"Do you find him attractive?" Hana Morris sputters, her mouth just under the water of the hot tub. Michael Morris can see a blush spreading down Hana's face, the redness coloring the space between her cleavage. If he hadn't downed half a bottle of champagne, he would have never asked the question. He would have never considered wanting to know the answer. "He's your boss," Hana says, which isn't an answer at all.

In this book, leading and emerging scholars consider the mixed critical responses to Lena Dunham’s TV series Girls and reflect on its significance to contemporary debates about postfeminist popular cultures in a post-recession context. The series features both familiar and innovative depictions of young women and men in contemporary America that invite comparisons with Sex and the City. It aims for a refreshed, authentic expression of postfeminist femininity that eschews the glamour and aspirational fantasies spawned by its predecessor. This volume reviews the contemporary scholarship on Girls, from its representation of post-millennial gender politics to depictions of the messiness and imperfections of sex, embodiment, and social interactions. Topics covered include Dunham’s privileged role as author/auteur/actor, sexuality, body consciousness, millennial gender identities, the politics of representation, neoliberalism, and post-recession society. This book provides diverse and provocative critical responses to the show and to wider social and media contexts, and contributes to a new generation of feminist scholarship with a powerful concluding reflection from Rosalind Gill. It will appeal to those interested in feminist theory, identity politics, popular culture, and media.

Micah's mouth turned up into a lazy grin. "Karl and I get a little competitive sometimes over everything; work, sports, and women." "Oh, so women are a game to you two?" I huffed, bothered by his implication. I watched as Micah carelessly shrugged his shoulders in reply. "Well it is called the dating game. Isn't that the reason anyone plays?" Ashlyn thought she had her life perfectly mapped out. Get a college degree? check. Move in with her boyfriend? check. Pursue a bright new architectural career — in a brand new city — with said boyfriend? check. However, all that was a little under a year ago. Nowadays, having been dumped by her cheating ex-boyfriend, Ashlyn's life is made up of working extra long shifts at the Tasty Bite Cafe, as she struggles to make ends meet and rebuild her self-esteem. After months of no love-life to speak of, Ashlyn decides to take a risk that will soon land her deep in the arms of not just one, but two billionaire playboys. She's heard cautionary rumors about the two men, but Ashlyn soon learns that she just can't seem to resist the gorgeous green eyed Karl, and the equally handsome, dark and driven Micah.

It felt like I was part of a freak show, starring me as the witch, werewolf girl. Everybody looked at you, but they really don’t see your pain or frustration. They don’t really see my longing to be a part of them . . . the humans . . . the normal, and while all of that is going on I’m sitting in my little cage, hoping someone could come and save me, wishing that I can somehow break free from my pain and frustration and no longer have the longing to be one of them.

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

Enjoy this fun amateur sleuth short story by best-selling cozy murder mystery blind author S.Y. Robins. This collection contains 32 Cozy Mystery Short Stories by S. Y. Robins. Included in this collection: Bag and Lady Bake Off Cold Death Colorful Death Crafty Murder Curl Up And Dye Death Groupie Deadly Brewed Dog Dig Death Drop Dead Hotel Gone Missing Killer Chocolate Killer Cupcakes Killer Nail Killer Tiramisu Knitless Death Life's a Beach Missing Hearts Murder Book Club Murder by Cheesecake Scoop Away Shoes and Baby Sew Much Trouble Spicy Murder Spooky Followers Steamy Death The Death Next Door Un-friend Warm Food Cold Body Wine Up Dead Wicked Vampire Witch You Were Dead If you enjoy a light-hearted, easy, and relaxing murder mystery book, then this is the book for you. Suitable for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, and Deany Ray.