Family Humor

Kids today spend way too much time in front of a screen. The numbers are alarming, and many experts on child development are urging parents to provide their children with some “non-screen” activity. Of course, if you’re a parent you know that’s easier said than done. Kids love video games because they’re fun and challenge them to explore, team up, and express their creativity. That’s exactly why our unique dog author, Cooper The Pooper, came up with a fantastic game of "Would You Rather" - a thought-provoking conversation game.

Sink or swim. Or at least that's what Annette Feldman tells herself when she books a cruise for her entire family. It's been over a decade since the Feldman clan has spent more than twenty-four hours under the same roof, but Annette is determined to celebrate her 70th birthday the right way. Just this once, they are going to behave like an actual family. Too bad her kids didn't get the memo.

Wannabe actress Dani Steele's résumé resembles a cautionary tale on how not to be famous. She's pushing thirty and stuck in a dead-end insurance job, and her relationship status is holding at uncommitted. With unbearably perfect sisters and a mother who won't let her forget it, Dani has two go-tos for consolation: maple scones and a blog in which she pours her heart out to her celebrity idol. He's the man her father never was, no boyfriend will ever be - and not so impossible a dream as one might think.

Mara Carlyle's senior year is going as normally as could be expected, until - wa-bam! - fellow senior Katelyn Ogden explodes during third period precalc. Katelyn is the first, but she won't be the last teenager to blow up without warning or explanation. As the seniors continue to pop like balloons and the national eye turns to Mara's suburban New Jersey hometown, the FBI rolls in, and the search for a reason is on.

Verity Love - Jane Austen fangirl and an introvert in a world of extroverts - is perfectly happy on her own (thank you very much), and her fictional boyfriend, Peter, is very useful for getting her out of unwanted social events. But when a case of mistaken identity forces her to introduce a perfect stranger as her boyfriend, Verity's life suddenly becomes much more complicated.

When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. A marriage unravels after an illicit love affair is revealed through an errant cell phone message; a posh yet financially strapped interior designer meets a business partner who might prove too good to be true.

Sie haben sich ineinander verliebt, haben gelacht, gestritten, das große Glück gesucht und geheiratet. Sie haben ihre Zukunft gestaltet und sich doch wieder verloren. Drei Jahre und neun Monate ist das jetzt her, dass Rudys und Noras Ehe vor dem Richter endete. Das zufällige Wiedersehen in einem Restaurant ist Freude und schmerzliche Erinnerung zugleich, und vielleicht auch etwas Hoffnung.

If popularity were a score between one and ten, Charlie Drinkwater would be a zero. He's nerdy and unathletic, and to top it all off, he's suddenly morphed into a giant mutant sea creature sometime between first-period science class and third-period English. Now Charlie's two best friends are treating him like a science project, there's a petition to get him kicked out of school, the cool kids are recruiting him for their clique, and for some reason his parents are acting like everything is perfectly normal.

For four years, Iris Massey worked side by side with PR maven Smith Simonyi, helping clients perfect their brands. But Iris has died, taken by terminal illness at only 33. Adrift without his friend and colleague, Smith is surprised to discover that in her last six months, Iris created a blog filled with sharp and often funny musings on the end of a life not quite fulfilled. She also made one final request: for Smith to get her posts published as a book

Digby and Zoe have been skirting around each other for so long that you might think they'd lose their magic if they ever actually hooked up. But never fear--there's all the acerbic wit, steamy chemistry, and sarcastic banter you could possibly hope for.Now that Digby's back in town with a new lead, he's plunged Zoe (and their Scooby Gang of wealthy frenemy Sloane, nerd-tastic genius Felix, and aw-shucks-handsome Henry) into the deep end on the hunt for his kidnapped sister.

Matt, Daniel and Paul were childhood friends. Now in their 30s, they've lost touch and have only one thing in common: their mothers. Little do they know that, having spent a cardless Mother's Day discussing how their emotionally dysfunctional offspring should be settling down, Carol, Gillian and Helen have decided to pay their wayward sons a visit. On the same day, they turn up on their sons' doorsteps, uninvited and unannounced. Their plan is to reestablish the mother-son bond by moving in for one week. Just a week. Surely that's not a lot to ask....

It's 1991, and Tara Maureen Murphy is finally on top. A frightening cross between Regina George and Tracy Flick, Tara Maureen Murphy is any high school's worst nightmare. She's a senior, poised to star as Sandy in South High's production of Grease. Cinching the role is just one teensy step in Tara's plot to get out of her hometown and become the Broadway starlet she was born to be. It gets tricky with the arrival of freshman Matthew Bloom, whose dazzling audition for the role of Danny Zuko turns Tara's world upside down.

Georgie Hart loves Christmastime at Carrington’s Department store. Running the luxury handbag department, Georgie adores helping customers in the hunt for the perfect gift for the perfect someone. And this year is no exception - now she has the hunky Tom, Mr Carrington himself, to spend the special day with. But when Tom springs a surprise, Georgie’s plans are thrown into chaos. Carrington’s is getting a fresh lease of life in a hot new reality TV show, featuring formidable retail guru Kelly Cooper.

Du liebst humorvolle Bücher über moderne (werdende) Papas? Du planst oder hast selbst Kinder? Du wolltest schon immer mal in den Kopf eines Mannes schauen? Oder aus seiner Sicht die Dinge sehen? Dann begleite diesen Papa durch die Phase des unerfüllten Kinderwunsches und fiebere mit, wenn es nach langem Zittern endlich klappt. Folge ihm durch das erste Jahr mit Baby bis er sich traut, sogar noch eine zweite Runde zu starten – und gleichzeitig ein Haus zu bauen.

Jeanne a été placée en maison de retraite par ses enfants. Et le pire, c'est que chacun se renvoie la balle pour déterminer qui a été à l'initiative de cette mascarade. Elle a beau avoir 81 ans, une ribambelle de petits-enfants et des tonnes de carnets noircis au fil du temps, preuves de son (très) long passage sur Terre, elle n'a pas dit son dernier mot. Son plan : simuler la démence et les rendre tous dingues. Sauf que, ce lieu dans lequel elle ne voyait qu'hostilité va lui révéler bien des surprises.

Kate has taught herself to be careful, to be meticulous. To mark the anniversary of a death in the family, she plans a dinner party—from the fancy table settings to the perfect Baked Alaska waiting in the freezer. Yet by the end of the night, old tensions have flared, the guests have fled, and Kate is spinning out of control. But all we have is ourselves, her father once said, all we have is family.

"Zugegeben, die meiste Zeit habe ich mich eher mit der Frage befasst, wie ich nicht Vater werde. Bis ich dieser Frau begegnete." Und nun heißt es plötzlich: Wie wird man eigentlich Vater, wenn man es möchte, aber es nicht auf Anhieb klappt? Und was macht der Prozess mit einem, das Auf und Ab des Hoffens und Bangens, neben und zusammen mit der Frau, die das alles am eigenen Leib erlebt? Ein schmerzvoll-tragisch-urkomischer Bericht aus Männersicht.

Nachdem er und seine Frau lange darum gerungen haben, endlich Eltern zu werden, ist die Schwangerschaft viel zu schnell vergangen. Schwups ist das Kind da – und mit ihm die Frage: "Was für ein Vater will ich eigentlich sein?" So stolpert er durch den Familienalltag mit ganz neuen Fallstricken und Fettnäpfchen – immer mit der Angst im Nacken, von einem Säugling als Versager enttarnt zu werden. Der zweite Band von Melanie Amélie Opalkas "Papa-Trilogie" erzählt den "unausgeschlafenen Imperfekt" seines ersten Jahres mit dem eigenen Nachwuchs.

Was kann denn schon groß schief gehen, wenn man ein zweites Kind bekommen will – vor allem durch künstliche Befruchtung? Zweieinhalb Jahre liegt der erste Versuch zurück, als unser Papa sich erneut traut und zwar gleich doppelt: Denn mit einem weiteren Kind muss ein größeres Heim her und warum dann nicht auch gleich ein Eigenheim? Ob es nun ein, zwei oder vielleicht sogar drei Kinderzimmer sein werden, wie die Stelzen unter das Haus kommen und wie Mann das alles neben Job, Partnerschaft und einem strammen Kleinkind bewältigt … das lernt der Papa auf die harte Tour.

Quinn Avery can handle change. It's just paint, right? Bright, blinding white paint covering her once dazzling red bedroom walls. Quinn knows she shouldn't be angry at her mom - she's doing what she must to sell the house - but still, Quinn is beyond mad, and she doesn't know what to do about it.