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Inequality in Contemporary Stand-Up Comedy in the UK (Palgrave Studies in Comedy)
by Claire SedgwickThis Pivot explores the cultural economy of comedy in the UK, looking specifically at the links between industry practices and structures and who produces comedy in the UK. The research is based on interviews with comedians in the East Midlands; significantly, this demographic has been historically under-researched in studies of precarity, where the East Midlands is typically overlooked in discussions of arts funding and access in favour of a more simplistic north/south divide narrative. Similarly, whilst there has been increased discussion of the precarity of the creative and cultural industries, as well as media articles on the difficulty of breaking into comedy as a member of a marginalised group, there has been relatively little academic research to support this. While Friedman’s work in particular has been helpful for understanding the link between comedy producers, class and taste making, there has been less attention paid to the sociologies of work within comedy. This book fillsthese gaps in research by exploring the experiences of comedians in the East Midlands, contributing to the rich body of scholarship on inequality in the cultural industries and promoting a better understanding of the impact of structural inequalities and precarity on access to the cultural industries.
Inesperado Destino (Trilogía Destino #Volumen 3)
by María Heredia¿Pueden dos desconocidas convivir juntas sin que todo estalle? Berta lleva una vida tranquila. Tiene un trabajo estable, vive en su propio apartamento y, aunque desde que lo dejó con su exnovia no ha tenido ninguna relación seria, no tiene demasiados problemas en el amor. Sin embargo, el final del verano le traerá una sorpresa: sus jefes la trasladan a la nueva oficina de la empresa con efecto inmediato.Después de años opositando, Carolina por fin ha conseguido su ansiada plaza y comenzará el nuevo curso como funcionaria. Está muy emocionada y no le importa empezar de cero en una nueva ciudad en la que no conoce a nadie. Ni siquiera a su nueva compañera de piso. Berta y Carolina acabarán compartiendo casa gracias a una amiga en común y tendrán que aprender a convivir la una con la otra a pesar de algunas situaciones comprometidas y los problemas del día a día. Aunque todo eso hará que la tensión entre ellas se acumule. ¿Podrá reinar la paz o acabará por estallar todo por los aires?
Infamous
by Ace AtkinsFrom "one of the best crime writers at work today" (Michael Connelly) comes a fast, funny, violent new noir crime classic-a Coen Brothers movie come to life. "Devil's Garden is a remarkable book that succeeds on every level." (Associated Press)He has been compared to Lehane, Ellroy, and Pelecanos, but Ace Atkins' rich, raucous, passionate blend of historical novel and crime story is all his own-and never more so than in Infamous.In July 1933, the gangster known as George "Machine Gun" Kelly staged the kidnapping-for-ransom of an Oklahoma oilman. He would live to regret it. Kelly was never the sharpest knife in the drawer, and what started clean soon became messy, as two of his partners cut themselves into the action; a determined former Texas Ranger makes tracking Kelly his mission; and Kelly's wife, ever alert to her own self-interest, starts playing both ends against the middle.The result is a mesmerizing tale set in the first days of the modern FBI, featuring one of the best femmes fatale in history-the Lady Macbeth of Depression-era crime-a great unexpected hero, and some of the most colorful supporting characters in recent crime fiction.
Infamous: A Novel
by Lex CroucherNamed a Most Anticipated Romance of 2023 by Goodreads and Bookpage"Lex Croucher is one of my favorite rom-com authors, and they should be yours, too." ––Casey McQuiston, #1 bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue"Croucher infuses this energetic Regency era friends-to-lovers sapphic romance with zany wit, joie de vivre, and a distinctive literary bent." ––Publishers WeeklyTwenty-two-year-old aspiring writer Edith (“Eddie”) Miller and her best friend Rose have always done everything together―from climbing trees and sneaking bottles of wine, to extensive kissing practice. But Rose has started talking about marriage, and Eddie is horrified. Why can’t they continue as they always have?Then Eddie meets charming, renowned poet Nash Nicholson––a rival of Lord Byron, if he does say so himself––and he welcomes her into his world of eccentric artists and boundary-breaking visionaries. When Eddie receives an invitation to Nash's crumbling Gothic estate in the countryside, promising inspiration (and time to finish her novel, a long-held dream), she eagerly agrees. But the pure hedonism and debauchery that ensues isn’t exactly what she had in mind, and Eddie soon finds herself torn between her complicated feelings for Rose and her equally complicated dynamic with Nash, whose increasingly bad behavior doesn’t match up to her vision for her literary hero.Will Eddie be forced to choose between her friendship with Rose and her literary dreams––or will she be able to write her own happily ever after?
Infernal Affairs
by Jane HellerIn this New York Times–bestselling author&’s &“very funny novel,&” a frustrated woman gets the ultimate makeover—by making an unwitting deal with the devil (Library Journal). Florida real estate agent Barbara Chessner is down on her luck, up several dress sizes, drowning herself in Bloody Marys—and, worst of all, has just been dumped by her husband for a blonde TV weatherperson. Tired of living the life of a woman in a &“before&” ad, Barbara stumbles outside in the midst of a thunderstorm and beseeches heaven to help her—unaware that someone diabolical might be listening . . . Barbara wakes up with golden hair (not her own premature gray), perfect pitch (she&’s tone deaf), a strange black dog (registered to her), no double chin, a waistline . . . and definite cleavage! Talk about a good night&’s sleep! Even more bizarre and seemingly wonderful things begin to happen to Barbara, including some potential new romances, and her friends at the real estate agency attribute the inexplicable to everything from hot flashes to dark forces. Not even she knows what the devil is going on. But when she finds out, all hell is going to break loose . . . &“Barbara is a terrific character—clever, witty, and truly likable.&” —Library Journal &“Sly, smart-mouthed fun.&” —People &“Fiendishly funny.&” —Booklist
Infinite Fantastika: Twelve Stories
by Paul Di FilippoTwelve short stories of speculative fiction from &“an author who genuinely comes close to defying all attempts at description. A true original&” (Infinity Plus). Enter the boundless realms of science fiction, fantasy, horror, the weird, the surreal, and the absurd with a dozen stories from acclaimed author Paul Di Filippo. Watch as a man tries to adapt when his intense connection with instinct and nature vanishes in &“Before and After Science,&” a long-lost story that appeared in a fanzine decades ago. Enjoy the flash fiction of &“Domotica Berserker!&” in which massive house printers get hacked and go on a rampage—painting the town pink. Get a glimpse of how LARPing and nowts (aka now-tweakers) don&’t mix in &“A Faster, Deeper Now.&” And delve into the Lovecraftian mythos with &“The Horror at Gancio Rosso,&” in which retired New York City crimefighter Joseph Petrosino travels to Sicily to investigate new bodies appearing in a catacomb filled with ancient mummies. This mind-blowing collection is &“an example of what makes Di Filippo, Di Filippo. Best part: it throws the taxonomy of genre out the window to be creative in a number of ways&” (Speculiction). Praise for Paul Di Filippo &“Di Filippo is like gourmet potato chips to me. I can never eat just one of his stories.&” —Harlan Ellison &“Di Filippo is the spin doctor of SF—and it is a powerful medicine he brews.&” —Brian Aldiss, Hugo Award–winning author of Hothouse &“Vibrant, nervy, and full of gloriously wiggy language, Ribofunk is anything but the same old stuff.&” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
Infinite Jest
by David Foster WallaceSet in an addict's halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring one of the most endearing screwed-up families in contemporary fiction, this novel explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to dominate our lives, about how our desire for entertainment affects our need to connect with other people, and about what the pleasures we choose say who we are.
Infinite Jest
by David Foster Wallace'A writer of virtuostic talents who can seemingly do anything' New York Times'Wallace is a superb comedian of culture . . . his exuberance and intellectual impishness are a delight' James Wood, Guardian'He induces the kind of laughter which, when read in bed with a sleeping partner, wakes said sleeping partner up . . . He's damn good' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian'One of the best books about addiction and recovery to appear in recent memory' Sunday TimesSomewhere in the not-so-distant future the residents of Ennet House, a Boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the nearby Enfield Tennis Academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of Infinite Jest, a movie said to be so dangerously entertaining its viewers become entranced and expire in a state of catatonic bliss . . .
Infinite Jest: A Novel
by David Foster Wallace'A writer of virtuostic talents who can seemingly do anything' New York Times'Wallace is a superb comedian of culture . . . his exuberance and intellectual impishness are a delight' James Wood, Guardian'He induces the kind of laughter which, when read in bed with a sleeping partner, wakes said sleeping partner up . . . He's damn good' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian'One of the best books about addiction and recovery to appear in recent memory' Sunday TimesSomewhere in the not-so-distant future the residents of Ennet House, a Boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the nearby Enfield Tennis Academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of Infinite Jest, a movie said to be so dangerously entertaining its viewers become entranced and expire in a state of catatonic bliss . . .
Infographica
by Simon Toseland Martin ToselandInfographica collects intriguing data from across the planet--for instance, the average lifespan of people living on each continent, the relative durations of the world's unmanned space probes, or the bite strength of the world's most dangerous predators--and presents it in stylish, inventive, and original infographics. Quirky, irreverent, and visually appealing, this book is a must-have reference for anyone wishing to keep informed, as well as a primer on information design from the writing and design team of Martin and Simon Toseland.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Inherited Disorders: Stories, Parables & Problems
by Adam Ehrlich SachsA son receives an inheritance from his father and tries to dispose of it before it destroys him. Inherited Disorders tells this elemental story in over 100 hilarious, witty variations.Adam Ehrlich Sachs's Inherited Disorders is a rueful, absurd, and endlessly entertaining look at a most serious subject--the eternally vexed relations between fathers and sons. In a hundred and seventeen shrewd, surreal vignettes, Sachs lays bare the petty rivalries, thwarted affection, and mutual bafflement that have characterized the filial bond since the days of Davidic kings. A philosopher's son kills his father and explains his aphorisms to death. A father bequeaths to his son his jacket, deodorant, and political beliefs. England's most famous medium becomes possessed by the spirit of his skeptical father--who questions, in front of the nation, his son's choice of career. A Czech pianist amputates his fingers one by one to thwart his father, who will not stop composing concertos for him. A nineteenth-century Italian nobleman wills his ill-conceived flying contraption--incapable of actual flight--to his newborn son. In West Hollywood, an aspiring screenwriter must contend with the judgmental visage of his father, a respected public intellectual whose frozen head, clearly disappointed in him, he keeps in his freezer. Keenly inventive, but painfully familiar, these surprisingly tender stories signal the arrival of a brilliant new comic voice--and fresh hope for fathers and sons the world over.
Inherited: One Nanny (Nanny Wanted! #12)
by Emma DarcyNANNY WANTEDTo my heir, Beau Prescott, I leave my Sydney estate and place into his good care my dedicated staff: housekeeper, gardener and nanny.Nanny? Beau Prescott was highly suspicious of this interloper in the family home. A fit man until his sudden death, what did his grandfather need with a nanny? Maybe he'd taken her in out of pity-Margaret Stowe did sound as if she'd be the starchy, spinster sort.But the vision that greeted him on his arrival home called out to every male hormone Beau had. Margaret Stowe was a stunningly beautiful young woman. Just what situation had he inherited?
Inishowen
by Joseph O'ConnorFrom the bestselling author of Star of the Sea and Shadowplay, 'a powerful, moving adventure of raw fate and betrayed love' (Independent on Sunday).Inspector Martin Aitken's life is a mess. He's divorced, his career's in chaos, and the last thing he needs this Christmas Eve is a strange woman collapsed on a Dublin street. Ellen Donnelly is a woman on a mission, coming to Ireland to find her mother and escape her marriage. Dr Milton Amery, a New York plastic surgeon, is her unfaithful husband. The three are beginning new journeys, each of which lead to Inishowen.'A page-turner, full of compassion, laughter and zest for the human condition' Irish Times'Tremendous... A love story, a realistic thriller and an account of grief and loss' Spectator
Injury Time: A Novel
by Beryl BainbridgeWinner of the Whitbread Literary Award: A darkly humorous tale about a 1970s dinner party gone terribly wrong by one of Britain's most renowned authors. Edward is normally a cautious man, especially when it comes to his mistress, Binny. But he feels bad that his lover never gets to enjoy the small intimacies of marriage, like sorting his socks or picking out gifts for his family. It is out of this guilt that Edward agrees to throw a dinner party with his "real friends" so Binny can feel more involved in his life and play hostess for a night. But there's one catch: Edward has to be home no later than eleven to keep his wife from discovering his infidelity. The invitees to the secret soiree are a discreet couple: Simpson, an aspiring adulterer himself, and Muriel, a simultaneously disapproving and open-minded housewife. But as Binny haphazardly prepares the food, shoos her children out for the night, and frets about the aesthetics of her front lawn, the guests take an unintended detour through her run-down neighborhood. Edward, meanwhile, is silently panicking--and drinking. Simpson and Muriel finally arrive, and when everyone sits down to eat, it's already a quarter past nine. Things get off to a decent, if awkward, start, until there's a loud knock at the door. It's Binny's scandalously drunk old friend, Alma, who proceeds to vomit and pass out. But what should be the end of the evening is only the beginning. More unexpected guests arrive--this time it's bank robbers with sawed-off shotguns. What follows is a chaotic and hilarious series of events, replete with a fake ping-pong match, a baby carriage full of cash, and a delirious getaway. Edward soon begins to worry less about getting home on time, and more about making it home at all. Equal parts dark comedy and thriller, Injury Time is a witty take on 1970s social mores by one of the most celebrated British authors, Beryl Bainbridge, who was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize five times. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Beryl Bainbridge including rare images from the author's estate.
Inkier than the Sword (The Falconer Files #3)
by Andrea FrazerIn the quiet village of Steynham St Michael there is an anonymous letter writer at work, jabbing and stabbing at the past's Achilles' heels of many of the upright citizens living there.After one resident is driven to extreme measures to escape exposure, another is driven to murder. In the village cards club, which meets once a week, tongues begin to wag, not only about the identities of the murderer and the poison pen letter-writer, but also about who exactly has received a letter. There are also changes afoot at Market Darley Police Headquarters, as the national economy dictates that it accepts the straitened circumstances planned for it, and complies with recommendations for change. And before any of this even happens, Harry Falconer drifts up from unconsciousness to find himself in complete darkness and barely able to move, the only sound being that of someone moaning in pain.
Inkier than the Sword (The\falconer Files Ser. #3)
by Andrea FrazerIn the quiet village of Steynham St Michael there is an anonymous letter writer at work, jabbing and stabbing at the past's Achilles' heels of many of the upright citizens living there.After one resident is driven to extreme measures to escape exposure, another is driven to murder. In the village cards club, which meets once a week, tongues begin to wag, not only about the identities of the murderer and the poison pen letter-writer, but also about who exactly has received a letter. There are also changes afoot at Market Darley Police Headquarters, as the national economy dictates that it accepts the straitened circumstances planned for it, and complies with recommendations for change. And before any of this even happens, Harry Falconer drifts up from unconsciousness to find himself in complete darkness and barely able to move, the only sound being that of someone moaning in pain.
Inkling
by Sydney Smith Kenneth OppelFrom the acclaimed author of The Nest, The Boundless, and Airborn comes a brilliantly funny, breakout book about a boy who discovers an ink blot that's come to life! Perfect for those who love Hoot and Frindle and sure to be a hit with kids everywhere!The Rylance family is stuck. Dad's got writer's block. Ethan promised to illustrate a group project at school--even though he can't draw. Sarah's still pining for a puppy. And they all miss Mom. So much more than they can say.Enter Inkling. Inkling begins life in Mr. Rylance's sketchbook. But one night the ink of his drawings runs together--and then leaps off the page! This small burst of creativity is about to change everything.Ethan finds him first. Inkling has absorbed a couple chapters of his math book--not good--and the story he's supposed to be illustrating for school--also not good. But Inkling's also started drawing the pictures to go with the story--which is amazing! It's just the help Ethan was looking for! Inkling helps the rest of the family too--for Sarah he's a puppy. And for Dad he's a spark of ideas for a new graphic novel. It's exactly what they all want. It's not until Inkling goes missing that this family has to face the larger questions of what they--and Inkling--truly need.Kenneth Oppel has given us a small masterpiece of middle-grade fiction. Inkling is funny and fizzy and exciting, and brimming with the kind of interesting ideas and dilemmas that kids will love to wrestle with. And Sydney Smith is creating wonderfully inky illustrations to bring the story to vivid life. Get ready. A little ink blot is about to become your new favorite character!
Inner Tube: A Novel
by Hob BrounAfter a family tragedy, a man chases consolation—or is it oblivion?—by traveling through some seedy locales of place and spiritEarly on in Hob Broun&’s second novel, the mother of the unnamed narrator, a failed actress, commits suicide by putting her head through a television. That fact, together with our hero&’s desire for his ex-girlfriend&’s older sister, prompts a radical departure as he quits his job cataloging old television shows and sets off on a westward journey. Pursuing solace in unlikely places, he embarks on a string of just-as-unlikely romances, including ones with a motel maid and an archaeology professor. But can anything distract him from the painful emptiness within? In the desert, finally free of society, a self-reckoning awaits.Bracing in its vision, Inner Tube is a fearless and often bitingly funny novel about what happens when our civilized veneers are shed.
Innocence: A Novel
by Penelope Fitzgerald&“A delectable comedy of manners&” set in 1950s Florence, by the Man Booker Prize–winning author of The Bookshop (The Boston Globe). It&’s 1955, and Italy is still struggling a decade after the end of World War II. So are the Ridolfis, a Florentine family of long and fading noble lineage. Like their decrepit villa, they&’ve seen better days. Only eighteen-year-old Chiara shows anything like vitality—however impulsive and perilously naïve. Chiara has set her heart and her future on Salvatore Rossi, a brilliant, penniless young doctor and bull-headed son of a Communist, who has erased both politics and romance from his list of priorities. With her plans stymied, Chiara calls on her resourceful and meddlesome British girlfriend, Barney, to help make an impossible match. Now, out of good intentions and the most innocent of instincts, two guileless friends are going to make a series of astonishingly wrong moves in the name of love. From a winner of multiple major literary awards who was called &“the best English novelist of her time&” by Julian Barnes, Innocence is a novel &“not just about Italians in love but of living and loving for all humans&” (The Times). &“As intoxicating as a shot of aged brandy.&” —The Washington Post
Innocent in the Billionaire's Bed: An Emotional and Sensual Romance (Mills And Boon Modern Ser. #1)
by Clare ConnellyTempted by the tycoon’s touch…Rio Mastrangelo doesn’t want anything from the father who never acknowledged him. So when he unexpectedly inherits an island paradise, he’s determined to sell it as fast as he can! But the potential purchaser who lands on his shores is not the spoiled heiress he’s been expecting—and her luscious body fills him with a rush of hot, undeniable desire.Cash-strapped Tilly Morgan accepted a payment to impersonate her best friend, but she hadn’t bargained on sexy Rio. When a storm hits, trapping them together, there’s nowhere to run from their raging hunger—and passion threatens to uncover Tilly’s every vulnerability… “I absolutely loved where INNOCENT IN THE BILLIONAIRE’S BED just swept me off to… This book will capture you heart, body, and soul and will leave you breathless.”—NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Vanessa Fewings
Innocent in the Italian's Possession
by Janette KennyWhen Gemma Cardone's boss is hospitalized and Stefano Marinetti, his estranged son, takes over the family shipyard, she is caught between duty and desire….Her duty—Gemma's friendship with Stefano's father was steeped in secrecy. But Stefano suspects that she was his father's lover. Gemma can never tell the real truth—it would tear Stefano's family apart.His desire—Gemma has never met a man as determined or intense as Stefano. In his presence, she melts. Though she knows he despises her, between his sheets it's a different story….
Insane City
by Dave BarryThis book is a dark comic masterpiece--the first solo adult novel in more than a decade from the Pulitzer Prize winner and "New York Times"-bestselling author. By the end, amid gunfire, high-speed chases, and mayhem of the most unimaginable sort, violent men will fall, heroes will rise, and many lives will change.
Insane City
by Dave BarrySeth Weinstein always knew Tina was way, way, way out of his league. Which is why he's still astonished that he's on a plane heading for their wedding in Florida. The Groom Posse has already pulled an airport prank on him--and he's survived! It should be easy going from now on. But Seth has absolutely no idea what he's about to get into. A simple drink or two with the boys sparks a series of events that will pit Seth and his friends against everything and everyone imaginable, from his very powerful, very disapproving soon-to-be father-in-law to the federal government to a love-struck orangutan. Seth's hope for smooth sailing is turning into a trip on the Titanic. And the water is getting deeper by the minute...
Insane City
by Dave BarrySeth Weinstein always knew Tina was way, way, way out of his league. Which is why he's still astonished that he's on a plane heading for their wedding in Florida. The Groom Posse has already pulled an airport prank on him--and he's survived! It should be easy going from now on.But Seth has absolutely no idea what he's about to get into. A simple drink or two with the boys sparks a series of events that will pit Seth and his friends against everything and everyone imaginable, from his very powerful, very disapproving soon-to-be father-in-law to the federal government to a love-struck orangutan.Seth's hope for smooth sailing is turning into a trip on the Titanic. And the water is getting deeper by the minute...From the Trade Paperback edition.
Insatiable (Insatiable Ser. #1)
by Meg CabotWhen you&’re starting a relationship, blood drinking is a big red flag . . . A delicious tale by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Enchanted to Meet You! Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper. The soap opera writer is not happy when her show jumps onto the bloodsucker bandwagon and adds a vampire character. It&’s not that she&’s unfamiliar with the supernatural—she herself has the ability to foresee other people&’s deaths. But her precognition couldn&’t prepare her for sexy, brooding Romanian history professor Lucien Antonescu . . . After murder victims drained of blood start turning up in New York City, Meena is accosted by the exceedingly attractive Alaric, a vampire hunter who has some bad news for her about her boyfriend. Turns out Lucien has a bit of a drinking problem, and it doesn&’t involve alcohol. And Alaric, who&’s investigating the killing spree, wants her help tracking him down. What to do? Who to believe? If only she could get a glimpse of her own destiny . . . &“[An] appealing love triangle.&” —Booklist &“Cabot winningly applies her trademark likably fallible protagonists and breezy storytelling to a vampire war in New York City.&” —Publishers Weekly &“I&’d read a cereal box if it was written by Meg Cabot.&” —Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Bridgerton