Isolation commiserations from the creator of the iconic “Cathy” comic strip, Cathy Guisewite! We’re all in this together…but it helps to see someone else with her face planted in the bowl of mashed potatoes. In the same way that Cathy was a relatable friend during the comic strip years, she’s returned to offer some happy relief, support, and a much-needed AACK from isolation. This little book is a compassionate companion for right now and, long after the pandemic is over, will be a treasured scrapbook of what we survived—the fear of droplets, the work-from-refrigerator wear, the revenge retail therapy of online shopping, the frustration of trying to teach Grandma to Zoom from 3,000 miles away, the little shreds of hope mixed in with the sourdough bread dough. From the introduction: I’ve worn the same pair of sweatpants for fourteen months. I’ve binge watched, binge eaten, binge shopped, binge prayed. I’ve Zoomed. Streamed. Screamed. Googled how to get hot fudge out of a duvet cover. Googled how to chop my insulting blue jeans into face masks. Googled how to permanently delete my Google search history. I’ve meditated, looked within and asked the big questions: “If no one’s allowed in my house for months, what’s the point of vacuuming?”

From the creator of the iconic Cathy comic strip comes her first collection of funny, wise, poignant, and incredibly honest essays about being a woman in what she lovingly calls "the panini generation." As the creator of Cathy, Cathy Guisewite found her way into the hearts of readers more than forty years ago, and has been there ever since. Her hilarious and deeply relatable look at the challenges of womanhood in a changing world became a cultural touchstone for women everywhere. Now Guisewite returns with her signature wit and warmth in this essay 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) to the profound (finding a purpose post-retirement, helping parents downsize their lives, and declaring freedom from all those things that hold us back). No longer confined to the limits of four cosmic panels, Guisewite holds out her hand in prose form and becomes a reassuring companion for those on the threshold of "what happens next." Heartfelt and humane and always cathartic, Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault is ideal reading for mothers, daughters, and anyone who is caught somewhere in between.

This book explores the influence of geographical isolation and peripherality on the functioning of music industries and scenes which operate within and from such locales. As is explored, these sites engage dynamic practices to offset challenges resulting from geographical isolation and peripherality.

With masterful storytelling, Travis Thrasher draws readers into a novel so gripping it cannot be put down. James Miller is a burned-out missionary whose time on the mission field in Papua New Guinea left him exhausted and disillusioned. His wife, Stephanie, feels like she's losing her mind. After moving to North Carolina, Stephanie begins seeing strange and frightening things: blood dripping down the walls, one of her children suffocating. Premonitions, she's sure, of what's to come. As the visions and haunting images intensify, Stephanie asks her brother to come for a much-needed visit--but he's hiding secrets of his own that will prove more destructive than Stephanie can imagine. Nine-year-old Zachary sees his family's move as an adventure, and as he explores the new house, he discovers every young boy's dream: secret passageways and hidden rooms. But what seems exciting at first quickly becomes altogether frightening. When a snowstorm traps the Millers, the supernatural dangers of their new home will test everything they thought they knew about each other, and about their faith.

"For years, Guisewite has presented a sampling of the absurd and achingly familiar rituals women face in presenting themselves to the world. In the process, she has become a dead-on chronicler of fashion in all its folly." --The Dallas Morning News Lovable Cathy has been sister, confidante, and best friend to countless fans around the world. She's an Everywoman who experiences frustrations on the job, in her love life, and with her aging parents in much the same way as her real-life counterparts. Yet Cathy always handles everything with aplomb, consistently seeing the funny side of every situation. She's been an inspiration--giving readers infinite reasons to laugh at life's strange realities. In this celebration of Cathy's 20 years, creator Guisewite shares some of her earliest strips and recollections of Cathy's growth. An advertising copywriter when she first drew the frazzled Cathy in 1976, Guisewite also reflects on how her own life shaped her character and the strip's other personalities--from boyfriends to pets to parents. From fashion challenges to business travel, Guisewite has covered the gamut of life through her indomitable alter-ego, Cathy, and the trip's been pleasurable for everyone. In Cathy's 20th Anniversary Collection, readers also accompany Cathy on more adventures: Cathy as she listens patiently to her boss rant about how to buy a new car, replying, "Where"s this energy when we want a man to go in a mall?" Cathy as she turns her mother to mush by asking for quality time. Cathy, frustrated from years of trying to find the right man, as she buys a computer just for the on-line romance chat rooms. Faithful fans who've grown up with Cathy will treasure this 20th anniversary book from Cathy Guisewite.

There is a particular flavor to the loneliness that comes from living in a city, surrounded by thousands of strangers. This roving cultural history of urban loneliness centers on the ultimate city: Manhattan, that teeming island of gneiss, concrete, and glass. How do we connect with other people, particularly if our sexuality or physical body is considered deviant or damaged? Does technology draw us closer together or trap us behind screens? Laing travels deep into the work and lives of some of the century's most original artists in a celebration of the state of loneliness.

When a man-made plague breaks out in Japan, an American in Tokyo becomes caught between two governments enmeshed in a web of secrecy and murder. Original.