You know Mark Twain, creator of the long-beloved characters Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, but have you heard what he said about Jane Austen? The Little Book of Zingers will feature the greatest comebacks and one-liners of all time, uttered by the iconic men and women we know and love (or love to hate)! Every generation sees its fair share of geniuses: men and women who possess boundless intellect and are capable of incredible insight. Søren Kierkegaard was such a man. Widely considered the father of existential philosophy, Kierkegaard uttered such profundities as: “If I am capable of grasping God objectively, I do not believe, but precisely because I cannot do this I must believe.” But on one truly momentous occasion, Kierkegaard made one confident and succinct statement that shook the earth: “My opponent is a glob of snot.” Kierkegaard spoke of Hans Martensen, an academic with whom he’d had a fair share of disagreements. The two often went toe-to-toe in scholarly debate, but with this dynamite zinger, Kierkegaard ended all further discussion. After all, who expects to be called a glob of snot? There’s no coming back from that. The Little Book of Zingers will explore the rich depths of crushingly hilarious salt-in-the-wound one-liners you’ve never heard that’ll make you gasp at their audacity. From the Age of Enlightenment to the Roaring Twenties to the boogie-down seventies, The Little Book of Zingers will take readers on a journey through some of history’s greatest burns, spoken by the men and women who shaped the world.

You could call them one-sentence sermons or one-sentence solutions. Use them to spice up your speeches, sermons, church bulletins--anywhere a quick word of wit or wisdom is needed.

Cary Fagan is the award-winning author of several young adult novels and picture books. This wonderful new story is about stories, and story-telling, and is sure to enchant and instruct children at home and at school for years to come. This is the story of a bored little boy, who meets a man, and together they build a story. This story within a story is charming and changes both their lives... and quite possibly the readers as well.

Disclaimer: Well, here's my book! I like to think it's equal parts auto-bio, inspiration, and unrepentant potty humor. WARNING, if you're sensitive and precious, you probably won't be amused. Turn back. But if on some rainy afternoon you find yourself in need of a few giggles, I hope you'll find some here. (Jay Hunter Morris) Meet our opera "zinger" (yes, with a "z" - read the book to find out why) - Grammy-winning tenor Jay Hunter Morris, Metropolitan Opera's Siegfried in Wagner's Ring. Born in Paris, Texas, Jay was propelled to international fame after his big break in October 2011, when Met director Peter Gelb brought him in at short notice to substitute for a sick colleague, and he sang superbly this difficult role in front of a Met Live in HD worldwide audience. These are his incredibly funny memoirs. The gifted singer has a phenomenal talent for self-deprecating black humor (and linguist acrobatics - all spelling and grammar idiosyncrasies are done in purpose for a true Texan feel), but is also touching and admirable in his love for the art form, his family, and his values. This very entertaining book will not only make you laugh (hard!) but will also inform you about the joys and hardships of the operatic singing profession. (Luiz Gazzola, Senior Editor, Opera Lively Press)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Audie Award Finalist An Amazon best business and leadership book of 2023 Win Every Argument shows how anyone can communicate with confidence, rise above the tit for tats on social media, and triumph in a successful and productive debate in the real world. MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan isn’t one to avoid arguments. He relishes them as the lifeblood of democracy and the only surefire way to establish the truth. Arguments help us solve problems, uncover new ideas we might not have considered, and nudge our disagreements toward mutual understanding. A good argument, made in good faith, has intrinsic value—and can also simply be fun. Arguments are everywhere—and especially given the fierce debates we’re all embroiled in today, everyone wants to win. In this riveting guide to the art of argument and rhetoric, Hasan shows you how. As a journalist, anchor, and interviewer who has clashed with politicians, generals, spy chiefs, and celebrities from across the world, Hasan reveals his tricks of the trade for the first time. Whether you are making a presentation at work or debating current political issues with a friend, Mehdi Hasan will teach you how to sharpen your speaking skills to make the winning case.

Charisma=C, Art=A, Science=S, Practice=P The most skillful performers and communicators understand and apply the best of art and science. You can either use this knowledge to enhance your own communication skills (to Jedi Master standard) or to be more aware of the techniques deployed by those seeking to influence you. The book is a breathless, informative and funny journey through factors contributing to excellence in communication, from the six rules of influence, creating a powerful performance, constructing speeches, how to avoid being manipulated by advertisers, steering clear of the arrogance trap, which emotions to build in an audience (and in which order).

Have you ever walked away from an argument and suddenly thought of all the brilliant things you wish you'd said? Do you avoid certain family members and colleagues because of bitter, festering tension that you can't figure out how to address? Now, finally, there's a solution: a new framework that frees you from the trap of unproductive conflict and pointless arguing forever. If the threat of raised voices, emotional outbursts, and public discord makes you want to hide under the conference room table, you're not alone. Conflict, or the fear of it, can be exhausting. But as this powerful book argues, conflict doesn't have to be unpleasant. In fact, properly channeled, conflict can be the most valuable tool we have at our disposal for deepening relationships, solving problems, and coming up with new ideas. As the mastermind behind some of the highest-performing teams at Amazon, Twitter, and Slack, Buster Benson spent decades facilitating hard conversations in stressful environments. In this book, Buster reveals the psychological underpinnings of awkward, unproductive conflict and the critical habits anyone can learn to avoid it. Armed with a deeper understanding of how arguments, you'll be able to: Remain confident when you're put on the spot Diffuse tense moments with a few strategic questions Facilitate creative solutions even when your team has radically different perspectives Why Are We Yelling will shatter your assumptions about what makes arguments productive. You'll find yourself having fewer repetitive, predictable fights once you're empowered to identify your biases, listen with an open mind, and communicate well.

Nora Blackbird has made the society pages yet again. The impoverished Philadelphia heiress has agreed to wed Mick Abruzzo, son of New Jersey’s most notorious mobster. Now Nora has to help him survive the Blackbird curse: Every time a Blackbird sister marries, the groom is bound to die. But Nora’s superstitions are eclipsed by some ominous news. Penny Devine, ex-Hollywood starlet and daughter of the Philadelphia Devines, has disappeared, and strangely, her family is very eager to have her declared dead. When it’s revealed that Nora has inherited Penny’s extensive couture wardrobe, eyebrows rise even higher. The only way for Nora to keep her name clear and save her sanity is to snoop among the snooty…until she sniffs out the truth.

In Paris, France, there lived a humble postman named Lalouche. He was small, but his hands were nimble, his legs were fast, and his arms were strong. When his job was replaced by an electric car, he turned to boxing to support himself and his pet finch, Genevieve. But--"You? A boxer?" the fighters asked. "I could sneeze and knock you down!" Still, Lalouche refused to give up. And perhaps small Lalouche was just nimble . . . just fast . . . and just strong enough to beat his fierce competitors. This is a marvelous story, full of humor and heart, and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, winner of a New York Times Best Illustrated Award.

The ostensible purpose of a library is to preserve the printed word. But for fifty years our country’s libraries–including the Library of Congress–have been doing just the opposite, destroying hundreds of thousands of historic newspapers and replacing them with microfilm copies that are difficult to read, lack all the color and quality of the original paper and illustrations, and deteriorate with age. With meticulous detective work and Baker’s well-known explanatory power, Double Fold reveals a secret history of microfilm lobbyists, former CIA agents, and warehouses where priceless archives are destroyed with a machine called a guillotine. Baker argues passionately for preservation, even cashing in his own retirement account to save one important archive–all twenty tons of it. Written the brilliant narrative style that Nicholson Baker fans have come to expect, Double Fold is a persuasive and often devastating book that may turn out to be The Jungle of the American library system.