[…] This coming-of-age novel tells the story of Briggs’ summer after high school graduation, when he learns he must take risks in order to find out who he truly is. A funny, poignant story written by Bexley native Erin McCahan. Justin A. Reynolds, Opposite of Always (Katherine Tegen Books, 2019) This debut novel by Northeast Ohio’s Justin A. Reynolds is a […]

[…] free. “You made me hit you in the face,” he said mournfully. “Now everyone is going to know.” “I know,” I said. “I’m sorry.” Kelly Sundberg’s husband, Caleb, was a funny, warm, supportive man and a wonderful father to their little boy Reed. He was also vengeful and violent. But Sundberg did not know that when she fell in love, […]

[…] also made me think about my own habits and the way I look at life. This is a profound little book. It is emotionally cathartic, warm, and empathetic. It’s also funny, sweet, and occasionally poignant. Gay’s stories, and the beautiful way he tells them, will stick with me for a very long time. REVIEWED B y COURTNEy BROWN, OHIOANA LIBRARIAN […]

[…] In this book, former Wall Street Journal reporter Hagedorn exam- ines the difficulties of monitoring these companies and the potential risks of U.S. dependence on their services. Mizejewski, Linda. Pretty/ Funny: Women Comedians and Body Politics. Univ. of Texas Press (Austin, TX) 2014. HC $55.00. Women with good comic timing, from Katherine Hepburn to Phyllis Diller, have traditionally been described […]

[…] collection about another time of big transition, when everything starts changing and disappearing without permission: aging parents, aging children, aging self stuck in the middle. With her uniquely wry and funny admissions and insights, Guisewite unearths the humor and horror of everything from the mundane (trying to introduce her parents to TiVo and facing four decades’ worth of unorganized photos) […]

[…] bad, Wil mentions that by August, people “had finally stopped saying, What a ridiculous year. What an unusual year. This is one for the record books. By August, it wasn’t funny anymore.” Then, a letter circulates suspending school until October—before it is suspended forever. Just reading those sentences in the midst of working from home and having been isolated since […]

[…] stay open to the visitation, that little breath—whether I’m at a museum or bookstore, in the middle of the deep woods or the big city, alone or among others. It’s funny, though: inspiration most often comes when I’m already at work. That’s what I tell my students. Don’t wait for inspiration to come find you. Do your work, and sometimes […]

[…] these common issues are intensified and accelerated, but the content doesn’t suffer any loss in relatability because of it. The dialogue is realistic, and the prose is in turn both funny and poignant. Cal is a very believable teenager in today’s world and tells the story with a narrative full of cultural references that make the story come alive and […]

[…] exhibit. The earliest, My Life and Hard Times, was immensely successful upon its publication in 1933 and solidified Thurber’s reputation as one of the country’s foremost humorists. The collection of funny, autobiographical short stories includes accounts of Thurber’s eccentric family and early experiences in Columbus. The writing is a combination of fact and fantasy, emphasizing the absurdities of everyday life […]

[…] lady of restraint as she aged” (p. 24). In another story, “Belly Talk,” the main character, Jackie, has a unique talent – ventriloquism, which makes his mother think he is funny. But Jackie fails to see this as a positive trait. “He didn’t think he was a funny man, not in his heart of hearts. There he thought he was…the […]