A future mayor shining shoes, an atheist shilling Bible, a housewife heading to work during World War II, a now-famous designer getting fired - we all got our start somewhere. A first job may not have the romance of the first kiss or the excitement of a first car, but more than anything else, it offers a taste of true independence and a preview of what the world has in store for us. In The First Job, reporter Merritt Watts collects real stories of these early forays into the workforce from a range of eras and industries, and a diversity of backgrounds. For some, a first job is a warm welcome to the working world. For others, it's a rude awaking, but as these stories show, it's an influential, entertaining experience that should not be underestimated. This book transforms what we might think of as a single, unassuming line at the bottom of a resume into a collection of absorbing tales and hard-earned wisdom to which we can all, for better or worse, relate. Perfect graduation gift; Picador True Tales is a new series of books in which reporters select short, candid, as-told-to, first-person narratives, and curate them in fascinating anthologies. The stories you'll discover within these books will be by turns hilarious, wise, and heartbreaking.

I know why you're reading this. You want to know what this book is about to see if it's suitable reading material for your youngster. Well I'll tell you what it's about. It's about cartoon characters that know the real truth about their world. That is, there is an all powerful, caring cartoonist out there (that's me) who created everything ... yet rarely does what anyone expects. You know, it's sort of like real life. In Book 1 Stinky makes an idiot of himself trying to convince his best friend there really is a cartoonist who created them ... and the one armed Barbie was no help at all. It's hilarious AND inspirational. That's all you need to know. Trust me.

In Planes, Trains and Chuck & Eddie, Kerrie Flanagan's lighthearted essays remind us that time spent with family is always an adventure From growing up in the shadows of her younger twin brothers, to a three-decade cross-country search for the perfect pizza to learning the unwritten rules of marrying into a "game" family, Flanagan shares entertaining snapshots of her life through the lens of family. *Now available as an ebook for all e-reader devices*

Does the sensation of Tingrith(1) make you yelp? Do you bend sympathetically when you see someone Ahenny(2)? Can you deal with a Naugatuck(3) without causing a Toronto(4)? Will you suffer from Kettering(5) this summer?
Probably. You are almost certainly familiar with all these experiences but just didn't know that there are words for them. Well, in fact, there aren't--or rather there weren't, until Douglas Adams and John Lloyd decided to plug these egregious linguistic lacunae(6). They quickly realized that just as there are an awful lot of experiences that no one has a name for, so there are an awful lot of names for places you will never need to go to. What a waste. As responsible citizens of a small and crowded world, we must all learn the virtues of recycling(7) and put old, worn-out but still serviceable names to exciting, vibrant, new uses. This is the book that does that for you: "The Deeper Meaning of Liff"--a whole new solution to the problem of Great Wakering(8)

1--The feeling of aluminum foil against your fillings.
2--The way people stand when examining other people's bookshelves.
3--A plastic packet containing shampoo, mustard, etc., which is impossible to open except by biting off
the corners.
4--Generic term for anything that comes out in a gush, despite all your efforts to let it out carefully, e.g., flour into a white sauce, ketchup onto fish, a dog into the yard, and another naughty meaning that we can't put on the cover.
5--The marks left on your bottom and thighs after you've been sitting sunbathing in a wicker chair.
6--God knows what this means
7--For instance, some of this book was first published in Britain twenty-six years ago.
8--Look it up yourself.

This early work by Jerome K. Jerome was originally published in 1905 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Idle Ideas in 1905' is a collection of essays on subjects such as 'Should Women be Beautiful' and 'Should Soldiers be Polite'. Jerome Klapka Jerome was born in Walsall, England in 1859. Both his parents died while he was in his early teens, and he was forced to quit school to support himself. In 1889, Jerome published his most successful and best-remembered work, 'Three Men in a Boat'. Featuring himself and two of his friends encountering humorous situations while floating down the Thames in a small boat, the book was an instant success, and has never been out of print. In fact, its popularity was such that the number of registered Thames boats went up fifty percent in the year following its publication.

This little book is about girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, husbands, working, eating, drinking, sleeping, God, life, death and the universe but please remember, I am not trying to write War and Peace or Crime and Punishment here, I am simply trying to bring a smile to peoples faces. 'Melting Moments is very good, I tend to like the things you can easily dip into for a few minutes without losing the thread and when they're witty and profound, so much the better.' 'So hilarious ' 'It was lonely without your humour to read ' 'Awesome' 'Awww... I'm usually not into love stories, but that one really tugs at the heart.' 'Scary but so true...' 'That's me all over.' 'Hahaha ha haha Hahaha ha ha Hahaha ha Hahaha ha Hahaha hahaha Hahaha'

For those who are crazy enough to keep failing... Award winning entrepreneur and author of popular webcomic series "EntrepreNo's: Secret to Startup Failure" Sonia Lin unveils a startup life full of failures, based off her iconic humor in the webcomics that are weaved into practical themes in a startup life, coupled with words of advice to fellow entrepreneurs. The "fail fast, fail cheap, fail happy" mantra of this book commits to promote work-life balance and the ability to look beyond and laugh at the startup life vicissitudes in order to achieve long-term entrepreneurial success. Get ready for Secret to Startup Failure to: Get over a less-than-successful launch day Pick a co-founder who provides politics-free companionship Interpret productivity from the garbage can Have an investor call on St. Patrick's Day ... and more Startup life is long, so fail where you should, and laugh when you can.

In STRANGERS HAVE THE BEST CANDY, full-time adventurer Margaret Meps Schulte casts caution to the wind, striking up conversations with laughing, crying, boozing, and topless strangers all over the USA and beyond. Their stories, and the resulting hijinks and friendships, are her candy, her rewards for breaking the rules about talking to strangers. Schulte's powerful narrative brings unlikely real people into the light, from Betty, the vivacious mayor of a small town in Newfoundland, to Boopsie, a skinny-dipping breast cancer survivor. The book features over 100 pen-and-ink illustrations of chance encounters, elusive and fleeting scenes that could never have been photographed. These humorous, heartwarming tales will inspire readers of all ages to talk to strangers and meet new people. Schulte shows us how to set aside fear and judgment to look for connection and serendipity in our own lives.

Readers of The Herald's Diary love a laugh, especially if they spot a sign with a double meaning, a hilarious misspelling, or an attempt at English abroad which didn't quite mean what was intended. Fortunately, with camera phones they could ensure the best of them lived on in The Herald's daily Diary column. This title features the funniest.

Did you know: - that, with more than 17,000 skeletons in its collection, the Museum of London has over three times the amount of dead bodies than a full-capacity audience at the Royal Albert Hall? - that 'Farting Lane' (Carting Lane, off the Strand) was so christened because it was illuminated at night by a street lamp run on the methane gas produced by guests staying at the nearby Savoy Hotel! - that Burlington Arcade was commissioned by Lord Cavendish to stop dead cats from being thrown over his garden wall. - and that Woodford is the only London Underground station not to have at least one letter in common with the word elephantiasis?

Thanks to an alert midwife and a martyred fowl, Tony is born in a rural town in Italy. But his homeland cannot contain him, and after bequeathing his tonsils to the Italian Navy, young Tony sets out to explore the world. Eventually, his developing fascination with America gets the best of him, and he settles in the NY/NJ metropolitan area, which proves to be not all that different from the Italy he left behind. There, Tony embarks on his quest for the American dream, befuddling and/or inspiring nearly everyone in his path, especially his own family. Enter a young man, who falls in love with Tony's only daughter and begins his own quest to come to a complete understanding of his multi-talented but often bewildering father-in-law. Follow the exploits of a complex, driven, remarkable, and accidentally hilarious man as seen through the eyes of his son-in-law, who combines stories he's heard with first-hand experiences to try and make sense of his family's paradoxical patriarch. A heartwarming, painfully funny and absolutely true tale about family, The Man in the Garlic Tuxedo explores, among many things, the intricacies of Italian-American culture, the least effective ways to use Twitter and, most important of all, how to properly protect a lemon tree from frost. See how one man develops from baby to "Babbo" and, with Tony as captain, discover how our own intra-familial idiosyncrasies are ultimately transcended by love and laughter.

If you don't have anything nice to say about motherhood, then... read this book. Robin O'Bryant offers a no holds barred look at the day to day life of being a mother to three, running a household and the everyday monotony of parenting. It's not always pretty but it's real. Whether she's stuffing cabbage in her bra... dealing with defiant yet determined daughters... yelling at the F.B.I... or explaining the birds and the bees to her preschooler... you're sure to find dozens of humorous and relatable situations. From the creator of Robin's Chicks, one of the South's most popular blogs on motherhood, misunderstandings and musings, comes a collection of essays that will not only make you laugh and cry, but realize that you're not alone in your journey.
Sit back and relax, pour yourself some "mommy juice," throw a fresh diaper on your baby and deadbolt the bedroom door to keep your kids out... because once you start reading you'll be too busy wiping away tears of laughter to wipe anybody's butt.

Surrounded by Strong Mountains, Determined Seasons, and Endearing Folks... Janet Sheridan's wry, often tender, observations on life draw the reader into the poignancy and fun of a long life spent in the rural west. In this delightful compilation, you'll meet a variety of mostly good people, each with their own quirks: six siblings who matured in unpredictable patterns, Aunt Beulah of girth and grace, a ninth-grade student filled with forgiveness, and the author's husband, who leaves tools and clothes in full view-so he won't forget he has them-but hides his potato chips. A Seasoned Life Lived in Small Towns is a collection of unpublished material and human-interest columns written for the Denver Post and the Craig Daily Press-all drawn from the 70 years Janet Sheridan lived as a child in Utah, an adult in Nevada, and a woman facing the reality of her advancing years in Colorado. Her work was awarded first place in Category IV humorous column writing in the Colorado Press Association's 2010 competition and first place in both humorous and serious column writing in 2011. "Janet Sheridan is a treasure. She's a skilled craftsman whose sharp intellect, creativity, and precise writing-not one word is wasted-leaves a reader wanting more. Her oh-so-lovely, mellifluous prose should be savored, like this paragraph from a 2010 Colorado Voices column: My musings about children of the world and fairness ended with the shocking sight of Ruthie Miller eating toothpaste. I corrected her in a fierce whisper, smoothed my plaid dress over my knees, and wondered if the cafeteria ladies had baked cinnamon rolls for lunch..." -Barbara Ellis, Editorial Page news editor and coordinator of the Colorado Voices program, The Denver Post. "Janet has a unique voice that meshes folksy narrative with creative storytelling. An educator by trade, her readers are fortunate she found her true calling later in life. I'm proud to be one of her biggest fans. She's a true

Quick-fire interviewer and Cobham rapper Tubes has put together this hilarious anecdotal look at all things Tubes.