Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s shorter works. Originally printed in publications as diverse as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and The Atlantic Monthly, these superb stories share Vonnegut’s audacious sense of humor and extraordinary range of creative vision.

Includes the following stories:

• “Where I Live”
• “Harrison Bergeron”
• “Who Am I This Time?”
• “Welcome to the Monkey House”
• “Long Walk to Forever”
• “The Foster Portfolio”
• “Miss Temptation”
• “All the King’s Horses”
• “Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog”
• “New Dictionary”
• “Next Door”
• “More Stately Mansions”
• “The Hyannis Port Story”
• “D.P.”
• “Report on the Barnhouse Effect”
• “The Euphio Question”
• “Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son”
• “Deer in the Works”
• “The Lie”
• “Unready to Wear”
• “The Kid Nobody Could Handle”
• “The Manned Missiles”
• “Epicac”
• “Adam”
• “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”

Coward, scoundrel, lover, and cheat, but there is no better man to go into the jungle with. Join Flashman in his adventures as he survives fearful ordeals and outlandish perils across the four corners of the world.

Can a man be all bad? When Harry Flashman’s adventures as the reluctant secret agent in Afghanistan lead him to join the exclusive company of Lord Cardigan’s Hussars and play a part in the disastrous Retreat from Kabul, it culminates in the rascal’s finest – and most dishonest – turn.

Понедельник начинается в субботу is a fascinating tale for young scientific workers, first published in 1965. It continues to captivate generations of readers.

The story unfolds in the magical world of НИИЧАВО - the Scientific Research Institute of Sorcery and Wizardry. Here, wizards, magicians, and young enthusiasts, driven by a burning desire to understand and transform the world, embark on numerous incredible adventures and astounding discoveries.

Time machines, huts on chicken legs, the creation of artificial humans, and taming a genie released from a bottle are just a few of the mesmerizing elements that keep the reader thoroughly entertained!

Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it. Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he's the inventor of 'ice-nine', a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet.

The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three eccentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker's Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to humankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh...

El amor turbulento de Oliveira y La Maga, los amigos del Club de la Serpiente, las caminatas por París en busca del cielo y el infierno, tienen su reverso en la aventura simétrica de Oliveira, Talita y Traveler en un Buenos Aires teñido por el recuerdo.

La aparición de Rayuela en 1963 fue una verdadera revolución dentro de la novelística en lengua castellana: por primera vez, un escritor llevaba hasta las últimas consecuencias la voluntad de transgredir el orden tradicional de una historia y el lenguaje para contarla.

El resultado es este libro único, abierto a multiples lecturas, lleno de humor, de riesgo y de una originalidad sin precedentes.

La maîtresse est inquiète, le photographe s'éponge le front, le Bouillon devient tout rouge, les mamans ont mauvaise mine, les papas font les guignols, le directeur part à la retraite, quant à l'inspecteur, il est reparti aussi vite qu'il était venu.

Pourtant, à l'école ou en famille, Geoffroy, Agnan, Eudes, Rufus, Clotaire, Maixent, Alceste, Joachim... et le Petit Nicolas sont - presque - toujours sages.

Graham Greene's classic Cuban spy story, now with a new package and a new introduction. First published in 1959, Our Man in Havana is an espionage thriller, a penetrating character study, and a political satire that still resonates to this day.

Conceived as one of Graham Greene's 'entertainments,' it tells of MI6's man in Havana, Wormold, a former vacuum-cleaner salesman turned reluctant secret agent out of economic necessity. To keep his job, he files bogus reports based on Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare and dreams up military installations from vacuum-cleaner designs.
Then his stories start coming disturbingly true...

The riotously funny follow-up to The Cat in the Hat! The Cat is back—along with some surprise friends—in this beloved Beginner Book by Dr. Seuss. Dick and Sally have no time to play. It's winter and they have mountains of snow to shovel. So when the Cat comes to visit, he decides to go inside and to take a bath. No problem, right? Wrong! The pink ring he leaves in the tub creates a very BIG pink problem when he transfers the stubborn stain from the bath onto Mother's white dress, Dad's shoes, the floors, the walls, and ultimately, over the entire yard full of snow!

Will the kids EVER clean up the mess? You bet they will, with some help from the Cat and his helpers: 26 miniature cats (AKA Little Cats A-Z) who live inside the Cat's hat! This classic Dr. Seuss story is the perfect choice for beginning readers and read-alouds, especially on snow days! Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.

"The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason." Dr. Seuss's small-hearted Grinch ranks right up there with Scrooge when it comes to the crankiest, scowling holiday grumps of all time.

For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His "wonderful, awful" idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.

Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and steals the Whos' presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos' dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It's not sobbing, but singing!

Children simultaneously adore and fear this triumphant, twisted Seussian testimonial to the undaunted cheerfulness of the Whos, the transcendent nature of joy, and of course, the growth potential of a heart that's two sizes too small. This holiday classic is perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos.

Have a ball with Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat in this classic picture book... but don't forget to clean up your mess!

A dreary day turns into a wild romp when this beloved story introduces readers to the Cat in the Hat and his troublemaking friends, Thing 1 and Thing 2 – And don't forget Fish! A favorite among kids, parents, and teachers, this story uses simple words and basic rhyme to encourage and delight beginning readers.

Originally created by Dr. Seuss himself, Beginner Books are fun, funny, and easy to read. These unjacketed hardcover early readers encourage children to read all on their own, using simple words and illustrations. Smaller than the classic large format Seuss picture books like The Lorax and Oh, The Places You'll Go!, these portable packages are perfect for practicing readers ages 3-7, and lucky parents too!

Step right up for Dr. Seuss’s classic rhyming picture-book tale of young Morris McGurk’s big circus dreams. This circus has more than a mere lion tamer and trapeze artist!

At the Circus McGurkus, you’ll be intrigued by the wink-hooded Hoodwink, terrified by the Spotted Atrocious, and amazed by the daring feats of the great Sneelock. And these are just a few of the astonishing things you’ll find under this big top.

Told with the humor and originality that are synonymous with Dr. Seuss, If I Ran the Circus is a crowd-pleasing showstopper!

When the redoubtable Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy is ordered to South America on business, he leaves his only daughter, Sophy, with his sister, Elizabeth Rivenhall, in Berkeley Square. Newly arrived from her tour of the Continent, Sophy invites herself into the circle of her relatives. When Lady Ombersley agrees to take in her young niece, no one expects Sophy, who sweeps in and immediately takes the town by storm.

Beautiful, gay, impulsive, shockingly direct, Sophy sweeps into elegant London society and scatters conventions and traditions before her like wisps in a windstorm. Resourceful, adventurous and utterly indefatigable, Sophy is hardly the mild-mannered girl that the Rivenhalls expect when they agree to take her in. Kind-hearted Aunt Lizzy is shocked, and her arrogant stern cousin Charles Rivenhall, the Ombersley heir, vows to rid his family of her meddlesome ways by marrying her off.

But vibrant and irrepressible Sophy was no stranger to managing delicate situations. After all, she'd been keeping opportunistic females away from her widowed father for years. Staying with her relatives could be her biggest challenge yet. But Sophy discovers that her aunt's family is in desperate need of her talent for setting everything right: her aunt's husband is of no use at all, her ruthlessly handsome cousin Charles has tyrannical tendencies that are being aggravated by his pedantic bluestocking fiancée Eugenia Wraxton; her lovely cousin Cecelia is smitten with an utterly unsuitable suitor, a beautiful but feather-brained poet; her cousin Herbert is in dire financial straits and has fallen foul of a money-lender; and the younger children are in desperate need of some fun and freedom, and Sophy's arrived just in time to save them all.

With her inimitable mixture of exuberance and grace, Sophy becomes the mainstay of her hilariously bedeviled family, as a horsewoman, social leader and above all, as an ingenious match-maker. Using her signature unorthodox methods, Sophy sets out to solve all of their problems. By the time she's done, Sophy has commandeered household and Charles's horses, but she finds herself increasingly drawn to her eldest cousin. Could it be that the Grand Sophy had finally met her match? Can she really be falling in love with him, and he with her? And what of his betrothal to grim Eugenia?

Adapted into two classic motion pictures, this bestselling memoir is the unforgettable story of two parents, twelve kids, and a world of laughter and love. Translated into more than fifty languages, Cheaper by the Dozen is the unforgettable story of the Gilbreth clan as told by two of its members. In this endearing, amusing memoir, siblings Frank Jr. and Ernestine capture the hilarity and heart of growing up in an oversized family.

Mother and Dad are world-renowned efficiency experts, helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. At home, the Gilbreths themselves have cranked out twelve kids, and Dad is out to prove that efficiency principles can apply to family as well as the workplace. The heartwarming and comic stories of the jumbo-size Gilbreth clan have delighted generations of readers, and will keep you and yours laughing for years.

After The Seven Crystal Balls set the eerie stage, Tintin and his friends continue their adventures in Peru. There, Tintin rescues an orange-seller named Zorrino from being bullied, and the young man becomes their guide in their quest to find the Temple of the Sun.

But they find more than they bargained for and end up in a hot spot. The perils of this engaging two-part adventure are especially harrowing in their combination of the supernatural and the real, although the resolution is a little too deus ex machina.

Calculus and the Thompsons provide their usual comic relief.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis is a classic masterpiece of religious satire that entertains readers with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to "Our Father Below."

At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.

A huge fireball comes hurtling towards Earth from space! Tintin sets sail with Captain Haddock to find the meteorite in the stormy Arctic Ocean, but a valuable metal is contained in the meteorite and Tintin's attempts to reach it are met with relentless sabotage.

Widely hailed as one of the finest humorists of the twentieth century, James Thurber looks back at his own life growing up in Columbus, Ohio, with the same humor and sharp wit that defined his famous sketches and writings.

In My Life and Hard Times, first published in 1933, he recounts the delightful chaos and frustrations of family, boyhood, youth, odd dogs, recalcitrant machinery, and the foibles of human nature.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy collects five of Douglas Adams's classic science fiction works in one volume. This series takes readers on a hilarious journey through space and time with Arthur Dent, a man who finds himself an unwitting adventurer in the cosmos after the Earth is destroyed to make way for a galactic freeway.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Arthur Dent discovers the meaning of life (or lack thereof) with the help of Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the depressed robot Marvin.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Arthur and company search for a decent meal, leading to encounters with bizarre beings and escapades across the galaxy.

Life, the Universe and Everything: Our heroes confront the sinister inhabitants of planet Krikkit who, tired of gazing upon the universe, decide it's high time to destroy it.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: Arthur Dent returns to Earth, questioning his past interstellar adventures, but a cryptic gift reminds him that reality is often stranger than fiction.

Mostly Harmless: Just as Arthur starts to settle into a semblance of normal life, chaos ensues, and he must navigate further cosmic conundrums.

Also included is the short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe", which offers more of Adams's trademark wit and insight into the human condition—albeit from the perspective of extraterrestrial beings and the odd, often perplexing universe they inhabit.

Twelfth Night, named for the twelfth night after Christmas, marks the end of the festive season and sets the stage for a romantic comedy of love and power. The play introduces us to the Countess Olivia, an independent woman in charge of her own household, who captures the attention of Duke Orsino. Her other suitors include her pompous steward, Malvolio, and the foppish Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Amidst this tangled web of unrequited love arrives the shipwrecked twins, Viola and Sebastian, each believing the other to be dead. Viola, disguised as a boy, enters the service of the Duke, becoming his emissary to Olivia—and unexpectedly becoming the object of Olivia's affection. As the story unfolds, the play delves into the complexity of love and the joyful resolution of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements.

Classes are officially kicked off for White Knight Dom Academy, 1st Semester. Now that Lucian and Tara have won the Dom Wars, they are teaming up with Steve, their limo driver from the Dom Wars competition, and his sex-crazed wife Susan, to help do what it takes to get the millions still owed them.

The requirement: Teach the art of dominance and submission to 5 couples in 5 years and sell X amount of Adult Toy products to the virgin-minded town.

The Plan: Lucian and Tara find couples that need money and then bribe them to classes, while Steve and Susan sell the company's products. Couples in the town are fairly easy to come by, and sweet oils with romantic candles are going to be a cinch to move. But the nightmare sex toys that seem straight out of the bowels of a demon's sweatshop are the problem.

The only thing to do is rename and repackage these abominations and pass them off as useful daily products one simply can't live without. All while hiding their connection with Dom Wars—or Porn Wars as the locals would call it—to avoid getting kicked out of Gramma's hometown—with Gramma included.

Three, two, one... Action!

Set in St Ives, the Cornish boutique holiday resort, this fast-paced, page-turning adventure fantasy draws on the locality, traditions, religions, and myths for its themes. Starring Alexander Crowley, a smart-arsed, shoot-from-the-hip trickster (supposedly the bastard Great Grandson of Aleister Crowley, the 20th Century Occultist) who is on the run from his recent escapades. He decides to lay low in a holiday home borrowed from a dubious benefactor, and his swashbuckling adventures throughout the summer draw on supernatural foundations and circumstances that are well researched and contain a modicum of reality.

From the minute he enters the town, our hero is pitched at odds with the local mobsters, demons, and deities. There is an intriguing and exciting cast of supporting characters who are a delight; Booby De-Faux - a needy “Sidekick,” The Spirit Saint who acts as “Minder,” supported by her mysterious cat “The Black Manilishi,” A Vampire assassin, and a Killer King are also along for the ride, and even romance is on the cards as our character, a renowned and successful womaniser, seems this time to be looking for a meaningful relationship amongst all the chaos. Strap in!

Amateurs is a captivating collection of stories by Donald Barthelme, a master of deadpan wit and magical mockery.

This collection showcases Barthelme's unique style, blending humor with a sharp critique of modern life. Each story is a miniature masterpiece, exploring the absurdities and contradictions of the human experience with a deft touch and a keen eye for detail.

Barthelme's work is both entertaining and thought-provoking, making Amateurs a must-read for fans of literary fiction and those who appreciate the art of the short story.

Beware of Chicken is a delightful tale penned by the talented Casualfarmer. This whimsical story takes readers on a journey of unexpected adventure and humor.

Set in a world where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, the narrative twists and turns in the most amusing ways, ensuring that readers are both entertained and engaged.
Prepare yourself for a unique experience that blends fantasy and reality in a seamless and enchanting way.

This book is perfect for those who love a good laugh and a light-hearted story that still packs a punch of creativity and imagination.

But What If We're Wrong? visualizes the contemporary world as it will appear to those who'll perceive it as the distant past. Chuck Klosterman asks questions that are profound in their simplicity: How certain are we about our understanding of gravity? How certain are we about our understanding of time? What will be the defining memory of rock music, five hundred years from today? How seriously should we view the content of our dreams? How seriously should we view the content of television? Are all sports destined for extinction? Is it possible that the greatest artist of our era is currently unknown (or--weirder still--widely known, but entirely disrespected)? Is it possible that we "overrate" democracy? And perhaps most disturbing, is it possible that we've reached the end of knowledge? Kinetically slingshotting through a broad spectrum of objective and subjective problems, But What If We're Wrong? is built on interviews with a variety of creative thinkers--George Saunders, David Byrne, Jonathan Lethem, Kathryn Schulz, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene, Junot Díaz, Amanda Petrusich, Ryan Adams, Nick Bostrom, Dan Carlin, and Richard Linklater, among others--interwoven with the type of high-wire humor and nontraditional analysis only Klosterman would dare to attempt. It's a seemingly impossible achievement: a book about the things we cannot know, explained as if we did. It's about how we live now, once "now" has become "then."

Barely getting home from work? Tired of your annoying boss and over-competitive colleagues? Frustrated with your tax deductions? All of the above? Then read on! Join our unlikely hero, Ayel, as he makes his way through overpriced cab fares, paranormal bloggers, beggars with babies, camwhores, flying cars, and giant robots.

In 1986, an alien spaceship crashed on the Spratly Islands containing an unlimited energy source and a vast supply of advanced technology. Fast forward to 2016, and China owns the islands now. With a behemoth Chinese company controlling the country’s economy, Ayel tries to survive his daily life as a simple corporate employee. His life turns upside down when a ghost from his past returns to haunt him. With strange twists and conspiracies, Ayel may just find his boring life to be a little more interesting.

Jacqueline M. Pane is an ordinary woman in her 30s who believes her life would be perfect if only she had a small bum, sticky-up bosoms, and a Prada handbag. She has fine-tuned paranoia and applies it to every area of her life, from her earrings, cellulite, and job, to the men in her life.

This book is a hilarious diary of her journey as she perfects the art of feeling shitty about every little, and not so little, bit of herself. The potential for self-doubt lies in everything - and it's all her fault.

My goal, my life’s ambition if you like, is to give direction to comedy, purpose to satire. And this is probably why I write the way I do, in order to use self-deprecating, piss-taking humour to bring to the fore situations that just don’t stack up. To demonstrate that serious issues can be approached with humour.

Hardly any subject is taboo to the Englishman when he’s laughing, and this often seems insensitive to other cultures, but the bedrock of the British sense of humour is a strong sense of sarcasm and self-deprecation. The British can be very passionate – and if you doubt that try going to a football match - but that passion is often hidden deep in our humour so that other nationals fail to not only recognise the deadpan delivery and are never too sure if they’ve been involved in a serious conversation or just a little bit of friendly banter.

Having said that, my style of writing is now appealing more and more to the American market. This book is not a novel, and if you’re looking for a book that is all sweetness and light, please give this one a miss. It’s not for you. I won’t be offended and I honestly wish you a great life. If everyone likes me, then I’m not being controversial enough.

If you’re looking for Humorous books about Life, Comedy Writing or even Humorous Books for Adults then take a chance on this book. If a chapter doesn’t suit, just move on.

When the ordinary life of Virgil Blaine crosses the path of the even more ordinary Doug Coulthard, it sets off a series of extra-ordinary events.

Doug Coulthard is a Filing Clerk and the President of the Unpublished People’s Poet’s Party – Political Unit (UPPPPU) where a catastrophe has just happened; two of his long-time members have been published. The UPPPPU goes on a recruiting drive by distributing leaflets, one of which finds its way into Virgil Blaine’s pocket. Virgil, who is a slight poet himself, attends one of the meetings where he meets Forward Slash who offers him a job. The offer comes with two things Virgil has never had; a job and a car, and on a whim, he accepts.

The problem is, through no effort of his own, his position is suddenly elevated. Virgil says the job is ‘messing with his DNA – Deliberate Non-Achiever’ and he misses his old life, so he hatches a plan to get it back…

Though very ordinary, Doug Coulthard has the distinction of being only one of four hundred and thirty-one Earth creatures who have been abducted by Aliens. The Aliens took Doug to the Canis Minor and back, a round trip of 3.02 parsecs. Due to the spacecraft’s immense velocity, Doug was left with an annoying and sudden ‘tic’ which is to nod his head up and down rather abruptly every four minutes. And now the Aliens are back to take Doug on a ‘quite a few years since we last picked you up’ Reunion Party, which turns out to be one of the worst experiences of Doug’s life….

Crop circles magically appear in Farmer Johnson’s field. A mysterious light sweeps over the night sky and awakens Farmer Johnson and Gilbert, the boy next door.

Curious, Gilbert ventures out to discover the source of the light and stumbles into a beautiful Martian girl sitting in a crop circle. Farmer Johnson also investigates the strange light, and thinking that Gilbert and Aoléon are vandals, he chases them. But they sprint to Aoléon’s saucer and escape only to be pursued by the U.S. Air Force.

Gilbert has never been attacked by swarms of giant killer robots. Never met strange aliens from other worlds. Never skyboarded across a megalopolis hidden deep inside an extinct volcano. Never trekked across a vast Martian desert. And never been eaten alive by a gigantic slor (well, almost never, unless you count Billy the fat bully at school).

And luckily, he has never ever confronted an evil ruler of Mars bent on conquering the Earth to steal its cows. Never...until now! This may be the adventure Gilbert always wished for. If only he can survive.

Join Gilbert and Aoleon in this exciting middle-grade science fiction and fantasy adventure!

Mike Hepp is an L.A. millennial post-grad, who dreams of making it big in the TV & film industry. He auditions by day and tends bar at night to satiate his massive student debt, credit card payments, and rent.

Until one knuckle-busting, full moon Saturday night launches his life into complete upheaval, suddenly placing him in the middle of an international drug smuggling operation and an undercover police sting, consequently ruining his reputation in Hollywood.

Can Mike survive his unsolicited undercover work and cleanse his sullied reputation? Or will he end up as shark bait for double-crossing the wrong people?

Harriet Manners knows a lot of things. She knows that a cat has 32 muscles in each ear, a "jiffy" lasts 1/100th of a second, and the average person laughs 15 times per day. What she isn't quite so sure about is why nobody at school seems to like her very much.

So when she's spotted by a top model agent, Harriet grabs the chance to reinvent herself. Even if it means stealing her Best Friend's dream, incurring the wrath of her arch enemy Alexa, and repeatedly humiliating herself in front of the impossibly handsome supermodel Nick. Even if it means lying to the people she loves.

As Harriet veers from one couture disaster to the next with the help of her overly enthusiastic father and her uber-geeky stalker, Toby, she begins to realise that the world of fashion doesn't seem to like her any more than the real world did. And as her old life starts to fall apart, the question is: will Harriet be able to transform herself before she ruins everything?

All Detective Eckerly wanted to do that day was place a bet on a horse. He didn't expect Darlene Johnson to walk into his office with her chocolate box. And certainly didn't expect what followed.

Book One of the Detectives That Don't Fit Series.

Heretical Fishing is a delightful exploration of unconventional fishing techniques that challenge traditional norms.

Join Haylock Jobson on a whimsical journey through the waters less traveled, where creativity meets courage. Discover how breaking the rules can lead to unexpected and thrilling catches.

Perfect for those who love a good laugh and an adventurous twist on a classic pastime!

Homestuck Book Three is a thrilling continuation of the epic series by Andrew Hussie. Dive into the exciting world of Homestuck as Act 3 unfolds with more adventure and humor than ever before.

Join the characters on their quest through a universe filled with mystery and fantasy, where every page promises a new twist and turn. This compilation is a must-read for fans who love graphic novels and webcomics.

Sudha Murthy's How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories provides lessons for life through its twenty-five splendidly written stories. Sudha Murthy has picked anecdotes from her own life to present to readers a book that highlights the forgotten values of life.

The book is filled with heart-touching tales, such as the one where her grandmother asked the then twelve-year-old author to teach her the alphabet. It also recounts her encounter with J.R.D Tata. Each story provides some inspiration to its readers.

The stories are presented in an effortless and humorous fashion. Sudha Murthy recounts tales from her life in a simple yet engrossing manner. From her childhood to her life as a teacher and a mother, the book shows how her mother's advice on saving money helped Sudha when she started a company with her husband. It also features a story about a train ride with the President.

Lost in the Crowd is an engaging, humorous, and sometimes poignant autobiographical story that will have you feeling as though you are right there with the author - laughing, crying, and stumbling through all the ups and downs of his amazing, hard-to-believe, often hilarious, crazy, heartwarming journey through life - a journey that recurrently seems to be influenced by mysterious forces beyond his control and understanding.

The book is defined by events that occurred in the author's life during the two years it was being written. These events bring the book to life and give it a whole new meaning - a meaning that could never have been envisaged when the writing started in October 2015.

It has been described as a brilliantly compelling quirky book of inspiration, coincidence, love, luck, loss, life, chance, opportunism, emotion, comedy, stupidity, amazement, danger, worry, survival, happiness, laughter, and WTF!

See www.litcbook.com to learn more.

Contains original artwork by chrisriversart.com.

What would make the perfect man? That's the deliciously racy topic that Jaine Bright and her three girlfriends are pondering one night at their favorite after-hours hot spot: Mr. Perfect.

Would he be tall, dark, and handsome? Caring and warmhearted -- or will just muscular do? As their conversation heats up, they concoct a tongue-in-cheek checklist that becomes an overnight sensation, spreading like wildfire at work and sizzling along e-mail lines.

But what began as a joke among friends turns deadly serious when one of the four women is murdered.... Turning to her neighbor, an unpredictable police detective, for help, Jaine must unmask a killer to save her friends -- and herself. Now, knowing whom to trust and whom to love is a matter of survival -- as the dream of Mr. Perfect becomes a chilling nightmare.

Apart from breaking two of my mates' noses (one in the ring and one chasing a 'runner'), I used to be known for my stories. And they were all true. I'd come back from distant shores and speak of my adventures. So much so in fact that people used to say, "You should write a book."

My diatribes in my blogs and newspaper columns are simply my way of spinning the balls, because sometimes I like to see what number they land on. That’s all. But although I’m known mostly as a raconteur—and most of my books can be described as coming from the humourist vein—in ‘Nobody Asked Me’ I touch on some subjects that are surely going to upset a few people.

I’ve never quite understood the politically correct brigade. Hardly any subject is taboo to the Englishman when he’s laughing. No longer simply a fad, blogging is now an important new literary innovation. This book is not a story, and if you’re looking for a book that is all sweetness and light, please give this one a miss. It’s not for you. I won’t be offended and I honestly wish you a great life.

If everyone likes me, then I’m not being controversial enough—and trust me when I say that in this book I get controversial. Oh, don’t worry; the humour that my fans seem to enjoy so much is still there, but right now the planet’s spinning in new and scary directions, and this needs to be addressed. So inside the covers of this book I take a look at some of the challenges we’re currently facing. And some of my opinions are going to rattle a few people.

So is a comedy writer honestly the best one to challenge some of the perceptions we’re facing nowadays? Well, I’ve always believed that if you can make people laugh then they tend to listen to what you say when you’re serious. And my goal, my life’s ambition if you like, is to give direction to comedy, purpose to satire.

So why the rabbit popping out of a tin of soup on the cover? Well ‘Rabbit & Pork’ is Cockney rhyming slang for Talk, and on more than one occasion I’ve been accused of rabbiting away excessively—mostly at parties, and generally by my wife.

But why a tin of soup? Well, I tend to believe that everyone is born perfect. Nobody is born with an inherent capacity to hate. It has to be taught. All of our experiences—family, school, work, the books we read, the newspapers we peruse, the music we listen to, our friends, our social life, the opinions of those around us, religion, sports we play or watch, those we love and those who love us, those we desire and those who desire us, those we travel with, our hopes and dreams and ambitions and achievements, our triumphs and disasters—go into a metaphorical cooking pot that we carry with us throughout our lives. All these ‘ingredients’ make up our Soup of Life.

Now, when making a soup, once you’ve added an ingredient, it’s forever blended in and you can’t take it out again. You add a sprinkling of finely chopped garnish; cumin or oregano, and you can never take that ingredient out again. Never, ever, ever. So say at the age of six you add black pepper or rosemary or hatred or love or comedy, from then onwards it’ll always be part and parcel of your ‘soup.’ And as you add more ingredients the ‘recipe’ of your life evolves, and before you know it you can’t taste the coriander or the love any more, but it’s still there at a deep subliminal level. Remember that. Some people may not add hatred until they’re in their twenties, and most of us never add it at all.

It takes one plus another one to make a relationship work, for love takes two.

She’s angry. Very, very angry, in fact, that she wants to throw her phone far across the room. But how can she be angry at him, when the call’s receiving end is "His morning voice"?

In “My cup of Joe,” Kyla doesn’t expect Joe to get jealous. It’s just a cup of coffee, for goodness sake, but Joe makes her choose between them. Which one will she choose then: the tempting cup of coffee, or her Joe?

Christian Sanders wants to find out for himself how Tess Mcgonery’s lips taste like. He tries to stop her from biting her nails but it seems like Tess is ignoring him. He just knows that Tess Mcgonery’s lips will get him “Nailed.”

In “The Senses of Music,” will disability come between these two lovers? Or will they connect with each other one way or the other?

It’s New Year’s Eve, and Mia and her perfectionist boss get stuck inside the mall. No one is around to open the doors. Mia has no choice but to deal with her boss, his controlling attitude and everything else. How evil will the cold “Mr. Boss” be when the New Year is just a few hours away?

As these people encounter the love of their lives, journey with them in this collection of short stories and experience to fall in love all over again.

Shadow Team is the third book in the Starbirth series. Lock Harford, a teleporter who can move his body through a dark matter dimension using the power of his mind, knows that the only way to release Britain from the grip of marauding teleporter criminals is to fight like with like.

His employers want him to head a team of enhanced-ability operatives whose special powers will be created by controlled procedures—rather than substance abuse of the illegal drug Starbirth. The dubious quality of candidates delays the process. Among them is Jimmy Mackenzie, the SAS trooper Harford knows well, who is joined by rookies Postie and Dave.

The fledgling team’s unique and memorable characters develop with likeability despite their flaws. Together, with Harford, they enter an uncertain future in which ‘defending the realm’ becomes a personal fight for their lives.

At the same time, Harford is under personal attack and he has to protect his family as well as his country against dark threats emerging from the madness of Starbirth addiction, hindered by devastating treachery closer to home.

Shadow Team GB is the third book in the Starbirth series and each book can be read as a stand-alone. The set of characters in Harford, Jimmy, Dave and Postie combine in a tale of brotherhood and humour. They take the rules, break the rules and they become so four-dimensional that the reader will miss their cohesion when the book is finished.

If you’re a history or philosophy buff, this book should be as irresistible as a kebab to a pisshead. So what’s it all about then? History, that’s what.

“Errgghhh boring boring bollocks boring, I had enough of that crap when I was at school. History just went on and on and on and on and on ….. and on and on. Nothing different ever happened.”

Well, that’s where you’re wrong, because I’m going to bring it alive. Not all history books, or even books about teaching history, have to be tedious. I’ve looked under every rock, in every nook and cranny. I’ve searched all over the place and dug up some really interesting little titbits. Stuff not a lot of people know. So stay with me on this one.

I’ve chosen to look at past events from the birth of the planet to the birth of Christ. That’s enough for one book, isn’t it? Well, not really, because I’ve gone off track a little bit from time to time, but I do tend to do that, so don’t worry about it.

If you’ve got a teenager who’s studying the history of this period, download a copy for them now because it’s all laid out nice and clear. But let me warn you, I have in the past been accused of having an inappropriate sense of humour, so if you want a little bit of a chuckle watching me make fun out of everyone I meet down the years, then this is the book for you - and if your offspring is in their early teens, then it probably isn’t the book for them.

As I say, I do tend to stray into the modern day from time to time to bring things into focus, but I promise you this book will surprise you, inform you, keep you interested and put a smile on your face from time to time. I discuss philosophers and philosophy a lot, including ancient Greek philosophers, Chinese beliefs, and philosophy from around the world, but if you think it’s all Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, there’s a lot more here to be discovered.

You’ll be surprised, for instance, at the similarities between the Celts and the Native Americans. The Rosicrucians will fascinate you, as will some of the secrets held by Alexander the Great! It’s high time we had some history books for adults!

Find Sunday comic favorites in this classic Calvin and Hobbes collection.

This is a collection of the classic comic strip that features Calvin, a rambunctious 6-year-old boy, and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who comes charmingly to life. Filled with Watterson’s full-page Sunday strips, this collection is sure to please fans and newcomers alike.

The magical friendship shared by Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes endeared them to millions of fans. In The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book their friendship endures in a full-color collection of Sunday cartoons and original art done for the book, all fit for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Whether visiting other planets as Spaceman Spiff, transmogrifying into a dangerous dinosaur, or just hanging around with Hobbes, Calvin's adventures are a showcase for the masterful art of Bill Watterson.

The enlarged format of full-color Sunday illustrations provides more room for all the action and imagination inherent in each Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. Readers will delight in pages enlivened with the bright color images of this precocious pair embroiled in all kinds of predicaments. Watterson engaged readers of all ages with the seemingly endless imagination of Calvin, tempered by the more thoughtful Hobbes. The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book provides many lazy Sunday afternoons of smiles and laughter.

Meet Professor Alfred Jules Ayer, a famous philosopher noted for his atheism, his disdain of all things metaphysical, and his reverence for logic, in “The Candidate.” After suffering a heart attack, he finds himself in the Greek Underworld. He never expected an afterlife, and the fabled abode is nothing like the fable, which never mentioned a salmon with human arms and legs, or a flying saucer captained by lizard man.

In “Harold,” you’ll meet a homunculus who is certain he is a one of a kind, a freak of nature. Imagine his surprise when he discovers an island populated by thousands of his kind. There he finds adventure, love, and danger. He must face thugs his size, sinister large people, a dangerous house cat, and a plethora of perplexing situations.

Irresolute poets find their plush postmortem refuge is anything but when it soon becomes a type of Hell in “Between Life and Oblivion.”

Discover the true story of Helen, the famous face that launched a thousand ships, in the tale “A More Likely Odyssey.”

Within these pages you’ll be taken on journeys beyond imagining. You’ll meet characters and explore familiar worlds through different eyes. Look beyond the hedge…

When it was published in 1995, Mary Karr's The Liars' Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level. Karr's comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger's—a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at twelve, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all.

This unsentimental and profoundly moving account of an apocalyptic childhood is as funny, lively, and un-put-downable today as it ever was. Dive into a world where humor meets hardship, and resilience triumphs over adversity.

Mulch Diggums, a dwarf on the run from the Lower Elements Police, is trying to get his hands on the priceless Fei Fei tiara. But stealing it seems too easy. That's because it is too easy. Artemis Fowl, the legendary twelve-year-old criminal mastermind, has set him up. He needs Mulch's help...

This is Eoin Colfer's fantastic new Artemis adventure especially for World Book Day.

The Shifter Dimension is the second book in the Starbirth series. Follow Lock Harford, a teleporter known as a "Shifter," who uses the power of thought to move through another dimension. He works alongside the British Special Forces in global trouble spots.

Lock's employers at the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) task him with eliminating lethal weapons that threaten to bring about world war and potential global destruction. These new weapons are being used by terrorists to inflict heavy losses on British Special Forces in the conflict zones of Afghanistan and the borderlands by Iran.

Accompanied by Special Air Service troopers, including his colleague Jimmy Mackenzie and his team, Lock finds himself embroiled in fierce battles. The situation becomes critical as personal enemies, determined to eliminate Lock and Jimmy before they can locate the weapons, pursue them across the globe.

This is a powerful tale of terrorism in a dangerous world where new human powers are commonplace and growing. Intertwined with the action are elements of humanity and humor, making these books accessible to everyone and drawing readers into the lives and conflicts of the characters.

The U-10 is a survival kit you might not survive using. Activated by unreadable cards, it could create a can of soup — or an explosive grenade that looks like a can of soup. The U-10 is a guessing game of life or death.

A top-secret paramilitary agency wants the U-10 and its gadgets, the guy who has the U-10 wants to keep it, and the alien who lost the U-10 wants it back. A death squad is dispatched to retrieve the U-10 and will stop at nothing, including the destruction of Earth, to accomplish their mission.

Using the U-10 to heal battle wounds produces unexpected results. What good is a U-10 survival kit that has just three options? (A) Saves you. (B) Kills you. (C) Turns you into an alien?

Milan’s notorious playboy, Prince Tittoni, seems to have everything—Lamborghinis, exotic women, palaces throughout Europe, and business success. Ramping up his fabric company to go global with a new apparel brand, he ruthlessly stops supplying fabrics to the American client who inspired the collection. But once they meet, what’s he willing to give to get her in his bed?

Upper East Side designer Lex Easton has already endured her fair share of hard knocks. She’ll be damned if she’ll let an Italian stud muffin knock her down. So what if she named her favorite vibrator after him? With Fashion Week approaching, she’ll do whatever it takes to secure the fabrics she needs to make her clothing line an international success—even sleep with her rival.

Lex’s Louboutins are dug in deep to win this war. All’s fair in love and fashion!

Inside Scoop: Though the hero and heroine remain monogamous, their Prada-wearing friends indulge in fashionable sexual fun and games.

A Romantica® contemporary erotic romance from Ellora's Cave