SUMMARY: This collection of marvelously off-kilter short stories – the American debut of acclaimed Japanese writer Yasutaka Tsutsui – portrays the consequences of a world where the fantastic and the mundane collide and throw the lives of ordinary men and women into disarray.In “The Dabba Dabba Tree” Tsutsui describes the hilarious side effects of a small conical tree that, when placed at the foot of one’s bed, creates erotic dreams that metamorphose into communal farce. In “Commuter Army”–a sly commentary on the ludicrousness of war–a weapons supplier whose rifles cease functioning after just one shot becomes an unwilling conscript in a war zone. “The World is Tilting” imagines a floating city that slowly begins to sink on one side, causing its citizens to reorient their daily lives to preserve a semblance of normality. In “Rumors About Me”, an ordinary office worker finds himself the subject of intense media scrutiny, his every action documented in the tabloids. And in the title story, we learn just how obscenely absurd the environment on Planet Porno can seem to a group of hapless research scientists.With a sharp eye towards the insanities of contemporary life, Yasutaka Tsutsui crafts in Salmonella Men on Planet Porno an irresistible mix of imagination, satiric fantasy, and truly madcap hilarity. Views: 38
A landmark collection documenting the social, political, and artistic lives of African American women throughout the tumultuous nineteenth century The Portable Nineteenth-Century African American Women Writers is the most comprehensive anthology of its kind: an extraordinary range of voices offering the expressions of African American women in print before, during, and after the Civil War. Edited by Hollis Robbins and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this collection comprises work from forty-nine writers arranged into sections of memoir, poetry, and essays on feminism, education, and the legacy of African American women writers. Many of these pieces engage with social movements like abolition, women's suffrage, temperance, and civil rights, but the thematic center is the intellect and personal ambition of African American women. The diverse selection includes well-known writers like Sojourner Truth, Hannah Crafts, and Harriet Jacobs, as well as lesser-known writers... Views: 37
AliceI shot him with my paintball gun.It was instant lust, the moment I caught sight of his tattoos, well-muscled body, and cocky grin. However, it was ass over tea kettle love the minute that sexy bastard brought me coffee and a bacon wrapped donut.I fell hard, and I loved every minute of it.I was lucky enough to grow up in Spartan, but I’d been contemplating a move to somewhere more populated. Lucky for me, Luke moved here and showed me how awesome it is to meet someone who’s crazy matches your own.It’s not all unicorns and rainbows, when an unwanted blast from my past blows into town, and tries knocking me off my pedestal of awesomeness. LukeShe didn’t shoot me. She missed by a good ten feet.I fell in love with her the minute I caught sight of her cute little ass in a big pair of flowered granny panties. I tell her it was her pretty eyes, and gorgeous red hair, but really, it was the underwear.Moving to Spartan was the best decision I’d ever made. I never thought I would meet the love of my life when I moved to this small town.The people who live here take a bit of getting used to. They sometimes forget what appropriate clothing is, and will use any excuse to party.I wish I could say that everything followed the fairy tale path, but people intrude, and bring the devil with them. Embrace your crazy, and enjoy your time in our comical, but absurd little town. Welcome to Spartan! Views: 37
Note to self: Do not allow my mother to choose a tenant for my house ever again. I like things done a certain way.Some call me uptight, I prefer precise. I can’t understand why my mother thought Evie Jackson would be the type of person I want to rent my house. She knows me, knows how I live my life. Instead of the quiet librarian I’m expecting, Evie’s a vibrant, tattooed woman who seems to find immense joy in making my life miserable. She pushes me outside of my comfort zone. It’s called a comfort zone for a reason, and I have no interest in venturing from it. I hate her, and I’m positive that feeling is mutual. Why else would Evie go out of her way to make my life difficult? Author's Note: This novella is part one in a four part serial** Views: 37
From national bestselling author, Leslie Langtry comes a mystery series of laugh-out-loud proportions...When CIA agent Merry Wrath is "accidently" outted, she's forced her into early retirement, changes her appearance, and moves where no one will ever find her—Iowa. Instead of black bag drops in Bangkok, she now spends her time leading a young Girl Scout troop. But Merry's new simple life turns not-so-simple when an enemy agent shows up dead at scout camp. Suddenly Merry is forced to deal with her former life in order to preserve her future one.It doesn't help matters that the CIA sends in her former, sexy handler to investigate...or that the hot new neighbor across the street turns out to be the local detective in charge of her case. And when Merry is forced to take on a roommate in the voluptuous form of a turned KGB agent/bimbo, things become trickier than wet work in Waukegan or cookie sales in the spring. Nothing in the CIA or Girl Scouts' training manuals has... Views: 37
One of these things is not like the others—life threatening community theatre, wire hangers, chipmunks, tree-house sex-capades with a hot werewolf and head-shrinking with a porno-loving rabbit Shifter.
Actually none of these things are even remotely like the others, but it’s my life and I’m going to make the pieces fit into a perfect puzzle—even if I have to shove it together and glue it with magic.
New leaf, new leaf, new freakin’ leaf.
Caring for people wasn’t in my repertoire until I landed in Assjacket, West Virginia. Falling in love wasn’t anywhere on my agenda. It’s messy. However, I’ve been told messy is what showers and therapy are for. I’m hoping that info is correct because Goddess knows I’m trying.
Never until now have I been a witch that wanted it all—the guy, the job, the friends and the place called home. Now I just have to fix my slightly irresponsible and somewhat unstable witchy ways so I deserve it.
I’m going for perfect…or at least a loose definition of the word.
Messy…here I come.
Keywords: demons and devils, witches, wizards, warlocks, shifters, werewolves, paranormal, fantasy Views: 37
Twenty two tales of horror that will take you into the world of darkness and fear, a dim, shadowy netherworld just beyond the veil, just past the threshold, just "After Midnight."
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O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings. Collected in this book (Golgotha Press, 2010) is a giant anthology of his work, including the stories, some early verses and a few letters. Views: 37
A delightfully quirky debut about family bonds and the chaos that ensues when nature and lack of nurture collide. Emily Glass knows she's neurotic. But she's got it under control. Sort of. She dons compression socks when she flies (because, you know, deep vein thrombosis) and responds to people routinely overestimating her age with more Lifespin classes and less gluten. Thankfully, she also has David, the wonderful man she'll soon call husband – assuming they can survive wedding week with her wildly dysfunctional family. Emily's therapist mother, Marla, who's been diagnosing her children since they were in diapers, sees their homecoming as the perfect opportunity for long–overdue family therapy sessions. Less enthused are Emily and her two siblings: ardently feminist older sister Lauren, who doesn't think the wedding party should have defined gender roles, and recently divorced brother Jason, whose overzealous return to singlehood is only tempered by his puzzling... Views: 37
