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Reason for Leaving: Job Stories
by John ManderinoIn the last column of a job application, there’s that tricky question: reason for leaving? John Manderino has apparently had to puzzle over that one often and long. His answers are collected here in this hilarious novel-in-stories tracing the history of a guy trying to grow up job by job. Delivery boy, altar boy, busboy, teacher, cotton picker, umpire, Zen monk—Manderino’s protagonist tries on one hat after another, from Chicago to Arizona to a South Dakota reservation where he longs to be given an Indian name, "something like Many Roads, or Many Jobs." Each story in this highly entertaining collection is complete in itself, yet Manderino has woven them into a seamless history that’s hard to put down. The author of Sam and His Brother Len and The Man Who Once Played Catch with Nellie Fox has once again given us a funny, moving portrait of a man’s journey of becoming. Becoming what? The answer lies behind all his reasons for leaving. John Manderino has a sharp eye for human foibles and his depictions of life in the workaday world will leave readers laughing long and loud.
Envy
by Yury Olesha&“To read [this] triumphant short novel is . . . to behold man&’s heroic confrontation with the monsters of his own creation.&” —The New York Times Andrei Babichev is a paragon of Soviet values, an innovative and practical man, Director of the Food Industry Trust, a man whose vision encompasses such future advances for mankind as the 35-kopeck sausage and the self-peeling potato. Out of kindness, he rescues from the gutter Nikolai Karalerov, violently tossed from a bar after a drunken and self-destructive tirade. But instead of gratitude, Babichev finds himself the subject of an endlessly malignant jealousy, as Kavaelrov sees in him a representative of the new breed of man who has prevented him from realizing his true greatness. A scathing social satire, Envy is a concise and incisive exploration of the paradigmatic conflicts of the early Soviet age: old versus new, imagination versus pragmatism, and the alienation of the romantic artist in the age of technology. One of the signs of the book&’s universality is the fact that it has been claimed by nearly every school of critics and interpreted as everything from a submerged homosexual story to a twentieth-century Notes from the Underground. &“Poetic and satiric and quite an achievement, it is a novel everyone should read.&” —Flavorwire &“Vladimir Nabokov had a low opinion of almost everything produced in Russia after his departure, but he admired Olesha&’s writing.&” —Columbus Dispatch &“Olesha writes about the clash of two worlds, but with a wry, half-defeated yet touchingly affectionate irony that seems entirely his own.&” —Irving Howe, Harper&’s magazine
Where Has Oprah Taken Us?: The Religious Influence of the World's Most Famous Woman
by Stephen Mansfield“Reveals the Oprah story no other dares to tell—and with a two-edged sword that rightly divides the truth from the lies.” —Star Parker, nationally syndicated columnist and media commentator New York Times bestselling author Stephen Mansfield traces the fascinating and influential life of Oprah Winfrey, profiling her quest for spiritual enlightenment—a well-publicized journey featuring a caravan of experts, mystics, and gurus—all claiming to have a prescription for inner peace and personal well-being. Mansfield shows how Oprah’s story fits into our larger cultural experience and reveals why her spiritual discoveries have resonated so loudly in today’s popular culture. In so doing, he sheds needed light on the dangers of a spiritual journey fueled solely by a desire for self-actualization.In the end, we find that the story of Oprah is, in fact, the story of us—of a generation searching desperately for something meaningful to believe in.“Stephen Mansfield offers us an unvarnished account of Winfrey’s life (and our own spiritual wandering) told graciously and irresistibly. You will be thrilled, disturbed, and astounded, but ultimately inspired and uplifted.” —Rabbi Daniel Lapin, American Alliance of Jews and Christians
Can Different Cultures Think the Same Thoughts?: A Comparative Study in Metaphysics and Ethics
by Kenneth Dorter&“A welcome contribution to the burgeoning multicultural revolution in philosophy . . . persuasively shows that ethics cannot be innocent of metaphysics.&” —Bryan W. Van Norden, author of Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy Kenneth Dorter&’s Can Different Cultures Think the Same Thoughts? is a study of fundamental issues in metaphysics and ethics across major philosophical traditions of the world, including the way in which metaphysics can be a foundation for ethics, as well as the importance of metaphysics on its own terms. Dorter examines such questions through a detailed comparison of selected major thinkers and classic works in three global philosophical traditions, those of India, China, and the West. In each chapter Dorter juxtaposes and compares two or more philosophers or classic works from different traditions, from Spinoza and Shankara, to Confucius and Plato, to Marcus Aurelius and the Bhagavad Gita. In doing so he explores different perspectives and reveals limitations and assumptions that might otherwise be obscure. The goal of Dorter&’s cross-cultural approach is to consider how far works from different cultures can be understood as holding comparable philosophical views. Although Dorter reveals commonalities across the different traditions, he makes no claim that there is such a thing as a universal philosophy. Clearly there are fundamental disagreements among the philosophers and works studied. Yet in each of the case studies of a particular chapter, we can discover a shared, or at least analogous, way of looking at issues across different cultures. All those interested in metaphysics, ethics, Indian philosophy, Chinese philosophy, and comparative philosophy will find much of interest in this book.
Case Without a Corpse: A Sergeant Beef Mystery (Sergeant Beef Series)
by Leo BruceThis is one of Sgt. Beef's most interesting and perplexing cases. It involves a murder, but one in which no body can be found. Young Rogers announces to Beef and others assembled in a local pub that he has committed a murder—then takes his own life. But where is the victim? How did it happen? "I always supposed," says Beef. "a murder case started with a corpse, and then you had to find out 'oo done it. This time we know 'oo's done it, but we can't find the corpse."
Case with 4 Clowns: A Sergeant Beef Mystery (Sergeant Beef Series)
by Leo BruceA murder is yet to be committed—that much is certain—but who will be the victim? And who will be the murderer? It is Sgt. Beef's job to discover these facts, if he can, in time to prevent the deed from being done. But when he reaches the small traveling circus where the murder is to take place, he finds that practically everyone there is seething with hatred, each has a motive which might make him a killer; and any one of a dozen people could easily be the victim. The doughty Sgt. Beef has broken some pretty tough cases, and this one—with mystery entagled within mystery—stirs the bulldog within him. The clues are there, but unless the reader is very astute, he or she will overlook them; but Sgt. Beef misses nothing.
The Quest For Arthur's Britain
by Geoffrey Ashe&“A useful compendium of information about the Arthurian problem, the Arthurian legend, and about what archaeology says of western Britain.&” —Glyn Daniel, The Guardian The legend of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table dominates the mythology of Britain, but could this story prove more fact than fiction? Recent archaeological findings have led Geoffrey Ashe to believe there is more truth to Arthurian legend than previously accepted. The Quest for Arthur&’s Britain examines the historical foundation of the Arthurian tradition, and presents the remarkable results of excavations to date at Cadbury (reputed site of Camelot), Tintagel, Glastonbury and many places known almost exclusively to Arthurian scholars. &“The best sort of historical detective story.&” —The Economist &“Ideal for romantic patriots and for those with a serious interest in our national origins.&” —Cyril Dunn, The Observer
Death with Blue Ribbon: A Carolus Deene Mystery (Tales of the PanCosmos)
by Leo BruceCarolus Deene becomes involved in his latest adventure when a famous restaurateur is threatened by a protection racketeer and a well-known writer of cookbooks is murdered under extraordinary circumstances.
Discount: A Novel
by Casey Gray“[A]n acerbic spoof of corporate retail giants . . . the novel displays . . . considerable storytelling gifts...the result is an eye-opening romp of narrative.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)Set in the American Southwest, Casey Gray’s ambitious tragicomic debut novel follows a group of customers and employees through the twenty-four hour work cycle inside a classic American institution—The Superstore. With a cast of characters including Ernesto, a local gang member struggling to choose his day job over a desultory life as a drug dealer; Wilma, a grandmother working double shifts to support her family; and Keith, a high school student with a penchant for filmmaking, Gray offers a humane and contemporary portrait of life on the suburban fringe. Discount is a triumphant and big-hearted novel you won’t soon forget.“Fans of Jonathan Franzen and T. C. Boyle, Sam Lipsyte and Jonathan Tropper will flock to Gray’s hearty satire of rampant consumerism and corporate arrogance.” —Booklist (starred review)“With this novel, Casey Gray leaps into the American literary landscape as an author who cannot be ignored.” —Robert Boswell, author of Tumbledown, Mystery Ride, Crooked Hearts, and Century’s Son“By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, personal and political, and all in the very best ways.” —Antonya Nelson, author of Funny Once“Unsentimental but huge-hearted, Discount is concerned only with literature’s bottom line—honesty and empathy.” —Chris Bachelder, author of U.S.!, Lessons in Virtual Tour Photography, and Bear v. Shark “This book is an Altman film. . . . Gray combines a complex vision of the wide heart of America with an eye for all the things that are constantly wounding it.” —David MacLean, author of The Answer to the Riddle Is Me
Death on Allhallowe'en: A Carolus Deene Mystery (Tales of the PanCosmos)
by Leo BruceCarolus Deene is summoned to a small Kentish village where the presence of a possible coven of witches lends an eerie aura to the presumed "accidental" death of a young local boy a year ago on Hallowe'en. Before his work is completed, Carolus Deene has the answers to this and two other deaths.
A Bone and a Hank of Hair (Tales of the PanCosmos)
by Leo BruceCarolus Deene, history master at Queen's School, Newminster, manages on the side to dabble in the art of gentlemanly detective work. In Leo Bruce's beloved A Bone and a Hank of Hair, Deene is approached by Mrs. Chalk, who is convinced her heiress cousin has been murdered. The suspect is, of course, Mr. Rathbone, the lady's wily widower. On the way to the truth, Deene encounters a host of friendly characters and oafish constabulary, leading readers in a delightful romp through the English landscape.
Before the Dawn: An Autobiography
by Gerry Adams&“In this compelling memoir of his early life, the president of Sinn Féin . . . recalls the development of the modern &‘Troubles&’ in Northern Ireland&” (Kirkus). Gerry Adams was the president of Sinn Féin, the political wing of the Irish Republican Amy, for more than thirty years. In this autobiography of his early life, he shares a personal account of the political unrest and violence of the 1970s and 80s. He opens up about his imprisonment, secret talks with the British government, his leadership role in Sinn Féin, and the tragic hunger strike by imprisoned IRA prisoners in 1981. Born in 1948, Adams vividly recalls growing up in the working-class Ballymurphy district of West Belfast, where he became involved in the civil rights campaign in the late 1960s. When the unionist regime responded to the protests with violence, the situation exploded into conflict. Adams recounts his growing radicalization, his relationship with the IRA, and the British use of secret courts to condemn republicans. Adams was a political prisoner who spent a total of five years in the notorious Long Kesh prison camp. Though he opposed the hunger strike, Adams was instrumental in the mass campaign of support which saw Bobby Sands elected to British Parliament and Ciaran Doherty and Kevin Agnew elected to Irish Parliament. First published in 1996, this edition contains a new introduction and epilogue written by the author, covering Adams&’s family, Brexit, and the peace process.
Crying at Movies: A Memoir
by John ManderinoWhen Hitchcock's The Birds began showing in the summer of 1963 at the Dolton Theater, the starlings of Riverside, Illinois launched their attacks. They were "black, freckled, oily-looking things" with "tiny black buttons for eyes." They carried off Skippy Whalen's baseball cap, pooped on Father Rowley's finger, and attacked a feisty little dog named Tuffy who fought them off. "I blamed Hitchcock" says the author, a Catholic grammar school student at the time. In this comical, witty memoir, John Manderino shows us how the pivotal points of his life have been enmeshed with movie moments. Crying at Movies presents thirty-eight succinct chapters, each bearing the title of a film. It is at once a love-letter to an art form and a humorous appreciation of the distinctions between movie scenes and life's realities.
Wilson: A Consideration of the Sources
by David MametA “curiously compelling” novel by the Pulitzer prize–winning playwright in which the internet crashes and the past is reconstructed from memories. (Publishers Weekly)When the Internet—and the collective memory of the twenty-first century—crashes, the past is reassembled from the downloaded memories of Ginger, wife of ex-President Wilson. The transcripts take the reader on an intellectually breathtaking tour through David Mamet’s baroque, fragmented world, where nothing is certain except the certainty bestowed by the academy.“As erudite as can be, engagingly mischievous and occasionally a little chilling.” —The Sunday Times“Enticing . . . Mamet targets with luscious savvy and deadpan irony the limitless pretense of academics.” —Review of Contemporary Fictionfiction;speculative;novel;satire;pastiche;academic life;scholarship;near-future;experimental;Mars;settlement;colonization;science fiction;internet;dependency;social;political;historical;impact;futurist;modernist;literary;criticism;popular;culture;philosophical;humorousFIC052000 FICTION / SatireFIC064000 FICTION / AbsurdistFIC028120 FICTION / Science Fiction / Humorous9781683358794 Seeing Central Park Miller, Sara C
Case for Sergeant Beef: A Sgt. Beef Mystery (Sergeant Beef Series)
by Leo BruceIn the cleverly plotted Case for Sergeant Beef, Mr. Wellington Chickle, a retired watchmaker, plans the perfect murder, but he chooses the wrong victim. The dead man's sister refuses to accept the idea that her brother committed suicide and calls in the unprepossessing Sgt. Beef who unravels the plot with the aid of the local police. Meanwhile, Townsend, Beef’s indefatigable chronicler, comes to a completely different—and completely wrong—conclusion. A delightful read by one of the best mystery plotters who ever lived.
One Man's War: A Novel
by P. M. KippertOne Man’s War is a gripping novel that follows the journey of one man, Bob Kafak, through his experiences as a rifleman in a frontline company during World War II. It makes visceral the fear, the filth, and the cold that were his constant companions. Kafak is a reluctant hero who intentionally pisses off the brass to avoid promotion because he has seen too many of his commanding officers get blown to pieces and he doesn’t want to be next. He fights from the beaches of Anzio in Italy and battles up through the South of France toward Germany, facing one terrible heart-pounding encounter after another. Seen through Kafak’s thick-lensed army-issued glasses, the wider implications of the war remain blurry while he focuses on the simple, urgent needs of survival: keep your head down, keep your feet dry, gain the next six feet of ground, and concentrate on what tomorrow will bring.
Beta Male: Four Friends, Three Assumed Identities, Two Weddings and One Very Dangerous Bet
by Iain HollingsheadSam Hunt is a confused modern male in his very late twenties. A work-shy, commitment-phobic would-be actor, he is beginning to worry that turning thirty might just be the last straw. Flatmate Alan, the sensible one, has just been proposed to by his girlfriend Jess, with his femme fatale boss looking on with a saucy gleam in her eye. Newly-dumped Ed spends his time tearfully watching 'Sex and the City' in a pile of his ex-girlfriend's pajamas and plotting his revenge. Meanwhile unemployed doctor Matt embarks on a dubious bet with Sam to see who can be the first to ensnare a rich wife and enjoy a life of leisure...
Cold Blood: A Sergeant Beef Mystery (Sergeant Beef Series)
by Leo BruceCosmo Ducrow was a wealthy heir known to friends and family for his friendly though reclusive nature. When he is found dead on his grounds, bludgeoned by a croquet mallet, the evidence damningly points to his nephew. The deceased's closest confidant, Theo Gray, however, suspects a setup. Sergeant Beef is called upon to find the truth of who had the access and motive to so viciously murder the man.
But You Scared Me the Most: And Other Short Stories
by John ManderinoThis collection of twenty-six dark but often humorous short stories features a pantheon of disturbed and disturbing characters, human and otherwise. Many of the stories are modern takes on classic monsters crafted with twisted plots and Twilight Zone-esque endings. For example, “Wolfman and Janice” is about a werewolf who is doing the best he can under very trying circumstances, especially when confronted with eating his elderly neighbor’s cat. There’s an adolescent vampire-wannabe who is suffering badly: in love for the first time. “Frankenstein and His Mother” is a terrifying story of a grown man who wears a Frankenstein mask and lives with his mother watching TV and eating corn chips all day while being afraid of work. “Dracula’s Daughter” turns a pretentious hippie into an honest ghost. And Bigfoot—lonely, sexually frustrated—tells all. Other stories feature characters who seem perfectly normal until they're alone. Phil, for instance, is never so happy as when he’s with his inflatable girlfriend Vanessa—until she tells him the devastating truth about himself. Elderly Ellen is running out of patience with her dead husband George, who’s turned prankish. “Bob and Todd” tells the story of a hitchhiking ride gone bad that will have readers squirming in their seats. More than just standard monster stories, the tales in But You Scared Me the Most reveal much more about about human nature and will appeal to a wide range of fans of smart, funny short fiction.
Fall River and Other Uncollected Stories
by John CheeverThe stories in this collection are ones that Cheever wrote in the 1930s and 1940s. There are 13 total, 11 of which are not available anywhere else, including the new Library of America edition. Interest in Cheever's work has been renewed with the publication of a new biography, John Cheever: A Life by Blake Bailey. Readers of Cheever, both new and old, will be fascinated by this essential collection.
Journey to Chernobyl: Encounters in a Radioactive Zone
by Glenn Alan CheneyGlenn Cheney arrived in Kiev during those first days when the Soviet Union ceased to exist and Ukraine was reborn. Almost immediately he found himself talking with scientist, journalist, refugees, engineers, top-level government officials, doctors, environmentalists, parents of sick children and people living just a few kilometers from the Chernobyl complex. He heard stories about the disaster that went far beyond what had appeared in the Western press. The reports of atrocities, epidemics, tyrannyand dispair blend with a most unsual travelogue, considerable humor and KGB intrigue.
The Doves Necklace: A Novel
by Raja AlemWhen the body of a young woman is discovered in the Lane of Many Heads, an alley in modern-day Mecca, no one will claim it, as they are ashamed of her nakedness. As Detective Nasser pursues his investigation of the case, seemingly all of Mecca chimes in—including the Lane of Many Heads itself—in this “surreal, meditative take on a murder mystery” (The Guardian, Best Books of Summer). Nasser initially suspects that the dead woman is Aisha, one of the residents of the area, and searches her emails for clues. The world she paints embraces everything from crime and religious extremism to the exploitation of foreign workers by a mafia of building contractors, who are destroying the historic areas of the city. Another view reveals the city through the eyes of Yusuf, Aisha’s neighbor, increasingly frustrated by the accelerating pace of change. As gripping as classic noir, nuanced as a Nabokov novel, and labyrinthine as the alleys of Mecca itself, this brilliant fever dream of a novel masterfully reveals a city and a civilization in all its contradictions, at once beholden to brutal customs and uneasily coming to terms with new traditions.
Death in Albert Park: A Carolus Deene Mystery (Tales of the PanCosmos)
by Leo BruceIn a gloomy London suburb, a modern Jack the Ripper stalks at night, killing at random with brutal knife thrusts from behind. Three women fall victim, and the terrorized residents wait to see who will be next.
The Yellow Sailor: A Novel
by Steve WeinerIn this surreal & dramatic novel set at the dawn of World War I, a German merchant ship wrecks, and its crew of five drift their separate ways. This extraordinary novel, moodily operatic in tone and by turns hallucinatory and brilliantly detailed, follows the trajectories of four sailors and the owner of a German merchant ship, Yellow Sailor, which sets sail from Bremen in 1914. After the ship wrecks in shallow water, the men drift their separate ways, with each man&’s journey across a desolate wartime European landscape becoming an exploration of the failure of love, sex, religion, and friendship . . . Julius Bernai, owner of the ship and frankly homosexual, checks into an institute for nervous disorders and falls in love with the doctor&’s fiancée. Nicholas Bremml drifts: from the beds of numerous prostitutes to an oil tanker called Erwartung— Expectation—to Prague&’s Jewish market, where he sells magic spells. Brothers Karl and Alois are equally rudderless, and Jacek, the electrician, goes to work in the mines, where his love advice to a fourteen-year-old Polish boy precipitates a macabre murder . . .Praise for The Yellow Sailor &“The Yellow Sailor has the calamity of Voltaire, the disillusionment and venality of Brecht, Kasinski&’s random horror, and Grosz&’s population of leering businessmen and hard-bitten prostitutes. . . . It&’s bold and unforgettable.&” —David Finkle, Trenton Times
What Really Counts for Women: Your Guide to Discovering What Matters Most in Life & Letting Go of the Rest
by Thomas Nelson PublishersA handbook on setting your spiritual priorities straight—filled with inspirational stories, thought-provoking quotes, and life-changing Scripture verses.Meaning. Purpose. Calling. Vision. Whatever you name it, we are all searching for something that matters. Something that counts. We want to know that we’re concentrating on the right things and that we’re not missing the point.What Really Counts for Women tackles twenty-two areas of significance to women—including God, Love, Wisdom, Purpose, Health—and explores what matters most in each of them, answering questions like What are the basic truths? and What is most important?With introductions, meditations, and directed journaling sections on each topic, women will embark on an interactive journey to discover not only what really counts, but also what doesn’t, further drawing focus to their purposes within the context of God’s call for them.