Advance praise for "Murder at The Grove" Fans of mysteries, especially West Coast-centric mysteries, rejoice The irrepressible and irresistible teenage sleuth Adriana Hofstetter is back, with funny-snarky attitude, 40s wardrobe, hippy-dip but caring mom and BFF Billy Feldman intact, and a puzzling new murder to occupy her summer vacation. This time the scene is L.A.'s super mall, The Grove, with Adriana forced to deal with such alien (to her) contemporary concepts as iPods, YouTube and FaceBook to catch the killer of an Apple Store employee. Put away that new iPhone and enjoy. -Dick Lochte, author of Sleeping Dog and Croaked In Murder at the Grove, occasional teenage gumshoe and always odd duck, Adrianna Hofstetter, is at it again, sticking her quirky nose where it doesn't belong; worrying her mother, fretting her friends (make that friend...just one), irritating the police, and persistently interrogating an array of annoyed suspects about a murder case which everyone insists doesn't exist. But the determined and indefatigable Ms. Hofstetter's skewed sleuthing ferrets out the facts faster than she can wolf down onion rings at a local Hollywood bistro. The clues, characters, and locale are all explored with the same eccentric but affectionate Kimmel whimsey displayed in Murder at Hollywood High and the Benjamin Kritzer trilogy. -Charles Edward Pogue, screenwriter of The Fly and Dragonheart

Onthou jy nog die dae van donkiekarre, negosiewinkels, hanslammers grootmaak en tiekiedraai in die waenhuis? Die dae toe ’n Engelsman nog iets vreemds vir ’n Afrikaanse plaasseun was en ’n man moes kon briewe skryf om ’n nooi te bekoor? Met Daar doer in Duitswes roep Helm Jooste daardie dae met nostalgie en humor in herinnering. Hy vertel met selfspot van sy eie ervarings in onder andere die ou Suidwes: vertellings wat jou terselfdertyd laat lag en met heimwee en deernis vul. Kom dans op maat van die Rooiduin Orkes tot rooidag; skater en bloos oor die lywige Ant Maryntjie en die tandlose Toks – en droom saam met ’n bobaasverteller oor die “se nou maars” en verspeelde kanse in Jessica se blou oe. Verskeie humoristiese vertellinge van Helm Jooste word in hierdie boekie saamgevat. Meeste van die vertellinge handel oor die ou Suidwes.

What makes the Ultimate Scot? Is it the ability to identify a tartan pattern from 50 yards? Maybe it’s being able to recite the two forgotten verses of ‘Auld Lang Syne’? Or perhaps it’s knowing your single malt from a double malt? The Ultimate Guide to Being Scottish examines in hilarious detail the history, politics and traditions that make Scots great. Exploring the best of Scottish culture, this book focuses on the celebrations that Scots have made their own, from Hogmanay to the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Mixing fact and practical hints (like the ideal recipe for boiled sheep’s head) with witty banter, The Ultimate Guide to Being Scottish is perfect for injecting Scotland’s unique and beloved brand of merriment into the year.

This "dictionary" is intended to be, in jest, a reply to the French and their constant attitudes of redundancy toward Americans and the U.S.A. The author felt it was necessary for someone to show them just how silly they are!

100 Shades of Greene has poems, verses and short stories about life's emotions and dreams. It is about feelings, about lost love, about new love and family. It is about God and spirit, about birth and death, joy and pain. Things that touch all of us in our lifetime.

This little book of uplifting and pithy quotes is the ultimate antidote to all the days that couldn't end quickly enough When the shit hits the fan, you don't just need a massive mop. You need some words of wisdom that will keep you going no matter what is thrown your way. You scratched the side of your car: pick up this book. You sent private snaps to your family WhatsApp by mistake: let your tears streak these pages. You delivered a presentation at work with your flies undone and toothpaste on your chin: stiffen that upper lip with every quote you read. By the end of this remarkably astute collection of quotes, you'll have: - Enough resilience to make light of the worst scenario - Enough willpower to overcome all obstacles And enough quotes under your belt to last you a lifetime! Why waste time wondering if the glass is half full or half empty when you can just get on and drink it!

Mario Santos is a brown-faced Huck Finn on the banks of his Mississippi, the Chama River. He is Holden Caulfield out of the "gray" city and atop the beautiful mountains of Northern New Mexico, under the influence of a Pentecostal camp meeting; MacCauley Caulkin "Home Alone" and ankle deep in Tabernacle sawdust. Our ten-year old hero asks the hard spiritual questions of existence through a courageous and reckless abandon of convention, and an ADHD passion for adventure. He obliterates religious pomposity and sanctimonious boundaries with his natural discernment of Christian character and religious characters and cuts to the guts of hypocrisy like he's cleaning a freshly caught 'German Brown' trout. Mario Santos innocently introduces us to a God who might not be recognizable to those convinced of a sterile, stained-glass, Sundays-only deity of cushioned pews and hushed vaunted ceilings. Rolando Benavidez writes as colorful an auto biography as you will ever read, matching the wild wardrobe of a certain angel that keeps plucking Mario out of harm's way as only a supernatural Big Indian can. You'll wonder how the story can be true unless you've also experienced heroic, larger-than-life parents and a hilariously personal God. You don't have to be in the patched-up shoes of a Spanish-speaking, brown-skinned Pentecostal preacher's kid to enjoy Chama Stories, Mario Santos has got that covered and good, as he invites us to hang on for an adventure we won't soon forget. Chama Stories is a page turning, laugh-out-loud finger-tip trip down the author's memory lane; a dusty lane, set in New Mexico's beautiful Chama Valley, rife with dirt and bumps and outhouses and overzealous deacons and witches and outrageous names and characters too many and funny to list. You'll laugh and cry and wonder why, and in the end you'll be looking for that camp meeting of your own. But be careful, you just might find it.

.".". You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it." "(John 14:12-14 NIV)If the words of Jesus are promises that he will do whatever we ask in His name, then why are many not seeing the results? "Dr. Peacock and His Quest to Know God" offers an in-depth examination of life's everyday incidents and events that have the potential to create better ways to know God. Gustav Shakefoot combines personal essays with biblical teachings as he traces the path of a thoughtful spiritual journey. Shakefoot begins his examination of Christianity by providing details on the books of the Bible and then shares his perspective on many Christian topics including the effects of baptism, the importance of the forgiveness of sins, and the complexity of salvation. While interspersing essays about his religious upbringing, army exploits, and his stint in a monastery, Shakefoot explores such complex and controversial issues as communication with the Holy Spirit, homosexuality, and identity problems within the church.The unique perspective shared in "Dr. Peacock and His Quest to Know God" can help anyone enhance their relationship with God and achieve their eternal purpose.

The scene is Otisville Prison, upstate New York. A crew of fraudsters, tax evaders, trigamists and forgers discuss matters of right and wrong in a Talmudic study and prayer group, or 'minyan', led by a rabbi who's a fellow convict. As the only prison in the federal system with a kosher deli, Otisville is the penitentiary of choice for white-collar Jewish offenders, many of whom secretly like the place. They've learned to game the system, so when the regime is toughened to punish a newly arrived celebrity convict who has upset the 45th president, they find devious ways to fight back. Shadowy forces up the ante by trying to 'Epstein' - ie assassinate - the newcomer, and visiting poetry professor Deborah Liston ends up in dire peril when she sees too much. She has helped the minyan look into their souls. Will they now step up to save her? Jonathan Stone brings the sensibility of Saul Bellow and Philip Roth to the post-truth era in a sharply comic novel that is also wise, profound and deeply moral.

Being a stay-at-home mom isn't easy-just ask Brenna Barzenick. After owning a successful physical therapy practice, she sold it to stay at home with her two children. Her decision brought about an unexpected whirlwind in her role as a woman and mother. A compilation of Barzenick's articles from her monthly newspaper column "Tales from the Crib," Tsumommy shares Barzenick's hilarious and poignant adventures as a full-time mommy to her son and daughter. From her three-year-old son's Spider-Man obsession and her daughter's yearly interrogation about Santa and his method of toy delivery to the joys of serving Easy Mac and chicken nuggets, Barzenick writes with wit, wisdom, and remarkable candor. Barzenick forever debunks the myth that being a stay-at-home mother isn't a "real" job and gives a voice to those harried, frustrated, noble, and loving mothers who have one of the hardest jobs in the world. So to all you moms out there, ignore that sink of dirty dishes, let the kids watch just one more cartoon, and treat yourself to the funny, unpredictable, and ultimately wonderful world of Tsumommy

In the early nineties, Jim Riggins became a conservative on a bet. He didn't expect to enjoy the ruse but did. Years later, he found himself in the White House working for George W. Bush. Life was good for the GOP, but thanks to the Right's fealty to authority, the party stumbled. As a result, a plan to win back the hearts and minds of America was devised. Along with chicken-hawks like El Rushbo, Glen Beck, Sean Hannity and, of course, Sarah Palin, Forty-Three enlists in the Army after his two terms. He does so at the direction of Dick Cheney who also orders Jim to enlist and run interference for the former president. But there's a problem. Americans are dying in Afghanistan and Iraq. Then Vietnam attacks a neighbor and provides the group a warzone where Americans aren't dying. Trained up, the "flock" deploys to Vietnam Part II where Charlie attacks its vehicle and throws its members into a POW camp. Starved and sick, the group is forced to survive in the jungle under the ideological Colonel Mai. But the group can go home if it agrees to do one thing.

Laughing at childhood memories
Country boy takes a mail order brain surgery course
Laughing at family happenings
Interviews with Genghis Khan and George Washington
The courtship and married life of the cave family the Uggs
And other comic relief

You never know what is going to pop up in your everyday life, but R. D. Wright has found a way to handle it with wit and humor. Follow him as he hits garage sales on the weekend or tries desperately to find his mother's telephone number, "It's in the book, Ron." "No it's not, I looked." Sound familiar?

Important, Not Very, & Who Really Cares? will resonate with anyone who has searched high and low for something only to discover that it is right in front of them or worse, nowhere to be found. His pieces are witty, charming, and we can see a little bit of our own lives in each of them.