Funny

[close] “With her first novel, musician and memoirist Alina Simone proves herself a hilariously whipsmart chronicler of thirtysomething creative ambition.”—Scott Indrisek, Bookforum

“A very good first novel . . . The flavors of the book are sharp and sour, like a Chinese soup, and Alina Simone, a singer/songwriter, is clearly a novelist, too.” —Nick Hornby, The Believer

Anna Krestler is unemployed and still living with a roommate—a roommate young enough to still make declarative sentences. She lost her cubicle and the possibility of tuition reimbursement possibly because of her spam collection, which, for the sake of having a complete sample, did include some pornographic pieces. Now she is meeting weekly at Café Gowanus with her friend Leslie, who has canceled her Pilates class to help Anna identify her Core Competencies, write her To-From statements, and move on to Implementation. Leslie wields motivational sayings—“Reposition Your Disposition” and “Negativity Is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”—like the scythe that will cut a path to Anna’s future.

Convinced that thirty-seven is not the end, Anna considers writing a book about late bloomers such as herself, but after very little time spent Googling, she discovers that a book titled Late Bloomers exists already. She spends subsequent hours wandering about online until she stumbles upon the films of Paul Gilman, a cult filmmaker of the Nowist genre who edits his films starring nonactors “in-camera.”

It’s not until the next day, when Anna is standing in front of a sculpture of a gilded turd by Mitsuri Yagihashi, that she realizes her calling. “[Gilman and Yagihashi] had figured out how to make a job out of simply being themselves, [turning] their perverse, narcissistic, possibly enlightened selves into marketable commodities. Maybe this was all art really was—being yourself.”

Temporarily stymied by the prospect of beginning something new, Anna turns to craigslist to find her entrée into the world of filmmaking and responds to a listing advertising for a “REAL PERSON,” who, above all else, is “NOT AFRAID.” She meets Taj, who is going for the Gugg—the Guggenheim Fellowship—and in joining his experimental-film crew, opens herself up to unimaginable betrayal.
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Gay or straight, critics are loving Impossibly Glamorous. This humorous memoir by Charles Ayres relates his real life as a gay misfit growing up in Kansas to his adventures in NYC and Tokyo. The stories are hilarious, tear-jerking and witty - it's the perfect read for a beach, on a plane or if you just want a fun book to throw yourself into. Check out Impossibly Glamorous, you'll feel fabulous! [close]

[close] Enter to win a *signed* advance copy of ALIENATED, the first in a funny, romantic YA sci-fi series from Disney Hyperion. Interplanetary relations have never been so exciting!

Handpicked to host the first-ever intergalactic exchange student, Cara Sweeny thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious aliens that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates are swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

To discover more, visit www.melissa-landers.com
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