The Sign of the Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime as a Sign


Book Description

Listen to the podcast about this book. The Joker both fascinates and repels us. From his origin in Detective Comics in 1940, he has committed obscene crimes, some of the worst the Batman universe has ever known, and, conversely, fans have made him the topic of erotic and pornographic “fan fiction.” Speculation about the Joker abounds, where some fans have even claimed that the Joker is “queer coded.” This work explores various popular claims about the Joker, and delves into the history of comic books, and of other popular media from a semiotic viewpoint to understand “The Clown Prince of Crime” in the contexts in which he existed to understand his evolution in the past. From his roots as a “typical hoodlum,” The Joker even starred in his own eponymous comic book series and he was recently featured in a non-canonical movie. This work examines what it is about the Joker which fascinates us.




Color Me Swoon


Book Description

Following the news, engaging in political debate, or going to the opera is all well and good, but from time to time you just need to sit back and look at some old-fashioned beefcake. Team that with some crayons, pens, and markers, and what do you have? HEAVEN! IN AN ACTIVITY BOOK! Color Me Swooon will leave you weak in the knees as you and your pens caress chiseled features and chest hair. Along with coloring, you’ll rate more than sixty gorgeous guys on swoon-worthy-ness, as well as learning what in their lives (beyond their killer looks, duh) makes them so hot. From Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Will Smith to Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, and even One Direction, all the heartthrobs are here, and in no particular order. (Except for Ryan Gosling, who is first. Obviously.) So what are you waiting for? Get out your crayons and color those hotties good.




Stuck in the Middle with You


Book Description

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Finney Boylan returns with a remarkable memoir about gender and parenting that discusses how families are shaped and the difficulties and wonders of being human. A father for six years, a mother for ten, and for a time in between, neither, or both, Jennifer Finney Boylan has seen parenthood from both sides of the gender divide. When her two children were young, Boylan came out as transgender, and as Jenny transitioned from a man to a woman and from a father to a mother, her family faced unique challenges and questions. In this thoughtful, tear-jerking, hilarious memoir, Jenny asks what it means to be a father, or a mother, and to what extent gender shades our experiences as parents. Through both her own story and incredibly insightful interviews with others, including Richard Russo, Edward Albee, Ann Beattie, Augusten Burroughs, Susan Minot, Trey Ellis, Timothy Kreider, and more, Jenny examines relationships between fathers, mothers, and children; people's memories of the children they were and the parents they became; and the many different ways a family can be. With an Afterword by Anna Quindlen, Stuck in the Middle with You is a brilliant meditation on raising—and on being—a child. Now with Extra Libris material, including a reader’s guide and bonus content




How to Kill a Rock Star


Book Description

"Funny, tender, edgy. I wanted the love story to go on forever."—Joan Johnston, bestselling author of No Longer a Stranger Written in the wonderfully honest, edgy, and hilarious voice she perfected in God-Shaped Hole, Tiffanie DeBartolo shines in a passionate new story of music, love, and sacrifice. Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, is finally getting her footing in New York when she meets Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. They soon realize they share more than a reverence for rock music and plunge headlong into love. When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza's past forces her to make a heartbreaking decision that might be the key to Paul's sudden disappearance. A layered and emotional look into the world of music, this raw summer read will resonate with readers who loved Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Praise for Tiffanie DeBartolo's God-Shaped Hole: "From highs to heartbreak, DeBartolo conjures an affair to remember."—People "Honest, raw, and engaging."—Booklist "This generation's Love Story."—Kirkus Reviews




The Beauty of Horror 2: Ghouliana's Creepatorium Coloring Book


Book Description

Get that red crayon ready! Rock-star-turned-comics-creator Alan Robert has created a follow-up to his smash-hit, horror-themed adult coloring book! The color-crazed carnage continues! Follow everyone's favorite undead girl, Ghouliana, as she mischievously attempts to trick budding colorists into unleashing a deadly spell. Try and find the ingredients she's sprinkled throughout Robert's intricate pen and ink illustrations before it's too late!




The Never Hero


Book Description

What if when you died, no one would ever know you were all that stood between man and the enemy?When Jonathan Tibbs awakes in a puddle of his own blood, there isn't a scratch on him to explain it. In the weeks to follow, he comes to find he's been drafted for a war with a violent otherworldly species. A war that only he can remember. Now, the man Jonathan imagined himself becoming is no longer the man who can endure his future. The first installment in this science fiction action adventure series, The Never Hero is a gritty and honest look at the psychological journey of a man forced to forge himself into a weapon. Abandoned with little guidance, and at the mercy of a bargain struck far outside his reach, Jonathan races to unlock the means to surmount the odds, and understand the mystery behind a conflict raging outside of time and memory.In the end, the real question is what Jonathan is willing to become to save a planet that will never see his sacrifice.




The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins


Book Description

As topical today as when it was first published in 1938, this book tells of Bartholomew Cubbins (from Caldecott Honor winner Bartholomew and the Oobleck) and his unjust treatment at the hands of King Derwin. Each time Bartholomew attempts to obey the king’s order to take off his hat, he finds there is another hat on his head. Soon it is Bartholomew’s head that is in danger . . . of being chopped off! While The 500 Hats is one of Dr. Seuss’s earliest works, it is nevertheless totally Seussian, addressing subjects that we know the good doctor was passionate about: abuse of power (as in Yertle the Turtle), rivalry (as in The Sneetches), and of course, zany good humor!




The Kind Diet


Book Description

Addresses the nutritional concerns faced by many who are new to plant-based, vegetarian diets and shows how to cover every nutritional base, from protein to calcium and beyond. Features irresistibly delicious food that satisfies on every level --including amazing desserts to keep the most stubborn sweet tooth happy.




So Here's the Thing . . .


Book Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? comes a fun, frank book of reflections, essays, and interviews on topics important to young women, ranging from politics and career to motherhood, sisterhood, and making and sustaining relationships of all kinds in the age of social media. Alyssa Mastromonaco is back with a bold, no-nonsense, and no-holds-barred twenty-first-century girl's guide to life, tackling the highs and lows of bodies, politics, relationships, moms, education, life on the internet, and pop culture. Whether discussing Barbra Streisand or The Bachelor, working in the West Wing or working on finding a wing woman, Alyssa leaves no stone unturned...and no awkward situation unexamined. Like her bestseller Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?, SO HERE'S THE THING... brings a sharp eye and outsize sense of humor to the myriad issues facing women the world over, both in and out of the workplace. Along with Alyssa's personal experiences and hard-won life lessons, interviews with women like Monica Lewinsky, Susan Rice, and Chelsea Handler round out this modern woman's guide to, well, just about everything you can think of.




Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary)


Book Description

When a man desperate for money accepts $20,000 to retrieve a key buried with a body in a shallow grave--and the body turns out be alive, armed, and dangerous--he realizes that he should have held out for more money.