Design Flaws of the Human Condition is a novel by Paul Schmidtberger.
Published by Random House in 2007, [1] the novel is an urban comedy of adultery that is an "assuredly entertaining romp" [2] whose characters are handled "with a sympathetic grace." [3]
Two strangers in New York, Iris and Ken, meet when they find themselves forced into an anger-management class. Iris is there because of a justifiable meltdown on a crowded flight, whereas Ken was caught defacing library books with rude (but very true!) messages about his former boyfriend that he caught in bed with another man.
Iris and Ken seem cosmically destined to be friends. What follows is a strikingly original comedy as Ken enlists Iris to infiltrate his ex-boyfriend's life in the hope of discovering that he's miserable.
And Iris reciprocates, dispatching Ken to gain himself into the confidence of her own boyfriend, whom she thinks is cheating. But what if Ken's ex-boyfriend isn't crying himself to sleep? What should Iris do when her worst suspicions begin to become true? Just exactly how perfect do we have the right to expect our fellow human beings to be?
The novel explores such universal themes as anger, betrayal, friendship and loyalty with wisdom, compassion, and a wickedly irreverent sense of humor. [4]
Leslie Jean Mann is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous films, including The Cable Guy (1996), She's the One (1996), George of the Jungle (1997), Big Daddy (1999), Orange County (2002), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Drillbit Taylor (2008), I Love You Phillip Morris (2009), 17 Again (2009), Funny People (2009), This Is 40 (2012), The Other Woman (2014), and Blockers (2018).
Middlesex is a Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides published in 2002. The book is a bestseller, with more than four million copies sold since its publication. Its characters and events are loosely based on aspects of Eugenides' life and observations of his Greek heritage. It is not an autobiography; unlike the protagonist, Eugenides is not intersex. The author decided to write Middlesex after reading the 1980 memoir Herculine Barbin and finding himself dissatisfied with its discussion of intersex anatomy and emotions.
Lives of the Mayfair Witches is a trilogy of supernatural horror/fantasy novels by American novelist Anne Rice. It centers on a family of witches whose fortunes have been guided for generations by a spirit named Lasher. The series began in 1990 with The Witching Hour, which was followed by the sequels Lasher (1993) and Taltos (1994). All three novels debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Camouflage is a 2004 science fiction novel by American writer Joe Haldeman. It won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award in 2004 and the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2005.
The Holiday is a 2006 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Coproduced by Bruce A. Block, it was filmed in both California and England and stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as Iris and Amanda, two lovelorn women from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, who arrange a home exchange to escape heartbreak during the Christmas and holiday season. Jude Law and Jack Black were cast as the film's leading men Graham and Miles, with Eli Wallach, Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, and Rufus Sewell playing supporting roles.
JPod is a novel by Douglas Coupland published by Random House of Canada in 2006. Set in 2005, the book explores the strange and unconventional everyday life of the main character, Ethan Jarlewski, and his team of video game programmers whose last names all begin with the letter 'J'.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a 2006 zombie apocalyptic horror novel written by American author Max Brooks. The novel is broken into eight chapters: “Warnings”, “Blame”, “The Great Panic”, “Turning the Tide”, “Home Front USA”, “Around the World, and Above”, “Total War”, and “Good-Byes”, and features a collection of individual accounts told to and recorded by an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission, following a devastating global conflict against a zombie plague. The personal accounts come from individuals from different walks of life and all over the world, including Antarctica and outer space. The "interviews" detail the experiences of the survivors of the crisis, as well as social, political, religious, economic, and environmental changes that have occurred as a result.
Vote for Larry is a political comedy young adult novel by Janet Tashjian. The novel is the sequel to The Gospel According to Larry, and stems around the 2004 United States presidential election. It follows Josh Swensen, who runs for U.S. President under his anti-consumerist persona as Internet celebrity "Larry".
Beyond the Deepwoods is a children's fantasy novel by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, first published in 1998. It is the first volume of The Edge Chronicles and of the Twig Saga trilogy.
The Android's Dream is a 2006 science fiction novel by American writer John Scalzi.
Charles Bock is an American writer whose debut novel Beautiful Children was selected by The New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year for 2008, and won the 2009 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
A Good House is the first novel by Canadian writer Bonnie Burnard, published by Picador in 1999 and later by Henry Holt and Company in United States of America. It was the winner of that year's Scotiabank Giller Prize. The novel narrates the story of a family in three generations, five houses starting from 1949 until 1997.
Soulless is a steampunk paranormal romance novel by Gail Carriger. First published in the United States on October 1, 2009 by Orbit Books, Soulless is the first book in the five-novel "The Parasol Protectorate" series, each featuring Alexia Tarabotti, a woman without a soul, as its lead character. A finalist for several literary awards and a recipient of the 2010 Alex Award, Soulless was declared by Publishers Weekly to be one of the "Best Books of 2009". A manga adaptation of the first 3 volumes of the novel was published by Yen Press in July 2011.
Unearthly is a series of young adult urban fantasy novels by American author Cynthia Hand, beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name. The story follows a teenager named Clara, who learns that she is part angel and has a purpose to fulfill on Earth. While seeking answers about her role, Clara encounters friends, enemies, and romantic interests amidst her journey.
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself is a children's fiction novel based on the Big Nate comic strip, written and illustrated by American cartoonist Lincoln Peirce. It is the first of the Big Nate novel series, followed by Big Nate Strikes Again. It was published on March 23, 2010, by HarperCollins and was nominated in 2011 for a Children's Choice Book Award by the Children's Book Council.
Paul Schmidtberger is an American author based in Paris, France.
Sway is a 2014 young adult novel by American author Kat Spears and her debut novel. The work was first published on 16 September 2014 through St. Martin's Griffin and is a modern take on the story of Cyrano de Bergerac.
Amy and Isabelle, also stylized as Amy & Isabelle, is the 1998 debut novel by the American author Elizabeth Strout. The novel was first published in hardback on December 29, 1998 through Random House and is set in the fictional town of Shirley Falls, a location that Strout would revisit in her 2013 novel The Burgess Boys. Strout would also revisit the character of Isabelle in her 2019 short story cycle Olive, Again.
Elizabeth Edmondson, also known under the names Elizabeth Aston and Elizabeth Pewsey, was an English author who wrote primarily in the mystery, historical, and contemporary fiction genres. She studied Jane Austen while a student at St Hilda's College, Oxford, and many of her published stories were adaptations and sequels of Austen's works, beginning with Mr. Darcy's Daughters in 2003. Edmondson also founded a youth holiday orchestra to provide musical opportunities for local young people in the York area, an organisation that has operated since 1992. Her son, Anselm Audley, is a fantasy author.
Klara and the Sun is the eighth novel by the British writer Kazuo Ishiguro, published on 2 March 2021. It is a dystopian science fiction story.