Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Everyday Life
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
by Allie Brosh
A humorous and candid account of the author's life, exploring the highs and lows of everyday life.
#1, New York Times, Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s, Hyperbole and a Half, showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with ... (Barnes & Noble)
Yotsuba&!, Vol. 2
by Kiyohiko Azuma
A young girl named Yotsuba explores the world around her with childlike wonder and enthusiasm, often leading to humorous situations.
More all ages comedy from the creator of Azumanga Daioh. Yotsuba hasn't gotten much smarter, and her neighbors still haven't gotten used to this wacky tike's exploits. A truly heartwarming comedy ... (Goodreads)
Dad Is Fat
by Jim Gaffigan
Collection of humorous stories of family life in a large family.
Jim Gaffigan never imagined he would have his own kids. Though he grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family, Jim was satisfied with the nomadic, nocturnal life of a standup comedian, and was content ... (Goodreads)
Life: A User's Manual
by Georges Perec
A puzzle-like novel that explores the lives of the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment building.
Between World War I and II, a tremendously wealthy Englishman, Bartlebooth (whose name combines two literary characters, Herman Melville 's Bartleby and Valery Larbaud 's Barnabooth), devises a plan ... (Wikipedia)
Holidays on Ice
by David Sedaris
Collection of humorous essays, exploring the absurdities of the holiday season.
David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two ... (Goodreads)
Closely Watched Trains
by Bohumil Hrabal
A young man's coming-of-age story set in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, working at a train station and navigating love and war.
The young Miloš Hrma, who speaks with misplaced pride of his family of misfits and malingerers , is engaged as a newly trained station guard in a small railway station during the Second World War and ... (Wikipedia)
Summer Blonde
by Adrian Tomine
A collection of short stories exploring the complexities of modern relationships and the human condition.
Adrian Tomine's cult comix series Optic Nerve is finally collected into one sharp-looking hardcover volume. Described as the Raymond Carver of comix, Tomine constructs tales of emotional ... (Goodreads)
Last Night at the Lobster
by Stewart O'Nan
A poignant story of a restaurant manager's last night at work, as he reflects on his present & past life decisions.
The Red Lobster perched in the far corner of a run-down New England mall hasn't been making its numbers and headquarters has pulled the plug. But manager Manny DeLeon still needs to navigate a tricky ... (Goodreads)
Wind/Pinball: Two Novels
by Haruki Murakami
Two early novels by Murakami, exploring themes of identity, loneliness, and the search for meaning in a surreal world.
The plot centers on the narrator's brief but intense obsession with pinball, his life as a freelance translator, and his later efforts to reunite with the old pinball machine that he used to play. He ... (Wikipedia)
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules
by David Sedaris
A collection of short stories by various authors, edited by David Sedaris, exploring the theme of childhood innocence and experience.
A must-have for the fans of the #1 bestselling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris, a collection of his favorite short fiction from Flannery O'Connor to Tobias Wolff. A bestseller in its ... (Goodreads)
SantaLand Diaries
by David Sedaris
An absurdist account of the author's working at a Christmas theme park.
'Santaland Diaries' contains six of David Sedaris' most profound Christmas stories, from Dinah, the Christmas Whore to Season's Greetings to our Friends and Family. ... (Goodreads)
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
by Mindy Kaling
Humorous memoir reflecting on Mindy Kaling's life and career.
Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck - impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, ... (Goodreads)
Cranford
by Elizabeth Gaskell
A charming portrait of a rural town and the lives of its eccentric inhabitants.
Mary Smith and her friends live in Cranford, a town predominantly inhabited by women. The return of a long-lost brother named Peter is the most dramatic event to occur over the course of the sixteen ... (Goodreads)
The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
by Ian Mortimer
Exploring the history and culture of Medieval England.
Imagine you could get into a time machine and travel back to the 14th century. This text sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking the reader to the Middle ... (Goodreads)
When You Are Engulfed in Flames
by David Sedaris
Humorous reflections on everyday life, navigating the absurdities of the human condition.
It's early autumn 1964. Two straight-A students head off to school, and when only one of them returns home Chesney Yelverton is coaxed from retirement and assigned to what proves to be the most ... (Goodreads)
Espresso Tales
by Alexander McCall Smith
A collection of stories set in a small Edinburgh coffeehouse, where the patrons share their joys and sorrows over a cup of coffee.
Pat is still sharing a flat with Bruce, the good-looking egoist, although she is no longer attracted to him. She decides to go back to university and obtains a place at Edinburgh, but still works ... (Wikipedia)
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
by David Sedaris
A collection of humorous essays and stories, exploring the absurdities of everyday life through the lens of the author's unique perspective.
A guy walks into a bar car and... From here the story could take many turns. When this guy is David Sedaris, the possibilities are endless, but the result is always the same: he will both delight you ... (Goodreads)
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things
by Jon McGregor
A quiet suburban street is the setting for a day in the life of its residents, revealing the extraordinary in the ordinary.
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things eschews a traditional narrative structure, instead moving from one resident of an unnamed English street to another, describing their actions and inner world ... (Wikipedia)
Three Men in a Boat
by Jerome K. Jerome
Three friends and a dog embark on a whimsical boat journey down the Thames, encountering unexpected adventures and mishaps.
A comic masterpiece that has never been out of print since it was first published in 1889, Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat includes an introduction and notes by Jeremy Lewis in Penguin ... (Goodreads)
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
A memoir written in encyclopedia format, chronicling the author's ordinary life experiences and observations.
If you're looking for quotes from newspapers and magazines, NPR, book reviews, endorsements from thousands of readers and bloggers, google Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life and just see for yourself ... (Goodreads)
The Mezzanine
by Nicholson Baker
A man's thoughts and observations during his lunch break escalator ride. Mundane objects and experiences are examined in detail.
The Mezzanine is essentially plotless, a stream-of-consciousness fiction that examines in detail the lunch-hour activities of young office worker Howie, whose simple lunch (popcorn, hot dog, cookie ... (Wikipedia)
Our Town
by Thornton Wilder
A story of life in a small town, exploring the beauty and brevity of ordinary moments.
Our Town was first produced and published in 1938 to wide acclaim. This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of life in the small village of Grover's Corners, an allegorical representation of all life, has ... (Goodreads)
Sh*t My Dad Says
by Justin Halpern
Collection of humorous musings and witticisms from an elderly father.
After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, ... (Goodreads)
Speedboat
by Renata Adler
A fragmented narrative of a journalist's life in New York City, exploring themes of identity, relationships, and the nature of truth.
One of the most acclaimed novels of the late 20th century is back., When members of the National Book Critics Circle were polled to see which book they would most like to see republished, they chose, ... (Goodreads)
Birds of America
by Lorrie Moore
A collection of comedic stories depicting everyday life with a unique, wry sense of humor.
A long-awaited collection of stories–twelve in all--by one of the most exciting writers at work today, the acclaimed author of Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? and Self-Help. Stories remarkable in ... (Goodreads)
Strange Weather in Tokyo
by Hiromi Kawakami
A tale of love and friendship between two lonely people in Tokyo.
Tsukiko is drinking alone in her local sake bar when by chance she meets one of her old high school teachers and, unable to remember his name, she falls back into her old habit of calling him ... (Goodreads)
Berlin Blues
by Sven Regener
Frank Lehmann works as a barkeeper in Kreuzberg , West Berlin , complacent and drinking frequently, with few other ambitions. His 30th birthday is fast approaching, and as a result, he is teasingly ... (Wikipedia)
Where I'm Calling From: New and Selected Stories
by Raymond Carver
An exploration of human relationships and the complexity of emotions.
By the time of his early death in 1988, Raymond Carver had established himself as one of the greatest practitioners of the American short story, a writer who had not only found his own voice but ... (Goodreads)
Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
by Raymond Carver
An exploration of mundane moments and everyday lives of ordinary people.
With this, his first collection, Carver breathed new life into the short story. In the pared-down style that has since become his hallmark, Carver showed us how humour and tragedy dwelt in the hearts ... (Goodreads)
Big Mushy Happy Lump
by Sarah Andersen
A collection of humorous comics exploring the struggles of everyday life.
Sarah Andersen's second comics collection picks up right where the first left off - huddled under a pile of blankets avoiding the responsibilities of the real world. These new comics (and illustrated ... (Goodreads)
She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana
by Haven Kimmel
A memoir of growing up in a small town in Indiana, where the author finds inspiration in the women around her who defy societal expectations.
The # 1 New York Times bestseller A Girl Named Zippy was a rare and welcome treat: a memoir of a happy childhood. Spunky, strong-willed, and too smart for her own good, Zippy Jarvis brought readers ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Days Are Just Packed
by Bill Watterson
A collection of witty and whimsical comic strips exploring the daily life of a boy and his stuffed tiger.
Zounds! Spaceman Spiff, Stupendous Man, the ferocious tiger Hobbes, and the rest of Calvin's riotous imagination are all included in The Days Are Just Packed . Calvin, the self-proclaimed "Boy of ... (Goodreads)
The Hello, Goodbye Window
by Norton Juster
A young girl spends time with her grandparents, observing the world through the hello, goodbye window.
"That's the Hello, Goodbye Window.,It looks like a regular window, but it's not" The kitchen window at Nanna and Poppy's house is, for one little girl, a magic gateway. Everything important happens ... (Goodreads)
Persona normal
by Benito Taibo
A story of a young woman's search for identity, battling with society's expectations.
Una grandiosa e increíble aventura para ser todo... excepto normal. Tenía un par de padres divertidos y jóvenes, llenos de sueños y de planes. Pero a mis doce años, cinco meses, tres días y dos horas ... (Goodreads)
Life Among the Savages
by Shirley Jackson
A humorous and witty memoir of a mother's chaotic life raising four children in rural Vermont.
Jackson—speaking as the nameless mother who serves as narrator—relates a period of roughly six years in the life of her family, focusing particularly on her attempts to keep peace and domestic ... (Wikipedia)
Malgudi Days
by R.K. Narayan
A captivating collection of stories set in a fictional South Indian town, exploring the lives of its eccentric inhabitants.
Four gems, with new introductions, mark acclaimed Indian writer R. K. Narayan’s centennial Introducing this collection of stories, R. K. Narayan describes how in India “the writer has only to look ... (Goodreads)
How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You
by Matthew Inman
Witty and humorous illustrations of a cat's innermost thoughts.
TheOatmeal.com’s most popular cat jokes, including “How to Pet a Kitty” and “The Bobcats,” plus 15 new and never-before-seen cat-themed comics, are presented in this hilarious #1, New York Times , ... (Barnes & Noble)
I Was Told There'd Be Cake: Essays
by Sloane Crosley
A collection of humorous essays depicting the highs and lows of modern life.
Hailed by David Sedaris as "perfectly, relentlessly funny" and by Colson Whitehead as "sardonic without being cruel, tender without being sentimental," from the author of the new collection, Look ... (Barnes & Noble)
Heart and Brain: An Awkward Yeti Collection
by Nick Seluk
A collection of comics featuring the internal struggle between the logical Brain and the impulsive Heart, hilariously depicting everyday situations.
New York Times best seller, Heart and Brain: An Awkward Yeti Collection illustrates the relationship between the sensible Brain and its emotionally driven counterpart, the Heart. Boasting more than ... (Barnes & Noble)
Rise and Shine
by Anna Quindlen
A popular morning TV show host is fired after an on-air outburst, and her sister takes her in. The two must confront their past and present struggles.
A superb novel about two sisters, the true meaning of success, and the qualities in life that matter most. From Anna Quindlen, acclaimed author of Blessings, Black and Blue, and One True Thing, a ... (Goodreads)
The Diary of a Nobody
by George Grossmith
A humorous look at the everyday struggles of an ordinary family living in 19th century London.
Mr Pooter is a man of modest ambitions, content with his ordinary life. Yet he always seems to be troubled by disagreeable tradesmen, impertinent young office clerks and wayward friends, not to ... (Goodreads)
The Charming Quirks of Others
by Alexander McCall Smith
Isabel Dalhousie, philosopher and amateur detective, investigates the mysterious death of a young man.
Isabel Dalhousie is approached by the wife of a trustee of a prestigious Scottish school concerning a poison pen letter that her husband, a trustee of said school, has received, concerning one of the ... (Wikipedia)
Short Cuts: Selected Stories
by Raymond Carver
Collection of short stories exploring the lives of ordinary people in the Pacific Northwest. Stark, raw and emotionally charged.
The nine stories and one poem collected in this volume formed the basis for the astonishingly original film “Short Cuts” directed by Robert Altman. Collected altogether in this volume, these stories ... (Goodreads)
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself
by Lincoln Peirce
Follow the hilarious misadventures of sixth-grader Nate Wright as he navigates school, friends, and family.
Nate Wright is dreaming when he wakes up to another ordinary morning of his life: breakfast of lumpy raisin oatmeal, his older sister, Ellen, and school. Believing that there will be a test that day ... (Wikipedia)
George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends
by James Marshall
Collection of short stories about two best friends, George and Martha, and their humorous adventures.
35 Stories. George and Martha: not, as one might think, the first president and his spouse, but two hippopotamuses created by the singular talent of James Marshall. For the past quarter century, ... (Goodreads)
Working: People Talk about What They Do All Day and How They Feel about What They Do
by Studs Terkel
A collection of interviews with people from various professions, revealing their thoughts and feelings about their work and its impact on their lives.
Studs Terkel records the voices of America. Men and women from every walk of life talk to him, telling him of their likes and dislikes, fears, problems, and happinesses on the job. Once again, Terkel ... (Goodreads)
44 Scotland Street
by Alexander McCall Smith
Humorous tale of life in Edinburgh, featuring a cast of quirky characters.
44 SCOTLAND STREET - Book 1, The residents and neighbors of 44 Scotland Street and the city of Edinburgh come to vivid life in these gently satirical, wonderfully perceptive serial novels, featuring ... (Goodreads)
Chestnut Street
by Maeve Binchy
A collection of short stories set on Chestnut Street, each revealing the secrets and lives of its inhabitants.
Maeve Binchy imagined a street in Dublin with many characters coming and going, and every once in a while she would write about one of these people. She would then put it in a drawer; “for the ... (Goodreads)
Tentacles at My Throat
by Zerocalcare
Tre amici, un comprensorio scolastico, un segreto. E quindici anni dopo, scoprire che ciascuno di loro credeva che il segreto fosse uno solo, ma che ognuno aveva il suo. E che ce n'era uno, più ... (Goodreads)
Garfield at Large: His First Book
by Jim Davis
A collection of comic strips featuring the lazy, lasagna-loving cat Garfield and his owner Jon.
Like every great lasagna, Garfield was born in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant on a winter's night in 1978, while outside snow fell like grated Parmesan cheese. He weighed five pounds, six ... (Goodreads)
Blue Shoes and Happiness
by Alexander McCall Smith
A charming tale of an African family's search for love and happiness.
Mma Ramotswe is asked to investigate a cook who is being blackmailed , and a doctor whose nurse believes he is doing something illegal. She discovers the identity of the blackmailer, who is a ... (Wikipedia)
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 4
by Naoko Takeuchi
Sailor Moon and her friends continue to fight evil forces while navigating teenage life and relationships.
A new group calling themselves Black Moon is after Usagi and the rest of the Sailor Guardians, wielding a new power known only as the Malefic Black Crystal. Chibi-Usa may be the key to it all, but to ... (Goodreads)
Marcovaldo
by Italo Calvino
A man's struggles to survive in a modern city, observing the beauty of nature amidst hardships.
The Marcovaldo series depicts the life of a poor rural man with his family living in a big industrial city in northern Italy . The central character of Marcovaldo is an unskilled labourer for the ... (Wikipedia)
Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life
by Shauna Niequist
A collection of personal essays that celebrate the beauty and joy of everyday life, encouraging readers to savor the small moments.
Shauna Niequist calls us to see the beauty, hope, and dimension in our ordinary days through the life-giving practice of celebration., Cold Tangerines, is beautiful narration of Shauna's journey as a ... (Barnes & Noble)
SeinLanguage
by Jerry Seinfeld
A collection of humorous observations and musings on everyday life, from the perspective of comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
Seinfeld. For more than 33 million viewers, the Emmy Award-winning television show has become a Thursday night ritual. Even though the show has ended, Jerry Seinfeld's distinct brand of humor can ... (Goodreads)
The Far Side Gallery 4
by Gary Larson
Collection of humorous single-panel cartoons, exploring the absurd and the surreal.
1993 FarWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Far Side and the Larson signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc. ... (Goodreads)
A Patchwork Planet
by Anne Tyler
A young man's journey of self-discovery and finding his place in the world.
The novel is narrated by 30-year-old Barnaby, whose life has gone off the rails since he was caught robbing neighborhood homes as an adolescent. To the despair of his distant father, his social ... (Wikipedia)
What Do People Do All Day?
by Richard Scarry
Everyday activities and the importance of community work, told through a series of stories.
Everyone is busy in Busytown - from train drivers to doctors, from mothers to sailors, in police stations and on fire engines. Follow lots of busy people working through their busy days. With plenty ... (Goodreads)
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs
by Alexander McCall Smith
A charming tale of a woman's love for her sausage dog and the quirky characters she meets along the way.
Professor Dr. von Igelfeld Entertainment – Book 2, The Professor Dr. von Igelfeld Entertainment series slyly skewers academia, chronicling the comic misadventures of the endearingly awkward Professor ... (Goodreads)
Just Me in the Tub
by Gina Mayer
A young child enjoys their alone time in the bathtub, using their imagination to have fun adventures.
Taking a bath is a big job. Mercer Mayer's famous Little Critter works hard to do it right in this funny picture book. Tub time is fun time with Little Critter! Children will discover the secrets of ... (Goodreads)
Pond
by Claire-Louise Bennett
A woman's solitary life in a small cottage in rural Ireland, reflecting on her thoughts, memories, and observations of the world around her.
Feverish and forthright, Pond is an absorbing chronicle of the pitfalls and pleasures of a solitudinous life told by an unnamed woman living on the cusp of a coastal town. Broken bowls, belligerent ... (Goodreads)
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