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If I Knew Then: Finding wisdom in failure and power in aging
By Jann Arden. 2020
NATIONAL BESTSELLERJann Arden--bestselling author, recording artist and late-blooming TV star--is back with this funny, heartfelt and fierce memoir on becoming…
a woman of a certain age. The power, gravity and freedom she's found at fifty-seven are superpowers she believes all of us can unleash.Digging deep into her strengths, her failures and her losses, Jann Arden brings us an inspiring account of how she has surprised herself, in her fifties, by at last becoming completely her own person. Like many women, it took Jann a long time to realize that trying to be pleasing and likeable and beautiful in the eyes of others was a loser's game. Letting it rip, and damning the consequences, is not only liberating, it's a hell of a lot of fun: "Being the age I am--that so many women are--is just the best time of my life." Jann weaves her own story together with tales of her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, and the father she came close to hating, to show her younger self--and all of us--that fear and avoidance is no way to live. "What I'm thinking about now aren't all the ways I can try to hang on to my youth or all the seconds ticking by in some kind of morbid countdown to death," she writes, "but rather how I keep becoming someone I always hoped I could be. If I'm lucky one day a very old face will look back at me from the mirror, a face I once shied away from. I will love that old woman ferociously, because she has finally figured out how to live a life of purpose--not in spite of but because of all her mistakes and failures."Dad Up!: Long-Time Comedian. First-Time Father.
By Steve Patterson. 2021
From one of the country's most beloved comedians and host of CBC Radio's incredibly popular program The Debaters comes a…
funny, poignant, and at times unexpectedly wise look at what it means to be a dad in this day and age.Steve Patterson has been thinking about dad-dom for quite a while. In Dad Up! he gives his all to be the best father possible to two young girls while imparting his hard-won wisdom and insights to readers everywhere.The youngest of five boys growing up in an Irish Catholic household, Patterson mines his childhood for any sage advice he might have picked up from his own dad. He talks with candour about the difficulty he and his wife, Nancy, had conceiving, finding humour in their experiences with the fertility clinic's automated phone calls (which Patterson calls "RoboPimp") informing them when Nancy was ovulating. He chronicles the disappointment of failing to get pregnant, only to have the miracle conception take place in Regina during Grey Cup Week, under the guiding spirit of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and comedian Brent Butt (don't ask).From that point on, Steve Patterson assumes full dad-mode, riffing on the biohazard that is changing a diaper, the absolute futility of stuffed animals, becoming a public breastfeeding warrior in the most unexpected of places, and how growing up a little boy in no way prepares you to being a father to little girls.Most importantly, Dad Up! charts the awesome experience of watching tiny infants that you somehow had a hand in creating evolve into confident and crafty little people, and the lessons that they teach along the way.Talking to Canadians: A Memoir
By Rick Mercer. 2021
INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLERCanada's beloved comic genius tells his own story for the first time. What is Rick Mercer going…
to do now? That was the question on everyone's lips when the beloved comedian retired his hugely successful TV show after 15 seasons—and at the peak of its popularity. The answer came not long after, when he roared back in a new role as stand-up-comedian, playing to sold-out houses wherever he appeared. And then Covid-19 struck. And his legions of fans began asking again: What is Rick Mercer going to do now? Well, for one thing, he's been writing a comic masterpiece. For the first time, this most private of public figures has turned the spotlight on himself, in a memoir that's as revealing as it is hilarious. In riveting anecdotal style, Rick charts his rise from highly unpromising schoolboy (in his reports "the word 'disappointment' appeared a fair bit") to the heights of TV fame. Along the way came an amazing break when, not long out of his teens, his one-man show Show Me the Button, I'll Push It. Or, Charles Lynch Must Die, became an overnight sensation—thanks in part to a bizarre ambush by its target, Charles Lynch himself. That's one story you won’t soon forget, and this book is full of them. There's a tale of how little Rick helped himself to a tree from the neighbours' garden that's set to become a new Christmas classic. There's Rick the aspiring actor, braving "the scariest thing I have ever done in my life" by performing with the Newfoundland Shakespeare Company; unforgettable scenes with politicians of every variety, from Jean Chretien to George W. Bush to Stockwell Day; and a wealth of behind-the-scenes revelations about the origins and making of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Made in Canada, and Talking to Americans. All leading of course to the greenlighting of that mega-hit, Rick Mercer Report . . . It's a life so packed with incident (did we mention Bosnia and Kabul?) and laughter we can only hope that a future answer to "What is Rick Mercer going to do now?" is: "Write volume two."Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces
By Elamin Abdelmahmoud. 2022
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER From one of the most beloved media personalities of his generation comes a one-of-a-kind reflection on Blackness,…
faith, language, pop culture, and the challenges and rewards of finding your way in the world.Professional wrestling super fandom, Ontario's endlessly unfurling 401 highway, late nights at the convenience store listening to heavy metal—for writer and podcast host Elamin Abdelmahmoud, these are the building blocks of a life. Son of Elsewhere charts that life in wise, funny, and moving reflections on the many threads that weave together into an identity. Arriving in Canada at age 12 from Sudan, Elamin's teenage years were spent trying on new ways of being in the world, new ways of relating to his almost universally white peers. His is a story of yearning to belong in a time and place where expectation and assumptions around race, faith, language, and origin make such belonging extremely difficult, but it's also a story of the surprising and unexpected ways in which connection and acceptance can be found. In this extraordinary debut collection, the process of growing—of trying, failing, and trying again to fit in—is cast against the backdrop of the memory of life in a different time, and different place—a Khartoum being bombed by the United States, a nation seeking to define and understand itself against global powers of infinite reach. Taken together, these essays explore how we pick and choose from our experience and environment to help us in the ongoing project of defining who we are—how, for instance, the example of Mo Salah, the profound grief practices of Islam, the nerdy charm of The O.C.'s Seth Cohen, and the long shadow of colonialism can cohere into a new and powerful whole. With the perfect balance of relatable humor and intellectual ferocity, Son of Elsewhere confronts what we know about ourselves, and most important, what we’re still learning.The Road Years: A Memoir, Continued . . .
By Rick Mercer. 2023
THE INSTANT #1 BESTSELLERRick Mercer is back—again!—with the eagerly awaited sequel to his bestselling memoirAt the end of his memoir…
Talking to Canadians, Rick Mercer was poised to make the biggest leap yet in his extraordinary career. Having overcome a serious lack of promise as a schoolboy and risen through the showbiz ranks—as an aspiring actor, star of a surprisingly successful one-man show about the Meech Lake Accord, co-founder of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, creator and star of the dark-comedy sitcom Made in Canada—he was about to tackle his biggest opportunity yet. The Road Years picks up the story at that exciting point, with the greenlighting of what would become Rick Mercer Report. Plans for the show, of course, included political satire and Rick’s patented rants. But Rick and his partner, Gerald Lunz, were also determined to do something that comedy tends to avoid as too challenging: they would emphasize the positive. Rick would travel from coast to coast to coast in search of everything that’s best about Canada, especially its people. He found a lot to celebrate, naturally, and was rewarded with a huge audience and a run of 15 seasons. The Road Years tells the inside story of that stupendous success. A time when Rick was heading to another town—or military base, sports centre, national park—to try dogsledding, chainsaw carving, and bear tagging; hang from a harness (a lot); ride the “Train of Death;” plus countless other joyous and/or reckless assignments. Added to the mix were encounters with the country’s great. Every living prime minister. Rock and roll royalty from Rush to Randy Bachman. Olympians and Paralympians. A skinny-dipping Bob Rae. And Jann Arden, of course, who gets a chapter to herself. Along the way he even found the time to visit several countries in Africa and co-found and champion the charity Spread the Net, which has gone on to protect the lives of millions. Join the celebration, and revive a wealth of happy memories, with what is Rick Mercer’s funniest, most fascinating book yet.A Senders Guide to Letters and Emails
By Chandana Kohli. 2013
Wondering how to word a key official letter? Searching for the right way to write an email to an important…
client? Thinking about how to convey what you want on an important occasion? Your business and personal communication letter and email guide is here. In today?s world, where a lot depends on the quality of your communication, how you approach it is more important than it has ever been. Daily communication happens, more often than not, without a personal interface, and this makes the letter or email an extremely important tool to convey your personality, skills and ideas effectively and succinctly. Despite changes in the medium and the form, the letter continues to be the driving force of all kinds of communication, official or personal. This book will help you communicate more cogently and confidently, and guide you through situations where you might find it difficult to communicate in writing. Learn how to write suitable emails and letters for official needs and challenging social situations. Choose from over a hundred templates and tips. Find ready-made letters for all your business and personal needs. This book will make letter writing faster, easier and, above all, perfectly suited to the situation and occasion.SACRED LAND will enable you to discover the hidden secrets and meaning of the landscape around you, town or country,…
modern or old, wherever you live in Britain. There has been a dramatic growth in interest in our own history, buildings, landscape, sacred places, beliefs and culture over the last few years and this book will equip you with the tools to unlock the meaning, stories and history that are literally embedded in our landscape. It takes us from street names to churches; from hill forts to burial mounds; from the way a road bends to the shapes of fields in order to understand better the land that lies beneath our feet. In the literal shape of our countryside can be detected the eddies of time, politics, belief, warfare, passion and the durability of the human existence.SACRED LAND is a fascinating, accessible read and the perfect reference guide to have in your home or in your car. It will be of interest to everyone who loves history, sacred places and sacred history, and those who like to explore their ancestry and roots.Growing Your Family Tree: Tracing Your Roots and Discovering Who You Are
By Cherry Gilchrist. 2012
The process of exploring your family history and roots is a moving and meaningful quest. It affects heart and soul,…
as well as providing an intellectual challenge to piece all the information together. GROWING YOUR FAMILY TREE is the first book to promote the experiential aspects of family history. It gives sound, practical advice on researching your family history, but also promotes the emotional, spiritual and creative elements of the task, helping to lift genealogy out of its earlier dry an formal setting, into a more meaningful and accessible activity which can enrich a person's identity.Advice and information includes:* How to write up your family history* How to make a heritage corner or trail in your home* A consideration the nature of ancestry, family lines and our inner connection with our ancestors* How to organise your research and keep moving forwardThe Worst-Case Scenario Survive-o-pedia: Junior Edition
By David Borgenicht, Robin Epstein. 2011
It's the best of the worst! This edition of the popular series loved by parents and kids alike serves up…
a wild ride through mudslides, volcanoes, shark-infested oceans, menacing mountains, and more. Seventy entries are packed with illuminating facts, eye-popping photos, hilarious illustrations, must-see maps, heaps of humor, and step-by-step instructions. Readers will be armed with the knowledge and skills needed to survive anything and live to tell about it!Full of Hot Air: Launching, Floating High, and Landing
By Gary Paulsen. 1979
Blighty: The Quest for Britishness, Britain, Britons, Britishness and the British
By Steve Lowe, Alan McArthur. 2009
Britishness: what does it really mean? Is it all a big con? Having skewered modern British life in the bestselling…
Is It Just Me or is Everything Shit?, Steve Lowe and Alan MacArthur set out to uncover the deep dark truth about Britain - its history, its myths and its people.Over the course of a year they watch Dorset Morris men dancing on a chalk-giant's thirty-foot-long erection, endure the Last Night of the Proms and search for a couple of pissed dragons under a hill in Wales. They ask Prince William what it means to be British, witness Scotland rising again (a bit), encounter terrifying Europhobe ladies in Surrey, and lose the will to live in Gibraltar. They also meet a lot of druids.Hilarious, timely and provocative, Blighty offers a brilliant, alternative vision of the island in the Atlantic that some people call Britain.The A-Z of Being Single: A Survival Guide to Dating and Mating
By Jeff Green. 2003
Ah, the single life. The blind dates, the guiltless sleeping in the starfish position, the 'table for one in a…
draught, please'. In his hilarious new book, Jeff Green offers practical advice on how to find love, or failing that how to pretend you've got a significant other half. For women: Leave the fridge door open for no reason. For men: Wash your towels. And if you've just been dumped, Jeff shows how you can reach 'closure', otherwise known as uncompromising REVENGE. Also includes:** Great chat-up lines for the older lover: 'Did you break a hip when you fell from heaven?' ** Beauty tips for dates: How to look twenty years younger? Stand further away ** Things not to say on a first date: Would you like to see my shrine to the others? ** And at last, the truth about what women really want*If you're in a couple, this book will remind you why your own situation is - just about - worth tolerating. And if you're happily single, follow Jeff's advice and you're guaranteed to stay that way... * everythingBel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats
By Richard Peck. 1993
When Bambi Babcock's TV-producer father bankrupt, the Babcocks have to get out of Los Angeles ... fast. Dad heads for…
his hometown of Hickory Fork, which he remembers as a wholesome place for kids to grow up. But Bambi, her sister Buffie, and their little brother Brick come up against the Mall Rats, a down-home teenage gang run by scary Tanya and beef Jeeter. When the Mall Rats walk into school dives for cover. They've already trashed the mall. Bambi knows that if her show-biz family is going to get stuck here, they must turn the school around and save the town. The Mall Rats will never know what hit them.Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas
By Tom Papa. 2018
I have been a close friend of Tom Papa for 17 years His lack of ability to perceive even…
the most basic principles of human functioning have made him an invaluable asset to me as a friend and colleague Because he sees nothing knows nothing and understands nothing I always seek his advice for the most complex matters Furthermore I would definitely recommend whatever the name of this book is because I know it comes from a place of pure nonsense without any knowledge of anything He is really one of my favorite people Jerry Seinfeld author of SeinLanguage Finally a funny book about parenting Great observations Great writing Actually funny I ve always known Tom was hysterical now I know he is a great writer and a fantastic storyteller Can Tom Papa write all books Jim Gaffigan author of Dad is FatIt s hard being a person especially in a family and no one knows that better than stand-up comedian family man and Live From Here head writer and performer Tom Papa How do you deal with a life filled with a whole host of characters and their bizarre inescapable behavior Especially when you re related to them Tom Papa is here to help you make sense of it all Your Dad Stole My Rake is a hilarious and warm book that saws deep into every branch of the family tree and uncovers the most bizarre and surprisingly meaningful aspects of our lives He exposes everyone from crazy aunts with mustaches grandparents who communicate by yelling and uncles who use marijuana as a condiment Among the topics covered - Tiger Mom v Ice-Cream Mom - Stop Trying to be Cool - In Defense of Family Vacations - No Fighting Before Coffee - Least Popular Baby Names - Wife Lie Detector - Your Cat Thinks You re Too Needy Anyone who has a family grew up in a family or has spent time with another human being will love this bookA Plea for Old Cap Collier
By Irvin S. Cobb.
From the wickedly famous and feminist creator and host of the "Throwing Shade" podcast, a collection of hilarious personal essays…
and political commentary perfect for fans of Lindy West and Roxane Gay. Since women earned the right to vote a little under one hundred years ago, our progress hasn't been the Olympic sprint toward gender equality first wave feminists hoped for, but more of a slow, elderly mall walk (with frequent stops to Cinnabon) over the four hundred million hurdles we still face. Some of these obstacles are obvious-unequal pay, under-representation in government, reproductive restrictions, lack of floor-length mirrors in hotel rooms. But a lot of them are harder to identify. They're the white noise of oppression that we've accepted as lady business as usual, and the patriarchy wants to keep it that way.Erin Gibson has a singular goal-to create a utopian future where women are recognized as humans. In FEMINASTY-titled after her nickname on the hit podcast "Throwing Shade"-she has written a collection of make-you-laugh-until-you-cry essays that expose the hidden rules that make life as a woman unnecessarily hard and deconstructs them in a way that's bold, provocative and hilarious. Whether it's shaming women for having their periods, allowing them into STEM fields but never treating them like they truly belong, or dictating strict rules for how they should dress in every situation, Erin breaks down the organized chaos of old fashioned sexism, intentional and otherwise, that systemically keeps women down.Not to be Rude: Intemperate outbursts from one nutty broad!
By Sarina Rowell. 2016
Not to be Rude is a painfully assembled collection of writing by Sarina Rowell from cult humour websites The Scrivener's…
Fancy and Imagined Slights. Here, all in one place, for the first and last time, she goes into bat for the unfairly maligned - thirtysomething, Nicole Kidman, fashion models and being 'childless by choice'; and goes into bat against the unfairly non-maligned - tapas restaurants, second-hand booksellers, live performances and Audrey Hepburn. If you loved the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth, you won't love Not to be Rude, and will, furthermore, be demonstrating your own terrible taste. 'Pretty damned funny.' -TONY MARTIN (the comedian, not the cyclist)Yes, You Can!: 1,200 Inspiring Ideas for Work, Home, and Happiness
By Sam Deep, Lyle Sussman. 1996
Yes, You Can! gives you good advice, and it gives you more: it tells how you can make that advice…
part of your daily life. Whether your goal is to speak eloquently, discover hidden talents, or find fulfillment at work, this book can help. It covers more than 125 personal goals with the clear, practical advice for which Deep and Sussman are known. The result is an inspiring guide to improving yourself and improving your relationships, balancing work and home, and building lasting success. Many books will tell you that you can achieve your goals. Yes, You Can! gives you the tools to make that happen.May the Farce be with You: A Lighthearted Look at Why God Does Not Exist
By Pamela Sutter. 2015
Bible Tales for Ages 18 and Up
By G. Richard Bozarth. 2014
In 1947, Dr. Sebaceous Piafraus discovered the Terminally Ill Sea Scrolls in the same month the Dead Sea Scrolls were…
found. The Dead Sea Scrolls became internationally famous, but the Terminally Ill Sea Scrolls were consigned to obscurity, along with their discoverer. Dr. Piafraus, who endured decades of ego-bruising neglect, provides translations of well-known Old Testament stories, which he insists are the most authentic versions of the stories because the Jewish eschatological cult that created the Scrolls claimed that they were. These stories are more fully developed than in the Old Testament and are humorous, though some parts are appalling, because Bible stories often are appalling.