Book picks similar to
American Rococo: Essays on the Edge by Isham Cook
non-fiction
adult
contemporary
best-books
The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing
Melissa Bank - 1998
With an unforgettable comic touch, Bank skillfully teases out issues of the heart, puts a new spin on the mating dance, and captures in perfect pitch what it's like to be a young woman coming of age in America today.
Tuesdays with Morrie
Mitch Albom - 1997
Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you? Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live.
Crossover (Cross your Heart and Die, #1)
Diane L. Kowalyshyn - 2021
When Karlee finds work in a small coastal community setting up a weekly newspaper, the location jogs the ghost's memory and triggers violent visions from its past. A severe storm brings Cole Maxwell, the commitment-challenged landlord living in the marina, off the water and inside. He and Karlee share their accommodation while repairs are completed on his boat. Cole's interest in Karlee makes him hyper-vigilant, and it doesn't take long before he discovers the ghost. The more Karlee learns about the ghost's background, the less certain she is of her own. She'll have to trust her instincts to find everyone a peaceful ever after...if she can exorcise the dark creature manipulating them all.#Ghost #Thriller #Suspense #Romance #Haunting #Amnesia #Telekinesis;
Tom and G.E.R.I.
C.A. Knutsen - 2020
When he got the opportunity to purchase the forest he had always wanted to explore as boy he bought it right away. He returned home expecting to explore the mysteries of the forest, and quickly found that the universe had a way of complicating things.
Horseradish
Lemony Snicket - 2007
Witty and irreverent, Horseradish is a book with universal appeal, a delightful vehicle to introduce Snicket's uproariously unhappy observations to a crowd not yet familiar with the Baudelaires' misadventures.
All Dreamers Go to America
Ana Ingham - 2009
Niko Salazar, a carpenter from Malta, is frustrated with his life. He makes an impetuous and life-changing decision-travel to America to find the love of his life, Ms. Parker, an American psychologist who recently visited his village. But Niko's wanderlust and heart-lust take him on a serendipitous and hilarious journey. This Mediterranean dreamer finds Saratoga, New York, Ms. Parker's hometown, a snow-ridden wonderland. Not to mention the fact that Ms. Parker is not returning any of his phone calls. Niko will go through some extraordinary experiences and meet a collection of charismatic characters while searching for his love-a Iroquois woman, a retired Vietnam vet, and an idealistic filmmaker-all dreamers searching for their own destiny. Will Niko find his Ms. Parker or will his dream of love and America be transformed into an unimaginable possibility? Ingham's novel is a delicious and mischievous romp with characters that come to life. Her sharp, observant voice makes a subtle, social and amusing commentary on the complexities of life, love, and the never-ending pursuit of happiness.
The Geek
Jonathan Latt - 2015
He's been an unofficial CIA killer for the past twenty years and has decided to retire. There is no such thing as a truly perfect assassin and Gary was no exception. He was, however, very good. Gary left a wide trail of bodies behind him, over his long and productive career. Riddled with childhood insecurities and social awkwardness Gary desperately tries to move forward with his life after retirement. He quickly finds it is far easier to kill someone else than it is to kill the ghosts of the past. Gary soon learns that what is in the past doesn't always stay there. His greatest enemy... a man thought long dead... is back and seeking vengeance. Gary must now fight for not only his life, but everyone he holds dear and finally put this last ghost to rest. Gary will learn that the old saying You can't go home again isn't exactly true. You can go home again, but you shouldn't.
Night of the Rat
Tanya Thompson - 2019
Granted, it sounds like an exaggeration, but Silas was more panicked about leaving the house than even the rat. Neither wanted to go. One had a family, the other had social anxiety. Before sunrise, one was going to be freed in a field, the other from custody. One would see worlds he could never dream, the other would have all his worst fears confirmed. Night of the Rat tells the dark and comedic lengths one couple will go to rid their neighborhood of unwanted guests.
Never Stop Shutting Up: A Book of Advice and Other Things You Didn't Ask For
Mike Falzone - 2012
Unparalleled
D.S. Smith - 2018
His pregnant wife is missing, but his only living relative, his brother, is incapable of substantiating his claim. Lost in a world of confusion that is spiralling out of his control, Stuart finds temporary salvation in a psychiatrist assigned to his case. Meanwhile, peculiar events across the world lead a team of Oxford scientists to develop top secret technology that will change the future of humanity. Betrayed by double agents, the race to control this technology endangers the lives of all involved, which unwittingly includes Stuart and his psychiatrist. This enthralling journey takes Stuart to the edge of sanity, culminating in an unparalleled climax of kidnapping, betrayal and murder.
NOT A BOOK
NOT A BOOK - 2016
It is also full of useful things that will help organize your year, including dates, numbers, and pictures of dogs.
All Creatures Great and Small / All Things Bright and Beautiful
James Herriot - 1972
Within a year, the book had become recognized as a masterpiece. It went on to sell millions of copies and began the marvelous series of books, beloved of readers all over the world, which have so far sold over 20 million copies in English alone. Here, for the first time, the first two books in this series are being published together.These pages, now as then, are full of humor, warmth, pathos, drama, and James Herriot's unique and richly justified love of life. His journeys across the Yorkshire dales, his encounters with humans and dogs, cows and kittens, are illuminating by his infinite fascination and affection, and rendered with all the infectious joy of a born storyteller.Whether struggling mightily to position a calf for birthing, or comforting a lonely old man whose beloved dog and only companion has died, Herriot's heartwarming and often hilarious stories perfectly depict the wonderful relationship between man and animal. His wonderful stories make us laugh and cry, as we marvel at the everyday miracles he creates.
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto
Chuck Klosterman - 2003
With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an almost effortless ability to spin brilliant prose out of unlikely subject matter, Klosterman attacks the entire spectrum of postmodern America: reality TV, Internet porn, Pamela Anderson, literary Jesus freaks, and the real difference between apples and oranges (of which there is none). And don't even get him started on his love life and the whole Harry-Met-Sally situation. Whether deconstructing Saved by the Bell episodes or the artistic legacy of Billy Joel, the symbolic importance of The Empire Strikes Back or the Celtics/Lakers rivalry, Chuck will make you think, he'll make you laugh, and he'll drive you insane -- usually all at once. Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is ostensibly about art, entertainment, infotainment, sports, politics, and kittens, but -- really -- it's about us. All of us. As Klosterman realizes late at night, in the moment before he falls asleep, "In and of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever 'in and of itself.'" Read to believe.
The Moth
Catherine BurnsWayne Reece - 2013
Inspired by friends telling stories on a porch, The Moth was born in small-town Georgia, garnered a cult following in New York City, and then rose to national acclaim with the wildly popular podcast and Peabody Award-winning weekly public radio show The Moth Radio Hour. Stories include: writer Malcolm Gladwell's wedding toast gone horribly awry; legendary rapper Darryl "DMC" McDaniels' obsession with a Sarah McLachlan song; poker champion Annie Duke's two-million-dollar hand; and A. E. Hotchner's death-defying stint in a bullring . . . with his friend Ernest Hemingway. Read about the panic of former Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart when he misses Air Force One after a hard night of drinking in Moscow, and Dr. George Lombardi's fight to save Mother Teresa's life. This will be a beloved read for existing Moth enthusiasts, fans of the featured storytellers, and all who savor well-told, hilarious, and heartbreaking stories.