Steve Martin has always been one of the most intelligent of comedians (you won't find Adam Sandler writing a play about Einstein and Picasso anytime soon), but this intelligence is manifested in gymnastically absurdist flights of fancy, rather than the politically informed riffs typical of performers like Lenny Bruce. Pure Drivel is a collection of pieces, most of them written for the New Yorker, that demonstrate Martin's playful way with words and his unerring ability to create a feeling of serendipitous improvisation even on the printed page. Here's a passage from a piece that announces a shortage of periods in the Times Roman font:
"Most vulnerable are writers who work in short, choppy sentences," said a spokesperson for Times Roman, who continued, "We are trying to remedy the situation and have suggested alternatives, like umlauts, since we have plenty of umlauts--and, in fact, have more umlauts than we could possibly use in a lifetime! Don't forget, umlauts can really spice up a page with their delicate symmetry--resting often midway in a word, letters spilling on either side--and not only indicate the pronunciation of a word but also contribute to a writer's greater glory because they're fancy, not to mention that they even look like periods, indeed, are indistinguishable from periods, and will lead casual readers to believe that the article actually contains periods!"
Although some of these pieces flirted with topicality when they first appeared, Martin is most successful when he leaves the real world behind and gives his wit free rein. This collection preserves the best (so far) of his glorious improvisations. --Simon Leake Views: 760
The Swoop tells of the simultaneous invasion of England by several armies and features references to many well-known figures of the day, among them the politician Herbert Gladstone, novelist Edgar Wallace, actor-managers Seymour Hicks and George Edwardes, and the boxer Bob Fitzsimmons. Views: 759
Six people are meeting in the lounge of an airport terminal. The meeting is ultra-secretive where membership is by invitation only. Unbeknownst to the other members one person is there with an ulterior and deadly motive. A SHORT STORY.AA is also available in the collection: TEN TYPEWRITER TALES.Mark's Mad Phonic Series is a set of graded readers helping children learn to read. The series starts from your child's first words and continues to reading fluency. This is Level 4 Book 3. This book is all about a group of children (and a sheep) going to sea! Reviewing long E sounds. Views: 755
A near-future short story.State of Bayou Tracker Rick Edwards knew it wasn't a vagrant he was looking for. But he didn't expect to find someone like her.THIS IS A SHORT STORY OF APPROX. 5,000 WORDS.Claire knows only a world where most of humanity lives inside sparsely populated cities protected from the Outside by guarded walls. She is a new Driver whose job is to transport items between these cities. Under the watchful eye of her Protector, Shaun, Claire makes her first run from San Jose to Angel City to bring back medicine needed to save hundreds of lives. However, the trip takes them through the dangerous land of the Outsiders. Using their skills, Claire and Shaun must escape from their armed pursuers in a chase across miles of barren wasteland with no hope of help. Views: 755
Norman's definitely dead. His dad fell out of the sky and flattened him. And as Norman didn't want any regular full-time employment before he died, he certainly doesn't want any now. Especially not here at The Universal Reincarnation Company. There's far too many filing cabinets and far too much paperwork. Not that it's the company's fault. The blame really lies with God. If He hadn't decided to close down Hell, then Heaven wouldn't have got too overcrowded and there would have been no need to build the extension. And until the extension is finished, the U.R.C. will just have to keep on recycling all those souls in the big queue.
If your taste is for a tender romance, taut with passion and desire, love and betrayal, then this raging stonker of a novel, bursting out of its leather pants with sex, scandal, murder, mystery, suspense, drama, action, adventure and Mad Car Disease, probably won't be for you. Sorry. Views: 754
A quirky collection of seven short short stories of about 1000 words. Strange with dusting of sci-fi, these quick reads offer a brief escape into imaginary worlds with absurdity, excitement, and possibly a laugh. Or two. Three's a stretch. Warning: If a woman named “Aunty Ida” approaches you and offers a solution to your problem, doctors recommend running. Quickly.A quirky collection of seven short short stories, each about 1000 words or so. All strange with a light dusting of sci-fi, these quick reads offer a brief escape into imaginary worlds with fun, excitement, and possibly a laugh. Or two. Three might be a stretch. Warning: If a woman calling herself “Aunty Ida” approaches you and offers a solution to your problem, doctors recommend running. Quickly. Whatever direction she’s not in.Caution: Don’t try any of the proposed solutions at home, as they’ve been found to be scientifically absurd.Note: Imaginary animals may or may not exist. How should we know? Views: 753
From his early days Wodehouse adored cricket and references to the game run like a golden thread though his writings. He not only wrote about this glorious British pastime, but also played it well, appearing six times at Lords, where his first captain was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Illustrated with wonderful drawings and contemporary score-sheets, Wodehouse at the Wicket is the first ever compendium of Wodehouse's writings on cricket. Edited by cricket historian Murray Hedgcock, this delightful book also contains fascinating facts about Wodehouse's cricketing career and how it is reflected in his work.
This is the perfect gift for Wodehouse readers and fans of all things cricket. Views: 752
A collection of 13 stories with a humorous twist, in No Zombies Allowed you will visit an unusual neighborhood where the undead come together for a little fun. Zombies are people too, holding bar-b-q’s on the Fourth of July, or going to work to provide for their family.A collection of 13 stories with a humorous twist, in No Zombies Allowed you will visit an unusual neighborhood where the undead come together for a little fun. Zombies are people too, holding bar-b-q’s on the Fourth of July, or going to work to provide for their family. What happens if the Grim Reaper decides to go on strike? Can the paranormal world and the living come together, or is the Zombie Reunification Act a mistake? Lisa McCourt Hollar’s slapstick approach to death is refreshing and will leave you laughing long after you finish reading. Views: 749
Lagos, Nigeria. Summer of 1968. The war in Biafra is in full swing. Ethan Whittmore is a Captain of the Royal Marines, training government troops in support of the Nigerians.When he learns of his brother's disappearance, a doctor with the Red Cross, he takes it upon himself to find his brother, dead or alive.Lagos, Nigeria. Summer of 1968. The war in Biafra is in full swing. Ethan Whittmore is a Captain of the Royal Marines, training government troops in support of the Nigerians.When he learns of his brother's disappearance, a doctor with the Red Cross, he takes it upon himself to find his brother, dead or alive.His efforts will lead him through the Nigerian jungles and rainforests amidst a bloody civil war. What lays at the end of the road though will be more than just an unexpected surprise and lots of broken promises.. Views: 748
Revelations on a train journey....An Intriguing short story & satire.One day, everything Tom Sharpe knew was turned upside down when his wife inexplicably disappeared. As he digs a little deeper, more and more secrets emerge and soon he finds himself in a world he knows nothing about. Nothing makes any sense. With all evidence pointing to their relationship being a lie, Tom puts his faith in the love they shared and pushes himself to his limits in pursuit of Emma. He will stop at nothing, even if the journey will end up changing him forever. Views: 745
A "John Doe" with a fatal gunshot wound. An ER doctor. A surprise. MurderTwo men with one gun. One gun with one bullet. Welcome to this weird Fortune Roulette. Views: 742
Being undead sucks. Literally.Just ask C. Thomas Flood. Waking up after a fantastic night unlike anything he\'s ever experienced, he discovers that his girlfriend, Jody, is a vampire. And surprise! Now he\'s one, too. For some couples, the whole biting-and-blood thing would have been a deal breaker. But Tommy and Jody are in love, and they vow to work through their issues.But word has it that the vampire who initially nibbled on Jody wasn\'t supposed to be recruiting. Even worse, Tommy\'s erstwhile turkey-bowling pals are out to get him, at the urging of a blue-dyed Las Vegas call girl named (duh) Blue. And that really sucks. Views: 739
From USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec comes an emotional, breathtakingly romantic new book about the power of first love and the promise of second chances.
How much can a man take before he breaks?
1,843 days. That's how long I survived in that hellhole. They tried to break me, but I resisted. And I owe it all to the memory of warm summer nights, the scent of peaches, and the one woman who loved me more than I ever deserved to be loved. Now, I'll do anything to get back to her.
Only Shelby Eubanks isn't the girl I left behind all those years ago. She's someone else, a stranger. My Shelby-my little green-eyed firecracker-would never give up her dreams, would never disappear into her mother's ambitions. But I won't give up on her. On us. I may be broken, and scarred, and not the man I used to be, but I will do whatever it takes to remind her of the story of us. Views: 738
Harker was a good soldier--so good that the Army kept resurrecting him to fight its wars forever and ever into the future, with no hope of ever getting free.Book Three of the Dragon City Trilogy: Dragon Town picks up 17 years after Freak City, which itself followed Snapdragon Alley by 17 years. Argus Kirkham, now 39, is once again dragged unwillingly into an inexplicable situation. Sapphire Karadjian returns to the story as an investigate journalist assigned to a new mystery, a volcanic sinkhole which has swallowed an entire football stadium, and from which a very strange and nameless young girl has emerged, hair and clothes on fire, with a message for Argus. Book Three of the Dragon City series. Views: 738
