Bozophobia

Franklin, a romantic failure of a clown, falls for a woman on the run. Is she the Baggy Pants Slasher? What does he really know about her? Yes, she hates clowns. Yes, she has a hair-trigger temper and a knack for creative violence. Yes, she has blackouts that coincide with a rash of deadly attacks on clowns around town. But a damsel in distress appeals to the hero inside every clown. If he's wrong about her, he's next on the hit list. If he's right, he just might save her from life in prison and win himself a happily ever after.

Here's an irresistible invitation to discover a treasure trove of exceptional words you can use to add sophistication to your vocabulary and charm to your repartee. Consider that without realizing it you may have engaged in acokoinonia (sex without passion or desire), been bored to tears by the company of a philodox (someone in love with his or her opinions), or suffered from recurrent matutolypea (getting up on the wrong side of the bed). Presented with panache by the language connoisseur whom William Safire calls "ek-STROR-di-ner-ee," There's a Word for It will add a dash of wit to your daily life -- lest anyone mistake you for a sumph (stupid oaf) or fritlag (a good-for-nothing).

Why are jokes funny? Why do we laugh? In Funny Peculiar, Mikita Brottman demurs from recent scholarship that takes laughter-- and the broader domain of humor and the comical--as a liberating social force and an endearing aspect of self-expression. For Brottman, there is nothing funny about laughter, which is less connected to mirth and feelings of good will than to a nexus of darker emotions: fear, aggression, shame, anxiety. Brottman rethinks not only the mechanisms of humor but also the relation of humor to the body and the senses. To this end, she provides an engrossing account of the life and work of Gershon Legman, exiled author, publisher, and sexologist, Alfred Kinsey's first bibliographer, and legendary compiler of the dirty joke. Like Freud, Legman was convinced of the impossibility of understanding humor apart from sex, and Brottman shows how his two massive works on the subject, Rationale of the Dirty Joke and No Laughing Matter, provide a framework for understanding the ambivalent and often hostile impulses that underlie the comic impulse in its various guises. In lively and enlivening chapters, she traverses dirty jokes, the figure of the "evil clown" in popular culture, the current popularity of "humor therapy," changing fashions in stand-up comedy, and the connection between humor and horror. Brottman's sparkling prose, laced with wit, does not obscure the seriousness of Funny Peculiar. It is a thoughtful and wide-ranging elaboration of the Freudian claim that joking, in point of fact, is no laughing matter.

In honor of the fifth anniversary of "Tropical Attire Encouraged (and Other Phrases That Scare Me)," Alison Rosen has penned five never-before-seen essays. Find out why she loves bathrobes, hates needles in her face (but will allow them on occasion) and has already made peace with the way her children are going to let her down when she inevitably finds out she only has 10 minutes to live. And remember when she said puppies were harder than babies? She'd like to walk that back. Alison Rosen, host of the immensely popular podcast "Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend," is ready to conquer the world of books in this collection of hilarious and unpredictable columns. Alison wants to be living a fabulous life filled with myriad social engagements. She just also wants to not shower, put on a bra or leave the house. Plus, she dislikes dancing, the Fourth of July and costume parties that involve skimpy attire. Basically, if it’s fun, count her out, which is too bad, since she so desperately wants you to think she’s fun. "Tropical Attire Encouraged” came to be on her birthday a few years ago, when her husband, Daniel Quantz, presented her with a hand-bound book of her columns from the first year she was syndicated. He worked late at his office to keep it a surprise. At the top of each one, he included a hand-drawn illustration. Daniel told her he made it because he wanted her to know he believed in her and felt she should be published in book form. Also because one year she gave him an over-the-cabinet-door organizer, and he wanted her to really know—like, on a visceral level—just how crappy her gift was in comparison. (He didn’t say this, but it was implied.)

Chet Gecko is hired by Principal Zero to investigate the disappearance of valuable items from Emerson Hicky Elementary--including Mama Gecko's pearls.

Known to millions as America's greatest fitness motivator, Jake Steinfeld now offers a step-by-step approach to successful life. Chapters include instruction in self-confidence, goal-setting, relationship development, flexing your imagination, facing fears, making decisions, and taking risks. of photos.