Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

New York

Paradoxical Wit and Wisdom from History's Greatest Wordsmiths

ox-y-mor-on-i-ca (OK-se-mor-ON-uh-ca) noun, plural: Any variety of tantalizing, self-contradictory statements or observations that on the surface appear false or illogical, but at a deeper level are true, often profoundly true. See also oxymoron, paradox.

examples:

"Melancholy is the pleasure of being sad."

Victor Hugo

"To lead the people, walk behind them."

Lao-tzu

"You'd be surprised how much it coststo look this cheap."

Dolly Parton

You won't find the word "oxymoronica" in any dictionary (at least not yet) because Dr. Mardy Grothe introduces it to readers in this delightful collection of 1,400 of the most provocative quotations of all time. From ancient thinkers like Confucius, Aristotle, and Saint Augustine to great writers like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and G. B. Shaw to modern social observers like Woody Allen and Lily Tomlin, Oxymoronica celebrates the power and beauty of paradoxical thinking. All areas of human activity are explored, including love, sex and romance, politics, the arts, the literary life, and, of course, marriage and family life. The wise and witty observations in this book are as highly entertaining as they are intellectually nourishing and are sure to grab the attention of language lovers everywhere.

Oxymoronica

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Amy Sedaris

First Edition 
Ex-library book in excellent condition with the exception Library stickers on the front cover and on the spine, as well as a stamp on the 4th page

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

Maryland

Crafts for Poor People

Describes how to make unconventional crafts from simple materials and offers humorous advice on finding inspiration for crafts, creating a craft room, avoiding the most common crafting accidents, and cooking edible crafts.

Simple Times

748f4e27-d077-4dcb-b5fc-96d102093ddf-1

#autobiography #jeopardy #gameshow #contestant #humor #wit

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

A Decade in Jeopardy!

A.: This is the story of a working-class guy from Ohio with little real knowledge of Ambidextrous Presidents, Things Made from Rubber, and hundreds of other categories, but who nonetheless plunges so far into cramming for Jeopardy! that it changes his relationships, bends his worldview, and literally leads him to the ends of the earth, trying to understand it all. Q.: What is Prisoner of Trebekistan? Welcome to a world where obscure information is crucial to survival, vast sums of cash are at stake, and milliseconds can change not just a game but the course of your entire life. (Plus, you could win two Camaros and enough Bon Ami cleanser to scrub a small nation.) Prisoner of Trebekistanis Bob Harris’s hilarious, insightful account of one man’s unlikely epic journey throughJeopardy!, gleefully exploring triumph and failure, the nature of memory, and how knowledge itself can transform you in unpredictable ways—all against the backdrop of the most popular quiz show in history. InPrisoner of Trebekistan, Bob chronicles his transformation from a struggling stand-up comic who repeatedly fails theJeopardy!audition test into an elite player competing against the show’s most powerful brains. To get there, he embarks on a series of intense study sessions, using his sense of humor to transform conventional memory skills into a refreshingly playful approach to learning that’s as amusing as it is powerful. What follows is not only a captivating series of high-stakes wins and losses onJeopardy!, but also a growing appreciation of a borderless world that Bob calls Trebekistan, where a love of learning reigns and the smarter you get the more you realize how much you don’t yet know. Filled with secrets that only a veteran contestant could share—from counterintuitive game strategies to Jedi-like tactics with theJeopardy!signaling device—Prisoner of Trebekistanalso gives you the chance to play along with the actual clues that led to victory or defeat in high-level tournaments, plus candid, moving reflections on how the games affected Bob’s offstage life—and vice versa. Not only an irresistible treat forJeopardy!fans,Prisoner of Trebekistanis a delight for anyone who loves a rollicking tale that celebrates the unpredictability of life and the sneaky way it has of teaching us the things that really matter.

Prisoner of Trebekistan

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#hardcover #aphorisms #if #language #anthology #humor #quotes #linguistics #wordplay #wit

An Anthology of Aphorisms That Begin with the Word IF





Perfect for linguaphiles and lovers of quotes, Ifferisms is a lively compendium of wit, wisdom, and wordplay from Dr. Mardy Grothe, author of I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like, Viva La Repartee, and Oxymoronica. A collection of aphorisms--pithy observations that communicate some kind of truth about the human experience--Ifferisms contains those that begin with "if." From "If life hands you lemons, make lemonade" to "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," the sayings in Ifferisms demonstrate how hypothetical thinking helps people contemplate their lives.

Ifferisms

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#hardcover #fiction #wit #humannature #whiteelephant 

Kansas

A Novel

“Julie Langsdorf mines wit from the ways that people manage (or don’t) to live in close proximity. Her smart, enjoyable suburban comedy is observant and knowing about social selves and hidden selves, and the ways in which they are sometimes made to overlap.” —Meg Wolitzer, author of The Female Persuasion “A smart, riveting look at what happens to a community when competing visions of the American Dream collide and combust. Langsdorf is a keen observer of human frailty and desire and her characters are darkly funny, recognizably exasperating and deeply memorable.” —Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest “Lively and entertaining.... This ambitious and intriguing work about the American suburbs is perfect for fans of Ann Patchett or Meg Wolitzer.” —Publishers Weekly The White Elephant looms large over the quaint suburban town of Willard Park: a gaudy, newly constructed behemoth of a home, it soars over the neighborhood, dwarfing the houses that surround it. When owner Nick Cox cuts down Allison and Ted Millers’ precious red maple—in an effort to make his unsightly property more appealing to buyers—their once serene town becomes a battleground. While tensions between Ted and Nick escalate, other dysfunctions abound: Allison finds herself compulsively drawn to the man who is threatening to upend her quietly organized life. A lawyer with a pot habit and a serious midlife crisis skirts his responsibilities. And in a quest for popularity, a teenage girl gets caught up in a not-so-harmless prank. Newcomers and longtime residents alike begin to clash in conflicting pursuits of the American Dream, with trees mysteriously uprooted, fires set, fingers pointed, and lines drawn. White Elephant is an uproarious, tangled-web tale of neighbor hating neighbor (and neighbor falling head over heels for neighbor). Soon, peaceful Willard Park becomes a tinderbox with nowhere to go but up in flames.

White Elephant

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“Lots of witty dialogue and…laugh out loud funny scenes.” #romance #suspense #wit #humor 

Pennsylvania

Ace is Wild

David Sedaris

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Diaries (2003-2020)

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice: There's no right way to keep a diary, but if there's an entertaining way, David Sedaris seems to have mas­tered it.

 

If it's navel-gazing you're after, you've come to the wrong place; ditto treacly self-examination. Rather, his observations turn outward: a fight between two men on a bus, a fight between two men on the street, pedestrians being whacked over the head or gathering to watch as a man considers leap­ing to his death. There's a dirty joke shared at a book signing, then a dirtier one told at a dinner party--lots of jokes here. Plenty of laughs.

 

These diaries remind you that you once really hated George W. Bush, and that not too long ago, Donald Trump was just a harm­less laughingstock, at least on French TV. Time marches on, and Sedaris, at his desk or on planes, in hotel dining rooms and odd Japanese inns, records it. The entries here reflect an ever-changing background--new administrations, new restrictions on speech and conduct. What you can say at the start of the book, you can't by the end. At its best, A Carnival of Snackery is a sort of sampler: the bitter and the sweet. Some entries are just what you wanted. Others you might want to spit discreetly into a napkin.

A Carnival of Snackery

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#paperback #nonfiction #humor 
 #leisure #funny #wit #philosophy #cogito #NYTbestseller #likethosedrawingsintheNewYorkerbutinwords

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes

This New York Times bestseller is the hilarious philosophy course everyone wishes they’d had in school. Outrageously funny, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar... has been a breakout bestseller ever since authors—and born vaudevillians—Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein did their schtick on NPR’s Weekend Edition. Lively, original, and powerfully informative, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar... is a not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical thinkers and traditions, from Existentialism (What do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?) to Logic (Sherlock Holmes never deduced anything). Philosophy 101 for those who like to take the heavy stuff lightly, this is a joy to read—and finally, it all makes sense! And now, you can read Daniel Klein's further musings on life and philosophy in Travels with Epicurus and Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change it.

Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar ...

ce76e5b8-db9f-4007-b01b-ee711ae98fb2

Maggie O'Farrell

Michigan

An irresistible love story, an unforgettable family. The New York Times bestselling author of Hamnet captures an extraordinary marriage with insight and laugh-out-loud humor in what Richard Russo calls "her breakout book."
 
Daniel Sullivan leads a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn, and his wife, Claudette, is a reclusive ex-film star given to pulling a gun on anyone who ventures up their driveway. Together, they have made an idyllic life in the country, but a secret from Daniel's past threatens to destroy their meticulously constructed and fiercely protected home. Shot through with humor and wisdom, This Must Be the Place is an irresistible love story that crisscrosses continents and time zones as it captures an extraordinary marriage, and an unforgettable family, with wit and deep affection.

Don't miss Maggie O'Farrell's new novel, The Marriage Portrait, coming in September!

This Must Be the Place

ffd2154b-c1c3-406a-bd47-261eff370c19-1

mild wear on dust jacket, clean, smoke free, very little use, fun gag gift 

Virginia

With over 50,000 copies sold of Normal Is Just a Setting on the Dryer, award-winning writer Adair Lara returns with more heartfelt wisdom for, and by, real people. From wry advice on life's daily challenges: "If you wonder if your pants are too short, they are," to pithy confirmation on the good things in life: "Orange food rarely disappoints," and rife with aphorisms more honest than your friends: "No trip planned after the third bottle of pinot noir will ever happen. Or should happen," Lara's sparkling second collection is sure to enlighten, affirm, and amuse. In a gifty, hardcover formatfeaturing Roxanna Bikadoroff's wry illustrations, The Bigger the Sign is the perfect gift for anyone in need of a lift.

The Bigger the Sign the Worse the Garage Sale

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- Mass Produced Paperback
- Copyright 1993
- In Good Condition - Shows shelf and reading wear and the pages are yellow
- From a smoke free home
- Genre: Romance 

Shipping via USPS media mail means this item will take 5-7 days to arrive but possibly longer if the post office experiencing any delays.

All sales are final  No returns, exchanges, refunds or cancellations.

(A-W3.2OZ) #harlequin #romance #love #warmth #wit #wisdom #joy #children #widow #mother 


Wyoming

Foreign Affair by Eva Rutland released on Aug 25, 1993 is available now for purchase.

Foreign Affair

e2088d3e-8268-4ea0-855f-998f442cb615-1

Illinois

Both an expert and a collector, James Geary has devoted his life to aphorisms-and the last few years to organizing, indexing, and even translating them. The result is Geary's Guide, featuring aphorists like Voltaire, Twain, Shakespeare, Nietzsche, Woody Allen, Muhammad Ali, Emily Dickinson, and Mae West, as well as international practitioners appearing in English for the first time. But it is more than just a conventional anthology. It is also an encyclopedia, containing brief biographies ofeach author in addition to a selection of his or her aphorisms. The book is a field guide, too, with aphorists organized into eight different "species," such as Comics, Critics & Satirists; Icons & Iconoclasts; and Painters & Poets. The book's two indexes-by author and by subject-make it easily searchable, while its unique organizational structure and Geary's lively biographical entries set it apart from all previous reference works.
A perfect follow-up to Geary'sNew York TimesbestsellerThe World in a Phrase, Geary's Guide is eminently suitable for browsing or for sustained reading. A comprehensive guide to our most intimate, idiosyncratic literary form, the book is an indispensable tool for writers and public speakers as well as essential reading for all language lovers.


PRAISE:


"...a wonderful breviary of wisdom, insight and cynicism, and one that will immediately find a place at many bedsides...there are pleasures and surprises galore."-Washington Post
"An agreeable thing to have in your lap."-Dwight Garner
"Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists is a rich, well-edited compendium, which is at once a feast, a frolic, a thought-kit and a treasure trove. A book to relish and to keep close."-John Lahr,New Yorker "A masterful compilation from a man adept at taking the pith."-Ben Schott

Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists

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#hardcover #fiction #humor #wit #life #situations #graphicnovel #zombies

Idaho

Better Living Through the Undead

The Zen of Zombie

935685fa-64e4-4643-8ba5-0436fc905170-1

Jon Winokur

Alaska

The Portable Curmudgeon Redux

38203353-4312-4c7d-8bbe-5db4987f75ef-1

#hardcover #paperback #fiction #imagitive #fantasy #ya #wit

Florida

The long-awaited sequel to the genre-breaking "Akata Witch." Now stronger, feistier, and a bit older, Sunny Nwazue, along with her friends from the Leopard Society, travel through worlds, both visible and invisible, to the mysterious town of Osisi, where they fight in a climactic battle to save humanity.

Akata Warrior

363c9edd-63bc-4eb5-b393-796dbc6a976b-1

Tennessee

Look out for the new BBC adaptation starring Anna Chancellor, Miranda Richardson and Mark Gatiss!

Miss Elizabeth Mapp reigns supreme over the village of Tilling...until the advent of Mrs Emmeline Lucas, or 'Lucia' to her friends. No one could compete, surely, with Lucia's formidable armoury- her duchesses, her Italian, her financial speculations, her celebrated recipe for Lobster la Riseholme. But Mapp will not relinquish her supremacy in local society so easily, and battle is joined between these two indomitable queens and their rather fickle allies.

Mapp and Lucia

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How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Ou Tsmart Yourself

The author of the bestselling You Are Not So Smart gives readers a fighting chance at outsmarting their not-so-smart brains. A mix of popular psychology and trivia, You Are Now Less Dumb is grounded in the idea that we all believe ourselves to be objective observers of reality--except we’re not. But that’s okay, because our delusions keep us sane. Expanding on this premise, McRaney provides eye-opening analyses of seventeen ways we fool ourselves every day, including: Enclothed Cognition (the clothes you wear change your behavior and influence your mental abilities) The Benjamin Franklin Effect (how you grow to like people for whom you do nice things and hate the people you harm). Deindividuation (Despite our best intentions, we practically disappear when subsumed by a mob mentality) The Misattribution of Arousal (Environmental factors have a greater effect on our emotional arousal than the person right in front of us) Sunk Cost Fallacy (We will engage in something we don’t enjoy just to make the time or money already invested “worth it”) McRaney also reveals the true price of happiness, and how to avoid falling for our own lies.

You Are Now Less Dumb

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Chrysanthemum

c1c958e8-643f-4917-9930-2e602f8097ce-1

collection of quotations about love, sex, romance, marriage, mild fading on spine, mild corner wear, clean and smoke free

From the author of The Portable Curmudgeon comes 1,000 irreverent quotations, anecdotes, and interviews on romance, sex, and love's myriad delusions.

A Curmudgeon's Garden of Love

67e580b3-21ca-4a4a-bab8-142e7caf0b30-1

Cracked and curled spine, discoloration around the pages with some staining on a few pages. However, many times read and enjoyed. Still readable and not missing any pages. #paperback #terrypratchett #discworld #rincewind #absurdism #fantasy #fiction #magic #humor #wit 


"May you live in interesting times" is the worst thing one can wish on a citizen of Discworld -- especially on the distinctly unmagical sorcerer Rincewind, who has had far too much perilous excitement in his life. But when a request for a "Great Wizzard" arrives in Ankh-Morpork via carrier albatross from the faraway Counterweight Continent, it's he who's sent as emissary. Chaos threatens to follow the impending demise of the Agatean Empire's current ruler. And, for some incomprehensible reason, someone believes Rincewind will have a mythic role in the war and wholesale bloodletting that will surely ensue. (Carnage is pretty much a given, since Cohen the Barbarian and his extremely elderly Silver Horde are busily formulating their own plan for looting, pillaging, and, er, looking wistfully at girls.) However, Rincewind firmly believes there are too many heroes already in the world, yet only one Rincewind. And he owes it to the world to keep that one alive for as long as possible.

Interesting Times

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Kentucky

Witty, Poignant and Insightful Observations from Notable Women

More than 300 celebrated women share their insights on a wide range of timeless topics, from love and friendship to ambition and the gender gap.

Quotable Woman

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After fighting breast cancer, the heroine moves to a Chesapeake Bay town to relax only to discover a dead body in her travels.

Georgia

Sing It To Her Bones

And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman

A collection of essays offers a humorous look at the ups and downs of being a woman of a certain age, discussing the tribulations of maintenance and trying to stop the clock, menopause, and empty nests.

Save this search

Mardy Grothe

Oxymoronica

Amy Sedaris

Simple Times

Bob Harris

Prisoner of Trebekistan

Mardy Grothe

Ifferisms

Julie Langsdorf

White Elephant

Penny McCall

Ace is Wild

David Sedaris

A Carnival of Snackery

Thomas Cathcart; Daniel Klein

Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar ...

Maggie O'Farrell

This Must Be the Place

Adair Lara

The Bigger the Sign the Worse the Garage Sale

Eva Rutland

Foreign Affair

James Geary

Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists

Scott Kenemore; Adam Bozarth

The Zen of Zombie

Jon Winokur

The Portable Curmudgeon Redux

Nnedi Okorafor

Akata Warrior

Maggie O'Farrell

This Must Be the Place

E. F. Benson

Mapp and Lucia

David McRaney

You Are Now Less Dumb

Kevin Henkes (Illustrator)

Chrysanthemum

Jon Winokur (Editor)

A Curmudgeon's Garden of Love

Terry Pratchett

Interesting Times

Running Press Staff (Editor)

Quotable Woman

Marcia Talley

Sing It To Her Bones

Nora Ephron

I Feel Bad about My Neck