Writing Humor

In this witty and entertaining collection of travel tales, an acclaimed journalist explores his obsession with trains - and what his rail journeys have taught him about culture and identity. Beppe Severgnini has spent his life traveling the world, and not just because he's a journalist; he's a passionate, unflagging train buff. Off the Rails recounts some of his favorite trips across Europe, Australia, Asia, and the United States, each journey bringing listeners not only to a different place but to a different time.

When the worst writer in history self-publishes his books, the world of literature is decimated overnight. Illiteracy becomes something to aspire to and book burnings become rife. The publishing industry is left hemorrhaging credibility and verges on collapse. But its recovery not a matter of removing said books, or even destroying them, the same must be done to the mind responsible.

The Otis, an inconsequential river—not the Hudson—flows through Wattsville, a small city a few hours north, but a universe away from the real City, capital C. You might think the everyday people who live here, in this land of scarce opportunity, are also inconsequential. Until you meet them.

When the head of a hovercycle club inexplicably calls in news of his own murder, Detective Simon Grave and his team are drawn in to Crab Cove's hovercycle underworld, a world of loyalty, betrayal, greed, and-yes-irony. As if murder weren't enough, the bombing of an election debate stage has the mayor pressing for a quick resolution to both crimes. It becomes increasingly clear that the crimes are connected, and that the solution will require the unraveling of an elaborate criminal scheme-and more.

Follow a man barely deserving of the title as he flails through a turgid cesspit of human depravity, only to discover that he’s the one bunging up its U-bend. Wrongly Writing has even more psychiatrists, anaphylaxis, and cringing social ineptitude than the first Wrong Book, and proves that while editors exist for a reason, the author clearly doesn’t.

You have Asperger’s Syndrome. You hate the name of this syndrome. You also stopped using drugs six months ago and now your best friend, Winsey, is dead. And your cat, Lester keeps pooping on the floor—it’s a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. And eff no, you don’t use the F-word, even when you find out Winsey was killed. You suspect the gargoyle who was sniffing around at the bar the night before, the last time you saw her alive.

You don't have to be funny to be funny. It's true! While the general idea is that humor is inherent, Jean-Marc Toledano would beg to differ. Explore the science of laughter and the reason behind it with Half Serious Half Not, in which Jean-Marc discusses the topic in great detail and brings you the secret to being funny. The theme of the book is humor: what it is, the techniques, and how you too can be funny!

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin: musicians who reached the pinnacle of their profession. Their stories are familiar, but careers like theirs are rare. Far more common are musicians who toil in relative obscurity, scraping a living from meager club earnings and fending off the discouraging advice of friends and family to give up their dream and find a real career. Most of these unknowns eventually do just that, but what happens to those whose passion leaves them little choice in the matter?

Feuerstein reist wieder: durch Thailand, Birma, New York und ins Eismeer. Aber diesmal ist alles anders. Thailand kennt er seit Jahrzehnten besser als seine Westentasche (er trägt keine Westen), in New York hat er eine ganze Ehe lang gewohnt, und die beiden Reisen auf dem Wasser wurden komplett von anderen Leuten organisiert (mit Ausnahme der Seekrankheit, die aus Feuersteins Innerem kam).

If you think the customer is always right, you've never worked at a place like Kyle's before. Angeline has seen it all - crazy, stupid, and even mean. For the last five years, customers have tormented her daily in over five departments at her workplace, Kyle's General Store. In one chapter, she gives advice on surviving retail and shares her biggest pet peeves in the departments she has worked in. Join Angeline down memory lane as she tells her stories about crazy customers and the downright stupid questions they ask.

Thirty-two-year-old Dan Johnson has it all; a nine-digit net worth, a gorgeous fiancé and a luxury riverside brownstone. The only problem is, he doesn’t want any of it. And the endless distractions of digitized society give him no head space to figure out what he does want. So, Dan unplugs. When a case of mistaken identity launches Dan into a series of bizarro relationships and absurd events, it represents an unexpected path to reconnect him with a world he never knew existed.

Finnland. Da denkt jeder an Seen, Sauna, Mücken und Elche. Und eine verteufelt schwere Sprache. Aber wer sind die Menschen dort? Verschrobene Einzelgänger? Trinkfest und sangestüchtig? Bernd Gieseking bekommt einen Crashkurs. Weil sein Bruder sich in eine Finnin verliebt hat und seine Eltern ihn in seiner neuen Heimat besuchen wollen, bricht er zu einer Familienreise mit alten Eltern auf und fährt von Kutenhausen nach Lahti. Und das ist so skurril wie alltäglich, das ist aberwitzig und melancholisch schön.

Es geht doch nichts über gepflegte Vorurteile vor einer Reise. Der typische Urlauber hat sich zuvor -mehr oder weniger gründlich- über das Land informiert, welches er besuchen möchte. Mit Reiseziele erleben Sie allerdings nicht die kulturellen oder gastronomischen Höhepunkte eines Landes, sondern werden mit herrlichen Vorurteilen ausgestattet. Entdecken Sie mit diesem Hörbuch die bekanntesten Länder dieser Welt! Ein zeitloses Reisehörbuch für alle Urlauber, witzig, unterhaltsam und ideal fürs Reisegepäck.

The customer is not always right! If you have ever worked retail, then this is the book for you, department store style. The customers are crazy, and the situations are hilarious. It will provide you with tips on how to make a retail worker happy with you. And show you what a day is like in a department store, as well as show you stories of rude, crazy, and even the stupid things customers say to retail workers. Some will make you laugh, and some will make you want a drink. Get ready, and let's dive into the wacky world of department store stories.

This novel is a satirical look at my life, and I have never written for a porn site. There are four parts to this book: The Rehearsal (trying to figure out my life and men), The Performance (a story in two perspectives about a transgender guy being interviewed), The Reviews, and Pornopraphy (amusing selection of commentary and reviews of media products). I write just a little soft porn for humor, but mostly it's about why my satirical "drag queen" narrator started writing erotica.

Völlig abgefahrene Kurzgeschichten über die schönsten Wochen des Jahres. Reisen ist geil, Urlaub auch - und Ferienclubs sind eine faszinierende Welt, in der die abgefahrensten Geschichten schon mit dem Frühstück gratis auf dem Teller landen. Dirk Engels hat als Urlaubs-Tenniscoach fast 15 Jahre in der All-Inklusive-Welt gelebt und gearbeitet. Mit einzigartigem Humor beschreibt er die skurrilsten Momente, die ihm in dieser Zeit passiert sind.

Yeah, this is a memoir of sorts, if shark fishing in one’s underwear, roping a bear, getting drunk with your grandfather, or losing 10 grand at the Hollywood Sign is a memoir. "The Day Johnny Cash Hit On My Wife" is on the roster as well, for the only name drop in all the stories. There’s also a thing about getting shot in Arkansas and a road trip with a monkey. I can’t deny these were life-shaping events, but truth be told, they all happened under the heading of “oops”.

Why?, you might ask and maybe even in a mean-sounding voice “How Dare I write about such a touchy subject as Book Reviewing?” I would answer that I'm not daring to but rather I am being guided to do it. That unseen substance we might call “Literary Inspiration”, “The Guiding Hand of Inspirational Writing” or “I Got an Itch to Write Something”, is driving me and I can all but resist it. There are apparently readers out there who need this material to fill a void that can be satisfied by nothing else and I am called upon to fill them up.

It's good to know your limitations. I know I'll never grace the front cover of a magazine, unless it's a "most wanted" type. Every time someone looks at my ID card, I hold my breath, waiting for their reaction. Ma Barker has nothing on me when I'm wearing my serious face.