A dark and comic novel, Congratulations On Everything tracks the struggles, frailties and cruelly pyrrhic victories of the middle-aged owner of a bar-restaurant and a 30ish lunch shift waitress. Jeremy has bought into the teachings of an empowerment and success guru, hook, line and sinker. A Toronto service industry lifer, he's risen through the ranks until he finally takes the keys to his destiny and opens his own place, The Ice Shack. Everyone assumes Ice Shack daytime waitress Charlene is innocent and empathetic, but in reality she's desperately unhappy and looking for a way out of her marriage to her high-school sweetheart. A drunken encounter between Charlene and her boss Jeremy sends them both careening. The Ice Shack stops being an oasis of sanity and, as Jeremy struggles to keep his business afloat, he'll stop at nothing to maintain his successful, good guy self-image. In an era when foodies rule and chefs become superstars, Congratulations On Everything is a hilarious and occasionally uncomfortable dose of anti-foodie reality that reveals what goes on when the customers and Instagrammers aren't around — and even sometimes when they are.

Searing, troubling, and funny, these revolutionary, linked stories flit and dart among the shadows of small town life, and the touching and heartbreaking characters that occupy it. Employees use roadkill instead of faux pelts during a build-a-critter battle for mall supremacy. Former band geeks are harassed with mutilated musical instruments and then murdered. The collection is haunted by allusions to a fatal cannonball jump that crescendos in the explosive final story. An extraordinary addition to the canon of gonzo fiction, Congratulations on Your Martyrdom! introduces Zachary Tyler Vickers as an exciting new author whose unflinching prose grabs you and won't let go.

Based on the popular S.H.A.P.E. book for adults, this teen version walks students through the same process of discovery. Readers can discover where their God-given passions and strengths intersect, and interactive exercises and questions will help them find the way they are designed to serve.

“Consistently funny…Congratulations, Who Are You Again? will have readers looking for more from this talented author. — Kirkus Reviews “A keenly observed account of the publishing process…Hilarious and illuminating.” — Booklist “In his second act, he takes you through his process of realizing that dream with charm and wit, offering entertainment and practical insight for anyone with a seemingly pie-in-the-sky wish list.” — Good Housekeeping

An inspiring message from the inaugural Folio Prize winner, George Saunders, one of today's most influential and original writers

The purpose of this book is to prevent you from failing at your first professional job. As a recent graduate, you likely have all the intelletual knowledege and skills necessary to thrive in the professional world. But unless you know how to comport yourself in the office environment, there are numerous traps that can ensnare you and shortcircuit yur career. Don't let that happen. Learn about: work habits; how to dress on the job; work etiquette; e-stuff; and how to prepare your resume. Read this book and learn the things you were never taught in college, law school, business school, public policy school, or some other graduate program. Sections of the book address such issues as how to deal with bosses and how to treat secretaries. They advise against becoming too cozy with new office colleagues and to beware of the first person who befriends you in the office. They discuss how to dress professionally including how to make sense of "casual" days. The book addresses office romances, office parties, the sort of disposition good employees display, and how to brief bosses. A chapter provides advice on e-stuff, including the things you should never do on your office computer. The last chapter, a brief two pages, tells every thing you need to know about resume preparation. This book was chosen by Michelle Singletary, Washington Post and nationally syndicated columnist of the Color of Money, as her Color of Money Book of the Month.

Guides women through the treacherous paths of divorce and into a life of renewed joy, transforming feelings of being trapped into feelings of empowerment. Original. 15,000 first printing.