- Table View
- List View
The Weed Agency
by Jim GeraghtyThe spellbinding mock history of the Department of Agriculture's most secretive and vital agencyThe little-known USDA Agency of Invasive Species -- founded by President and humble peanut farmer Jimmy Carter -- would like to reassure you that they rank among the most effective and cost-efficient offices within the sprawling federal bureaucracy. For decades, under Administrative Director Adam Humphrey and his "strategic disengagement" approach, the Agency has epitomized vigilance against the clear and present danger of noxious weeds. Humphrey's record of triumphant inertia faces only two obstacles. The first is reality; the second is the loud critic who dares to question the magic behind the Agency's success: Nicholas Bader. Formerly known as President Reagan's "bloody right hand," Bader is on an obsessive quest to trim the fat from the federal budget. Full of oddball characters who shed light on the daily operations of Beltway minions, THE WEED AGENCY showcases a world in which federal budgets balloon every year, where a career can be built upon the skill of rationalizing astronomical expenses, and where the word 'accountability' sends roars of laughter through DC office buildings. That's life inside the federal Agency of Invasive Species... and it may sound suspiciously similar to your reality.
The Weed Whisperer: A Doonesbury Book (Doonesbury #36)
by G. B. Trudeau&“I don&’t read Doonesbury. He glorifies drugs.&” —Former White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater Welcome to the age of pivots. Two centuries after the Founding Fathers signed off on happiness, Zonker Harris and nephew Zipper pull up stakes and head west in hot pursuit. The dream? Setting up a major grow facility outside Boulder, Colorado, and becoming bajillionaire producers of &“artisanal&” marijuana. For Zonk, it&’s the crowning reset of a career that&’s ranged from babysitting to waiting tables. For Walden-grad Zip, it&’s a way to confront $600,000 in student loans. Elsewhere in Free Agent America, newlyweds Alex and Toggle are struggling. Twins Eli and Danny show up during their mother&’s MIT graduation, but a bad economy dries up lab grants, compelling the newly minted PhD to seek employment as a barista. Meanwhile, eternally blocked writer Jeff Redfern struggles to keep the Red Rascal legend-in-his-own-mind franchise alive, while aging music icon Jimmy T. endures by adapting to his industry&’s new normal: &“I can make music on my schedule and release it directly to the fans.&” He&’s living in his car. G.B. Trudeau&’s Doonesbury is now in its fifth decade, and has chronicled American life through eight presidents, four generational cohorts, and innumerable paradigm shifts. His political sitcom Alpha House, starring John Goodman, is available on DVD and by streaming from Amazon Prime. For the record, Trudeau always inhaled back in the day. As President Obama once explained, &“That was the point.&”
The Weekend Wife (BookShots Flames)
by Beth CiottaI now pronounce you husband and wife... for the weekend. When Megan Rooney gets fired from her job, her life is turned upside down. But then her sexy neighbor, Nick Walker, tells her that he needs a wife for a weekend trip to Tuscany, and she's the perfect candidate. She surprises herself when she agrees to go--but what if the lie turns out to be exactly what she's always wanted?BookShots FlamesOriginal romances presented by JAMES PATTERSONNovels you can devour in a few hoursImpossible to stop reading
The Weekend: An unforgettable story of female friendship by the bestselling author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Stone Yard Devotional
by Charlotte Wood'So great I am struggling to find the words to do it justice' Marian KeyesA Book of the Year for The Times, Observer, Independent and Good Housekeeping'A rare pleasure' Sunday Times'Riveting' Elizabeth Day'A perfect, funny, insightful, novel about women, friendship, and ageing' Nina Stibbe'A lovely, lively, intelligent, funny book' Tessa Hadley'Glorious . . . Charlotte Wood joins the ranks of writers such as Nora Ephron, Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Strout' GuardianSylvie, Jude, Wendy and Adele have been friends for decades, but when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three.These women couldn't be more different: Jude, a once-famous restaurateur with a long-standing affair with a married man; Wendy, an acclaimed feminist intellectual; Adele, a former star of the stage, now practically homeless. Struggling to recall exactly why they've remained close all these years, the grieving women gather for one last weekend at Sylvie's old beach house. But fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that threatens to sweep away their friendship for good.
The Weight of Things
by Marianne Fritz&“A harrowing book about the horrors of motherhood, jealousy, and war trauma.&” —Kirkus Reviews The Weight of Things is the first book, and the first translated book, and possibly the only translatable book by Austrian writer Marianne Fritz (1948–2007). For after winning acclaim with this novel—awarded the Robert Walser Prize in 1978—she embarked on a 10,000-page literary project called &“The Fortress,&” creating over her lifetime elaborate colorful diagrams and typescripts so complicated that her publisher had to print them straight from her original documents. A project as brilliant as it is ambitious and as bizarre as it is brilliant, it earned her cult status, comparisons to James Joyce no less than Henry Darger, and admirers including Elfriede Jelinek and W. G. Sebald. Yet in this, her first novel, we discover not an eccentric fluke of literary nature but rather a brilliant and masterful satirist, philosophically minded yet raging with anger and wit, who under the guise of a domestic horror story manages to expose the hypocrisy and deep abiding cruelties running parallel, over time, through the society and the individual minds of a century.
The Weird World of Wes Beattie (June and Sidney #1)
by John Norman HarrisA disreputable lawyer is out to prove his lying client is no killer in this classic Canadian mystery: &“Very exciting and full of excellent comedy" (P.G. Wodehouse). A timid young man from a quiet Toronto suburb, no one would pay much attention to Wes Beattie if it wasn&’t for his tendency to lie. And now the whole world is watching Wes, because he&’s finally gone too far. His uncle has been bludgeoned to death, and the weapon is covered in his fingerprints. But even as he goes on trial for murder, facing undeniable evidence against him, Wes still swears up and down he didn&’t do it. Wes's wild explanations about a frame-up, a villainous gang, and a mysterious sexpot only enrage his already mortified family. But Sidney &“Gargoyle&” Grant, a disreputable young lawyer, sees no reason to rush to condemnation, and resolves to untangle the truth.
The Weirdest World
by R. A. LaffertyOdd planet! The bipeds talked from their heads and saw only what lay before them. In short, they were pathetic—and deadly! Lafferty was the winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award and a six time Nebula Award Nominee. His quirky style made his work hard to pigeonhole and market, but he still managed to influence a wide array of today&’s best writers. Simply on of the best writers the science fiction and fantasy field has ever produced.
The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek: A Novel (Butternut Creek #1)
by Jane Myers PerrineUpon his arrival, Butternut Creek Christian Church's newly-minted minister is met by a welcome committee led by Miss Birdie and her friend Mercedes, a.k.a. "the Widows." Their first order of business, to educate him on how things should be done, quickly gives way to a campaign to find him a wife. When their matchmaking efforts fizzle, the Widows turn to another new bachelor. Amputee and Afghan vet Sam simply wants to be left alone-- a desire that's as good as a red flag to the Widows! Soon they're scheming to pair him up with Willow, his beautiful physical therapist, a divorced mother of two who is afraid of commitment, Perrine's small-town tale is a big-time triumph of gentle humor, fast-paced plot, and wonderfully engaging characters.
The Well-Wishers (Tales of Magic #6)
by Edward Eager N. M. BodeckerJames, Laura, and Deborah along with their friends Kip, Lydia, and Gordy relate their experiences when the unpredictable old wishing well in the backyard continues to involve them in a variety of magical adventures.
The Wells Bequest
by Polly ShulmanLeo never imagined that time travel might really be possible, or that the objects in H. G. Wells novels might actually exist. And when a miniature time machine appears in Leos bedroom, he has no idea who the tiny, beautiful girl is riding it. But in the few moments before it vanishes, he recognizes the other tiny rider: himself! His search for the time machine leads him to the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a magical library that lends out objects instead of books. Hidden away in the Repository basement is the Wells Bequest, a collection of powerful objects straight out of science fiction novels. And when Leos adventure of a lifetime suddenly turns deadly, he must journey to 1895 to warn scientist Nikola Tesla about a dangerous invention.
The Wentworths
by Katie ArnoldiFrom the bestselling author of Chemical Pink: &“While tales of dysfunctional families abound, this one separates itself from the pack&” (Elle). Katie Arnoldi&’s critically acclaimed debut novel Chemical Pink launched her onto the bestseller lists and so burrowed itself into the public&’s consciousness that its title was the answer to a Double Jeopardy question. Now, seven years later, her second novel, The Wentworths, gives her readers a fascinating, erotic, dark, and savagely funny page-turner that will both thrill her fans and appeal to new readers of all stripes. Arnoldi&’s searing portrait of a wealthy Westside, Los Angeles family, is a true binge read—boldly dramatizing the dysfunctionality of the modern American family as it examines how people get so screwed up. Comic and horrifying, sadistic and hilarious, tragic and funny all at the same time, The Wentworths is a shocking, yet redemptive tale that will have fans cheering. &“Too funny, too true, too sad, and too short.&” —David Mamet, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of old Religion &“Savagely funny . . . You&’ll be hooked.&” —Marie Claire &“With a wry touch, Arnoldi draws a mocking portrait of a powerful Southern California family that, while not the worst family on record, is remarkably warped by wealth and power . . . A page-turner both for its well-paced intrigue and for its witty, sordid description of just how awful these people can get.&” —Publishers Weekly &“The #1 beach read of the summer.&” —The Malibu Times
The Wereduck Code (The Wereduck Series #3)
by Dave AtkinsonA teenage wereduck in a family of werewolves struggles to free her family from its curse as others race to reveal them in this humorous paranormal fantasy.It&’s not easy being a fourteen-year-old wereduck in a family of werewolves. In The Wereduck Code, we catch up with Kate after discovering that an ancient cure for her family&’s curse—one she had hoped would mean her family could finally come out of hiding—turned out to be more complicated than that.The third installment of the critically acclaimed Wereduck series finds Kate sending away for a DNA test, thinking it will provide answers. The test&’s results are shocking: there appears to be a toggle in human genetic code that is switched on in werewolves. And if that toggle can be switched off, like it was for her best friend John, does that mean it can be switched on? Will the scientist who discovered it use this information for good or evil?And where is Dirk Bragg? The tabloid journalist-turned-country-music-star—who&’s come close to exposing Kate&’s family more than once—is suddenly missing. And as John soon discovers, there&’s an anonymous group of hackers called D-Net hot on Dirk&’s trail, convinced he can reveal the truth about werewolves once and for all. With freedom and friendship on the line, the thrilling conclusion of the Wereduck series will leave readers on the edge of their seats!Praise for The Wereduck Code&“Hilarious adventures. . . . The Wereduck Code is slapstick comedy with many silly antics.&” —Canadian Review of Materials
The Werewolf Club Meets the Hound of the Basketballs (The Werewolf Club #4)
by Daniel PinkwaterThe Watson Elementary School Werewolf Club goes on a field trip to Basketball Hall, where Sir Hugo hopes they will solve the mystery of the hound which has plagued his family for generations.
The Werewolf's Guide to Life
by Ritch Duncan Bob PowersHave you been attacked by a wolf-like creature in the last 30 days? Was it after the sun had set and under a full moon? If you answered, "yes" to both these questions, there's a very good chance that you were bitten by a werewolf. You now have less than a month before the full moon returns and with it your first transformation into a savage, bloodthirsty beast. Survival is an option, but first, know this:* Werewolves are real.* The majority of lycanthropes who do not have access to this book die during or shortly after their first transformations, generally due to heart failure, gunshot wounds, exposure, drowning or suicide. * Hollywood horror movies are NOT to be used as guides to living as a werewolf. Their goal is not to educate, but to entertain. As a result, they are largely ignorant of the realities of the condition.* Ignorance creates monsters; lycanthropy does not. * You are not a monster.The Werewolf's Guide to Life cuts through the fiction and guides you through your first transformation and beyond, offering indispensable advice on how to tell if you're really a werewolf, post-attack etiquette, breaking the news to your spouse, avoiding government abduction, and how to not just survive, but thrive. You cannot afford to not read this book. Your very life depends on it.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Werewolf's Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten
by Ritch Duncan Bob PowersHave you been attacked by a wolf-like creature in the last 30 days? Was it after the sun had set and under a full moon? If you answered, yeso to both these questions, there's a very good chance that you were bitten by a werewolf. You now have less than a month before the full moon returns and with it your first transformation into a savage, bloodthirsty beast. Survival is an option, but first, know this: * Werewolves are real. * The majority of lycanthropes who do not have access to this book die during or shortly after their first transformations, generally due to heart failure, gunshot wounds, exposure, drowning or suicide. * Hollywood horror movies are NOT to be used as guides to living as a werewolf. Their goal is not to educate, but to entertain. As a result, they are largely ignorant of the realities of the condition. * Ignorance creates monsters; lycanthropy does not. * You are not a monster. The Werewolf's Guide to Life cuts through the fiction and guides you through your first transformation and beyond, offering indispensable advice on how to tell if you're really a werewolf, post-attack etiquette, breaking the news to your spouse, avoiding government abduction, and how to not just survive, but thrive. You cannot afford to not read this book. Your very life depends on it.
The Westerby Inheritance (The Changing Fortunes Series #1)
by M. C. BeatonA lady wagers her honor to restore her family&’s fortunes in this historical romance by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries.Lady Jane Lovelace has conceived the idea of approaching the most notorious man about town, Lord Charles Welbourne, with a most unique proposition. But when he counters her offer with a condition that he thinks will halt her impudence, much to the surprise of both, she accepts…A novel of passion and intrigue, The Westerby Inheritance is the first volume of an emotionally charged romantic saga all played out against a backdrop of elegant eighteenth-century society. The saga continues with The Westerby Sisters.ABOUT THE COLLECTION What could be more engaging than the women who rise from the commoner classes and minor nobility to triumph in the unforgiving high society of London. Read about women who have lost their fortunes, country girls at their first season, and new wives who can&’t resist temptation in the nine titles of the Changing Fortunes Collection.
The Westerby Sisters (The Changing Fortunes Series #9)
by M. C. BeatonIn this historical romance by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries, a spoiled duke meets his match.Lady Betty has no interest in the Duke of Collingham. She doesn&’t care that he&’s fabulously wealthy, or devastatingly handsome, or impeccably well-dressed. All she sees is an arrogant nobleman with an abrasive personality and an annoyingly persistent streak. And the Duke of Collingham is persistent. He can have any woman in the whole of Society—but the one who won&’t have him is the only one he wants. And he'll stop at nothing to persuade her.ABOUT THE COLLECTION What could be more engaging than the women who rise from the commoner classes and minor nobility to triumph in the unforgiving high society of London. Read about women who have lost their fortunes, country girls at their first season, and new wives who can&’t resist temptation in the nine titles of the Changing Fortunes Collection.
The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics, From Homer to Faulkner
by Sandra NewmanA side-splitting tour that makes it a blast to read the Western literary canon, from the ancient Greeks to the Modernists. To many, the Great Books evoke angst: the complicated Renaissance dramas we bluffed our way through in college, the dusty Everyman's Library editions that look classy on the shelf but make us feel guilty because they've never been opened. On a mission to restore the West's great works to their rightful place (they were intended to be entertaining!), Sandra Newman has produced a reading guide like no other. Beginning with Greek and Roman literature, she takes readers through hilarious detours and captivating historical tidbits on the road to Modernism. Along the way, we find parallels between Rabelais and South Park, Jane Austen and Sex and the City, Jonathan Swift and Jon Stewart, uncovering the original humor and riskiness that propelled great authors to celebrity. Packed with pop culture gems, stories of literary hoaxes, ironic day jobs for authors, bad reviews of books that would later become classics, and more.
The Western Lonesome Society: A Novel
by Robert McbreartyIn this hilarious, poignant, over-the-top Western, readers are introduced to Jim O'Brien who is writing a quixotic saga of his ancestors who grew up with a tribe of Comanche. As his grip on reality loosens, O'Brien weaves into his tale an RV trip through the soul of the west and includes a whole host of characters such as modern day stalkers, drug dealers, secret agents, strippers, a mad linguist, an imaginary therapist, and Ernest Hemingway. Having been displaced, each of the characters must embark on the great American quest for a place to truly call home.
The Western: From Silents to Cinerama
by George N Fenin William K. EversonGround-breaking and essential history of the genre, highlighted by superb research, penetrating insights, and sharp, entertaining prose. Smartly designed, with scads of rare b&w photos laid out in a dynamic and witty design.-Print ed.“For many years the Western film has been strangely and unfairly neglected. Although many articles and essays have appeared in general and specialized periodicals all over the world, substantially organic books dealing exclusively with the Western are very rare indeed. And of all this material, the majority has been disguised publicity, or at best essays which refused to take the Western seriously, the work of writers who knew little or nothing of Westerns, writers who glibly referred to the cliché of the hero always kissing his horse instead of the girl, leaving it at that….We felt, therefore, that there was not only room, but a need, for a detailed history of the Western, a book which would represent not only a useful study of the industrial and aesthetic growth of a popular movie genre, but a critical analysis of it, as well. For the most part, we have adopted a strictly chronological approach, but, in the parlance of the film, it has sometimes been necessary to use “flash-forwards and cutbacks” and even a form of montage, in order to follow a thesis through to its logical conclusion.”-Introduction.
The Westing Game (Be Classic)
by Ellen RaskinA Newbery Medal WinnerFor over thirty-five years, Ellen Raskin's Newbery Medal-winning The Westing Game has been an enduring favorite. This highly inventive mystery involves sixteen people who are invited to the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. They could become millionaires-it all depends on how they play the tricky and dangerous Westing game, a game involving blizzards, burglaries, and bombings! Ellen Raskin has created a remarkable cast of characters in a puzzle-knotted, word-twisting plot filled with humor, intrigue, and suspense. Winner of the Newbery Medal Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award An ALA Notable Book A School Library Journal One Hundred Books That Shaped the Century"A supersharp mystery...confoundingly clever, and very funny." —Booklist, starred review "Great fun for those who enjoy illusion, word play, or sleight of hand." —The New York Times Book Review"A fascinating medley of word games, disguises, multiple aliases, and subterfuges—a demanding but rewarding book." —The Horn Book
The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics)
by Ellen RaskinA Newbery Medal Winner"A supersharp mystery...confoundingly clever, and very funny." —Booklist, starred review A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, on things for sure: Sam Westing may be dead…but that won’t stop him from playing one last game! Winner of the Newbery Medal Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award An ALA Notable Book "Great fun for those who enjoy illusion, word play, or sleight of hand." —The New York Times Book Review"A fascinating medley of word games, disguises, multiple aliases, and subterfuges—a demanding but rewarding book." —The Horn BookFrom the Trade Paperback edition.
The Whale Caller: A Novel
by Zakes Mda"A voice for which one should feel not only affection but admiration." --The New York TimesThe Whale Caller, Zakes Mda's fifth novel, is his most enchanting and accessible book yet-a romantic comedy of sorts in which the changing face of post-apartheid South Africa is revealed through prodigious, lyrical storytelling.As the novel opens, the seaside village of Hermanus, on the country's west coast, is overrun with whale watchers-foreign tourists wearing floral shirts and toting expensive binoculars, determined to see whales in their natural habitat. But when the tourists have gone home, the Whale Caller lingers at the shoreline, wooing a whale he calls Sharisha with cries from a kelp horn. When Sharisha fails to appear for weeks on end, the Whale Caller frets like a jealous lover-oblivious to the fact that the town drunk, Saluni, a woman who wears a silk dress and red stiletto heels, is infatuated with him. After much ado-which Mda relates with great relish-the two misfits fall in love. But each of them is ill equipped for romance, and their on-again, off-again relationship suggests something of the fitful nature of change in post-apartheid South Africa, where just living from one day to the next can be challenge enough.Mda has spoken of the end of apartheid as a lifting of the South African novelist's burden to write on political subjects. With The Whale Caller, he has written a tender, charming novel-the work of a virtuoso among international writers.
The Whale at the End of the World
by John IronmongerPreviously published as NOT FORGETTING THE WHALETHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'A gentle and uplifting tale of warding off apocalypse in a remote corner of Cornwall . . . charming' Financial TimesFor fans of ELEANOR OLIPHANT, THE ROSIE PROJECT & THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY.It all began with the whale.When a young man washes up on the sands of St Piran in Cornwall, it is clear to the villagers that this is not a regular day. What has brought him here? And what is the crisis only he understands, that threatens not only their community but all of civilisation?With a global pandemic on the horizon, and a whale lurking in the bay, the villagers of St Piran must band together to survive. Intimate, funny and heart-warming, John Ironmonger tells a compelling story about the important things that hold us together, and how hope can be found, even at the end of the world.'Fun, uplifting, charming' Financial Times'A warm-hearted book crammed with ideas . . . very, very good' Emerald Street'A tremendously enjoyable book' Independent on Sunday
The Wheel is Spinning but the Hamster is Dead: A Journey Around the World in Idioms, Proverbs and General Nonsense
by Adam SharpKnow your tater trap from your sniffle herring in Sharp's journey around the world in idioms, proverbs and general nonsense - the perfect gift for book lovers and language obsessives!'Brilliant, hilarious fun from a master wordsmith - you will LOVE this book' Kit de Waal'Extremely entertaining and very useful for new insults' Russell Kane'Utter genius' Marian Keyes'Brilliant' Brian BilstonJoin wordsmith Adam Sharp as he journeys around the world in idioms, proverbs and general nonsense. Learn unusual insults from France (You are a potato with the face of a guinea pig), how to hurry someone up in the US (You're going as slow as molasses in January) and what they call a shark in Vietnam (fat fish).Full of fascinating, ridiculous and hilarious translations from around the world, Adam has rounded up the very best of what every corner of the globe has to offer.Let's get this show on the road! Or:Let's saddle the chickens! (German)On with the butter! (Icelandic)Forward with the goat! (Dutch)