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The prize-winning, New York Times bestselling short story collection from the internationally bestselling author of Lincoln in the Bardo 'The best book you'll read this year' New York Times 'Dazzlingly surreal stories about a failing America' Sunday Times WINNER OF THE 2014 FOLIO PRIZE AND SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2013 George Saunders's most wryly hilarious and disturbing collection yet, Tenth of December illuminates human experience and explores figures lost in a labyrinth of troubling preoccupations. A family member recollects a backyard pole dressed for all occasions; Jeff faces horrifying ultimatums and the prospect of Darkenfloxx(TM) in some unusual drug trials; and Al Roosten hides his own internal monologue behind a winning smile that he hopes will make him popular. With dark visions of the future riffing against ghosts of the past and the ever-settling present, this collection sings with astonishing charm and intensity.
'Saunders is an astoundingly tuned voice - graceful, dark, authentic and funny - telling just the kind of stories we need to get us through these times' Thomas Pynchon In PASTORALIA elements of contemporary life are twisted, merged and amplified into a slightly skewed version of modern America. A couple live and work in a caveman theme-park, where speaking is an instantly punishable offence. A born loser attends a self-help seminar where he is encouraged to rid himself of all the people who are 'crapping in your oatmeal'. And a male exotic dancer and his family are terrorised by their decomposing aunt who visits them with a solemn message from beyond the grave. With an uncanny combination of deadpan naturalism and uproarious humour, George Saunders creates a world that is both indelibly original and yet hauntingly familiar ...
Based on the popular S.H.A.P.E. book for adults, this teen version walks students through the same process of discovery. Readers can discover where their God-given passions and strengths intersect, and interactive exercises and questions will help them find the way they are designed to serve.
A dark and comic novel, Congratulations On Everything tracks the struggles, frailties and cruelly pyrrhic victories of the middle-aged owner of a bar-restaurant and a 30ish lunch shift waitress. Jeremy has bought into the teachings of an empowerment and success guru, hook, line and sinker. A Toronto service industry lifer, he's risen through the ranks until he finally takes the keys to his destiny and opens his own place, The Ice Shack. Everyone assumes Ice Shack daytime waitress Charlene is innocent and empathetic, but in reality she's desperately unhappy and looking for a way out of her marriage to her high-school sweetheart. A drunken encounter between Charlene and her boss Jeremy sends them both careening. The Ice Shack stops being an oasis of sanity and, as Jeremy struggles to keep his business afloat, he'll stop at nothing to maintain his successful, good guy self-image. In an era when foodies rule and chefs become superstars, Congratulations On Everything is a hilarious and occasionally uncomfortable dose of anti-foodie reality that reveals what goes on when the customers and Instagrammers aren't around — and even sometimes when they are.
“Consistently funny…Congratulations, Who Are You Again? will have readers looking for more from this talented author. — Kirkus Reviews “A keenly observed account of the publishing process…Hilarious and illuminating.” — Booklist “In his second act, he takes you through his process of realizing that dream with charm and wit, offering entertainment and practical insight for anyone with a seemingly pie-in-the-sky wish list.” — Good Housekeeping
"At age 20, we worry about what others think of us. At 40, we don't care what they think of us." --Ann Landers Congratulations--you're 40! This wise and witty quote book is the perfect way to celebrate entering your newest--and best--decade.
Sandy Alemian-Goldberg lived through a parent's worst nightmare...and experienced the spiritual re-awakening of a lifetime. When told that her infant daughter, Talia, was going to die, Sandy prayed for strength and searched for God's answers. She couldn't find them at first. "Congratulations...It's an Angel" will help readers realize that even in their deepest, darkest moments, they are never, ever alone. "Why isn't God answering my prayers?" "I am answering. You have merely chosen not to see and hear My responses. Fear has taken My place. Open your heart, listen to your soul, and trust that I am here". Slowly she began to realize that she was surrounded by a powerful, Divine presence of love and light, which brought messages of truth, hope and comfort, and told her she would become a messenger.
Between that and his ex-girlfriend (a professional blogger) writing a book about how much he and their romance sucked, he's forced to face his past, the future and the tragedies of being human.
