend Meatball isn't afraid to take advantage of that fact. Illustrated by Tedd Arnold, whose Fly Guy series is a kid favorite, this graphic novel is perfect for comic fans and reluctant readers, with short, funny chapters following Mac and Mac through ridiculous adventures. Full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor, the Noodlehead series is sure to delight. Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads also encourage critical thinking, inviting kids to use their noodles—spotting the holes in the brothers' grand plans, and anticipating how things will go awry. Source notes from professional storytellers Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss provide more information about the traditional stories that inspired Mac and Mac's mishaps, showing how these comic motifs feature in folklore and legends all around the world and offering opportunities for further reading. This easy-to-read series, including the Geisel Honor book Noodleheads See the Future, is an accessible introduction to stories of fools, and a great next read for fans of the Fly Guy books.
Noodleheads Do the Impossible (Noodleheads #6)
by Tedd Arnold Mitch Weiss Martha HamiltonDo you want to be famous? Mac and Mac do. How? By doing the impossible! You'll laugh out loud at the funny adventures in this comic-style book.First they decide to walk around the world. But when Mom says it's too far for them to go, they decide to count the stars. They reach a bazillion when they see that some of the stars have fallen into Mom's washtub.Mac and Mac rescue the fallen stars, but then lose count. They decide to count grains of sand instead.Then . . . while counting grains of sand, they realize THEY'VE WALKED AROUND THE WORLD!!!This sixth book in the Noodleheads graphic novel series is perfect for comic fans and reluctant readers. Short chapters--full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor--follow Mac and Mac through their funny adventures. It is co-written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold, known for his popular Fly Guy series.Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads encourage critical thinking. They invite readers to use their noodles to spot holes in the brothers' grand plans. Source notes by co-authors Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, professional storytellers known as Beauty and the Beast, provide information about the traditional stories that inspired Mac and Mac's mishaps and give suggestions for further reading.This easy-to-read series, including the Geisel Honor book Noodleheads See the Future, is an accessible introduction to stories of fools, and a great next read for fans of the Fly Guy books. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Noodleheads Find Something Fishy (Noodleheads #3)
by Tedd Arnold Mitch Weiss Martha HamiltonThe hilarious Noodlehead Brothers Mac and Mac return in this easy-to-read graphic novel by best-selling author-illustrator Tedd Arnold and two award-winning storytellers. Mac and Mac, as gullible as ever, decide that since fish live in schools, they must be smart. The fish in this funny story certainly are smart enough to outwit Mac and Mac--and so is their friend Meatball, who shows them how to get a bigger boat. But there's something fishy about his suggestion. . . Illustrated by Tedd Arnold, whose Fly Guy series is a kid favorite, this graphic novel is perfect for comic fans and reluctant readers, with short, funny chapters following Mac and Mac through ridiculous adventures. Full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor, the Noodlehead series is sure to delight. Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads also encourage critical thinking, inviting kids to use their noodles- spotting the holes in the brothers' grand plans, and anticipating how things will go awry. Source notes from professional storytellers Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss provide more information about the traditional stories that inspired Mac and Mac's mishaps, showing how these comic motifs feature in folklore and legends all around the world and offering opportunities for further reading.This easy-to-read series, including the Geisel Honor book Noodleheads See the Future, is an accessible introduction to stories of fools, and a great next read for fans of the Fly Guy books. A Junior Library Guild selection!
Noodleheads Fortress of Doom (Noodleheads #4)
by Tedd Arnold Mitch Weiss Martha HamiltonMac and Mac may be noodles with empty heads, but they have big ideas: building a fortress! This vibrantly colorful graphic novel for easy readers hits the nail on the head with comedy.The Noodlehead brothers are back from the library with a joke book, a fantasy novel, and a dream: to build their very own Fortress of Doom. If they can stop bickering for long enough. And if they can defend it from their wily friend Meatball. Jump right in with this fourth title in an easy-to-read graphic novel series about more than two hollow pastas trying to have fun. Award-winning storytellers Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton join Tedd Arnold, author of the Fly Guy series, to create a masterpiece of hilarity. This easy-to-read series, including the Geisel Honor book Noodleheads See the Future, is an accessible introduction to stories of fools, and a great next read for fans of the Fly Guy books.With short, funny chapters full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor, the Noodleheads series is sure to delight. Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads also encourage critical thinking, inviting kids to use their noodles- spotting the holes in the brothers' grand plans, and anticipating how things will go awry.An ILA-CBC Children's Choice!
Noodleheads Lucky Day (Noodleheads #5)
by Tedd Arnold Mitch Weiss Martha HamiltonYou'll laugh out loud when Mac and Mac try to hatch a kitten. . . out of a watermelon. This easy-to-read intro to graphic novels is perfect for "fans of all things goofy" according to School Library Journal.Twin brothers Mac and Mac are soooo lucky. How lucky are they? When they get hit on the head with an acorn, they're lucky that little acorns and not big watermelons grow on trees.When their frenemy Meatball gives them a bag full of bees, they're lucky that Mom has just built a beehive to put them in.And when their watermelon DOESN'T hatch a kitten, they're lucky that there's another way to get a pet.Illustrated by Tedd Arnold, whose Fly Guy series is a kid favorite, this fifth book in the Noodleheads graphic novel series is perfect for comic fans and reluctant readers, with short, funny chapters following Mac and Mac through ridiculous adventures. Full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor, the Noodlehead series is sure to delight.Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads also encourage critical thinking, inviting kids to use their noodles- spotting the holes in the brothers' grand plans, and anticipating how things will go awry. Source notes from professional storytellers Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss provide more information about the traditional stories that inspired Mac and Mac's mishaps, showing how these comic motifs feature in folklore and legends all around the world and offering opportunities for further reading.A Junior Library Guild Selection!
Noodleheads See the Future (Noodleheads #2)
by Tedd Arnold Mitch Weiss Martha HamiltonTedd Arnold—the guy who does Fly Guy—and his storyteller friends are bringing folktale tomfoolery into the 21st Century, with this Geisel Honor-winning companion to Noodlehead Nightmares. Although Mac and Mac are as hollow-headed as, well, noodles, they're always coming up with brilliant schemes. For instance, they're absolutely certain Mom will bake them a cake if they gather some firewood for her. But when their friend Meatball offers to trade them a handful of firewood seeds, the gullible brothers can't foresee what will happen next. . . Illustrated by Tedd Arnold, whose Fly Guy series is a kid favorite, this graphic novel is perfect for comic fans and reluctant readers, with short, funny chapters following Mac and Mac through ridiculous adventures. Full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor, the Noodlehead series is sure to delight. Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads also encourage critical thinking, inviting kids to use their noodles– spotting the holes in the brothers' grand plans, and anticipating how things will go awry. Source notes from professional storytellers Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss provide more information about the traditional stories that inspired Mac and Mac's mishaps, showing how these comic motifs feature in folklore and legends all around the world and offering opportunities for further reading. This easy-to-read series is an accessible introduction to stories of fools, and a great next read for fans of the Fly Guy books. A Junior Library Guild selection!
Noodleheads Take It Easy (Noodleheads #7)
by Tedd Arnold Mitch Weiss Martha HamiltonTaking it easy is easy peasy, until Mac and Mac give it a try! This colorful graphic novel will have 1st and 2nd grade independent readers laughing out loud at Noodleheads&’ funny adventures.Mac and Mac want to take it easy and eat their favorite pie, but making pie isn&’t as easy as eating it! Or is it? Along the way they their friends and mom give them tricks to make it as easy as…well pie! But the boys&’ shenanigans make things harder than they need to be. Will Mac and Mac get to have their pie and eat it too? This seventh book in the Noodleheads graphic novel series is perfect for comic fans and reluctant readers. Short chapters--full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor--follow Mac and Mac through their funny adventures. It is co-written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold, known for his popular Fly Guy series. Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads encourage critical thinking. They invite readers to use their noodles to spot holes in the brothers' grand plans. Source notes by co-authors Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, professional storytellers known as Beauty and the Beast, provide information about the traditional stories that inspired Mac and Mac's mishaps and give suggestions for further reading. This easy-to-read series, including the Geisel Honor book Noodleheads See the Future, is an accessible introduction to stories of fools, and a great next read for fans of the Fly Guy books. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Nookietown: A Novel
by V.C. ChickeringRecently divorced, 40-something single-mom, Lucy, is lonely, bored and craving physical connection. So, when her trusted long-time married friend, Nancy, begs Lucy to sleep with her husband to save her marriage, Lucy goes for it. It's such a success, the two friends invent a town-wide underground barter system whereby Nancy's married girlfriends sub-contract Lucy's divorcee friends to sleep with their husbands so they don't have to as often. It's a win, win, win- for a while. Then it all goes to hell in a hand-basket.Laugh-out-loud funny, emotionally provocative and at times racy, Nookietown is a story of risk-taking, marriage, honesty and desire, and what one woman rationalizes in order to get what she wants.
Norby and the Invaders & Norby and the Queen's Necklace (The Norby Chronicles)
by Isaac Asimov Janet AsimovThis fourth volume of the complete children&’s sci-fi series includes a mission to foil evildoing aliens and a quick trip to eighteenth-century France.Norby and the Invaders Jeff Wells and his robot, Norby, must rescue the Grand Dragon of Jamya from strange, blimplike aliens known as the Hleno. Determined to protect the environment from the overuse of technology, the Hleno take Norby and Jeff prisoner, too. Encased in an impenetrable plastic bubble, Norby is helpless. And without Norby, Jeff is lost in outer space. Norby and the Queen&’s Necklace Sent to 1785, France, Jeff and Norby get mixed up with an extravagant necklace intended for Marie Antoinette—and accidentally alter events that led to the French Revolution. Now they must shuttle back and forth through time and space to set world history straight.
Norby's Other Secret & Norby and the Lost Princess (The Norby Chronicles)
by Isaac Asimov Janet AsimovIn the second volume of the complete children&’s sci-fi series, a boy and his robot venture to a dangerous planet and go in search of a missing princess.Norby&’s Other Secret Scheming scientists want to find the secrets behind Norby&’s antigravity abilities, but they have to dismantle him to do it! To evade them, Norby and Jeff flee to the planet Jamya, where Norby was created. But can these friends survive a planet is inhabited by angry robots and intelligent, hungry dragons? Norby and the Lost Princess Jeff and Norby travel unintentionally to the distant planet Izz, where they are forced to join a search for the missing princess. Their journey takes them to the muddy world of the Slithers, strange creatures who imprison the travelers, sting them into submission, and communicate with them only through musical sounds. Then things go from bad to worse when they discover that the missing princess has been turned into a tree!
Normal Distance
by Elisa GabbertA collection of funny and thought-provoking poems inspired by surprising facts that will appeal to poetry lovers and poetry haters alike, from the author of the essay collection The Unreality of Memory, &“a work of sheer brilliance, beauty, and bravery&” (Andrew Sean Greer) Known to be both &“casually brilliant&” (Sandra Newman) and a &“ruthless self-examiner&” (Sarah Manguso), acclaimed writer Elisa Gabbert brings her &“questing, restless intelligence&” (Kirkus Reviews) to a new collection of poetry. By turns funny and chilling, these poems collect strange facts, interrogate language, and ask unanswerable questions that offer the pleasure of discovery on nearly every page: How does one suffer &“gladly,&” exactly? How bored are dogs? Which is more frightening, nothing or empty space? Was Wittgenstein sexy? The poems in this collection are earwormy, ultracontemporary, essayistic, aphoristic, and philosophical—invitations to eavesdrop on a mind paying attention to itself. Normal Distance is a book about thinking and feeling, meaning and experience, trees and the weather, and the boredom and pain of living through time.
Normal Is Just a Setting on the Dryer: And Other Lessons from the Real Real World
by Adair LaraWhen the self-help books just aren’t helping, it’s time to call in the experts: real people . . . San Francisco Chronicle columnist Adair Lara polled her readers for life lessons learned through experience, receiving thousands of heartfelt and irreverent responses. The best are compiled here in more than two hundred bits of priceless counsel, accompanied by witty, whimsical illustrations by award-winning artist Roxanna Bikadoroff. This handy little volume is filled with humor, unconventional insights, and the kind of common wisdom that will always bear repeating.
Normal Women: A Novel
by Ainslie HogarthIn this darkly comic story about how we value female labour—and don&’t—a new mother becomes embroiled in a dangerous mystery when her friend, a controversial entrepreneur, goes missing.When her daughter Lotte was born, Dani had welcomed the chance to be a stay-at-home mother. To be good at something, for once. But now Dani can&’t stop thinking about her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, dropping dead. Not because she hates him (not right now, anyway), but because it&’s become abundantly clear to Dani that if he dies, she and Lotte will be left destitute. And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga centre, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping people reach their full potential. And if that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at; meaningful work that will protect her and Lotte from poverty, and provide true economic independence from Clark. Just as Dani is preparing to embrace this opportunity, Renata disappears. And Dani discovers there might be something else she&’s good at: detective work.
Normal Women: A Novel
by Ainslie HogarthIn this darkly comic story about how we value female labor—and don&’t—a new mother becomes embroiled in danger when her friend, a controversial entrepreneur, goes missing.When her daughter Lotte was born, Dani had welcomed the chance to be a stay-at-home mother. To be good at something, for once. But now Dani can&’t stop thinking about her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, dropping dead. Not because she hates him (not right now, anyway) but because it&’s become abundantly clear to Dani that if he dies, she and Lotte will be left destitute. And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga center, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping people reach their full potential. And if that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at; meaningful work that will protect her and Lotte from poverty, and provide true economic independence from Clark.Just as Dani is preparing to embrace this opportunity, Renata disappears. And Dani discovers there might be something else she&’s good at: uncovering secrets.
Normally, This Would be Cause for Concern: Tales of Calamity and Unrelenting Awkwardness
by Danielle FishelA warm and witty memoir by Danielle Fishel, the beloved star of the '90s sitcom Boy Meets World and the eagerly anticipated spin-off, Girl Meets World.Best known for playing Topanga Lawrence on Boy Meets World, Danielle Fishel was many a tween's first crush and the quintessential girl-next-door for seven years as she joined 10 million viewers in their living rooms every Friday from 1993 to 2000. The real Danielle is just as entertaining and down-to-earth as the character she portrayed on her hit show. But even life for a successful actress can be messy, from disastrous auditions to dating mishaps and awkward red carpet moments. Normally, This Would Be Cause for Concern is a fun romp through Danielle's own imperfections and mild neuroses. It's a book for anyone who, like Danielle, has ever tripped and fallen down a flight of stairs in a room full of people, had a romantic moment with their significant other that was ruined by horrendous gas, or taken a Halloween photo without realizing there was a huge chunk of chocolate-covered strawberry in their teeth. Here is the real, imperfect Danielle, who knows that a good sense of humor and a positive attitude makes life so much more enjoyable. Even when you've just face-planted in front of Ben Affleck.
Northanger Abbey
by Jane AustenJane Austen’s first novel, Northanger Abbey—published posthumously in 1818—tells the story of Catherine Morland and her dangerously sweet nature, innocence, and sometime self-delusion. Though Austen’s fallible heroine is repeatedly drawn into scrapes while vacationing at Bath and during her subsequent visit to Northanger Abbey, Catherine eventually triumphs, blossoming into a discerning woman who learns truths about love, life, and the heady power of literature. The satirical Northanger Abbey pokes fun at the gothic novel while earnestly emphasizing caution to the female sex.This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the first edition of 1818.
Northanger Abbey (Modern Library Classics)
by Jane AustenAlthough Northanger Abbey was not published until after Jane Austen's death in 1817, it was one of her first novels. Northanger Abbey is, in part, Austen's response to Gothic novels, like Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, which were enjoying tremendous popularity in the late seventeeth and early eighteenth centuries, and to their devoted readers. It is a fine demonstration of the young novelist's powers of social observation and pristine style, which are the hallmarks of her work. In opposition to the Gothic novelists' portentous prose and unlikely heroines, she presents a charmingly believable Catherine Morland. In one of Austen's delightful satirical twists, Catherine, recently introduced into society, is a voracious reader of Gothic stories. When she is invited to stay with the Tilneys in their seemingly foreboding abbey, she fears that it is the kind of terrible place described in the novels she devours.
Northanger Abbey: A Novel (Vintage Classics)
by Jane AustenNorthanger Abbey is the story of naïve but sweetly appealing Catherine Morland, a willing victim of the 19th-century craze for Gothic literature who is determined to see herself as the heroine of a dark and thrilling romance.With a new introduction by Adelle Waldman.Northanger Abbey is both a perfectly aimed literary parody and a withering satire of the commercial aspects of marriage among the English gentry at the turn of the nineteenth century.When Catherine is invited to Northanger Abbey, the grand though forbidding ancestral seat of her suitor, Henry Tilney, she finds herself embroiled in a real drama of misapprehension, mistreatment, and mortification, until common sense and humor—and a crucial clarification of Catherine&’s financial status—puts all to right. Written in 1798 but not published until after Austen&’s death in 1817, Northanger Abbey is characteristically clearheaded and strong, and infinitely subtle in its comedy.
Northanger Abbey: Jane Austen (Vintage Classics Austen Series)
by Jane AustenJane Austen takes a satirical swipe at the gothic novel in this classic book bursting with sly subversive wit. 'Jane Austen is a genius, and Northanger Abbey is hugely underrated' Martin Amis Catherine Morland is a young girl with a very active imagination. Her naivety and love of sensational novels lead her to approach the fashionable social scene in Bath and her stay at nearby Northanger Abbey with preconceptions that have embarrassing and entertaining consequences. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY P.D. JAMES VINTAGE CLASSICS AUSTEN SERIES - all six of Jane Austen's major novels, beautifully designed and introduced by our finest contemporary writers.