Fiction
Cold Comfort Farm
Stella Gibbons
FICTION Gibbons, Stella
Fiction, Humor
A wickedly funny portrait of British rural life in the 1930s. Flora Poste, a recently orphaned socialite, moves in with her country relatives, the gloomy Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm, and becomes enmeshed in a web of violent emotions, despair, and scheming, until Flora manages to set things right.
The code of the Woosters
P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
FICTION Wodehouse, P. G.
Fiction, Humor
A classic piece of Wodehouse silliness, involving Bertie Wooster, his formidable Aunt Dahlia and (of course) Jeeves in a scheme to steal an 18th century cow-creamer during a weekend party at an English country house.
Added by Beth
Grown ups
Marian Keyes
FICTION Keyes Marian
Humor, Fiction
"Johnny Casey, his two brothers Ed and Liam, their beautiful, talented wives and all their kids spend a lot of time together--birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weekends away. And they're a happy family. Johnny's wife, Jessie--who has the most money--insists on it. Under the surface, though, conditions are murkier. While some people clash, other people like each other far too much . . . Still, everything manages to stay under control--that is, until Ed's wife, Cara, gets a concussion and can't keep her thoughts or opinions to herself. One careless remark at Johnny's birthday party, with the entire family present, and Cara starts spilling all their secrets. As everything unravels, each of the adults finds themselves wondering if it's--finally--the time to grow up."--Dust jacket flap.
Added by Beth
The great mistake
Jonathan Lee
FICTION Lee Jonathan
Historical Fiction, Fiction
"From the acclaimed author of High Dive comes an enveloping, exultant novel of New York City at the turn of the twentieth century, a story of one man's rise to fame and fortune, and his murder in a case of mistaken identity. On Friday the 13th of November, 1903, a famous man was killed on Park Avenue in broad daylight by a stranger. It was neither a political act nor a crime of passion. It was a mistake. The victim was Andrew Haswell Green, the "Father of Greater New York," who shaped the city as we know it. Without him there would be no Central Park, no Metropolitan Museum of Art, no Museum of Natural History, no New York Public Library. His influence was everywhere, yet he died alone, misunderstood, feeling that his whole life might have been, after all, a great mistake. A work of tremendous depth and piercing emotion, The Great Mistake is a portrait of a self-made man--farm boy to urban visionary; the reimagining of a murder investigation that shook the city; and the moving story of a singular individual who found the world closed off to him, and, in spite of all odds, enlarged it"--
How does Andrew Haswell Green, such an important, consequential New York City figure find himself a murder victim due to mistaken identify at the age of 83? Jonathan Lee's fictional treatment of the life and times of Green explores how this puzzling, unfathomable murder takes place as well as Green's extraordinary rise to New York prominence from humble farm-boy roots. Green has a somewhat traditional American "pick yourself up from your bootstraps" life story, but it is much more complicated than that. And we know from the beginning where it ends.If you are looking for a book with a "sense of place," to be taken to the chaotic, hustle of the streets of late 19th Century New York, "The Great Mistake" will take you there. -Anne M
The unhoneymooners
Christina Lauren
FICTION Lauren, Christina
Fiction, Humor
For two sworn enemies, anything can happen during the Hawaiian trip of a lifetime--maybe even love--in this romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling authors of Roomies . Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas. Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren't affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there's a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo. Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is . . . Olive doesn't mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.
Added by Beth
The guncle : a novel
Steven Rowley
FICTION Rowley Steven
Humor, Fiction
Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. He loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, When Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of "Guncle Rules" Patrick has no idea what to expect. After years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old, Patrick's eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility. Even being larger than life means you're unfailingly human. -- adapted from jacket
Added by Beth
Dear Committee Members
Julie Schumacher
FICTION Schumacher, Julie
Fiction, Humor
Jason Fitger is a beleaguered professor of creative writing and literature at Payne University, a small and not very distinguished liberal arts college in the midwest. His department is facing draconian cuts and squalid quarters, while one floor above them the Economics Department is getting lavishly remodeled offices. His once-promising writing career is in the doldrums, as is his romantic life, in part as the result of his unwise use of his private affairs for his novels. His star (he thinks) student can't catch a break with his brilliant (he thinks) work Accountant in a Bordello, based on Melville's Bartleby. In short, his life is a tale of woe, and the vehicle this droll and inventive novel uses to tell that tale is a series of hilarious letters of recommendation that Fitger is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce, each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits, and passive-aggressive strategies
Added by Beth
Waiting for Tom Hanks
Kerry Winfrey
FICTION Winfrey Kerry
Fiction, Humor
"Romantic-comedy-obsessed Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She spends her days writing internet content, rewatching Sleepless in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet cute. If she could just find her own Tom Hanks--a man who's sweet, sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboat--her problems would disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is nowhere in sight. When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who couldn't be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-cute is more of a meet annoying, but soon Annie finds herself sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom Hanks can't be an actor who's leaving town in a matter of days...can he? Drew may not be what she imagined, but Annie soon learns that real life doesn't always go according to script"--
Added by Beth
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
FICTION Heller, Joseph
Humor, Fiction
Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy - it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he's assigned, he'll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: A man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.
Added by Beth
Eligible : a novel
Curtis Sittenfeld
FICTION Sittenfe Curtis
Fiction, Humor
In this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, takes place in Cincinnati. Despite now being in their twenties, the three youngest Bennet sisters, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia still live at home with their parents. The eldest two, Liz and Jane, 38 and 39 respectively, returned home from New York for the summer when their father, Mr. Bennet, suffers a heart attack. Chip Bingley, a doctor and a former contestant on a Bachelor style TV show called Eligible recently had moved to Cincinnati. Mrs. Bennet, keen for her daughters to get married, arranged for her daughters to meet him at a barbecue.
Added by Beth
Added by Beth