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Yapping Away: Poems by Joshua Seigal
by Joshua SeigalJoshua Seigal, winner of the 2020 Laugh Out Loud Book Awards, brings his raucous humour, creativity and wit to another brilliant collection of poems. Ideal for fans of Michael Rosen, this book will delight all young readers and fans of funny books.From hilarious to heartfelt poems – and everything in between – this collection offers something for everyone. Discover the eight steps for having a successful tantrum, and why you should NEVER attend a Teddy Bear's Picnic (you have been warned). Packed full of fun illustrations by Sarah Horne, and covering a range of imaginative topics, Yapping Away is the perfect follow-up to Joshua Seigal's prize-winning collection I Bet I Can Make You Laugh.Ideal for children as young as 3 to read with adults, or for children aged 5-7 to read by themselves.
Yacht Were You Thinking?: An A-Z of Boat Names Good and Bad
by Jonathan EyersNaming a boat is as personal as naming a baby (even if few male skippers would risk telling the wife that). The culmination of many years of dreaming and penny pinching, the purchase of a boat of any size is a huge event for any sailor, and with that comes serious naming pressure. Many boatowners have a secret fear that someone else got their brilliantly original name first – or ruined it forever by reducing its reputation to snigger-worthy opprobrium. Sometimes it's so difficult to name a boat that skippers are desperate enough to ask the sorts of people who think Boaty McBoatface would be a good choice… The perfect gift for any skipper or would-be skipper, and featuring hundreds of common and uncommon names, this entertaining little book will answer perhaps the most important question new owners should ask themselves: what will this name say about me? And as everyone knows, once you've named a boat, you never ever change it, so it also answers the question: what is my boat name saying about me right now? Names will be categorised (and listed alphabetically within these chapters) as to: - Populist (helpfully yacht insurers release ranked lists of popular names each year, which has revealed some very interesting trends) - Don't Even Go There (they might be uncommon these days, but sometimes there's a good reason for that) - Pun Intended (some reveal a classic wit, others reveal just how many desperate unfunny dullards there are sailing around in yachts called Seas the Day) - A Bit of Pedigree (good names – but probably too classy for you to get away with copying them) - Common as Muck (bad names – Moondancer, Wave Catcher and others that sound like names from a bad children's novel: where they come from, why they're bad, and how to avoid inventing another) - Too Much Information (why using a boat to celebrate a bonus/retirement/divorce/second wife tends to be a bad idea a few months down the road) - The Devil's Own (don't tempt fate by calling your boat Invincible, as the Royal Navy did each time the last one sank/exploded – plus other superstition-violating names) With fascinating history, a fair bit of psychology and a lot of humour, this is the essential guide for all would-be boat owners, and anyone looking for a dad-type gift on Father's Day or Christmas.
Yacht Were You Thinking?: An A-Z of Boat Names Good and Bad
by Jonathan EyersNaming a boat is as personal as naming a baby (even if few male skippers would risk telling the wife that). The culmination of many years of dreaming and penny pinching, the purchase of a boat of any size is a huge event for any sailor, and with that comes serious naming pressure. Many boatowners have a secret fear that someone else got their brilliantly original name first – or ruined it forever by reducing its reputation to snigger-worthy opprobrium. Sometimes it's so difficult to name a boat that skippers are desperate enough to ask the sorts of people who think Boaty McBoatface would be a good choice… The perfect gift for any skipper or would-be skipper, and featuring hundreds of common and uncommon names, this entertaining little book will answer perhaps the most important question new owners should ask themselves: what will this name say about me? And as everyone knows, once you've named a boat, you never ever change it, so it also answers the question: what is my boat name saying about me right now? Names will be categorised (and listed alphabetically within these chapters) as to: - Populist (helpfully yacht insurers release ranked lists of popular names each year, which has revealed some very interesting trends) - Don't Even Go There (they might be uncommon these days, but sometimes there's a good reason for that) - Pun Intended (some reveal a classic wit, others reveal just how many desperate unfunny dullards there are sailing around in yachts called Seas the Day) - A Bit of Pedigree (good names – but probably too classy for you to get away with copying them) - Common as Muck (bad names – Moondancer, Wave Catcher and others that sound like names from a bad children's novel: where they come from, why they're bad, and how to avoid inventing another) - Too Much Information (why using a boat to celebrate a bonus/retirement/divorce/second wife tends to be a bad idea a few months down the road) - The Devil's Own (don't tempt fate by calling your boat Invincible, as the Royal Navy did each time the last one sank/exploded – plus other superstition-violating names) With fascinating history, a fair bit of psychology and a lot of humour, this is the essential guide for all would-be boat owners, and anyone looking for a dad-type gift on Father's Day or Christmas.
Y/N: A novel
by Esther YiSurreal, hilarious, and shrewdly poignant—a novel about a Korean American woman living in Berlin whose obsession with a K-pop idol sends her to Seoul on a journey of literary self-destruction. It’s as if her life only began once Moon appeared in it. The desultory copywriting work, the boyfriend, and the want of anything not-Moon quickly fall away when she beholds the idol in concert, where Moon dances as if his movements are creating their own gravitational field; on live streams, as fans from around the world comment in dozens of languages; even on skincare products endorsed by the wildly popular Korean boy band, of which Moon is the youngest, most luminous member. Seized by ineffable desire, our unnamed narrator begins writing Y/N fanfic—in which you, the reader, insert [Your/Name] and play out an intimate relationship with the unattainable star. Then Moon suddenly retires, vanishing from the public eye. As Y/N flies from Berlin to Seoul to be with Moon, our narrator, too, journeys to Korea in search of the object of her love. There, an escalating series of mistranslations and misidentifications land her at the headquarters of the Kafkaesque entertainment company that manages the boyband until, at a secret location, together with Moon at last, art and real life approach their final convergence. From a conspicuous new talent comes Y/N, a provocative literary debut about the universal longing for transcendence and the tragic struggle to assert one’s singular story amidst the amnesiac effects of globalization. Crackling with the intellectual sensitivity of Elif Batuman and the sinewy absurdism of Thomas Pynchon, Esther Yi’s prose unsettles the boundary between high and mass art, exploding our expectations of a novel about “identity” and offering in its place a sui generis picture of the loneliness that afflicts modern life.
The Xmas Factor
by Mr Jonathan MeresA hilarious collection stuffed with jokes, funny poems, weird and wonderful Christmas facts*,crazy lists, Brussels sprouts**, doodles and other Christmas craziness. A perfect stocking filler to keep the whole family giggling. * Some facts may not be entirely true.** Like this one. There are no Brussels sprouts included with this book. Sorry.
The Xmas Factor
by Annie SandersThank goodness Christmas comes just once a year...! From the bestselling authors of GETTING MAD, GETTING EVEN.Meet two women with two totally different approaches to the festive season.Beth: it's only September, and already she has performance anxiety. Not surprising when she has agreed to lay on the annual Christmas Eve village bash - the piece de resistance of her husband's former wife - not to mention having to host Christmas for his difficult offspring. New to this frenzied build-up to the festivities, Beth begins to lose sight of what it all means. To her the Christmas lights are looking more like the headlamps of an oncoming train. Carol: glamorous magazine editor, who put her aspirational Christmas issue to bed sometime in July and is so involved in finding a scoop to save her ailing magazine that she fails to notice the impending festive rush. Panicked and wracked with guilt, she is determined to make it a picture-perfect time for her little boy and, opting for convenience, books a lovely-sounding cottage in a quaint village.Even the best-laid plans have a habit of unravelling - and no plan at all is a recipe for disaster. So when these two Christmases collide, it looks like it's going to be anything but goodwill towards men...
Xiangsheng and the Emergence of Guo Degang in Contemporary China
by Shenshen Cai Emily DunnThis book explores xiangsheng, one of the most popular folk art performance genres in China, its enlistment by official propaganda machine after the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its revival in popularity under Guo Degang and his Deyun Club. Just as the 1950's saw the shift of xiangsheng 's social function from entertainment to the political tool of ‘serving the party’, Guo Degang has completed the paradigm shift by turning its focus back to ‘serving the people’ as a means of entertainment and social criticism. This volume examines how Guo has resurrected the essence of xiangsheng, successfully commercialised it in a market economy, and simultaneously deconstructed the official discourse through grassroots means.
Wyrd Sisters: (Discworld Novel 6) (Discworld Novels #6)
by Terry Pratchett'Destiny is important, see, but people go wrong when they think it controls them. It's the other way around.'Three witches gathered on a lonely heath. A king cruelly murdered, his throne usurped by his ambitious cousin. A child heir and the royal crown, both missing.Witches don't have these kinds of leadership problems themselves - in fact, they don't have leaders.Granny Weatherwax is the most highly regarded of the leaders they don't have. But even she finds that meddling in royal politics is a lot more complicated than certain playwrights would have you believe. Particularly when the blood on your hands just won't wash off . . .'Pratchett's Discworld books have made millions of people happy' Guardian'I love Terry Pratchett' Caitlin MoranWyrd Sisters is the second book in the Witches series, but you can read the Discworld novels in any order.
Wyoming Christmas Surprise (The Wyoming Multiples #3)
by Melissa SenateShe was raising quadruplets alone… Then her husband returned!
WTF Knits
by Gabrielle Grillo Lucy SweetThe publisher wishes to make clear that this is not a book of knitting patterns, but a photographic collection of some of the weird and wonderful things that people have created using needles and wool. The publisher works closely with Amazon to ensure that any book search provides accurate information, and apologises if anyone has bought WFT Knits thinking its contents to be other than photographic and just for fun.An hilarious photographic collection of the weirdest knits you'll ever see!Forget scarves and bobble hats. Here are the results of some nutty knitting that will really blow your mind...For the last four years, Gabrielle Grillo has been scouring the web for the most bizarre knitted items she can find. In this hysterically funny book, she has collected the very best of her finds. From a knitted Christmas turkey cosy to woolly vomit, from burgers to a sperm fertilizing an egg - they have to be seen to be believed.This is a photographic book of fun - full of weird, wonderful and extremely messed-up knitting and crochet creations from around the globe. As you flick through, there'll be a smile on your face and one question on your lips: 'WTF were they thinking?'
WTF, Evolution?!: A Theory of Unintelligible Design
by Mara GrunbaumWe all have our off days. Why should Evolution be any different? Maybe Evolution got carried away with an idea that was just a little too crazy—like having the Regal Horned Lizard defend itself by shooting three-foot streams of blood from its eyes. Or maybe Evolution ran out of steam (Memo to Evolution: The Irrawaddy Dolphin looks like a prototype that should have been left on the drawing board). Or maybe Evolution was feeling cheeky—a fish with hands? Joke’s on you, Red Handfish! Or maybe Evolution simply goofed up: How else to explain the overgrown teeth of the babirusas that curl backward over their face? Oops. Mara Grunbaum is a very smart, very funny science writer who celebrates the best—or, really, the worst—of Evolution’s blunders. Here are more than 100 outlandish mammals, reptiles, insects, fish, birds, and other creatures whose very existence leaves us shaking our heads and muttering WTF?! Ms. Grunbaum’s especially brilliant stroke is to personify Evolution as a well-meaning but somewhat oblivious experimenter whose conversations with a skeptical narrator are hilarious. For almost 4 billion years, Evolution has produced a nonstop parade of inflatable noses, bizarre genitalia, and seriously awkward necks. What a comedian!
Wrotten English
by Peter HainingFollowing on from the hilarious collection of typos, gaffes and howlers in Portico’s A Steroid Hit the Earth, comes Wrotten English – a fabulously funny collection of literary blunders from classic, and not-so classic, works of literature. This book is an anthology of side-splitting authors' errors, publishers' boobs, printers' devils, terrible titles, comical clangers and all manner of literary lunacy dating back since the invention of the printing press. Painstakingly researched and tapping in to the public's insatiable general interest with the written word, Wrotten English contains curious opening lines, fantastic fictions whose titles are too terrible to be true and some of the most suggestive double entendres committed by those who really should know better!
The Wrong Suitcase
by Laura Jane WilliamsWhen you lose your luggage, the last thing you expect to find is love…
The Wrong Pong: Holiday Hullabaloo (The Wrong Pong #2)
by Steven ButlerHullo, My Brandyburp!Neville's Grandma Joan is the grumpiest, most horrible old woman there's ever been. He'd rather eat left-sock stew than see her, and now she's coming to stay for a WHOLE weekend. Oh dungle droppings! Even worse, a whole family of stinky, swampy trolls will be visiting Neville at the SAME TIME!Can Neville hide his friends from nosy Grandma Joan or will she get the FRIGHT of her life?
Wrong Pong: Troll's Treasure (The Wrong Pong #3)
by Steven ButlerNeville's adventures continue when he is faced with a band of troll pirates! As if that isn't rotsome enough, the evil troll Jaundice is back...oh dungle droppings!The third book in Steven Butler's troll-tastic series will delight and disgust parents and children alike.
The Wrong Pong: Singin' in the Drain (The Wrong Pong #4)
by Steven ButlerAnother hilarious story from Steven Butler, author of The Wrong Pong, The Wrong Pong: Holiday Hullabaloo and The Wrong Pong: Troll's Treasure.Rubella, grotsome and moodsie troll big sister, wants to be on the stage. Can Neville help his disgustingly rambunkin troll family get Rubella squeezed into a ballet tutu and tights and into the starring role?The fourth book in Steven Butler's troll-tastic series will delight and disgust parents and children alike, especially fans of Roald Dahl or Andy Stanton's Mr Gum.
The Wrong Pong (The Wrong Pong #1)
by Steven Butler Chris FisherThe Wrong Pong by Steven Butler is a laugh-out-loud, stinky story for 5+ girls and boys.One night, Neville Brisket wakes up from a strange dream - a dream that there is a horrible, stumpy finger stuck up his nose. Then he finds his room in a mess, and his dog in the laundry basket.Neville's investigations end sposhily, when he is whooshed down the toilet to the land of Under! In a case of mistaken troll-dentity, he finds himself part of a disgusting new family. Will anybody help Neville get back to Over, or will he be stuck eating rat patties and left sock stew forever?This hilariously delivered tale will delight and disgust parents and children alike. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and Horrid Henry.'Horrid Henry's favourite book!' - Francesca Simon, author of Horrid Henry 'A triumphant debut which will have children clutching the loo-seat in apprehension and laughter' - Amanda Craig, The TimesSteven Butler is an actor, dancer and trained circus performer as well as a keen observer of trolls and their disgusting habits. He has starred in Peter Pan, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and as Henry in Horrid Henry Live and Horrid! His primary school headmaster was fantastically funny author Jeremy Strong.
Wrong Knickers for a Wednesday
by Paige NickHilarious, sassy, fresh and at times completely outrageous, this is an utterly unputdownable feel-good debut from Paige Nick.
The Wrong Kind of Shirts 1999 (TEXT ONLY)
by Mark ReynoldsEven Big Ron, man of a thousand, quips was hard pressed to do justice to the glories of the season: beaten 8-1 by Manchester United he nobly offered ‘I was expecting a nine-goal thriller’, proving that even with the firing squad loading up, there is room for wit at the sharp end of soccer’s dreams.
The Wrong Child: A gripping thriller you won't be able to put down
by Barry GornellHow far would you go to protect your child?When tragedy strikes in a small Scottish village, everyone in the community is affected.Most people believe one child is to blame for what happened.But could a young boy really be responsible? And what lengths will his parents go to protect him?THE WRONG CHILD is the most thought-provoking novel of 2018, perfect for fans of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Lionel Shriver and MY ABSOLUTE DARLING by Gabriel Tallent.****************READERS ARE CALLING THE WRONG CHILD 'UNFORGETTABLE':'Amazing' - Amazon 5* review'A great page-turner!' Amazon 5* review'Hopefully it will receive the wider audience it so richly deserves' - Amazon 5* review'Challenges your notions and ideals of morality' - Amazon review'Will stick with you long after you finish it!' Amazon review****************What the critics are saying about THE WRONG CHILD:'A thought-provoking read' - THE SUN'Genuinely gripping' - THE HERALD'A study of guilt and grief' - DAILY MAIL'Brilliant, but dark as hell' - METRO'Astonishing' - PSYCHOLOGIES'So visceral it seeps into your pores' - DAILY RECORD'Stunning. Macabre, unsettling and beautifully poetic' - BRIAN CONAGHAN, Costa Award winning author
The Wrong Boy
by Willy RussellThe Dewsbury Desperadoes are on their way to Pontefract for a gig at the Allied Butchers' & Architects' Club. The Girl with the Chestnut Eyes is on her way to somewhere. And Raymond is heading for Gulag Grimshy.Raymond Marks is a normal boy, from a normal family, in a normal northern town. His dad left home after falling in love with a five-string banjo; his fun-hating grandma believes she should have married Jean-Paul Sartre: '1 could never read his books, but y' could tell from his picture, there was nothing frivolous about John-Paul Sartre.' Felonious Uncle Jason and Appalling Aunty Paula are lusting after the satellite dish; frogs are flattened on Failsworth Boulevard; and Sickening Sonia's being sick in the majestic cathedral of words.Raymond Marks is a normal boy, from a normal family, in a normal northern town. Until, on the banks of the Rochdale Canal, the Flytrapping craze begins and, for Raymond and his mam, nothing is ever quite so normal again.In Raymond, prize-winning and internationally acclaimed playwright Willy Russell has created an unforgettable character to rival his Shirley Valentine and educated Rita. The Wrong Boy is his extraordinary first novel.
Written In The Stars
by Sarah BallFans of Sophie Kinsella, Alexandra Potter and Mhairi McFarlane will love this charming read from the bestselling author of Nine Months.Do you believe in fate?When Gemma Sinclair and her best friends were fourteen, they sealed up letters containing their hopes and dreams (along with a packet of Lovehearts and a picture of Jason Donovan) in a time capsule. Now thirteen years later, Gemma stumbles upon the unopened box and the uncanny predictions her old friend Miranda had made about their futures. She had predicted the restless Fay wouldn't find it easy to settle down, that beauty therapist Nikki would wear a white coat and that nursery teacher Gemma would be surrounded by children not her own. Gemma is inclined to dismiss this all as mere coincidence, especially as she has long since lost contact with Miranda. But when her commitment-phobic boyfriend, Adam, surprises her with a proposal, Gemma is both excited and alarmed. For though Gemma has always thought Adam was her Mr Right, Miranda had also warned her not to marry the first person who asked her . . .
Writing the Comedy Movie
by Marc BlakeIt is often suggested that there are 'secrets' to comedy or that it is 'lightning in a bottle', but the craft of comedy writing can be taught. While comedic tastes change, over time and from person to person, the core underpinning still depends on the comedic geniuses that have paved the way. Great comedy is built upon a strong foundation. In Writing the Comedy Movie, Marc Blake lays out – in an entertainingly readable style – the nuts and bolts of comedy screenwriting. His objective is to clarify the 'rules' of comedy: to contextualize comedy staples such as the double act, slapstick, gross-out, rom com, screwball, satire and parody and to introduce new ones such as the bromance or stoner comedy. He explains the underlying principles of comedy and comedy writing for the screen, along with providing analysis of leading examples of each subgenre.
Writing the Comedy Movie
by Marc BlakeIt is often suggested that there are 'secrets' to comedy or that it is 'lightning in a bottle', but the craft of comedy writing can be taught. While comedic tastes change, over time and from person to person, the core underpinning still depends on the comedic geniuses that have paved the way. Great comedy is built upon a strong foundation. In Writing the Comedy Movie, Marc Blake lays out – in an entertainingly readable style – the nuts and bolts of comedy screenwriting. His objective is to clarify the 'rules' of comedy: to contextualize comedy staples such as the double act, slapstick, gross-out, rom com, screwball, satire and parody and to introduce new ones such as the bromance or stoner comedy. He explains the underlying principles of comedy and comedy writing for the screen, along with providing analysis of leading examples of each subgenre.
Writing Comedy: How to use funny plots and characters, wordplay and humour in your creative writing
by Lesley BownLearn how to write comedy that makes people laugh.Masterclass: Writing Comedy will reveal to both beginners and experienced writers the distinctive features that mark out comedy from other forms of creative writing. Having identified these, it will help you then to unlock your inner anarchist, and explore the different elements of comedy, using a combination of practical exercises, insight and creative inspiration. Whatever your preferred comic genre, you will find guidance on everything from wordplay and visual humour to plots, comedy characters and different styles.A section on performance will help you to hone stand-up skills, while chapters on stage and screen will give techniques and tips on how to craft a sitcom or create a sketch show. Finally, there is a uniquely frank but useful section on the realities of the markets, and the actualities of going it alone with self-publishing and self-promotion - or the tools you need to successfully pitch an idea or comic manuscript.ABOUT THE SERIESThe Teach Yourself Creative Writing series helps aspiring authors tell their stories. Covering a range of genres from science fiction and romantic novels to illustrated children's books and comedy, this series is packed with advice, exercises, and tips for unlocking creativity and improving your writing. And because we know how daunting the blank page can be, we set up the Just Write online community, at tyjustwrite.com, for budding authors and successful writers to connect and share.