Helen Plum Library

"Part memoir and part joyful romp through the fields of imagination, the story behind a beloved pseudonymous Twitter account reveals how a writer deep in grief rebuilt a life worth living"--

Bestselling and Thurber Prize-winning humorist David Rakoff was one of the most original, delightfully acerbic voices of his generation. Here, in one place, is the best of his previously uncollected material - most never before published in book form. David Rakoff's singular personality spills from every page of this witty and entertaining volume, which includes travel features, early fiction works, pop culture criticism, and transcripts of his most...

"Ranging over five decades, Thrown Under the Omnibus is the definitive anthology of the journalist the Wall Street Journal has called 'the funniest writer in America'"--Flyleaf

From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences. Whether railing against the habits of litterers in the English countryside or marveling over a disembodied human arm in a taxidermist's shop, Sedaris takes us on side-splitting adventures that...

Faced with the obstacles and challenges of life after middle age, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Dave Barry turns to his best dog, Lucy, to learn how to live his best life. From "Make New Friends" (an unfortunate fail when he can't overcome his dislike for mankind) to "Don't Stop Having Fun" (validating his longtime membership in a marching unit that performs in parades -- and even Obama's inauguration), Dave navigates his later years with good...

Bill Bryson's humorous account of his trip to Europe

The award-winning actress shares her funny and heartwarming stories of a life filled with laughter. Woven throughout the book are her interviews with many beloved American comedians about how they, too, found the funny in their lives

Archy, a New York City cockroach, and Mehitabel, a New York City alley cat, were characters created by "The Evening Sun" columnist Donald Robert Perry Marquis. The subject of hundreds of humorous poems and stories, Archy is portrayed as having been a free verse poet in a previous life who takes to writing stories and poems on an old typewriter at the office of a newspaper after everyone has gone home. Archy's best friend is the alley cat Mehitabel...

The second revision in sixty years, this sublime collection ranges over the verse, stories, essays, and journalism of one of the twentieth century's most quotable authors. There are some stories new to the Portable, "Such a Pretty Little Picture," along with a selection of articles written for such disparate publications as Vogue, McCall's, House and Garden, and New Masses. At the heart of her serious work lies her political writings? racial, labor,...