Life Satire

Life is going pretty well for Raymond "Stick" Hart. He's happily married to the former Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Club assistant pro, the beauteous Cajun firecracker Dannie, raising his rambunctious son, Charlie, and getting by writing smart-mouthed greeting cards for 50 bucks a pop. Then, one disaster of a day, Stick's world does a 10-car pile-up. Luckily, Stick has a solution to all his problems. He'll qualify for the British Open.

*BERYL AND FRED IN SPAIN now available, containing this book plus Beryl, Fred and a Dog called Ted at a reduced price.* Beryl and Fred Pedley, doyens of the Spanish travelling scene since the publication of Fred’s poignant memoir of their maiden voyage with their faithful dog Ted, are hitting the road in Vernon the camper van once again. Ted, sadly, is no longer with us, but in his place we meet Cheryl, a remarkably talented cat and the author of this volume. After selling their unwanted cottage on the Isle of Lewis, we follow their journey to the isolated village of Puebla de Don ...

When Mr Alec Quigley, superannuated insurance clerk, leaves the Bedfordshire bungalow of his indomitable niece Angela and makes his way to the Spanish village that he once read about in a history book, things are unlikely to go smoothly. A man with many foibles, not least his tendency to fantasise, his guardian Angela wants him home before he can get into any of the frequent scrapes that have dogged his – and, of late, her – existence. He is, however, intent on carving out a new life for himself in the Spanish interior and soon enlists the help of Fernando the fireman, Jorge the ...

When death shows up at a crowded park, pandemonium reigns.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the manicured lawns and symmetrically planted flower beds in our beautiful neighborhood. There’s something undeniably picturesque about the row of houses, their paint colors all meticulously approved by a committee of self-appointed taste experts who seem to be more worried about the shade of beige than actual world problems. However, all this beautifully decorated façade comes at a great price—putting up with the HOA board members. Now, if you're unfamiliar with the phenomenon that is an HOA (Homeowners Association), allow me to enlighten you. You either ...

Coach Randy is working mightily to keep it together, and not simply with his vaguely unhappy wife, distant child, and a new boss who's eliminating half the sales force. This season's soccer parents are a demanding bunch. Diane's wine-fueled group emails are almost unintelligible; team mom Jacqui's enthusiasm for the league verges on manic; a divorced couple can barely conceal their murderous rage at each other; and another mom is laser-focused on schooling everyone on what constitutes a healthy snack option.

Eight years ago, I was supposed to marry her. Instead, I destroyed her family and then abandoned her. Broken and hurt, she delivered me a savage blow in return. Naturally, that should have been the end of us. Except that I still want her. Even after all these years, memories of her linger in a mix of pain and desire. And now the sassy girl who once set my world on fire is suddenly in my city, curating art she has no idea that she inspired. Her body still ignites under my touch, but her eyes hold a cold, hard resolve to never re-engage with her family’s arch-enemy. To prove to Sabrina that...

After eight and a half years and 323 pageants, Miranda Miller has become the ultimate stage mother. Her mission in life is to see that her nine-year-old daughter, Bailey, continues to be one of the most successful child pageant contestants in the southern United States. Lately, though, that mission has become increasingly difficult. Bailey wants to retire and has been secretly binge eating to make herself "unpageantable". But Miranda has a plan.

From the author of "Every Mother's Fear" A British aunt and her niece set off to explore Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In this calamity-ridden travel tale their relationship is changed forever. For fans of Marian Keyes and Sophie Kinsella.It's a trip with an eclectic mix of history, culture and scenery. Seafood shacks. Postcard perfect lighthouses. Weather-boarded buildings. Stacks of pancakes dripping in syrup. Quaint boutiques. Walks along the cobblestone streets of Boston, America's oldest city––the city of revolution. Throw in plenty of disagreements and you have all the ...

We’ve all met them—the self-declared gurus, the self-taught “experts,” the confidently oblivious office heroes, and the life coaches whose biggest accomplishment is remembering their Instagram password. In I Have No Idea What I’m Doing, we shine a painfully bright spotlight on twenty gloriously unqualified characters who charge boldly into the world, armed with buzzwords, blind faith, and absolutely no clue. From clueless consultants to motivational speakers who can’t find the stage, this book celebrates the gloriously chaotic people who remind us all that sometimes the only ...

Wannabe actress Dani Steele's résumé resembles a cautionary tale on how not to be famous. She's pushing thirty and stuck in a dead-end insurance job, and her relationship status is holding at uncommitted. With unbearably perfect sisters and a mother who won't let her forget it, Dani has two go-tos for consolation: maple scones and a blog in which she pours her heart out to her celebrity idol. He's the man her father never was, no boyfriend will ever be - and not so impossible a dream as one might think.

Alyssa Weyland was on the brink of sixteen when she ran away from home into the arms of Drew Michaels. She didn't think twice; this was finally her chance to be free. The next six months were a challenging time for the Weyland household as they struggled to pull together as a family unit while desperately attempting to save their own souls. Alyssa's absence cut deep into each family member and exposed sides of their innermost beings that had never surfaced. Her decision created permanent wrinkles in the family she left behind and her own life, wrinkles she wouldn't be able to see or ...

Esther Wells goes on a diet and the scales fall from her eyes. Depriving themselves of fatty foods, both husband and wife have new perspectives on each other, and the process is one of slow destruction of their marriage. Esther tells in flashback, from the depths of her basement apartment in Earls Court, the history of her marital disaster - in between her consumption of chocolate cake, tinned fruit, sweet sherry and a host of other high-calorie goodies.

This is a carefully curated collection of over 3,500 quotations by nearly 1,500 authors on a broad spectrum of topics, from science and technology, wisdom and folly, society and government, war and peace, to life and death – grouped in 23 chapters. Three main features distinguish this publication from numerous quote collections available in print and online: (i) Selection: By screening out “inspirational” platitudes, mediocre jokes, and discernible nonsense that dominate so many quote publications, this collection includes only the entries that are real pearls of human thought, ...

Taking the company into the 21st century was not going to be easy for Mr. Blue, Jr. His Chief of Staff, B.B. Queen, seemed to be getting with the program, while other sales executives were lagging behind. Faced with constant threats from those challenging his authority and the voice of Mr. Blue, Sr. echoing in his head, he and others find themselves involved in a series of games with plots and twists that keep them all on their toes, everyone vying for the prize. Who will advance? And who will be sent packing?

Poetry speaks for me when I cannot easily or thoroughly articulate what I’m feeling and experiencing. Thus my poetry emerges from “the depths” of me, where symbols, metaphors, and emotions surge and become words. My life journeys include being a psychic counselor, spiritual seeker, abused child, recovering adult, many love relationships gained and lost, an activist, philosopher, astrologer, writer, disabled person who miraculously healed after forty years, mother, grandmother, organic gardener, permaculture farmer, world traveler and senior citizen. My book is divided my book into ...

A smart, funny, and essential survival guide that you didn't know you needed. But you do. As any current or former 20-something knows, adult life can get a bit weird because no one tells you what to expect. Many of us spend a decade or more figuring out how the world works, hoping that by age 30 our friends are too old to remember what happened. Unfortunately, Andy Boyle does not have it all figured out. But the funny and useful advice and observations in this engaging audiobook will help any newly minted adult get through the hard parts.

The hilarious tale of a newly full-time dad and awards-show "plus one" whose TV-writer wife has hit the big time. Christopher Noxon's debut novel Plus One is a comedic take on breadwinning women and caretaking men in contemporary Los Angeles. Alex Sherman-Zicklin is a mid-level marketing executive whose wife's 14th attempt at a television pilot is produced, ordered to series, and awarded an Emmy.

* BERYL AND FRED IN SPAIN now available, containing this book plus A Cat called Cheryl, with Fred and Beryl at a reduced price.* When Beryl and Fred decide to sell up and take a camper van tour around Spain with their lovable Cocker Spaniel, Ted, little do they realise how eventful their poorly planned trip will turn out to be. Intending to tour the whole country thoroughly in an anti-clockwise direction, one unexpected incident after another throws them off track and sees their faithful VW Camper, Vernon, transporting them to the south coast well ahead of any real or imagined schedule. ...

It's 1973, and David Leveraux has landed his dream job as a Flavorist-in-Training, working in the secretive industry where chemists create the flavors for everything from the cherry in your can of soda to the butter on your popcorn. While testing a new artificial sweetener - Sweetness #9 - he notices unusual side-effects in the laboratory rats and monkeys: anxiety, obesity, mutism, and a generalized dissatisfaction with life. David tries to blow the whistle, but he swallows it instead.