Humor Anthology

The narrator introduces himself as being 228 years old and goes on to document his interactions with Dr. Samuel Johnson. Being older and in a time when respect for elders was everything, the narrator expects Dr. Johnson to appreciate his writing, which the man does not. While the tale goes on to document other awkward meetings with Dr. Johnson, he ultimately dies younger than the narrator - who goes on to continue writing and living an unfulfilled life.

Joel Dunbar, the last branch of an Appalachian family tree, accepts a mysterious invitation from a billionaire plutocrat to attend a conservation expo in San Francisco. The rock star environmentalist has startling plans for the future and a caveat for Joel: Don’t ask too many questions, and don’t divulge any answers. But when Joel befriends a rebellious eco-friendly Arizona rancher, he’s roped into a new kind of war, with new kinds of casualties.

Now the Congress of Animals is in control, unforgiving, and debating the fate of the planet’s most reviled species. The popular ruling: Exterminate humankind without exception. But a curious mare, coming of age, is making a case for a seemingly gentle person she longs to save - a wish for mercy that could once again unbalance the new and righteous nature of the world.

An early collection of short stories by England's greatest humorist, P. G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves features eight of the most enjoyable and popular short stories of the early 20th century.

Alle Jahre wieder macht sich die halbe Republik kurz vor den Feiertagen auf den Weg zur buckligen Verwandtschaft. Als ob der Besuch bei Tante und Onkel nicht schon schlimm genug wäre, quälen wir uns stundenlang durch den Stau, fluchen über den ICE in verkehrter Wagenreihung oder sitzen auf dem verschneiten Rollfeld fest, während unser Airbus zum wiederholten Mal enteist wird. Und das alles umgeben von nicht minder nervigen Nichten, Neffen, Omas und Opas, die sich ebenfalls nicht vor dem Besuch bei der Familie zu drücken wussten.

This is a tale with a twist. Unlike what you would hear in other fantasy series, where there's a despotic madman in need of overthrowing where the story follows a group of plucky underdogs, this is a tale focusing on said aforementioned despot as he goes about his business with the express intent of getting a group of plucky rebels to overthrow him. Because what's worse than absolute power? Absolute responsibility.

Welcome to the peculiar and headlong world of Brian Doyle's fiction, where the odd is happening all the time, reported upon by characters of every sort and stripe. Swirling voices and skeins of story, laughter and rage, ferocious attention to detail and sweeping nuttiness, tears and chortling - these stories will remind listeners of the late giant David Foster Wallace, in their straightforward accounts of anything-but-straightforward events and of modern short story pioneer Raymond Carver, a bit, in their blunt, unadorned dialogue.

If someone had told Noah Donovan he was going to be stuck in an elevator with a very beautiful, slightly odd bartender and her fluffy packrat, he never would have believed it. Fortunately, the quirky brunette leaves the very cuddly rodent behind. Unfortunately, she’s married. In Lexi Allison’s job, she’s accustomed to warding off unwanted advances with a fake wedding ring. So when she meets a tatted-up hunk in an elevator, she’s quick to revert to her default tall tale. This guy certainly knows how to push her buttons, but the thing is, they’re the right buttons.

After Reece Matthews' sister is sexually assaulted he begins a video blog. It's his way of getting his head around it all and easing the pain. As he tells the story viewing figures grow. But when the perpetrators of the crime are let out on bail Reece cannot subdue his feelings. He announces the names and address of the men who assaulted his sister and a social justice takes place. Reece is arrested and charged with inciting violence, which leaves him to question whether the government is overreaching its authority and the future of his country.  

El misterio que rodea el pasado de su esposa, y que él se comprometió a respetar, entorpece la aclaración del nerviosismo y la inquietud de la señora Cubitt. Holmes tranquiliza a Hilton Cubitt y le promete su ayuda una vez termine un caso delicado que está resolviendo. 

A baby rat freed from the bottom of a dumpster becomes a white ibis wandering the wet driveway after a storm. Goodbye, hello, goodbye. It was the garbage times; it was time for something else. A tale of two tales, connected by a mysterious sunlit portal.   

Berlin ist die Kneipe auf dem verlassenen Marktplatz eines Kaffs namens Brandenburg. Manchmal tanzen wir auf den Tischen, manchmal liegen wir darunter, jeder war schon mal mit jedem im Bett und Weihnachten ist Lokalrunde. Endlich! Nach "Wahnsinn in Gesellschaft" gibt es nun Lea Streisands zweites Solowerk mit Geschichten aus dem sogenannten Großstadtalltag.

In the stories of Confidence, there are ecstasy-taking PhD students, financial traders desperate for husbands, owners of failing sex stores, violent and unremovable tenants, aggressive raccoons, seedy massage parlors, experimental filmmakers who record every second of their day, and wives who blog insults directed at their husbands. There are cheating husbands. There are private clubs, crowded restaurants, psychiatric wards. There is one magic cinema, and everyone has a secret of some kind.  

A group of hackers gain access to a prominent young actress’s cloud account and leaks explicit images of her Online. Lisa Hudson finds herself suddenly thrust into a new limelight basking under the glow of never-ending male attention. The attention intensifies leading up to her week-long tour for a movie shoot. Jared is stunned that his gorgeous wife is managing to handle the violation of her privacy so calmly. At first furious and disgusted at the leak, he finds himself intrigued and curious at his wife’s willingness to entertain the spotlight. 

A palm reader notifies Lord Arthur that murder is in his future. But not his murder - he’s the murderer. This really throws a wrench into his wedding plans, for Lord Arthur is soon to be married to the most beautiful lady in London. In fact he loves her so much, he decides to postpone the wedding until his business is done. Now, for a tasteful homicide....

Can a stolen parking space, a punch in the face, and a wild birthday party lead a couple to romantic bliss? Beth and Jake meet and slug it out over a parking space. Little did the other know the two were attending the same birthday party. Sparks fly and hilarious disaster supervenes. Jake is fascinated and intrigued by the petite power powerhouse he calls Lips. And Beth is … well, Beth holds tight to a secret. A very dark secret that prevents her from entertaining serious relationships. And much to her annoyance, the man she calls Dick doesn’t take no for an answer.

"'Io non so com'è la gente!' soleva ripetere don Marchino per lo meno una ventina di volte al giorno, insaccandosi nelle spalle e aprendo le mani a ventaglio davanti al petto, con gli angoli della bocca contratti in giù: 'Io non so com'è la gente!'".

"Benedizione" inizia così, con le parole di Don Marchino, parroco di campagna che sembra vivere in un mondo tutto suo, completamente indifferente a tutto quello che lo circonda. Ancora una volta Pirandello ci regala un piccolo grande gioiello, una novella che che ci mette di fronte all'assurdità della vita e della morte.

Pubblicata per la prima volta su Rassegna Contemporanea nell'agosto del 1911, "I fortunati" è una novella in cui Pirandello critica in maniera molto dura il mondo della chiesa, senza per questo rinunciare alla sua tagliente ironia. Conosciamo così Don Arturo Filomarino, giovane prete del piccolo paesino di Montelusa (paesino immaginario che, molto probabilmente, è Girgenti), che deve fare i conti con una pesantissima eredità.

Luigi Pirandello scrive ancora una volta un piccolo grande capolavoro presentandoci una storia intrisa di humor nero. Tanti i temi al centro di questa novella, narrata con sapiente maestria da Gaetano Marino: la morte, il cimitero, il matrimonio, il sesso... tante sfaccettature di una realtà sempre e comunque inafferrabile.

In questa novella di Luigi Pirandello, Gaetano Marino ci narra la storia di Spatolino, muratore capomastro che lavora per il comune, famoso per la sua fede e la sua devozione. Una novella in cui Pirandello si diverte a descrivere con grande ironia la società siciliana del tempo e, soprattutto, il suo rapporto con la fede e la religione cattolica.