A fateful family trip to an amusement park. An island movie theater that takes more than the patrons' cash. A cross-country drive with an unexpected encounter. A family man hellbent on making great time, no matter the cost. Fourteen horror authors share terrifying and twisted tales of summer vacation gone wrong in Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror. This anthology includes stories by V. Castro, Hailey Piper, Patrick Lacey, Scott Cole, Laura Keating, Malcolm Mills, Jeremy Herbert, S.E. Howard, Chad Stroup, Kenzie Jennings, Waylon Jordan, Greg Sisco, Asher Ellis, and Mark Wheaton, as well as a special introduction by Sadie Hartmann.
“When bad sex happens to good people, there is no recourse like full disclosure,” is the motto of Worst Laid Plans, a collection of forty probably-too-intimate, but shockingly funny, true-life tales of lust gone wrong. The stories are divided into themed sections including Foreign Affairs (“When bad sex goes abroad”), Self-Help (“Love thyself…but do it carefully”), On the Rebound (“The art of getting back in-and-out-there”), Mob Mentality (People will do things in groups they would never do alone”), and The End of Innocence (“A memorial to virginity”) among others. The book evolved out of a storytelling event originally staged at Upright Citizen Brigade, the highly influential comedy organization co-founded by Amy Poehler, who along with Janeane Garofalo and SNL’s Casey Wilson, performed at the show that continues today. Part Vagina Monologues, part car crash, and wholly hilarious, the volume features contributions from shameless actors, comedians, and writers who will shamelessly spread the word via blogs, on-line videos, tweets, on-going WLP performances, film/TV/media contacts, and further sexual conquests. “[A] hilarious testimonial to the vast array of consequences we face after having ignored that little voice inside that says: ‘Don’t.’ ‘This isn’t a good idea.’ ‘Leave now.’” —Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live, The Groundlings) “Irrefutable evidence that one should wait until marriage to have sex.” —Joel McHale (The Soup, Community) “This book will make you laugh, scream, and want to be a lesbian.” —Whitney Cummings (Chelsea Lately, Comedy Central) “This is the best kind of comedy; that which makes you both laugh and erect.” —Rob Corddry (The Daily Show)
Can a fake relationship lead to the real thing? When Charlie sees Josh again after a long separation, she's forced to admit the truth. She's in love with him. Too bad he's about to marry her friend, Olivia. Will he ever get a break? Josh Branson has spent the last two years working to be the kind of man Charlie deserves. Now she's in town but instead of taking his time to win her over, he needs to get married as soon as possible. Surely his good friend Olivia will help him out. Schemes fall apart as too many matchmakers--Charlie included--work at cross-purposes to bring Josh together with the woman they think he loves. If you love sweet romance that will make you laugh and cry and leave you with a smile, you'll love this roller-coaster medical romance by USA Today Bestselling Author Tamie Dearen!
WINNER OF CBC CANADA READS WINNER OF THE STEPHEN LEACOCK MEDAL FOR HUMOUR Here’s the set up: A burnt-out politcal aide quits just before an election—but is forced to run a hopeless campaign on the way out. He makes a deal with a crusty old Scot, Angus McLintock—an engineering professor who will do anything, anything, to avoid teaching English to engineers—to let his name stand in the election. No need to campaign, certain to lose, and so on. Then a great scandal blows away his opponent, and to their horror, Angus is elected. He decides to see what good an honest M.P. who doesn’t care about being re-elected can do in Parliament. The results are hilarious—and with chess, a hovercraft, and the love of a good woman thrown in, this very funny book has something for everyone.
Investigates the systems of infrastructure that sustain the world and the cultures of historical periods, following various elements, from electricity and pavement to water and waste disposal, back to their origins and people who operate them.
Raven-haired anchorwoman Violet Gallagher is a planner and a plotter, not a dreamer. She reads self-help books, not fairy tales; keeps a five-year plan, not a journal. But when she catches the eye of a handsome stranger across the room at a party given in her honor, it suddenly feels like a very enchanted evening. Jake Macintyre, globe-trotting photojournalist and Prince Charming look-alike, is as impulsive as Violet is cautious. Although he knows the unexpected interlude with his dream-girl from the nightly news is ill-timed, his motto is “seize the moment—and the girl!” So, with no fairy godmother to impose a curfew, Violet allows Jake to escort her home after midnight, where she loses more than just her dancing shoes. The next morning, however, she discovers he isn’t the sort of Prince who hangs around the castle, but the adventurous kind who slays dragons, pursues grails, and embarks on quests. Or, as he explains it, he’s about to begin a year-long assignment in a distant foreign country. Violet’s fairy tale, alas, will have no “happily ever after.” Or will it? This isn’t “The End,” but only the first chapter of a timeless love story . . . Sensuality Level: Sensual Although she was admonished to “stop making things up” when she was a child, Elizabeth Palmer never did. She took early retirement from her job in IT, and now spends her days with the ever-changing cast of characters in her head, her handsome husband, and the requisite author’s cat.
What others in sports are saying about The Best-Laid Plans... "Randy and Matt have put together a great book for building a high school basketball program. ...This book would be an excellent read not only for high school basketball coaches, but also for coaches of all sports and all leaders of young people." from the Foreword by Bob Huggins "This book is a great source of information for any coach or interested reader about how to properly run a basketball program and lead young people. I personally have observed many of the ideas in this book, especially during Randy's career. In my years of high school and professional sports, I have not found a better blueprint for success than that which is presented in The Best-Laid Plans of a High School Basketball CEO." Dean Chance - 1964 Cy Young Award Winning Pitcher - All-Ohio and State Champion Basketball Player "I came to know Randy very well while recruiting one of his players. He runs as good a program as I have seen throughout the country. Randy and Matt Kramer have put together a great tool for design and example in how to lead a high school basketball program from top to bottom. The Best-Laid Plans comes to you with my highest recommendation. Brad Brownell - Head Men's Basketball Coach - Clemson University A leadership book, a book that offers tips on how to run a sports program from kindergarten through high school, an inspirational underdog story-The Best-Laid Plans of a High School Basketball CEO is all of the above and more. Here's a sample: Matt Kramer's boys' basketball team from Navarre Fairless High School was perhaps the worst in the Canton (Ohio) area, finishing 3-19 in 2004; in 2005, he was sitting on a coaching "hot seat" at 0-12 in the middle of January. His program and his career were left for dead... ...Twenty-six months later, Coach Kramer was standing on a ladder in the Canton Memorial Field House cutting down the nets after his Fairless team won the prestigious Canton Division-II District Championship Game in overtime and earned a spot in Ohio's Division-II "Sweet-16." Miracle? No, it happened with hard work, a little luck, and the mentoring of a legendary 500-win coach, Randy Montgomery-ideas that are now shared here in The Best-Laid Plans of a High School Basketball CEO. Matt Kramer Born the son of a basketball coach on July 16, 1969, Matt Kramer spent his childhood in a gym by Dan Kamer's side watching him run the program at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron (Ohio). Kramer went on to play at Hoban, graduating in 1987, then went on to a two-year career as an NCAA Division-III collegiate basketball player at The College of Wooster for legendary coach Steve Moore. After transferring to Mount Union College in the fall of 1989, he incurred a back injury that ended his playing career and sent him down a career path in coaching and education. Married to his wife Christine since 1996 and father of three-sons Luke and Landon, and daughter Olivia-Matt Kramer shares ideas and stories here that range from being inspirational to heart-breaking, illustrating the roller-coaster ride a twenty-one-year career in coaching can be. Randy Montgomery A Hall-of-Fame high school basketball coach, and a disciple and close friend of West Virginia University head coach Bob Huggins, Randy Montgomery has spent over three decades using his innovative approach to lead two high school programs-Wooster Triway and North Canton Hoover-to elite status.
Laura van den Berg's gorgeous new book, The Isle of Youth, explores the lives of women mired in secrecy and deception. From a newlywed caught in an inscrutable marriage, to private eyes working a baffling case in South Florida, to a teenager who assists her magician mother and steals from the audience, the characters in these bewitching stories are at once vulnerable and dangerous, bighearted and ruthless, and they will do what it takes to survive. Each tale is spun with elegant urgency, and the reader grows attached to the marginalized young women in these stories—women grappling with the choices they've made and searching for the clues to unlock their inner worlds. This is the work of a fearless writer whose stories feel both magical and mystical, earning her the title of "sorceress" from her readers. Be prepared to fall under her spell. An NPR Best Book of 2013
Have you ever set out to have a one night stand with a sexy stranger? No? I'm the only one? Just kidding, I would never. Ever. Not usually. But then I figured, why not? My entire life I've been good and it's gotten me nowhere. No job. No apartment. No boyfriend. I'm owed a little fun, aren't I? A reward for being good. Sure, a new pair of shoes would be more appropriate, but Mr. Sexy Stranger is more appealing. And when he speaks-in that British accent-it's a done deal. Every American woman has a hot British guy fantasy. Well, most do. I haven't taken a poll or anything, but I'm pretty sure it's a fact. Except... You know that saying about best-laid plans? Good, because I don't either, but I assume they go awry. Like my one night stand...
Originally written in 1938 but never published due to its controversial nature, an insightful guide reveals the seven principles of good that will allow anyone to triumph over the obstacles that must be faced in reaching personal goals.
