THOUGHTS ON THIS 'n THAT

  “As a child I always wondered why Canadians were so much funnier than Americans. With the publication of the epic Sorry, We’re Funny, I finally have the historical proof behind this tragedy.” —Judd Apatow   The definitive history of the world's most polite revolution: How Canadian comics took over the comedy world.    "Canada is chock-full of broadcasting talent but hasn't a comedian worth his salt." So said the first Canadian Radio Commissioner echoing a near universal sentiment throughout most of the twentieth century: Canadians simply weren't that funny. They were too deferential, too serious, too Canadian to be funny. And yet, behind their polite exterior, Canadians were pioneering modern comedy.      Canadians built the first Hollywood studios, produced the first comedy films and trained scores of burgeoning comedy directors, writers and actors. "You can hardly move about Hollywood and Manhattan without bumping into Canadians," wrote ...

  Told entirely through police interviews, this stylish, sophisticated thriller captures the disastrous aftermath of Parisian rendezvous following the disappearance of a new lover Genie St. Onge’s heart is broken more often than it’s not—but that doesn’t stop her from diving in head-first when she meets Jacob Ford. Their connection is instantaneous and consuming, and they agree to meet again in Paris. In a heady mix of sugared pastries and rumpled bedsheets, they begin plotting their future together. In the dreamy apartment they're renting in the 11th arrondissement, they become intoxicated by each other. Until Jacob disappears. Genie knows Jacob would never leave her - not by choice. When phone calls to hospitals turn up nothing, she grows convinced that someone must have taken him. It's the only explanation. Under the scrutiny of the French police, however, Genie’s story doesn’t quite hold up—and it sounds like Jacob might not be all he seems, either. Through police interview...

  In the new novel SLEEPERS IN THE SNOW (Pegasus) Joanne Harris spins a masterful and enigmatic tale of psychological suspense.  At the outset, an unnamed man arrives at Kirkhill, an isolated house near a giant transmission tower on the North York Moors. Recently divorced and harboring animosity toward his ex-wife, he longs to make a fresh start in the property’s sublime isolation.  He’s pleased the house has come furnished and most of the former occupants’ possessions are still in place—even their diaries, which he starts to read. Before long, he becomes enthralled by the writings of the former residents, Arthur and Caroline, though the more he reads, the more he notices items around the house moving on their own or vanishing altogether.  As strange individuals appear in the woods surrounding Kirkhill and the relentless whine of the tower starts to feel increasingly sinister, Arthur and Caroline’s diaries hint at a murder that might explain Kirkhill’s haunting. Harr...

  For fans of Good Spirits, Hallmark holiday movies, and general witchy shenanigans, this charming holiday romance follows a woman with a curse and the handsome witch she reluctantly enlists to help her break it. Hayleigh Gray is cursed - for real. After losing her job, her savings, and her relationship, it's the discovery of a lump on her beloved horse’s neck that finally sends Hayleigh looking for solutions. And she knows where to start: Elk Ridge, Washington, a seemingly innocuous small town with a cliched winter festival and a whole lot of witches. There, she crosses paths with Stephan Midwinter, an animal-rescuing artist with a reputation a mile long and a whole lot of magic that Hayleigh wants nothing to do with. Adamant that his coven wasn’t involved in the curse, he offers to help her find the real culprit and break the curse before Christmas Day. As Hayleigh and Stephan face ancestral secrets, mischievous holiday spirits, and being snowed into the world’s kitschiest holid...

  This poignant and compelling memoir, set in ’60s–’70s Los Angeles, traces a daughter’s experience of her mother’s schizophrenia and its lasting fallout before she ultimately reckons with her mother’s suicide and trusts in enduring love. When Suzanne Sherman is four, her musically gifted mother is struck by sudden-onset schizophrenia, altering the course of Suzanne’s childhood. Told in dual timelines—the years of her childhood and the two weeks following her mother’s suicide when Suzanne is eighteen— Living in the Long Shadow traces Suzanne’s coming of age in the shadow of mental illness as her family struggles with its far-reaching effects. As a teenager, Suzanne makes the difficult decision to leave her mother’s home and eventually moves in with her father and stepfamily. While her mother manages life on medication, Suzanne forms a friendship with her, sharing values, confidences, and a love of music and poetry. But a year after leaving Los Angeles for college, she learns that ...

  Draw near to God this Christmas season as you reflect on spiritual lessons from a timeless holiday classic. This 25-day Advent devotional journeys through one of the world's most beloved Christmas stories, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and helps you honor Christmas in your heart—and keep it all year! In this devotional companion to the cherished classic, you'll walk alongside Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, and Tiny Tim as you explore the many spiritual lessons tucked into the story. The timeless novella's themes of redemption, generosity, and community will help you prepare your heart for Christmas and reflect on all God has done, is doing, and is preparing to do in your life. Each daily entry includes a key scripture, a retelling of part of the story, a personal reflection, and a short prayer. Filled with beautiful line-art illustrations, A Christmas Carol Devotional will help you slow down and draw near to Christ during the busy Christmas season. This heartw...