Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

The Uncommon Reader: A Novella

by Alan Bennett

From the author of The History Boys and The Clothes They Stood Up In A deliciously funny novella that celebrates the pleasure of reading. When the Queen in pursuit of her wandering corgis stumbles upon a mobile library she feels duty bound to borrow a book. Aided by Norman, a young man from the palace kitchen who frequents the library, Bennett describes the Queen’s transformation as she discovers the... (more)

Dorothy Parker : what fresh hell is this?

Dorothy Parker : what fresh hell is this?

by Marion Meade

Dorothy Parker was known for her outrageous one-liners, her ruthless theater criticism, her clever verses and bittersweet stories, but there was another side to Dorothy Parker--a private life, set on a course of destruction. She suffered through two divorces, a string of painful affairs, a lifelong problem with alcohol, and several suicide attempts. In this lively, absorbing biography, Marion Meade illuminates... (more)

Candide

by Voltaire

Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan.... (more)

Austen Audio Boxed Set 1 (3 Novels in a Boxed Set)

Austen Audio Boxed Set 1 (3 Novels in a Boxed Set)

by Jane Austen

Three of the author’s most popular works—widely admired for their satiric wit, subtlety and perfection of style—brilliantly recreate the provincial world of the early 19th-century English countryside, focusing, respectively, on husband-hunting mothers and daughters, the humbling of proud lovers, and the return of a once-rejected lover. Total of

Holidays on Ice: Stories

by David Sedaris

A new holiday classic--six of the most profound Christmas stories by the author of the bestselling "Naked" and "Barrel Fever"--is now in a paperback edition perfect for stocking stuffing.

Portable Dorothy Parker

by Dorothy Parker

The second revision in sixty years, this sublime collection ranges over the verse, stories, essays, and journalism of one of the twentieth century's most quotable authors. For this new twenty-first-century edition, devoted admirers can be sure to find their favorite verse and stories. But a variety of fresh material has also been added to create a fuller, more authentic picture of her life's work. There are... (more)

Pride and Prejudice

by Jane Austen

Pride And Prejudice, the story of Mrs. Bennet's attempts to marry off her five daughters is one of the best-loved and most enduring classics in English literature. Excitement fizzes through the Bennet household at Longbourn in Hertfordshire when young, eligible Mr. Charles Bingley rents the fine house nearby. He may have sisters, but he also has male friends, and one of these—the haughty, and even wealthier, Mr.... (more)

The Guy Not Taken: Stories

by Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner's talent shines like never before in this collection of short stories, following the tender, and often hilarious, progress of love and relationships over the course of a lifetime. From a teenager coming to terms with her father's disappearance to a widow accepting two young women into her home, Weiner's eleven stories explore those transformative moments in our every day. We meet Marlie Davidow,... (more)

Zuleika Dobson

by Max Beerbohm

Zuleika Dobson is a highly accomplished and superbly written book whose spirit is farcical," said E. M. Forster. "It is a great work--the most consistent achievement of fantasy in our time . . . so funny and charming, so iridescent yet so profound." Originally published in 1911, Max Beerbohm's sparklingly wicked satire concerns the unlikely events that occur when a femme fatale briefly enters the supremely... (more)

Wise Children

by Angela Carter

Dora and Nora Chance are a famous song-and-dance team of the British music halls. Billed as The Lucky Chances, the sisters are the illegitimate and unacknowledged daughters of Sir Melchoir Hazard, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day. At once ribald and sentimental, glittery and tender, this rambunctious family saga is Angela Carter at her bewitching best.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake

by Sloane Crosley

Wry, hilarious, and profoundly genuine, this debut collection of literary essays is a celebration of fallibility and haplessness in all their glory. From despoiling an exhibit at the Natural History Museum to provoking the ire of her first boss to siccing the cops on her mysterious neighbor, Crosley can do no right despite the best of intentions-or perhaps because of them. Together, these essays create a... (more)

There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble

There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble

by Laurie Notaro

The first novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club is a rollicking tale of small-town peculiarity, dark secrets, and one extraordinary beauty pageant. When her husband is offered a post at a small university, Maye is only too happy to pack up and leave the relentless Phoenix heat for the lush green quietude of Spaulding, Washington. While she loves the odd... (more)

Liar's Poker

Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street

by Michael Lewis

In fiction there was Bonfire of the Vanities; in reality, there is Liar's Poker--the fascinating insider's account of what really happens on Wall Street. This irreverent and hilarious birds-eye view of Wall Street's heyday will appeal to anyone intrigued by the allure of million dollar deals. Now in trade paper. First serial to Manhattan Inc.

PLAYS VOL.2 (Wordsworth Collection , Vol 2)

PLAYS VOL.2 (Wordsworth Collection , Vol 2)

by Oscar Wilde

This Vintage edition of The Plays_of Oscar Wilde contains the plays that made Wilde one of the most important dramatists of his time, including The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the great works of modern literature. Oscar Wilde's plays demonstrate once again why their author must be seen as both an inaugurator and a master of modernism. In his best work, the subversive insights embedded in his wit continue... (more)

Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths

Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths

by Mardy Grothe

For most of us, that perfect retort or witty reply often escapes us when we need it most, only to come to mind with perfect clarity when it's too late to be useful. The twentieth-century writer Heywood Broun described this all-too-common phenomenon when he wrote "Repartee is what we wish we'd said." In Viva la Repartee , Dr. Mardy Grothe, author of Oxymoronica , has lovingly assembled a collection of... (more)

Complete Poems and Plays : 1909-1950

by T. S. Eliot

This omnibus collection includes all of the authorÂ’s early poetry as well as the Four Quartets, Old PossumÂ’s Book of Practical Cats, and the plays Murder in the Cathedral, The Family Reunion, and The Cocktail Party.

The Complete "Peanuts" 1950 -1952 (Peanuts)

The Complete "Peanuts" 1950 -1952 (Peanuts)

by Carol Swain

The most eagerly-awaited publishing project in comic strip history. 50 years of art. 25 books. Over 7500 pages of comics. Two books per year for 12 ¼ years. Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the most exciting and ambitious publishing project in the history of the American comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz's classic, Peanuts . The most popular comic strip in the history of the... (more)

A Smile in the Mind

by Beryl McAlhone

This text explores witty thinking, looking at clever ideas rather than funny drawing, and gathering together the best examples of graphic wit since the 1960s. Work is included from more than 300 designers in the US, Britain, Europe and Japan.

Blithe Spirit, Hay Fever, Private Lives: Three Plays (Vintage International)

Blithe Spirit, Hay Fever, Private Lives: Three Plays (Vintage International)

by Noel Coward

"That was the trouble with Elyot and me, we were like two violent acids bubbling about in a nasty little matrimonial bottle." -- from Private Lives

Rosie

by Anne Lamott

In Anne Lamott’s wise and witty novel, the growing pains of motherhood are portrayed with rare humor and honesty. If Elizabeth Ferguson had her way, she’d spend her days savoring good books, cooking great meals, and waiting for the love of her life to walk in the door. But it’s not a man she’s waiting for, it’s her daughter, Rosie—her wild-haired, smart-mouthed, and wise-beyond-her-years alter ego. With... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: wit

by Alan Bennett

by Marion Meade

by Voltaire

by Jane Austen

by David Sedaris

by Dorothy Parker

by Jane Austen

by Jennifer Weiner

by Max Beerbohm

by Angela Carter

by Sloane Crosley

by Laurie Notaro

Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street

by Michael Lewis

by Oscar Wilde

by Mardy Grothe

by T. S. Eliot

by Carol Swain

by Beryl McAlhone

by Noel Coward

by Anne Lamott