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Tequila Blue
By Nick Caistor, Rolo Diez. 1992
"Both a scathing and picaresque comedy, a biting and spicy concoction. Just like tequila."--Le MondeIt's not easy being a cop…
in Mexico City. Meet Carlito, a police detective with a complicated life. A wife, a mistress, children by both. He resorts to money laundering and arms dealing to finance his police activity. The money for justice must be found somewhere.The corpse in the hotel room is that of a gringo with a weakness for blue movies. Carlito's maverick investigation leads him into a labyrinth of gang wars and corrupt politicians.Rolo Diez, born in Argentina, was imprisoned for two years during the military dictatorship. He now lives in Mexico City, where he works as a novelist and screenwriter.The Seven Keys of Balabad
By Mark Zug, Paul Haven. 2009
Inspired by the years he spent in Afghanistan and Pakistan as bureau chief with The Associated Press, Paul Haven's intricately…
crafted tale is filled with details of everyday life in this remote and frequently overlooked part of the world. Loosely based on the legendary Golden Hoard of Bactria--the renowned hidden treasure discovered in northern Afghanistan in 1978--this fast-paced middle-grade novel will appeal to readers who like their twists and turns filled with mysterious characters, exotic locales, and an utterly relatable protagonist. Welcome to Balabad, birthplace of the international secret society known as the Brotherhood of Arachosia--and rumored hiding place of the grandest riches the world has ever known. Balabad is also the country Oliver Finch has called home ever since his father was reassigned to this dull, war-torn dust bowl. Each day runs into the next for Oliver until a five-hundred-year-old sacred carpet is stolen. Then one of the few friends he has disappears. Oliver is determined to figure out what exactly is going on. But in order to do that he'll have to consult with a one-eyed warrior, track down the far-flung members of the Brotherhood, and unlock a centuries-old secret! Suddenly, life in Balabad for Oliver has become a whole lot more interesting . . . and dangerous.The Spies
By Luís Fernando Veríssimo. 2012
A frustrated publisher receives a mysterious angst-ridden manuscript: 'a friend' must send it in installments; its contents would put the…
author in danger. As he pieces together the story, he learns that the author is the wife of one of the two Martelli brothers - gangsters who dominate a small town in the Brazilian interior. Surely her dark outpourings are a cry for help? One by one, he dispatches his motley collection of friends to Frondosa - a town totally obsessed with five-a-side football - to investigate and to bring her to safety.The Capital: A "House of Cards" for the E.U.
By Robert Menasse. 2017
THE PRIZE-WINNING SATIRICAL BESTSELLER - A "HOUSE OF CARDS" FOR THE EU MORE THAN 500,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDEThis is the…
tale of a continent, a city and its inhabitants as they navigate their way through the confusing tangle of 21st-century life. The Capital is a brilliantly entertaining satire, a crime story, a comedy of manners . . . and a wild pig chase. "First-class satire" Guardian""A deliciously vicious and timely satire" Financial Times"Mischievous yet profound" Economist"Thoroughly entertaining" Spectator"A romp" Politico *************************************Brussels. A hive of tragic heroes, manipulative losers, involuntary accomplices. No wonder the European Commission is keen to improve its image.The fiftieth anniversary of the European Commission approaches, and the Directorate-General for Culture is tasked with organising an appropriate celebration. When Fenia Xenopoulou's assistant comes up with a plan to put Auschwitz at the very centre of the jubilee, she is delighted. But she has neglected to take the other E.U. institutions into account.Meanwhile the city is on the lookout for a runaway pig. And what about the farmers who take to the streets to protest against restrictions blocking the export of pigs to China?**************************************See what the critics are saying about The Capital:"Omniscient" New York Times"An exceptional work" Kirkus Reviews"Deliciously witty" Metro"Elegant... brilliantly constructed" Die Zeit "Robert Menasse is pioneering the genre of Eurolit" Financial Times WINNER OF THE GERMAN BOOK PRIZE 2017The Smash-Up: a delicious satire from a breakout voice in literary fiction
By Ali Benjamin. 2021
AN OF-THE-MOMENT NOVEL FOR READERS OF FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE'Timely, risky and dazzling' Polly Clark, author of Tiger'Sharply funny, perceptive,…
and surprising at every turn, The Smash-Up is a story that's acid-etched and full of heart, intimate, and relevant' Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of White Houses and Away'Every woman should read this book. Every woman, every feminist, every activist' Jane Harris, author of Orange Prize shortlisted The ObservationsAfter years spent in the city, working with his business partner Randy on Bränd media, Ethan finds himself in the quiet, closed-off town of Starkfield. His wife Zenobia is perpetually distracted by the swirling #MeToo politics, the Kavanaugh hearings, and her duties to the feminist activism group she formed: All Them Witches. Ethan finds himself caught between their regular meetings at his home and the battle to get his livewire daughter Alex to sleep.But the new, stilted rhythm of his life is interrupted when he receives a panicked message. Accusations. Against Randy. A slew of them. And Ethan is abruptly forced to question everything: his past, his future, his marriage, and what he values most.Unrelenting in its satire, The Smash-up jolts you into the twisted psyche of successful brand advertising, where historic exploitation is only ever a panicked phone-call away. With magnetic energy and doses of comic wit, Benjamin creates a world of social media algorithms, extreme polarization, the collapsing of identity into tweet-sized spaces, and the spectre of violence that can be found even in the quietest places.The Adults: A Christmas vacation with your ex. What could go wrong?
By Caroline Hulse. 2018
'Genuinely unputdownable books are rare in my experience. This is one. A brilliant, original comedy' Daily Mail* * * *…
*MEET THE ADULTS...Claire and Matt are divorced but decide what's best for their daughter Scarlett is to have a 'normal' family Christmas with them all together.Claire brings her new boyfriend Patrick, a seemingly eligible Iron-Man-in-Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life Alex, funny, smart, and extremely patient. Scarlett, their daughter, brings her imaginary friend Posey. He's a rabbit.Together the five (or six?) of them grit their teeth over Organized Fun activities, drinking a little too much after bed-time, oversharing classified secrets about their pasts and, before they know it, their holiday is a powder keg that ends - where this story starts - with a tearful, frightened, call to the police...But what happened? They said they'd all be adults about this...* * * * *'I loved The Adults! Funny, dry and beautifully observed. Highly recommended' Gill Sims, #1 bestselling author of Why Mummy Drinks and Why Mummy Swears'Such a breath of fresh air! Witty, intensely human and (dare I say it) relatable ... The perfect comedy of errors' Katie Khan'The Adults is my top read of 2018 so far. Absolutely hilarious ... This one will stay with me for a long time' Cathy Bramley 'Packed with sharp wit, engaging characters and off-beat humour, this is a fresh and feisty thrill-ride of a novel' Heat'I took this book on holiday and couldn't put it down! I've never read anything quite like it' The Unmumsy Mum'Gripped me from the start. Reminiscent of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies - a sure-fire winner' Cass Hunter, author of The After Wife'Brilliantly funny - will have you wincing in recognition' Good Housekeeping'Funny, poignant, real - a truly original book that made me laugh, cry and cringe in equal measure. I loved it' Charlotte Duckworth'Razor-sharp comedy - barbed and brilliant. The characters are totally convincing ... Sparky, heart-felt and fantastically fun, this is a fabulous debut' Sunday MirrorStanding Heavy
By Gauz. 2014
"One of those rare, transformative novels" KARIM MISKE"Funny and poignant" TIFFANY TSAO, author of The MajestiesInitially a little intrigued, all…
babies eventually return the security guard's smile.The security guard adores babies. Perhaps because babies do not shoplift.Babies adore the security guard. Perhaps because he does not drag babies to the sales.The 1960s - Ferdinand arrives in Paris from Côte d'Ivoire, ready to take on the world and become a big somebody.The 1990s - It is the Golden Age of immigration, and Ossiri and Kassoum navigate a Paris on the brink of momentous change.The 2010s - In a Sephora on the Champs-Élysées, the all-seeing eyes of a security guard observes the habits of those who come to worship at this church to consumerism.Amidst the political bickering of the inhabitants of the Residence for Students from Côte d'Ivoire and the ever-changing landscape of French immigration policy, Ferdinand, Ossiri and Kassoum, two generations of Ivoirians, attempt to make their way as undocumented workers, taking shifts as security at a flour mill.Sharply satirical, political and poignant, Standing Heavy is a searingly witty deconstruction of colonial legacies and capitalist consumption, an unprecedented and unforgettable account of everything that passes under a security guard's gaze.Translated from the French by Frank Wynne"A formidable keenness of observation and a sarcastic wit" La Croix"Political satire with the air of a poetry slam" StylistThe Capital: A "House of Cards" for the E.U.
By Robert Menasse. 2017
"A deliciously vicious - and timely - satire about the E.U. and the meaning of Europe today" - Frederick Studemann,…
Financial TimesBrussels. A panorama of tragic heroes, manipulative losers, involuntary accomplices. In his new novel, Robert Menasse spans a narrative arc between the times, the nations, the inevitable and the irony of fate, between petty bureaucracy and big emotions.As the fiftieth anniversary of the European Commission approaches, the Directorate-General for Culture is tasked with planning and organising a fitting celebration. The project will serve the wider purpose of revamping the Commission's image at a time of waning public support. When Fenia Xenopoulou's Austrian P.A. Martin Susman suggests putting Auschwitz at the centre of the jubilee, she is thrilled. But she has neglected to take the other E.U. institutions into account.Inspector Brunfaut is in a tricky situation too: his murder case has been suppressed at the highest level. Luckily, he's friends with the I.T. whizz at Brussels' Police H.Q., who gains access to secret files in the public prosecutor's office. Matek, the Polish hitman, knows nothing of this. But he does know that he shot the wrong guy, and for Matek, who would rather have become a priest, this is serious. And what about the pig farmers who take to the streets of the city to protest about existing trade restrictions blocking the export of pigs' ears to China . . .?The Capital is a sharp satire, a philosophical essay, a crime story, a comedy of manners, a wild pig chase, but at its heart it has the most powerful pro-European message: no-one should forget the circumstances that gave rise to the European project in the first place.(P)2019 Quercus Editions LimitedWritten by a scholar of satire and politics, Trump Was a Joke explains why satire is an exceptional foil for…
absurd political times and why it did a particularly good job of making sense of Trump. Covering a range of comedic interventions, Trump Was a Joke analyzes why political satire is surprisingly effective at keeping us sane when politics is making us crazy. Its goal is to highlight the unique power of political satire to encourage critical thinking, foster civic action, and further rational debate in moments of political hubris and hysteria. The book has been endorsed by Bassem Youssef, who has been referred to as the “Jon Stewart of Egypt,” and Srdja Popovic, author of Blueprint for Revolution, who used satirical activism to bring down Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic. With a foreword by award-winning filmmaker, satirist, and activist Michael Moore, this study will be of interest to readers who follow politics and enjoy political comedy and will appeal to the communications, comedy studies, media studies, political science, rhetoric, cultural studies, and American studies markets.The only thing Americans want to read more than Trump's tax returns.Constantly late to work? Caught cheating on your spouse…
again? Can't stop tweeting unhinged rants against your political enemies at three in the morning? Then The Kellyanne Conway Technique is the book you need.Preeminent spin expert and University of Phoenix Online alumnus, Jarret Berenstein, brings you the world's only comprehensive analysis of the tricks, distractions, and outright lies utilized daily by White House advisor Kellyanne Conway and distills her special brand of verbal jujitsu into a spin Bible for the common man.Filled with real transcripts from the esteemed spin-ster herself, The Kellyanne Conway Technique takes the invaluable lessons from her verbal boxing matches with the mainstream media and breaks down, step by step, the mental and rhetorical aerobatics she performs as the talking piece for a president who once wrestled Vince McMahon on the WWE. From alternative facts to the Bowling Green Massacre, take lessons from Kellyanne's greatest hits.The Kellyanne Conway Technique is the perfect guide to outsmarting the Jake Tappers in your own life: whether that is your boss, your husband, or a special hearing of the congressional oversight committee. Never again be held accountable for anything you do with a little help from Kellyanne!The Duppy (Anthony C. Winkler Collection)
By Anthony C. Winkler. 2008
"Every country (if she's lucky) gets the Mark Twain she deserves, and Winkler is ours, bristling with savage Jamaican wit,…
heart-stopping compassion, and jaw-dropping humor all at once."--Marlon James, author of John Crow's DevilWith his characteristic outrageousness, Anthony C. Winkler defies taboos and subverts conventional thinking in this entertaining, thought-provoking, and ultimately uplifting novel. Anthony C. Winkler was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1942, and is widely recognized as one of the island's finest and most hilarious exports. His Caribbean classic The Lunatic (Akashic Books) was turned into a feature film, and his last novel, Dog War, was published in May 2007 by Akashic. He lives with his wife in Atlanta, Georgia.In Erewhon, an anagram for "nowhere," sickness is a punishable crime, criminals receive compassionate medical treatment, and machines are banned,…
lest they evolve and take over. Originally published in 1872, the proto-steampunk novel Erewhon won its author immediate recognition as a satirist. SamuelButler followed in the tradition of Voltaire and Swift in creating Erewhon and Erewhon Revisited, which are widely recognized as the nineteenth century's most important works of their kind.Entertaining and provocative, these books are unsparing in their treatment of the hypocrisies of Victorian society, taking aim at the family, church, and mechanical "progress." George Orwell, no stranger to the depiction of futuristic societies, noted that at the time of Erewhon's writing the author needed "imagination of a very high order to see that machinery could be dangerous as well as useful." Today's readers will also find the book remarkably prescient in its anticipation of future sociological trends.