Completely Unexpected Tales


Book Description

Take a pinch of unease. Stir it into a large dollop of the macabre, add a generous helping of dark and stylish wit, garnish with the bizarre and what do you have? Roald Dahl at his brilliant, hypnotizing best, cooking up some of the most unusual stories ever told. Here in one volume are Tales of the Unexpected and More Tales of the Unexpected, making this a superb compendium of vengeance, surprise and dark delight.




The Landlady (A Roald Dahl Short Story)


Book Description

The Landlady is a brilliant gem of a short story from Roald Dahl, the master of the sting in the tail. In The Landlady, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a young man in need of room meets a most accommodating landlady . . . The Landlady is taken from the short story collection Kiss Kiss, which includes ten other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who pawns the mink coat from her lover with unexpected results; the priceless piece of furniture that is the subject of a deceitful bargain; a wronged woman taking revenge on her dead husband, and others. 'Unnerving bedtime stories, subtle, proficient, hair-raising and done to a turn.' (San Francisco Chronicle ) This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Tamsin Greig. Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.




Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table


Book Description

“Makes you want to spend a week—immediately—in New Orleans.” —Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Wall Street Journal A cocktail is more than a segue to dinner when it’s a Sazerac, an anise-laced drink of rye whiskey and bitters indigenous to New Orleans. For Wisconsin native Sara Roahen, a Sazerac is also a fine accompaniment to raw oysters, a looking glass into the cocktail culture of her own family—and one more way to gain a foothold in her beloved adopted city. Roahen’s stories of personal discovery introduce readers to New Orleans’ well-known signatures—gumbo, po-boys, red beans and rice—and its lesser-known gems: the pho of its Vietnamese immigrants, the braciolone of its Sicilians, and the ya-ka-mein of its street culture. By eating and cooking her way through a place as unique and unexpected as its infamous turducken, Roahen finds a home. And then Katrina. With humor, poignancy, and hope, she conjures up a city that reveled in its food traditions before the storm—and in many ways has been saved by them since.




The Twits


Book Description

From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG! Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the smelliest, nastiest, ugliest people in the world. They hate everything—except playing mean jokes on each other, catching innocent birds to put in their Bird Pies, and making their caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, stand on their heads all day. But the Muggle-Wumps have had enough. They don't just want out, they want revenge.




Funny Farm


Book Description

An inspiring and moving memoir of the author's turbulent life with 600 rescue animals. Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues—horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs—when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother's dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie’s mission to save abused and neglected animals. Funny Farm is Laurie’s story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It’s the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money and no resources, dragging three kids behind her, and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it's the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued. Although there are some sad parts (as life always is), there are lots of laughs.




Glamourpuss


Book Description

A sassy, delicious picture-book gem from the award–winning author of So B. It and the Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator and author of Stitches. Glamourpuss has it all. She has style. She has charm. And she knows how to strike a pose. Glamourpuss loves being the center of attention. So when an unwelcome guest (a dog, no less!) steals the spotlight with some tasteless bow-wowing and undignified tail-wagging, Glamourpuss worries that she’s going to fall out of fashion. Is there room for only one superstar in this mansion? When Glamourpuss makes her most majestic move to find out, the result is pure purrfection. “A joy to read aloud, this book features sophisticated language and plenty of space for the artist’s visual antics. A master of the page turn, Small provides hilarious scenes of ostentatious settings and preening, as well as moving moments of self-doubt . . . A blissful embrace will warm readers’ hearts at the conclusion of this smart and funny tale.” —School Library Journal “Sophisticated vocabulary and pop-culture references may well fly over the heads of children, making this fizzy, exuberant entertainment a treat that is best shared by an adult with a penchant for screwball comedy.” —Kirkus Reviews “Weeks’s narration is fittingly over-the-top and helps build empathic envy for a character who could otherwise come off as a spoiled brat. But it’s Small’s exuberant ink line and strategic washes of colors that make this book.” —Publishers Weekly




I'm Going to Catch My Tail!


Book Description

A rambunctious kitty wakes up with a mission: he is going to finally catch his tail! Through mountains of toilet paper, under the covers, into the laundry basket (with a quick stop at the litter box), and beyond, the tireless kitty continues his never-ending chase until the unexpected motive for his mission is revealed. Debut author and illustrator Jimbo Matison uses his bright, lively illustrations and minimal text to tell a raucous story full of classic “cat humor” and high jinks that will leave young readers (and cat lovers of all ages) laughing out loud.




More Tales of the Unexpected


Book Description

Dahl is a master at introducing readers to a new sense of what lurks beneath the ordinary.




You Can't Expect The Unexpected!


Book Description

Fifty years and sixty-eight countries! With plans to visit many more. Being a teacher, school holidays allow many adventures which I share with family and friends when I return to my home in Ballina. I think even some of my students have become enthused about travelling by looking at photos and hearing stories. I started writing some of my unexpected travel experiences in the back of a travel diary while on a long fl ight and as the memories fl owed so did the ink.




The Unexpected Houseplant


Book Description

It's time for plant lovers to dust off their houseplants, update their image, and discover just how exciting, trendy, and crucial plants can be in the home. The Unexpected Houseplant, by renowned plant authority Tovah Martin, isn't your typical, old-fashioned, dowdy houseplant book. Martin's approach is revolutionary—picture brilliant spring bulbs by the bed, lush perennials brought in from the garden, quirky succulents in the kitchen, even flowering vines and small trees growing beside an easy chair. Martin brings an evangelist's zeal to the task of convincing homeowners that indoor plants aren't just a luxury—they're a necessity. In addition to design flair, houseplants clean indoor air, which can be up to ten times more polluted. Along with loads of visual inspiration, readers will learn how to make unusual selections, where to best position plants in the home, and valuable tips on watering, feeding, grooming, pruning, and troubleshooting, season by season.