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Accidental Trouble Magnet: Book 1 (Planet Omar #1)
by Zanib MianAn exciting middle-grade debut starring a Muslim boy with a huge imagination. An NPR Best Book of the Year. <p><p> Welcome to the imaginative brain of Omar! Omar and his family have just moved, and he is NOT excited about starting at a new school. What if the work is too hard or the kids are mean or the teacher is a zombie alien?! <p><p> But when Omar makes a new best friend, things start looking up. That is, until a Big Mean Bully named Daniel makes every day a nightmare! Daniel even tells Omar that all Muslims are going to be kicked out of the country . . . Could that possibly be true? <p><p> Luckily, Omar's enormous imagination and goofy family help him get through life's ups and downs. <p><p> Omar's funny, relatable narrative is the perfect answer to the call for both mirrors and windows to fill bookshelves with diverse stories.An exciting middle-grade debut starring a Muslim boy with a huge imagination. An NPR Best Book of the Year. <p><p> Welcome to the imaginative brain of Omar! Omar and his family have just moved, and he is NOT excited about starting at a new school. What if the work is too hard or the kids are mean or the teacher is a zombie alien?! <p><p> But when Omar makes a new best friend, things start looking up. That is, until a Big Mean Bully named Daniel makes every day a nightmare! Daniel even tells Omar that all Muslims are going to be kicked out of the country . . . Could that possibly be true? <p><p> Luckily, Omar's enormous imagination and goofy family help him get through life's ups and downs. <p><p> Omar's funny, relatable narrative is the perfect answer to the call for both mirrors and windows to fill bookshelves with diverse stories.
Accidentally Engaged
by Mary CarterI'm just the messenger. Please, don't kill me. . . Don't hate me because I'm psychic. . .everybody else already does. My name's Clair Ivers and these days my "gift" seems more like a booby prize. It all started when this crazy woman tried to bribe me into skewing a reading to warm her future sister-in-law's cold feet. Then the prospective sister-in-law threatened to kill herself at the altar if I didn't give her a phony reading saying she should break off the engagement. Oh, and did I mention she ran out, leaving her three-carat rock of a ring right there on my table? So what's an honest woman to do? Find the man who belongs to the ring, of course. And boy, have I found him. The minute I lay eyes on Jack Heron, I know he's the one. . .for me, that is. The problem is making him realize it once he finds out that I may be responsible for the flight of his fiancée. At least his grandmother likes me. Of course she thinks I'm someone else. And then there's the best man who keeps calling me for dates. . .and stock tips. Between the people who think I'm someone else, the people who wish I were, and the people who just want a bead on the winning Powerball numbers, I'm seriously considering packing in my deck for good. But not until I throw caution to the wind and make a play for my very own Jack of Hearts. . .
Accidentally Engaged
by Mary CarterI'm just the messenger. Please, don't kill me... Don't hate me because I'm psychic...everybody else already does. My name's Clair Ivers and these days my "gift" seems more like a booby prize. It all started when this crazy woman tried to bribe me into skewing a reading to warm her future sister-in-law's cold feet. Then the prospective sister-in-law threatened to kill herself at the altar if I didn't give her a phony reading saying she should break off the engagement. Oh, and did I mention she ran out, leaving her three-carat rock of a ring right there on my table? So what's an honest woman to do? Find the man who belongs to the ring, of course. And boy, have I found him. The minute I lay eyes on Jack Heron, I know he's the one...for me, that is. The problem is making him realize it once he finds out that I may be responsible for the flight of his fiancée. At least his grandmother likes me. Of course she thinks I'm someone else. And then there's the best man who keeps calling me for dates...and stock tips. Between the people who think I'm someone else, the people who wish I were, and the people who just want a bead on the winning Powerball numbers, I'm seriously considering packing in my deck for good. But not until I throw caution to the wind and make a play for my very own Jack of Hearts...
Accidentally Engaged
by Farah HeronA "delectable" romantic comedy about a woman who fakes an engagement to the boy next door to enter a couples cooking contest (Farrah Rochon, USA Today bestselling author). When it comes to bread, Reena Manji knows exactly what she's doing. She treats her sourdough starters like (somewhat unruly) children. But when it comes to Reena's actual family—and their constant meddling in her life—well, that recipe always ends in disaster.Now Reena's parents have found her yet another potential Good Muslim Husband. This one has the body of Captain America, a delicious British accent, and lives right across the hall. He's the perfect, mouthwatering temptation . . . and completely ruined by the unwelcome side dish of parental interference.Reena refuses to marry anyone who works for her father. She won't be attracted to Nadim's sweet charm or gorgeous lopsided smile. That is, until the baking opportunity of a lifetime presents itself: a couples' cooking competition with the prize of her dreams. Reena will do anything to win—even asking Nadim to pretend they're engaged. But when it comes to love, baking your bread doesn't always mean you get to eat it too.Featured in Buzzfeed, Brit & Co, PopSugar, Oprah.com, Goodreads, The Nerd Daily and Frolic
Accidentally Engaged: deliciously romantic and feel-good - the perfect romcom for 2021
by Farah HeronIs this fake engagement fool proof . . . or half-baked?When it comes to bread, Reena Manji knows exactly what she's doing. She treats her sourdough starters like (somewhat unruly) children. But when it comes to Reena's actual family - and their constant meddling in her life - well, that recipe always ends in disaster.Now Reena's parents have found her yet another potential Good Muslim Husband. He's the perfect, mouth-watering temptation . . . and completely ruined by the unwelcome side dish of parental interference.Reena refuses to marry anyone who works for her father. She won't be attracted to Nadim's sweet charm or gorgeous lopsided smile. That is, until the baking opportunity of a lifetime presents itself: a couples' cooking competition with the prize of her dreams. Reena will do anything to win - even asking Nadim to pretend they're engaged. But when it comes to love, baking your bread doesn't always mean you get to eat it too.Praise for Accidentally Engaged'A feast of a book! It's a must-read' Tif Marcelo, author of The Key to Happily Ever After'An engaging read with authentic characters who continue to surprise you' USA Today'Equally sweet and spicy, this is sure to leave readers smiling' Publishers Weekly'Voraciously readable . . . fresh, warm, soft in all the right places . . . We dare readers not to devour it' Entertainment Weekly
Accidentally in Love
by Danielle JacksonWhen Sam is stuck sharing the streets for Chicago&’s summer festivals with a man she can&’t stand, she&’ll find it&’s often a bumpy road that leads to love…. As office manager of the city&’s leading luxury boudoir and pinup photography studio, lovable grump Samantha Sawyer has everything under control. With an eventful summer season on the horizon, Sam is balancing a hectic workload while preparing the Buxom Boudoir &“Photobus,&” a vintage coach bus converted into a mobile photobooth and meeting space, to make the rounds at Chicago&’s bustling summer street festival roster. Sam&’s busy schedule makes avoiding the difficult parts of her life much easier, but there&’s one person who can see right through her to-do lists and icy façade, really see her. A lot has changed in the last year for Russell Montgomery. Years of odd jobs and couch surfing around the country had left him scrambling, but after reconnecting with his brother, Reid (and coming as close to settling down as he&’s ever been), Russ now works at a hot local restaurant. Russ has been welcomed into his newly engaged brother&’s circle of friends—all except a close friend and coworker of Reid&’s fiancée, an intriguingly stormy woman named Sam. Luckily, Sam is certain that the chaos of her calendar will ensure their distance, and she won&’t have to deal with Russ or his irritating, handsome smile. But when Russ is charged with the launch of a restaurant food truck for the festival circuit, the sizzling Chicago heat is no match for the fire between them….
Accidentally On Purpose: The feel-good romance you've been looking for! (Heartbreaker Bay #3)
by Jill ShalvisAccidentally On Purpose is the third in New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis's Heartbreaker Bay series, featuring her trademark gift for humour, warmth and romance. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts and Marie Force. Elle Wheaton's priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there's the muscular wall of stubbornness that's security expert Archer Hunt - who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. "Feels-Free Zone" that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer...which should only take a lifetime...Archer's wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco earthquake and he craves her 24/7, but Archer doesn't want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren't him... As far as Archer's concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad - and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along...Want more warm, funny romance? Check out the other Heartbreaker Bay novels, Sweet Little Lies and The Trouble With Mistletoe, visit gorgeous Cedar Ridge, spellbinding Lucky Harbor or experience some Animal Magnetism in Sunshine, Idaho in Jill's other unforgettable series.
Accidentally Wes Anderson
by Wally KovalWes Anderson's beloved films announce themselves through a singular aesthetic - one that seems too vivid, unique, and meticulously constructed to possibly be real. Not so - in Accidentally Wes Anderson, Wally Koval collects the world's most Anderson-like sites in all their faded grandeur and pop-pastel colours, telling the story behind each stranger than-fiction-location. Based on the viral online phenomenon and community of the same name, Accidentally Wes Anderson celebrates the unique aesthetic that millions of Anderson fans love - capturing the symmetrical, the atypical, the unexpected, the vibrantly patterned, and distinctively coloured in arresting photographs from around the world. Authorised by Wes Anderson himself, and appealing to the millions who love his films, this book is also for fans of Cabin Porn and Van Life - and avid travellers and aspiring adventurers of all kinds.
El accidente
by Linwood BarclayEl plan era perfecto. Nada podía salir mal. ¿O sí?Glen Barber no es la única persona en el pequeño pueblo de Milford, Connecticut, que tiene quebraderos de cabeza. La crisis económica ha puesto su negocio de construcción en una situación más que comprometida y, después de que un misterioso incendio redujera a cenizas una de sus obras, las cosas no han hecho más que empeorar.Su esposa, Sheila, tiene sus propios planes para sacarlos del atolladero, pero entonces tiene un accidente y los sueños de prosperidad se desvanecen en una neblina de desesperación, dolor y rabia. En busca de respuestas, Glen comenzará a indagar en las circunstancias del trágico incidente solo para descubrir el lado oscuro de la idílica vecindad de Milford.«¿Cómo he podido pasar toda mi vida sin Linwood Barclay? Con esta novela Barclay se sitúa en lo más alto del panteón del suspense.»Stephen King
The Accomplished Guest: Stories
by Ann BeattieA magnificent new collection from award-winning author Ann Beattie—featuring recent O. Henry, Pushcart, and Best American Short Story selections.Surprising and revealing, set along the East Coast from Maine to Key West, Ann Beattie’s astutely observed new collection explores unconventional friendships, frustrated loves, mortality, and aging. One theme of The Accomplished Guest is people paying visits or receiving visitors, traveling to see old friends, the joys and tolls of hosting company (and of being hosted). The occasion might be a wedding, a birthday, a reunion, an annual Christmas party, or another opportunity to gather and attempt to bond with biological relatives or chosen families. In some stories, as in life, what begins as a benign social event becomes a situation played for high stakes. The stories in The Accomplished Guest are marked by an undercurrent of loss and an unexpected element of violence, with Beattie’s signature mordant humor woven throughout. Some characters provide welcome diversions, others are uninvited interruptions, all are indelibly drawn by the endlessly amusing and accomplished Ann Beattie. Beattie’s debut collection Distortions was published forty years ago, but her writing is as fresh, funny, and relevant as ever. She is “a national treasure, the author of short stories that will endure and continue to inspire” (Jay McInerney, The New York Times Book Review).
According To Jane
by Marilyn BrantIn Marilyn Brant's smart, wildly inventive debut, one woman in search of herself receives advice from the ultimate expert in matters of the heart. . .It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there. Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go--sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love--perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending. . . "A warm, witty and charmingly original story." --Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author "An engaging read for all who have been through the long, dark, dating wars, and still believe there's sunshine, and a Mr. Darcy, at the end of the tunnel." --Cathy Lamb, author of Henry's Sisters"This is a must-read for Austen lovers as well as for all who believe in the possibility of a happily-ever-after ending." --Holly Chamberlin, author of One Week In December
According to Ruth
by Jane FeaverIt is 1979 and in a ramshackle cottage in Northumberland fifteen-year-old Ruth is desperate to leave behind the gradual implosion of her parents' marriage as she pursues her own quest for love and excitement. Fantasies about the son of the local farmer offer a temporary distraction from the rising tensions at home but Ruth soon discovers that the family are coming to terms with a very different tragedy...Told largely from the darkly humorous perspective of Ruth, Jane Feaver's novel is an engaging and profound insight into the relationships within families and the nature of love and loss, of grief and grieving.
Ace and the Animal Heroes: The Big Farm Rescue
by JB GillDr Dolittle meets Dick King-Smith in this funny, charming animal adventure from pop-star, presenter and award-winning farmer JB Gill. The perfect next read for fans of Michael Morpurgo's Mudpuddle Farm and David Baddiel's Animalcolm! 'Ace couldn't believe his ears. NO WAY did a pig, two goats and a donkey just speak!'When Ace receives a surprise gift from a long-lost relative, he and his amazing grandparents pack up their life in the city and move to the countryside to live on a run-down farm.And there's an even bigger surprise in-store for Ace when he tries on some magical new wellies and realises he can talk to animals! He's going to have to master this new skill to take on the evil Councillor Crabbington, who is determined to shut down the farm!With a little help from Ginger the Pig, some squawkative hens and a new best friend, Ace must find a way to save the farm before Councillor Crabbington gets his hands on it!Full of hilarious illustrations from Becka Moor, the illustrator behind Pamela Butchart's Wigglesbottom Primary series!See what readers are saying about Ace and the Animal Heroes:'[V]ery entertaining and a pleasure to read for any young child . . . This is a fun read and comes highly recommended.' - The Independent, Children's Book of the Week'Ace and the Animal Heroes: The Big Farm Rescue is a fun and engaging book that is perfect for children who love animals and adventure. My son couldn't put it down and was captivated by the story from beginning to end.' - Amazon reviewer 'This book is so great! It is clever, funny, and the text and pictures are equally delightful. My children and I can read this over and over again without being tired of it.' - Amazon reviewer
Ace's Basement (Orca Currents)
by Ted StauntonFollowing the demise of his first band, Ace has started a duo called Two with Lisa, a girl he has a huge crush on. As Ace and Lisa get serious about their music, Denny, Ace's hapless friend, tries to help out by filming their every move so that he can create the ultimate music video. As a joke, Denny puts together a Two video capturing all of the embarrassing moments—moments that Lisa in particular doesn't want shared. Somehow, the video gets posted on YouTube. Lisa and Ace find themselves starring in the latest comedic viral video. Lisa is humiliated and refuses to talk to Ace—until their fame turns out to have positive results. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Aches & Pains
by Maeve BinchyA brilliantly funny guide to the trials and tribulations of hospitals and convalescence - from No. 1 bestselling author Maeve Binchy.Get the feel-better factor from Maeve Binchy as she teams up with artist Wendy Shea to bring us ACHES & PAINS. This gem of a book includes:Five things you can say to annoy the patient in the next bedHow to put on elastic stockingsSix ways to make non-alcoholic drinks bearableHow to be the perfect hospital visitorUnusual but essential things for your medicine cupboardFilled with the fun, warmth and wisdom for which Maeve Binchy is famous, ACHES & PAINS is the perfect alternative to a Get Well card.
Aches & Pains
by Maeve BinchyA brilliantly funny guide to the trials and tribulations of hospitals and convalescence - from No. 1 bestselling author Maeve Binchy.Get the feel-better factor from Maeve Binchy as she teams up with artist Wendy Shea to bring us ACHES & PAINS. This gem of a book includes:Five things you can say to annoy the patient in the next bedHow to put on elastic stockingsSix ways to make non-alcoholic drinks bearableHow to be the perfect hospital visitorUnusual but essential things for your medicine cupboardFilled with the fun, warmth and wisdom for which Maeve Binchy is famous, ACHES & PAINS is the perfect alternative to a Get Well card.
Aches & Pains
by Maeve BinchyGet the feel-better factor from Maeve Binchy as she teams up with artist Wendy Shea to bring us ACHES & PAINS. This gem of a book includes:Five things you can say to annoy the patient in the next bedHow to put on elastic stockingsSix ways to make non-alcoholic drinks bearableHow to be the perfect hospital visitorUnusual but essential things for your medicine cupboardFilled with fun, warmth and wisdom, for which Maeve Binchy is famous, ACHES & PAINS is the perfect alternative to a Get Well card.Read by Kate Binchy(p) 2002 Orion Publishing Group
The Achieve of, the Mastery of the Thing: from The Lone Pilgrim (A Vintage Short)
by Laurie ColwinIn this short story from Laurie Colwin&’s The Lone Pilgrim, the perpetually stoned young wife of a popular college professor struggles to tell her husband that she&’s been high since the day they met. Juggling her housewifish duties with her daily hours spent with her close friend and dealer, she does her best not to rock the boat too hard. Told with Colwin&’s unique humor and incisive characterization, this is a story about friendship within a marriage and outside of it. A Vintage Short.
Act (A Click Graphic Novel)
by Kayla MillerAct is the funny and honest follow-up to the middle school graphic novel sensations Click and Camp. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Shannon Hale, and Victoria Jamieson. How do you know when the person who can make the difference . . . is you? Olive is excited to start sixth grade: new teachers, new experiences, and a field trip to the big city with her best buds! But when Olive finds out that a school policy is keeping some kids from going on the trip, she decides to act. She's prepared to do whatever it takes to be heard—even if it means running against Trent and Sawyer, two of her closest friends, in the student council election! With intense campaign competition and emotions running high, can Olive make a big change and keep her friends? New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Kayla Miller crafts a genuine and inspiring story about evolving friendships, supportive family, and finding out that you—yes, you—have the power to make a difference.
Act Like a Lady: Questionable Advice, Ridiculous Opinions, and Humiliating Tales from Three Undignified Women
by Becca Tobin Keltie Knight Jac VanekThe hosts of the popular podcast and E! show LadyGang offer a relatable, empowering, and hilarious take on being unapologetically yourself (even if that's not always your best self) in a manifesto that redefines womanhood for the twenty-first-century lady.If you're tired of being bombarded with the curated perfection on social media and you're starving for something raw, honest, and a little bit messy, welcome to the LadyGang. Keltie, Becca, and Jac are here to clear away the bullshit and give you the confidence to live your best lady life. Unabashedly sincere, clever, and full of questionable advice, Act Like a Lady explores the complexities surrounding topics like body image, breakups, navigating a career, and adult friendships through their own embarrassing experiences. The LadyGang has your back with essays like "Maybe She's Born with It, Maybe It's Photoshop" and "If You're Happy and You Know It, Thank Your Ex." You'll learn there's a million different ways to be a lady--and that includes accidentally farting during sex or having the guts to tell your friend she's being a selfish assh*le. No matter what you're going through, you'll find a space to bond over the sloppy, heartbreaking, joyous, and often ridiculous realities of womanhood. Nothing is TMI here.
Act Like It (London Celebrities #1)
by Lucy Parker“Lucy Parker’s books are all fabulous. Her writing voice never fails to make me giggle, while the chemistry between her characters makes me swoon.”—FrolicThis just in: romance takes center stage as West End theatre’s Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Lainie GrahamRichard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard’s antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city.Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man?Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance.Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all?
Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me
by Jamie FoxxIn this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, award-winning, multi-talented entertainer Jamie Foxx shares the story of being raised by his no-nonsense grandmother, the glamour and pitfalls of life in Hollywood, and the lessons he took from both worlds to raise his two daughters.Jamie Foxx has won an Academy Award and a Grammy Award, laughed with sitting presidents, and partied with the biggest names in hip-hop. But he is most proud of his role as father to two very independent young women, Corinne and Anelise. Jamie might not always know what he&’s doing when it comes to raising girls—especially when they talk to him about TikTok (PlikPlok?) and don&’t share his enthusiasm for flashy Rolls Royces—but he does his best to show up for them every single day.Luckily, he has a strong example to follow: his beloved late grandmother, Estelle Marie Talley. Jamie learned everything he knows about parenting from the fierce woman who raised him: As he puts it, she&’s &“Madea before Tyler Perry put on the pumps and the gray wig.&” In Act Like You Got Some Sense—a title inspired by Estelle—Jamie shares up close and personal stories about the tough love and old-school values he learned growing up in the small town of Terrell, Texas; his early days trying to make it in Hollywood; the joys and challenges of achieving stardom; and how each phase of his life shaped his parenting journey. Hilarious, poignant, and always brutally honest, this is Jamie Foxx like we&’ve never seen him before.
Act Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting
by Jennifer TraigFrom a distinctive, inimitable voice, a wickedly funny and fascinating romp through the strange and often contradictory history of Western parentingWhy do we read our kids fairy tales about homicidal stepparents? How did helicopter parenting develop if it used to be perfectly socially acceptable to abandon your children? Why do we encourage our babies to crawl if crawling won’t help them learn to walk?These are just some of the questions that came to Jennifer Traig when—exhausted, frazzled, and at sea after the birth of her two children—she began to interrogate the traditional parenting advice she’d been conditioned to accept at face value. The result is Act Natural, hilarious and deft dissection of the history of Western parenting, written with the signature biting wit and deep insights Traig has become known for. Moving from ancient Rome to Puritan New England to the Dr. Spock craze of mid-century America, Traig cheerfully explores historic and present-day parenting techniques ranging from the misguided, to the nonsensical, to the truly horrifying. Be it childbirth, breastfeeding, or the ways in which we teach children how to sleep, walk, eat, and talk, she leaves no stone unturned in her quest for answers: Have our techniques actually evolved into something better? Or are we still just scrambling in the dark?
Act Normal: Stories
by Greg HollingsheadA new collection of short fiction from the Governor General’s Literary Award-winning author and Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist Greg Hollingshead.Act Normal is a collection of sharp, new comic stories about sex, art, and the daily risk of having accidents. Highly original, occasionally dark, but always endearing, these stories are filled with characters who are forced to confront strange behaviour in both themselves and others.In “The Amazing Insult,” a blow to the head in a boating accident increases a woman’s intelligence and alters her sexual orientation. A man flees a rural meditation camp in for a highway bar in “The Retreat,” where he does his best to get to know a Haitian stripper. A depressed carpenter has to take a break from building his client’s fence in “Unbounded.” In “Night Dreams of the Wise,” a man sleeping with the wife of the British Defense Secretary learns, after a particularly wild night, to stop doing foolish things. A cleric is haunted by the revenant of a member of his diocese in “Miss Buffet.” Nominated for a National Magazine Award, “The Drug-Friendly House,” is the story of a man who attempts to befriend a woman living in a house that the neighbourhood association has labelled “drug friendly.”Intelligent, insightful, humorous, and occasionally bizarre, Act Normal is a masterful return by Hollingshead to the short story form. Set in the treacherous terrain of the everyday, this collection is about the quest to find love and truth in a broken world.
Act of God
by Jill CimentJill Ciment's books have been hailed as "stunning," "powerful," and "provocative." Alice Sebold has called her works "beautifully written." Now the author of Heroic Measures ("Smart and funny and completely surprising . . . I loved every page." --Ann Patchett; "Brave, generous, nearly perfect." --Los Angeles Times) has given us a contemporary noir novel that starts out a comedy of errors and turns darker at every hairpin turn. It's the summer of 2015, Brooklyn. The city is sweltering from another record-breaking heat wave, this one accompanied by biblical rains. Edith, a recently retired legal librarian, and her identical twin sister, Kat, a feckless romantic who's mistaken her own eccentricity for originality, discover something ominous in their hall closet: it seems to be phosphorescent, it's a mushroom . . . and it's sprouting from their wall. Upstairs, their landlady, Vida Cebu, a Shakespearian actress far more famous for her TV commercials for Ziberax (the first female sexual enhancement pill) than for her stage work, discovers that a petite Russian girl, a runaway au pair, has been secretly living in her guest room closet. When the police arrest the intruder, they find a second mushroom, also glowing, under the intruder's bedding. Soon the HAZMAT squad arrives, and the four women are forced to evacuate the contaminated row house with only the clothes on their backs. As the mold infestation spreads from row house to high-rise, and frightened, bewildered New Yorkers wait out this plague (is it an act of God?) on their city and property, the four women become caught up in a centrifugal nightmare. Part horror story, part screwball comedy, Jill Ciment's brilliant suspense novel looks at what happens when our lives--so seemingly set and ordered yet so precariously balanced--break down in the wake of calamity. It is, as well, a novel about love (familial and profound) and how it can appear from the most unlikely circumstances.From the Hardcover edition.