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Slouching Towards Kalamazoo
by Peter De VriesIt is 1963 in an unnamed town in North Dakota, and Anthony Thrasher is languishing for a second year in eighth grade. Prematurely sophisticated, young Anthony spends too much time reading Joyce, Eliot, and Dylan Thomas but not enough time studying the War of 1812 or obtuse triangles. A tutor is hired, and this "modern Hester Prynne" offers Anthony lessons that ultimately free him from eighth grade and situate her on the cusp of the American sexual revolution. Anthony's restless adolescent voice is perfectly suited to De Vries's blend of erudite wit and silliness not to mention his fascination with both language and female anatomy and it propels "Slouching Towards Kalamazoo" through theological debates and quandaries both dermatological and ethical, while soaring on the De Vriesian hallmark of scrambling conventional wisdom for comic effect. "
Slouching Towards Kalamazoo: A Novel (Phoenix Fiction)
by Peter De VriesThe classic American coming of age novel of a precocious young man and the lessons learned from his tutor by &“a masterly entertainer and social satirist&” (The New York Times). It is 1963 in an unnamed town in North Dakota, and Anthony Thrasher is languishing for a second year in eighth grade. Prematurely sophisticated, young Anthony spends too much time reading Joyce, Eliot, and Dylan Thomas but not enough time studying the War of 1812 or obtuse triangles. A tutor is hired, and this "modern Hester Prynne" offers Anthony lessons that ultimately free him from eighth grade and situate her on the cusp of the American sexual revolution. In Slouching Towards Kalamazoo, Peter De Vries finds the perfect vehicle for his eridute wit in Anthony&’s restless adolescent voice. Demonstrating a fascination with both language and female anatomy, Anthony&’s pitch-perfect narration propels this satirical coming of age tale through theological debates and quandaries both dermatological and ethical, while soaring on the De Vriesian hallmark of scrambling conventional wisdom for comic effect.
Slow Burn Summer: A Novel
by Josie SilverA talent agent hires an actress to play the part of &“novelist&” on a book tour for his agency&’s publicity-shy client in this delightful rom-com from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reese&’s Book Club Pick One Day in December She&’s playing the part of romance author, but has she found her own real life love story?Talent agent Charlie Francisco has three problems: a divorce that ended his screenwriting career, a business he never planned to inherit, and a take-your-breath-away romance novel whose author wants nothing to do with its publication. The book is a surefire hit, if only his agency can find someone to &“play&” author on its summer book tour. Enter Kate Elliott, a former soap actress who&’s miraculously right for the part at the very moment her life seems to be going all wrong. Kate is still recovering from her own divorce and Charlie&’s job offer is a lifeline. She agrees to the pretense for all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel&’s publication. But she can&’t know who really wrote the remarkable story—the one so beautiful it&’s made her believe in love again. When Kate and Charlie meet they&’re all friction and sparks—the one thing they have in common is they&’re determined to play their respective parts. But as the summer heat ups and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines . . . or will they go off-script?
Slow Dancing With a Texan
by Linda ConradTHE FORBIDDEN DANCEFor an advice columnist, Lainie Gardner was suddenly without sound thought but on sensory overload when she found herself dancing in Sloan Abbott's arms. Theirs was an impossible relationship—he, the Texas Ranger protector; she, the celebrity protectee. Under normal circumstances, their paths never should have crossed. But when her life suddenly, terrifyingly had gone from run-of-the-mill to on-the-run, it was Sloan whose body had shielded hers and who now stirred dangerous feelings in her. For Lainie-the-professional would have wisely counseled against an affair that could lead nowhere.But Lainie-the-woman wasn't listening…
Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, The Flesh, and L.A.
by Matthew Specktor Eve BabitzNo one burned hotter than Eve Babitz. Possessing skin that radiated "its own kind of moral laws," spectacular teeth, and a figure that was the stuff of legend, she seduced seemingly everyone who was anyone in Los Angeles for a long stretch of the 1960s and '70s. One man proved elusive, however, and so Babitz did what she did best, she wrote him a book. Slow Days, Fast Company is a full-fledged and full-bodied evocation of a bygone Southern California that far exceeds its mash-note premise. In ten sun-baked, Santa Ana wind-swept sketches, Babitz re-creates a Los Angeles of movie stars distraught over their success, socialites on three-day drug binges holed up in the Chateau Marmont, soap-opera actors worried that tomorrow's script will kill them off, Italian femmes fatales even more fatal than Babitz. And she even leaves LA now and then, spending an afternoon at the house of flawless Orange County suburbanites, a day among the grape pickers of the Central Valley, a weekend in Palm Springs where her dreams of romance fizzle and her only solace is Virginia Woolf. In the end it doesn't matter if Babitz ever gets the guy--she seduces us.
Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile
by Nate JacksonOne man's odyssey into the brutal hive of the National Football LeagueAs an unsigned free agent who rose through the practice squad to the starting lineup of the Denver Broncos, Nate Jackson took the path of thousands of unknowns before him to carve out a professional football career twice as long as the average player. Through his story recounted here—from scouting combines to preseason cuts to byzantine film studies to glorious touchdown catches—even knowledgeable football fans will glean a new, starkly humanized understanding of the NFL's workweek. Fast-paced, lyrical, dirty, and hilariously unvarnished, Slow Getting Up is an unforgettable look at the real lives of America's best athletes putting their bodies and minds through hell.
Slow Hand Luke
by Debbi RawlinsWhen the ride gets wild...If Annie Corrigan had played it safe and stayed in New York, no cowboy would have sweet-talked his way into that empty bedroom down the hall. But on the eve of her very first night at her aunt's ramshackle Texas spread, that's exactly what happens.Just shut your eyes-With a million dollars in rodeo prize money gone missing and a vengeful husband on his tail, Luke McCall needs a place to hide while he clears his name. Lady Luck seems to have deserted him for good when he accidentally picks a female cop from Manhattan as his cover. And hang on...It looks like Annie has no choice but to turn him in. That is, until Slow Hand Luke decides to live up to his name-
Slow Summer Kisses (Editor's Choice #1)
by Shannon StaceyAnna Frazier is used to living life at 100 mph, but being downsized out of a job in the financial industry has her permanently stalled. With nowhere to go, go, go, Anna hails a cab to her grandparents' neglected New Hampshire camp to plan her next move. It seems like a good idea-until she realizes there's no takeout to be had and the boy next door has grown into a sexy but surly recluse.Cameron Mayfield knows he can kiss his peace and quiet goodbye when Hurricane Anna blows in. She was loud and bossy as a ten-year-old-and besides developing some attractive curves, she hasn't changed. Cam's not looking for a relationship, especially not with a woman like Anna. He nearly broke down on that road once before. So why can't he stop thinking about her?It's not long before their sizzling attraction leads to smoking-hot kisses. But as the days get shorter, Anna must decide if she's found a new road to happiness, or just taken a detour.25,000 words
Slow Talkin' Texan (Man of the Month)
by Mary Lynn BaxterMAN of the MonthMR. NOVEMBERThe Problem: Sexy single dad Porter Wyman was a Texan born and bred, but this tycoon's fortune was no help in his current predicament. If he didn't get some assistance with baby Matthew soon, he was going to run for the hills.The Solution: Ellen Sexton. She was silk to his denim. Lace to his leather. And whether she knew it or not, she was the perfect woman to cuddle little Mathew-not to mention his dad!Next Steps: Convince this independent filly that settling down to a ready-made family was the trail to a tried-and-true happily-ever-after.Man of the Month: This Texas tycoon was used to getting what he wanted, and what he wanted now...was Ellen!
Slugfest
by Gordon KormanFrom Gordon Korman, the New York Times bestselling author of Restart, comes a hilarious new story about a group of underdogs who come together when they are forced to attend summer school—for failing PE.Yash is the best athlete at Robinette Middle School—so good, in fact, that he’s already playing on the high school’s JV sports teams. Imagine his shock when he learns that his JV practices have kept him from earning a state-mandated credit for eighth-grade PE. To graduate, he has to take Physical Education Equivalency—PEE, also known as “Slugfest”—in summer school.Yash gets to know his fellow “slugs”: Kaden, an academic superstar who’s physically hopeless; twins Sarah and Stewart, who are too busy trying to kill each other to do any real PE; Jesse, a notorious prankster; Arabella, who protests everything; and Cleo, a natural athlete who has sworn off sports.But when one of them tries to blow the lid off a scandal that could make all their time in summer school a waste, Yash is forced to take drastic action.Teaming up with the most hapless crew in school can really surprise a person. And their teacher might be hiding the biggest surprise yet. . . .
Slugs & Bugs! Two-Books-in-One from David T. Greenberg
by Lynn Munsinger David T. Greenberg Victoria ChessDavid Greenberg's delightfully disgusting Slugs and Bugs! in one digital bind up! There's nothing quite like the thought of a bunch of slugs and bugs to get your skin crawling -- unless it's David Greenberg's irresistibly creepy ideas of what to do with them. These companion volumes take an irreverent look at the world's most misunderstood creatures. Whether for a gourmet recipe or a bit of sibling mischief, the uses dreamed up in Greenberg's subversive verses will delight bug lovers and bug haters alike.
Slumberland: A Novel
by Paul BeattyThe hip break-out novel from 2016 Man Booker Prize winning author, Paul Beatty, about a disaffected Los Angeles DJ who travels to post-Wall Berlin in search of his transatlantic doppelganger.Hailed by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times as one of the best writers of his generation, Paul Beatty turns his creative eye to man's search for meaning and identity in an increasingly chaotic world. After creating the perfect beat, DJ Darky goes in search of Charles Stone, a little know avant-garde jazzman, to play over his sonic masterpiece. His quest brings him to a recently unified Berlin, where he stumbles through the city's dreamy streets ruminating about race, sex, love, Teutonic gods, the prevent defense, and Wynton Marsalis in search of his artistic-and spiritual-other. Ferocious, bombastic, and laugh-out-loud funny, Slumberland is vintage Paul Beatty and belongs on the shelf next to Jonathan Lethem, Colson Whitehead, and Junot Diaz.
Slurp Monster Showdown (Geronimo Stilton Spacemice #9)
by Geronimo StiltonSpacemouse Geronimo Stiltonix's adventures are out of this world!Geronimo Stiltonix and the spacemice are visiting a planet where the most delicious wild mozzarella grows. Yum! But the planet is plagued by the slurp monster -- a scary alien who wants all the mozzarella for himself! Can the spacemice restore harmony on this cheesy planet without getting slurped up themselves?
Sly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries
by Napoli Donna JoSly (aka Sylvia) is now famous around the neighborhood for her creative problem-solving. In fact, this time around she has a few too many clients. But with her customary keen eye and clever observations, Sly solves three new cases, each with a culinary theme. And as usual, there are plenty of funny, zany moments to keep kids chuckling. Cooked up by the combined talents of best-selling author Donna Jo Napoli and her son, Robert Furrow, and illustrator Heather Maione, this charming and witty chapter book will have young mystery readers asking for another helping!
Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries
by Donna Jo Napoli Robert Furrow Heather MaioneThere are some strange new pets in Sly's neighborhood: a cat on a diet that keeps getting fatter, a fish that seems angry at its owner, and a peculiar pet named Wilson that suddenly disappears! Only Sly the Sleuth can solve these mysteries. Grade-schooler by day, private detective by afternoon, Sly (a.k.a Sylvia) uses her sharp wits and reasoning skills to get to the bottom of these odd goings-on. Donna Jo Napoli teams up with her son, Robert Furrow, and illustrator Heather Maione to create a heroine who is not only smart and spunky, but also tremendously funny.
Sly the Sleuth and the Sports Mysteries
by Donna Jo Napoli Robert Furrow Heather MaioneSly (a.k.a. Sylvia) has newly set up shop as a neighborhood detective, and the advice from Kirkus Reviews is plain and simple: "Clear some shelf space" for this funny, engaging series.With each zany mystery brought to her by friends and parents--this time involving soccer, ballet, swimming, and basketball--Sly uses her keen observation and reasoning skills to solve the case, while young readers will get a kick out of guessing the solutions alongside her.
Small Blessings: A Novel
by Martha WoodroofA small-town college professor meets the ten-year-old son he never knew he had: “This warm, wise tale leaves a smile long after the final page is turned.” —PeopleTom Putnam has resigned himself to a quiet and half-fulfilled life. An English professor in a sleepy college town, he spends his days browsing the Shakespeare shelves at the campus bookstore, managing the oddball faculty in his department, and caring, alongside his formidable mother-in-law, for his wife Marjory, a fragile shut-in with unrelenting neuroses, a condition exacerbated by her discovery of Tom’s brief and misguided affair with a visiting poetess a decade earlier.Then, one evening at the bookstore, Tom and Marjory meet Rose Callahan, the shop’s charming new hire, and Marjory invites Rose to their home for dinner, out of the blue, her first social interaction since her breakdown. Tom wonders if it’s a sign that change is on the horizon, a feeling confirmed upon his return home, where he opens a letter from his former paramour informing him he’d fathered a son—who is, at the moment, heading Tom’s way on a train . . . A heartwarming story with a charmingly imperfect cast of characters to cheer for, Small Blessings reminds us that sometimes, when it feels like life has veered irrevocably off track, the track shifts in ways we never could have imagined.“Thoroughly entertaining.” —Library Journal (starred review)“A delightful and splendidly intelligent comedy.” —Margot Livesey, New York Times–bestselling author of The Road from Belhaven
Small Dog, Big Life
by Dennis FriedThey watch our every move, study our habits, judge our moods, and time our activities. They plot elaborate subterfuges to manipulate us into doing their bidding and trick us into participating in their nefarious schemes. They charm us into loving them. They are our dogs. Genevieve, a brilliant seven-pound papillon who dares to break the canine code of silence, invites you into the inner sanctum of dogdom in this hilarious exposé about what dogs really think of their people. In her bitingly funny memoir, Genevieve reveals canine secrets never before shared with humans while also passing on her devious tricks-of-the-trade to her legions of furry pupils. In Small Dog, Big Life, Genevieve sinks her teeth into such topics as driving tips for dogs, the tragedy of doorbells in TV commercials, measuring the intelligence of humans, finding a reason for cats, how prehistoric dogs saved the caveman's bacon, converting your house into an agility course, and productive kitchen behavior. Throughout, Genevieve unleashes a scathing analysis of human culture that will have sociologists all over the world looking for new jobs, while inspiring canines everywhere to rise up and assume their rightful places as heads of the household. Insightful, entertaining, and peppered with sophistication, wit, and charm, Small Dog, Big Life is not only for animal lovers of all ages but for anyone who appreciates an ironic sense of humor. And, ultimately, through Genevieve's "words," it is a celebration of the wondrous and loving relationship between dogs and their people.
Small Doses: Potent Truths for Everyday Use
by Amanda SealesThis “one-of-a-kind read” offers insightful essays, poignant life advice, and pithy pearls of wisdom from the comedian and star of HBO’s Insecure (Entertainment Weekly). Anyone who has seen Amanda Seales’s acclaimed stand-up special I Be Knowin, her long-running TV series Insecure, or her groundbreaking gameshow Smart Funny & Black, knows that this woman is a force of nature. In both life and career, she has fearlessly and passionately charted her own course. Now she’s bringing her life’s lessons and laughs to the page with her signature blend of academic intellectualism, Black American colloquialisms, and pop culture fanaticism. This volume of essays, axioms, original illustrations, and photos provides Seales’s trademark “self-help from the hip” style of commentary, fueled by ideology formed from her own victories, struggles, research, mistakes, risks, and pay-offs. Unapologetic, fiercely funny, and searingly honest, Small Doses engages, empowers, and enlightens readers on how to find their truths while still finding the funny!
Small Gods: A Discworld Novel (Discworld #13)
by Terry Pratchett“Pratchett’s Monty Python-like plots are almost impossible to describe. His talent for characterization and dialogue and his pop-culture allusions steal the show.”—Chicago TribuneNo sacred cow is left unskewered in this intriguing installment in Sir Terry Pratchett's internationally bestselling Discworld series, a divinely funny take on organized religion, petty gods, and the corrupting thirst for power.Religion is a competitive business in the Discworld. Everyone has their own opinion and their own gods of every shape and size—all fighting for faith, followers, and a place at the top. So when the great god Om accidentally manifests as a lowly tortoise, stripped of all divine power, it’s clear he’s become less important than he realized.Om needs an acolyte and fast. Enter Brutha, the Chosen One—or at least the only One available. He’s a simple lad whose highest ambition is tending his melon patch—until he hears the voice of a god calling his name. A small god for sure. But bossy as Hell.Brutha wants peace, justice, and love—but that’s hard to achieve in a world where religion means power, money is worshipped, and corruption reigns supreme. . . .The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Small Gods is a standalone.
Small Joys: The most moving and uplifting debut novel of 2023
by Elvin James MensahThe sensational debut novel about love, friendship and finding happiness in the most unexpected places. &“Elvin James Mensah's Small Joys is breathtaking and heartrending, by turns hilarious and devastating and surprising and wild. Mensah's prose makes the intangible deft and tremendous — from the balm of friendship, to the beauty of queerness, and the all-encompassing elixir of community. Tender, thrilling, and honest; Small Joys is a beam of light.&” Bryan Washington, author of Memorial &‘I adored Small Joys – a sweet, moving, funny, strikingly open story. I don&’t know if I&’ve ever rooted so much for a protagonist as I did for Harley – what a gorgeous novel.&’ Jennifer Saint, No. 1 bestselling author of Elektra "This heartwarming, witty, and moving debut is one of the most charming books you'll read this year. Exploring love, friendship, grief, and the bittersweet joy of being young, Small Joys is utterly beautiful." Louise O'Neill, bestselling author of Idol 'I loved it - Small Joys is a wonderful book full of music, life and a great deal of heart. An extremely BIG joy!' Matson Taylor, bestselling author of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth &‘A captivatingly tender novel . . . it&’s beautiful.&’ Natasha Onwuemezi, The Bookseller&‘Could I one day inspire happiness in others, the same way he seemed to do in me?&’ Harley is a young queer Black man struggling to find his way in mid-noughties Britain. Returning home to Dartford, having just dropped out of an undergraduate course in music journalism, he is wracked by feelings of failure and inadequacy. Standing in the local woods one day, on the verge of doing something drastic and irreversible, his hand is stayed by a stranger: a tall husky guy who emerges from the bushes holding a pair of binoculars. Muddy is an ebullient Mancunian whose lust for his own life makes others feel better by association. A keen birdwatcher, rugby fanatic and Oasis obsessive, he quickly becomes a devoted and loyal friend to Harley who finds his enthusiasm infectious and his dimples irresistible. In no time at all, they become inseparable. Harley starts to think that life may be worth living after all, while Muddy discovers things about himself that the lads down the rugby club may struggle to understand. But when figures from the past threaten to plunge Harley back into the depths of depression, his only hope of survival is Muddy and the small joys they create together. Moving, funny and tender, Small Joys is an epic novel about ordinary lives that introduces the world to an unforgettable cast of characters and a major new literary talent.
Small Man in a Book
by Rob BrydonRob Brydon tells story of his slow ascent to fame and fortune in Small Man in a Book.A multi-award-winning actor, writer, comedian and presenter known for his warmth, humour and inspired impressions, Rob Brydon has quickly become one of our very favourite entertainers. But there was a time when it looked like all we'd hear of Rob was his gifted voice.Growing up in South Wales, Rob had a passion for radio and soon the Welsh airwaves resounded to his hearty burr. However, these were followed by years of misadventure and struggle, before, in the TV series Marion and Geoff and Gavin and Stacey, Rob at last tickled the nation's funny bone. The rest, as they say, is history. Or in his case autobiography.Small Man in a Book is Rob Brydon's funny, heartfelt, honest, sometimes sad, but mainly funny, memoir of how a young man from Wales very, very slowly became an overnight success.Rob Brydon was brought up in Wales, where his career began on radio and as a voiceover artist. After a brief stint working for the Home Shopping Network he co-wrote and performed in his breakthrough show, the darkly funny Human Remains. He has since starred in the immensely popular Gavin and Stacey, Steve Coogan's partner in The Trip, and was the host of Would I Lie to You? and The Rob Brydon Show. He now lives in London with his wife and five children.
Small Men on the Wrong Side of History: The Decline, Fall and Unlikely Return of Conservatism
by Ed West'An entertaining, wide-ranging defence and explanation of the conservative way of seeing the world . . . suffused with generosity and wit' Catholic Herald Brought up by eccentric intellectuals, Ed West experienced what he believed was a fairly normal childhood of political pamphlets as bedtime reading, family holidays to East Germany and a father who was one political step away from advocating the return of serfdom. In his mid-twenties, West found himself embracing a mindset usually acquired alongside a realisation that all music post-1955 is garbage, agreeing with everything said in the Telegraph and all the other bad things people get in middle age. This is his journey to becoming a real-life Tory boy.Forgoing the typically tedious and shouty tone of the Right, West provides that rare gem of a conservative book - one that people of any political alignment can read, if only to laugh at West's gallows humour and dry wit. Crammed with self-deprecating anecdotes and enlightening political insights, Tory Boy discloses a life shaped by politics and the realisation that perhaps this obsession does more harm than good. 'Anyone - liberal, conservative, whatever - would enjoy [this book]. It is full of the most fascinating facts, all mixed in with Ed's inimitable displays of self-mockery' Tom Holland 'A self-deprecating and often hilarious memoir of a born conservative watching the world go wrong. Sprinkled with gallows humour, like a political version of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch' The Critic
Small Men on the Wrong Side of History: The Decline, Fall and Unlikely Return of Conservatism
by Ed West'An entertaining, wide-ranging defence and explanation of the conservative way of seeing the world . . . suffused with generosity and wit' Catholic HeraldBrought up by eccentric intellectuals, Ed West experienced what he believed was a fairly normal childhood of political pamphlets as bedtime reading, family holidays to East Germany and a father who was one political step away from advocating the return of serfdom. In his mid-twenties, West found himself embracing a mindset usually acquired alongside a realisation that all music post-1955 is garbage, agreeing with everything said in the Telegraph and all the other bad things people get in middle age. This is his journey to becoming a real-life Tory boy.Forgoing the typically tedious and shouty tone of the Right, West provides that rare gem of a conservative book - one that people of any political alignment can read, if only to laugh at West's gallows humour and dry wit. Crammed with self-deprecating anecdotes and enlightening political insights, Small Men on the Wrong Side of History discloses a life shaped by politics and the realisation that perhaps this obsession does more harm than good. 'Anyone - liberal, conservative, whatever - would enjoy [this book]. It is full of the most fascinating facts, all mixed in with Ed's inimitable displays of self-mockery' Tom Holland 'A self-deprecating and often hilarious memoir of a born conservative watching the world go wrong. Sprinkled with gallows humour, like a political version of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch' The Critic
Small Town England: And How I Survived It
by Tim BradfordTim Bradford is growing up in a small town in Lincolnshire in the 1970s. Market Rasen is not the most exciting place, but to his teenage mind it was the centre of the universe. Tim is at that in-between phase between childhood and adolescence, where you are trying to be grown up and get your first snogs whilst at the same time still playing with airfix models and making dens.Tim takes us through his first crushes, falling in love with the local beauty queen and an elusive Gallic beauty on a French exchange. His first attempts at getting drunk and trying to impress girls, forming bands which churned out endless numbers of rubbish songs and trying to avoid deckings by the local hards. Tim and his equally hapless friends are gradually working towards breaking free of their childhoods and moving away from their roots. Life in this small town was a rollercoaster of mundane happenings. Small Town paints a portrait of the energy and melancholy at the heart of our generation, the inability to live for now and the feeling that something better is just around the corner. Too young (just) to be baby boomers and too English and uncool to call itself Generation X. It's a universal tale about dreams, ambitions, brass bands, cubs, rugby songs, football stickers, tractors, young love and valve amplifiers connected up to cheap distortion pedals, set at a time of political change and pudding basin hair.