In Advice to Writers, Jon Winokur, author of the bestselling The Portable Curmudgeon, gathers the counsel of more than four hundred celebrated authors in a treasury on the world of writing. Here are literary lions on everything from the passive voice to promotion and publicity: James Baldwin on the practiced illusion of effortless prose, Isaac Asimov on the despotic tendencies of editors, John Cheever on the perils of drink, Ivan Turgenev on matrimony and ...

More than 1000 outrageously irreverent quotations, anecdotes, and interviews on a vast array of subjects, from an illustrious list of world-class curmudgeons

From the author of The Portable Curmudgeon, a delicious, witty, irreverent A to Z guide to the tics, twitches and safety-valves that characterize our twisted, neurotic modern world.We live in an Age of Anxiety. The events of modern life have overwhelmed the average homo sapiens until getting from Point A to Point B without being overcome by neuroses is a practical impossibility. Enter: the comic safety valve. Jon Winokur's Encyclopedia Neurotica is a delightful gar...

Jon Winokur defines and classifies irony and contrasts it with coincidence and cynicism, and other oft-confused concepts that many think are ironic.He looks at the different forms irony can take, from an irony deficiency to visual irony to an understatement, using photographs and relate-able examples from pop culture.* "Irony in Action" looks at irony in language, both verbal and visual, while "Bastions of Irony" and "Masters of Irony" look at institutions and individuals ste...

This provocative guide offers bite-size wisdom from East and West, from such intuitive Zen masters as Henry Miller, Albert Einstein, Yogi Berra, Woody Allen, and Joan Didion. It conveys the essence of Zen with an eclectic mix of pithy ponderings on life, death, art, nature, reality, time, and nothingness. Witty and wise, airy and deep, Zen to Go is open to all (lotus position optional). Or in the ultimate act of Zen, it can be ignored altogether. As Gertrude Stein said, "There ain't no ans...

A scandalous, sentimental, no-holds-barred, New York Times bestselling memoir from one of Hollywood’s most legendary stars.Burt Reynolds was a Hollywood leading man known for his legendary performances, sex symbol status, and infamous Hollywood romances. In his decades of stardom, Reynolds saw it all. But Enough About Me will, in his words, “call out the assholes,” try to make amends for “being the asshole myself on too many occasions,” and pay ho...

Scandalous, sentimental, frank, and sincere—the ultimate inside account of a television and film icon.Burt Reynolds has been a Hollywood leading man for six decades, known for his legendary performances, sex-symbol status, and storied Hollywood romances. In his long career of stardom, during which he was number one at the box office for five years in a row, Reynolds has seen it all. But Enough About Me will tell his story through the people he’s encountere...

What's so friendly about Jane Austen?Every generation rediscovers Jane Austen with a renewed enthusiasm for her timeless novels. In recent years, Austen has become more popular than ever as nearly every one of her books has been gorgeously filmed and reinterpreted to reflect today's sensibilities. Both diehard Austen addicts and new converts to the cult will find endless revelations and witty insights in The Friendly Jane Austen. With quizzes, eye-catching...