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Fans of Augusten Burroughs's darkly funny memoir Running with Scissors were left wondering at the end of that book what would become of young Augusten after his squalid and fascinating childhood ended. In Dry, we find that although adult Augusten is doing well professionally, earning a handsome living as an ad writer for a top New York agency, Burroughs's personal life is a disaster. His apartment is a sea of empty Dewar's bottles, he stays out all night boozing, and he dabs cologne on his tongue in an unsuccessful attempt to mask the stench of alcohol on his breath at work. When his employer insists he seek help, Burroughs ships out to Minnesota for detoxification, counseling, and amusingly told anecdotes about the use of stuffed animals in group therapy. But after a month of such treatment, he's back in Manhattan and tenuously sober. And while its one thing to lay off the sauce in rehab, Burroughs learns that it's quite another to resume your former life while avoiding the alcohol that your former life was based around. This quest to remain sober is made dramatically more difficult, and the tale more harrowing, when Burroughs begins an ill-advised romance with a crack addict. Certainly the "recovered alcoholic fighting to stay sober" tale is not new territory for a memoirist. But Burroughs's account transcends clichés: it doesn't adhere to the traditional "temptation narrowly resisted" storyline and it features, in Burroughs himself, a central character that is sympathetic even when he's neither likable nor admirable. But what ultimately makes this memoir such a terrific read is a brilliant and candid sense of humor that manages to stay dry even when recalling events where the author was anything but. --John Moe
Book Description
From the bestselling author of Running with Scissors comes Dry-the hilarious, moving, and no less bizarre account of what happened next You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs. You've seen him on the street, in bars, on the subway, at restaurants: a twenty-something guy, nice suit, works in advertising. Regular. Ordinary. But when the ordinary person had to drinks, Augusten was circling the drain by having twelve; when the ordinary person went home at midnight, Augusten never went home at all. Loud, distracting ties, automated wake-up calls, and cologne on the tongue could only hide so much for so long. At the request (well, it wasn't really a request) of his employers, Augusten landed in rehab, where his dreams of group therapy with Robert Downey, Jr., are immediately dashed by the grim reality of fluorescent lighting and paper hospital slippers. But when Augusten is forced to examine himself, something actually starts to click, and that's when he finds himself in the worst trouble of all. Because when his thirty days are up, he has to return to his same drunken Manhattan lifeand live it sober. What follows is a memoir that's as moving as it is funny, as heartbreaking as it is real. Dry is the story of love, loss, and Starbucks as a higher power.
Customer Reviews:
Non-stop Craziness and Humor--Incredible!.......2007-09-20
Wow. How to write a review of this book...Augusten Burroughs' sense of humor and ability to take his life experiences and weave them into stories that are engaging, entertaining and at times a bit disturbing is absolutely incredible.
His style of writing and revealing of clips of his life endear the reader to him. I could not put down the book and I was truly sad when I read the very last word on the very last page. I wanted more of Augusten, I was hooked. I went out the next day and bought another one of his engaging pseudo-biographical book and devoured that in a day or two as well.
Augusten Burroughs has a gift and I am so very glad he chose the medium in which he did to share it with the world.
Augusten, if you are out there, I just want to say thank you for finding the motivation and determination to publish your stories. You are truly and inspiration and your words have touched me. Thank you.
Hilarious, horrifying, can't-put-it-down reading.......2007-09-16
This is a fantastic book, marvelously written, at once funny, bittersweet, terrifying and can't-put-it-down suspenseful. A memoir with the drama and emotional clutch of a novel. And written in a clean, clear, highly readable style that simply pulls you through the pages.
If you've read his earlier acclaimed memoir RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, then you know you have to find out what happened to that brilliant, warped boy after he survived his hellish loony-bin childhood and stumbled into adulthood. If you haven't read RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, feel free to start with this one -- it stands on its own. If you read DRY first, you'll run to grab RUNNING WITH SCISSORS. I greatly prefer DRY to SCISSORS, myself, and I thought that was a fine book.
DRY is that rare book that will save lives and bring great joy and insight into the lives of many people who read it. I came away loving Burroughs, and looking into my own life and wondering what I'm failing to do right and who I'm failing to love and appreciate. And being grateful to be alive.
But, hey, don't let that stop you. This is no tract. Trust me, it's huge fun and a great read.
Dry review.......2007-08-31
After having read Running with Scissors, which was recommended to me by a close friend, I became fairly obsessed with the work of Augusten Burroughs. The moment I had finished, I ran to the nearest bookstore to scour over all the other memoirs, novels, and collections of short stories that he had written. After reviewing a somewhat extensive selection of his books, I ended up selecting Dry, the sequel to Running with Scissors, to be my next endeavor. I felt a powerful need to pick up where his previous book had left off.
This book was morbidly humorous to the point where I had to stop reading it in public because I could not contain my spontaneous bursts of laughter. Augusten Burroughs' life has been so astounding that it almost makes the reader question his validity. He begins living on his own at the age of nineteen, having had no education past the seventh grade. However with the somewhat unnatural charm he possesses, he is able to walk into an advertising agency from off the street and talk his way into being hired on the spot. He soon becomes one of the agency's most valued advertising representatives with the worst substance abuse problem.
Augusten uses alcohol, cocaine, and crack to numb himself from the pain of his past and present. After falling into a state of squalor, which involved drinking two bottles of scotch a night and urinating repetitively in his bed, his friends decide to step in. Augusten is sent to a gay-friendly rehabilitation center where he is forced to deal with the unconventional upbringing that left him so unstable as well as the fight of a loved one against aids. After rehab Augusten must struggle to redefine his life in terms of sobriety and adapt to this drastic change. He gives a great effort to find a balance between work and leisure which excludes the stresses that caused him to turn to substances, while still dealing with certain issues that he cannot escape.
This book is utterly incredible. My only disappointment was that it had to end. Augusten Burroughs wrote this memoir to expose to his readers how bad life can get. He also intended to send the hopeful message that no matter how difficult things become, life can always get better. Dry shows the reader that no matter what their current situation may be, if they have the intrinsic motivation, they can always improve upon it. This memoir leaves the reader both motivated and comfortably optimistic. It is a tragic yet satisfying tale of a young mans life.
Burroughs has a natural gift for captivating the reader entirely by completely exposing himself. He is ashamed of nothing and embraces his flaws. He spares no details of when he hit rock bottom for it shows how far he had to come and how much of an accomplishment it was. Anyone who reads this is sure to fall instantaneously in love with the author for his wit, determination, and imperfections.
Book was fairly interesting.......2007-08-30
I read this book fairly fast..it must be pretty good book to read it as fast as I did..
Fantastic .......2007-08-25
Dry is a brutally honest account of a man's personal struggle to overcome demons imposed on him by life. Burroughs is a terrific writer and keeps you hooked until the end. It took me only two days to read the book because I couldn't put it down. Personal and powerful I would recommend it to anyone.
Book Description
Just before Christmas, Linda meets up with her best friend and fellow fisherman Alden Leeman for lunch and a drink at the Dry Dock, a well-worn watering hole in Portland, Maine. Alden, the captain of Linda's first fishing expedition, has seen his share of mishaps and adventures at sea. When Linda shares memories of navigating her ship through one of the craziest storms she's ever seen, Alden quickly follows up with his own tales. Then other fishermen, who are sitting on the periphery attentively listening, decide to weigh in with yarns of their own.
All Fishermen Are Liars brims with true stories of the most eccentric crew member, the funniest episode, the biggest fish, and the wildest night at sea. Denizens of the Dry Dock drift in and out as the bar begins to swell with rounds of drinks and tales that increase in drama. Here are some of the greatest fishing stories ever - all relayed by Linda Greenlaw in her inimitable style.
All Fishermen Are Liars will give listeners what they have come to love and expect from Linda Greenlaw - luminous descriptions and edge-of-the-seat thrills. It's the perfect book for anyone who loves fishing and the sea.
Download Description
In ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS, Linda meets up with her best friend and fellow fisherman Alden Leeman for lunch and a drink at the Drydock in Portland just before Christmas. The surly captain of her first fishing expedition, Alden has seen his share of mishaps and adventures while at sea. When Linda shares memories of navigating her ship through one of the worst storms she's ever seen, Alden quickly follows up with his own tale of terror and survival while other fishermen sit on the periphery attentively listening before jumping in with stories of their own. The stories will focus on such things as the most eccentric crew member, the funniest episode, the biggest fish, and the wildest story. The characters will drift in and out with the rounds of drinks with tales of their own dramatic moments, increasing in pitch and decreasing in believeability as alcohol is consumed. ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS are brand new stories of adventure, but it's also what readers have come to love and expect from Greenlaw âluminous descriptions and edge-of-the seat excitement.
Customer Reviews:
Swapping tales over a pint and a chowder.......2007-07-27
After two books of no-nonsense stories about life at sea, first as a swordboat captain and next as a lobsterman, Linda Greenlaw kicks back at a Portland, Maine, watering hole with a few fellow salts to swap yarns. And, while the title clearly states that "all fishermen are liars," these brine-encrusted adventures are all purportedly true -- if perhaps a bit stretched. Bracketing the stories themselves are Linda's efforts to convince a dear friend and mentor to consider full or partial retirement or risk a lonely death at sea. The text is also brimming with Linda's thoughtful musings about life, love and family, much of which she weaves into a series of fisherman's metaphors.
Linda's book is populated, as usual, by an assortment of characters, most of whom would be equally fun to meet over a pint and chowder. Foremost among them are Alden, Linda's flawed but faithful friend, and George and Tommy, two ne'er-do-wells who have been thoroughly shredded by Linda to the extent I'm surprised they consented to join the bar crowd for her book jacket photo, much less be identified by name. But the meat of "Liars" is the collection of sea stories, some harrowing, some funny, some sad, some inspiring. Linda Greenlaw has a gift for bringing her narrative to life.
by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor
Not bad but not in the same league as "The Hungry Ocean".......2007-05-12
Linda appears to be running short of material in this book.
Some good stories.......2006-03-22
This is a fun book for those of who like to sit around and swap sea and fish stories. It has a lot of interest and a very "easy read". Linda also gives you a feel for the "community of North Atlatnic fishermen" that participate in this often very unforgiving and dangerous profession. This book is clearly the best of her books that I have read.
Marine science, diving adventure, boat regulations and management and more blend with riveting adventure tales.......2005-11-04
If it's a salty yarn you hunger for, you can't go wrong with swordfishing boat captain Linda Greenlaw's latest adventure All Fishermen Are Liars: True Adventures At Sea. Her sea stories are true and involve both death-defying and some funny challenges of professional sailors - from surviving a shipwreck by swimming 10 hours in a hurricane to using rock music as a tuna lure. Marine science, diving adventure, boat regulations and management and more blend with riveting adventure tales.
A Readable Introduction to an Unfamiliar World.......2005-03-20
In her latest book author and fisherman Linda Greenlaw introduces readers to the salty denizens of the Dry Dock Bar in Portland, Maine. Greenlaw's lunch date there with her mentor and friend of 25 years, Alden Leeman, provides the framework for the series of stories she shares with readers--the very stories, or so the author alleges (though the book's title may give one pause)--that she and Alden and hangers on at their table swapped that day at the Dry Dock over a very extended luncheon.
The stories Greenlaw includes in the book are a mixed bunch--rough seas and unlikely survivals, noisome deck hands and shiv-wielding mates, a refrigerated dead guy. Many of the stories are stirring; the rest are at least good reads. Greenlaw writes nicely, and her characterization of her friend Alden--for whom her affection is palpable--is well done: "I ordered a glass of Chardonnay and waited for Alden to think about what he might like to drink. I knew that he would eventually order a rum and Coke, but he did not know this. He never did."
It is not necessary to know anything whatever about fishing or sailing to enjoy All Fishermen are Liars. Nautical types will surely want to view their world through Greenlaw's lens, but landlubbers like myself will appreciate the author's readable introduction to an unfamiliar world. She and her gang of mendacious fishing buddies make for good company for the book's duration.
Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece
Customer Reviews:
Great Book to take on Vacation!.......2006-04-16
I took this book to Aruba to pass the time on the beach & it was (like all his others) hilarious. Not nearly as dark as Running with Scissors & funnier than Sellevision. If you have a twisted sense of humor you'll love this sardonic look at his attempts at sobriety & as always, the strange characters he meets along his journey.
Dry - A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs.......2005-01-28
From the author of Sellivision and Running With Scissors, this is a hillarious book from beginning to end. Burroughs is amazingly irreverent as he tells of a ten year period in his life, but he is also VERY VERY funny, and somehow quite disarming!
Book Description
When George and Donella East buy a derelict mill in Normandy with only an overdraft to their names, they know it will take more than luck to realize the dream of living the good life. As they set about renovating the Mill of the Flea, Rene Ribet arrives in his ramshackle caravan to assume squatters’ rights. Their mentor promises to school them in the ways of the French countryside, but what the innocents abroad are yet to learn is that Mr. Ribet is known locally as The Fox of Cotentin. A series of doomed survival schemes ensues, and with financial disaster looming, the couple’s vision of a new life seems to be fading fast. This is a hilarious foray into French country domesticity.
Customer Reviews:
Even if the nearest you have been to France is watching a renovation on TV, you will love this book !.......2005-07-19
This is no dry description of the cold hard facts and potential pitfalls of buying a property in France, it is a humourous, poignant and very readable chronicle of the whole process, and the people encountered during it, from the first wish to the eventual fulfilment of a dream that many, many people share. The insights into the very different attitude to life and mind set of their growing circle of friends and neighbours is educational in itself, I wish I had read it before we bought our property in Normandy, we would have understood more about what was happening, laughed a lot more and would have probably been a lot less stressed!
This is an enjoyable read for anyone and not just for people who are buying or thinking about buying property in France, it is a book for anyone who can enjoy reading about some of life's characters in a story about a couple actually getting up and doing something that most others only dream about.
I laughed out loud at some parts and felt their sorrow at others in a book that explains, with insight and humour, a lot of things about France and the French that I, for one, have never quite grasped before, putting all this into a story that held me from page one.
By the time you finish you feel that you know George & Donella West and that you would instantly recognize any one of the characters described in the book. You are able to sense their changing attitudes to the local people and, in turn the locals attitude to them as the story progresses. It is the first in a series and I really look forward to reading the rest.
Average customer rating:
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Dry Rot and Daffodils: Behind the Scenes in a National Trust House
Mary Mackie
Manufacturer: Orion Publishing
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Frogspawn and Floor Polish: Upstairs and Downstairs in a National Trust House (Summersdale Travel)
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Cobwebs And Cream Teas
ASIN: 0752834096 |
Book Description
If you thought living in a stately home was all gleaming banisters, visiting aristocracy, and priceless antiques—read on. The sequel to Cobwebs and Cream Teas, this volume continues the often amusing story of life behind the scenes at a National Trust house, describing the pleasures and pains—dry rot, blocked drains, and bubblegum on the Meissen—of running Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk.
Customer Reviews:
Dry Rot & Daffodils.......2002-10-18
A thorough treatment of an unusual subject. I would recommend this and her other work, Cobwebs and Cream Teas, to anyone interested in the subject. There are a few exciting anecdotes but in the main the reader gets a real flavour of the rhythm, work, and rewards of running a National Trust property. The narrative can be a bit too detailed and a tinge self-important, but, given the amount of work that such a property requires, it is amazing the author had time to put her thoughts to paper at all.
Book Description
Irma - Memoirs of a Vampire Gone Dry is a novel, genre literary humor. The novel opens in the Carpathians as Lena Vampire of the Realm does crochet work for the church but never attends. In 1922, Majda, Irma's grandmother, simply tells the American doctor that she is Jewish since she isn't wearing a cross. And in 1980, Anna Lebowswitz explains the importance of family and the use of a tooth file. Ben, Irma's father, believes in choosing your own life - a minority opinion.
The first true vampire in four generations, Irma finds the idea acceptable and the details disgraceful. She will 'go dry'! After Irma chips a tooth - unimaginable considering her family - she meets John Ling at the dentist's office. Irma loves John's open mind, his perfectly shaped ear and his dog George; she makes the necessary decisions.
Customer Reviews:
Craving more..........2005-04-29
Everything you ever needed to know about coming of age as a 3rd generation, female, Transylvanian/American, in New York--Irma is it!
If you like geneology, if you can relate to feelings of awkwardness coming from a family a touch too "exotic" and if you are convinced that food and the pleasures of the palate are the social glue that holds all of us and our crazy world together, then this book is a "must read."
Irma will make you laugh, she'll make you think and she'll have you falling in love all over again. She'll also make you hungry (and even possibly thirsty, depending on YOUR geneology).
I think that this is a most extraordinary first book! Laine Jacob leaves us wondering what will happen after a most unexpected ending and I hope she is at work to deliver us Irma's further adventures...
Irma: a great read.......2005-02-07
What's a nice Jewish girl to do when she discovers she's a vampire? Keep on filing those ever-increasing incisors, or go with the flow? This is the dilemma which faces Irma Lebowswitz. Her family has always been a little odd (read 'totally off the wall'), but, after all, this is New York. Odd is a credential.
This is a book full of delightful surprises. Its author, Laine Jacob, adores words and exploits their power to please and intrigue to the fullest. Her characters jump impetuously and sidle deviously from the pages. Her bemused heroine paddles cautiously on as hilarious family set-pieces break in waves about her. She finds true love - where else - at the dentist. But it's not the dentist...
The novel is by turns funny, fascinating and poignant. All human life is there from Fellini films to fast food, bookbinders to betrayal, the Carpathians to Queens. Irma is prone to deeply entertaining ruminative soliloquies on many topics ranging from the slim instep of an English lord: - "The only attraction to learning to ride a horse is seeing men pull off their high riding boots" - to the acquisition of vampire lore: "The scientific information 'Vampires don't blush' was replayed last week when my grandmother opened what she said "looked like any other Lord and Taylor's bag to me" which was true except that it was in my room under my pillow."
Irma has her seventeenth birthday in her favourite deli: "I worked on a birthday wish that would not backfire in case some errant good fairy was sitting in the next booth waiting to grant my every desire..."Give me normal," I thought. I might even have stated my wish aloud but the idea of the waiter saying, "A normal on rye, hold the mustard," presented fearful possibilities."
Poor Irma. Not only may she be a vampire, but she may not even be Jewish. Does the confusion of Christian Levy lie before her? (see p.26) Read this book!
Product Description
2 AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS Memoir Books - 1) - Running with Scissors / 2) - Dry - (Unboxed Set), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.
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The Dry Bones of Me
Sharon Shaw
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0738814806 |
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Dry Heat
Sean Michael Lee
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
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ASIN: 1410775577 |
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- Gray Fox is superb. This book brings the past to life.
- Gray Fox
- Good chronology, but little more
- A brilliant man
- Ray's reviews
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Gray Fox: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War
Burke Davis
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The Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee (Civil War Library)
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ASIN: 0517347725
Release Date: 1992-07-19 |
Book Description
An awe-inspiring epic masterpiece! Exciting biography of one of the monumental figures of the Civil War, told in a dramatic narrative that will sweep you into the flow of history. 7 maps. 21 photographs. 480 pages. 6 X 9.
Customer Reviews:
Gray Fox is superb. This book brings the past to life........2002-12-06
Davis is one of those rare authors who has the magical ability to to breathe life into the past through his writings. In addition to being a truly gifted writer, he is also an insightful and even-handed historian. Davis depicts Lee as a great, but not perfect general, as a complex figure who was willing to fight invading Northern armies, but who also hoped for an eventual end to slavery, as a man who while being vulnerable to pride sought the ideal of Christian humility, as kind and humane, but also willing to see men die in their thousands for the cause which he and they fought for. Moreover, while the book is written from the perspective of Lee and his army, the Northern side is still treated with respect and the same depth of understanding. Since many books on the Civil War are filled with hatred, blame, and arteficial and foolish one dimensional standards of morality, this is refreshing. I do not at all regret buying this book. I only regret that the author did not write more books. In addition to Gray Fox, I also highly recommend Davis's biography of Stonewall Jackson.
Gray Fox.......2002-12-02
An excellent read on the life of Robert E. Lee. Davis does an good job in portraying the general's life, not overloading the reader with details. Those who have read more detailed books on Lee might find this one lacking, but I believe it to be worth your time and would make an excellent addition to ones Civil War library.
Good chronology, but little more.......2002-06-11
I wouldn't say I disliked this book, but I did find it pretty short on both style and substance. It presents a good chronology of Lee's ACW campaigns, and might make a good prelude to a more detailed account if one wanted to get that chronology straight. However the prose is limp at best and details lacking. In his descriptions of the battles (especially) Burke Davis brings very little to life. For example, in the description of Chancellorsville, one never gets a sense that the battle is slipping out of Lee's control before his and Jackson's daring and innovative masterstroke changes the outcome completely.
Credit should be given for good use of excerpts from Lee's correspondance which paint a picture of a gentle and humane man doing his duty bravely despite a mounting sense of the long-term hoelessness of the situation. But, more interesting material can be found than this historical overview for anyone who wants something serious on the subject.
A brilliant man.......2002-02-06
Nicely written clear and concise facts from beginning to end. Burke Davis quotes and paraphrases several first hand accounts of civilians Confederate, and Union officers. Mr. Davis also recites several letters from General Robert E. Lee to family, Jefferson Davis, Confederate officers and General Grant.
The reading of this biography permeates vast knowledge of Robert E. Lee. Starting with his birth, education at West Point, emergence from the Mexican War, "with a reputation as the army's most talented young officer." Mr. Davis does a great job of conveying General Lee's concerns about the possibility of civil war. Robert E. Lee made the difficult decision to resign from the U.S. military. Here is a sample of General Lee's letter of resignation. "I have devoted all the best years of my life and all the ability I posed. During the whole time-more than a quarter of a century-I have experienced nothing but kindness from my superiors and a most cordial friendship from my comrades. To no one, General, have I been as much indebted as to yourself for uniform kindness and consideration. I shall carry to the grave the most grateful recollections of your kind consideration, and your name and fame will always be dear to me."
The book is worthy of reading I'll probably read it a few more times. Therefore five stars seems appropriate for a truly amazing book. This book is for folks from any geographical area. Whatever your race, creed, culture, religion is this book can be an enjoyable read. I leave you with one last quote this is Robert E. Lee's opinion of slavery. "There are few, I believe, in this enlightened age, who will acknowledge that slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil...I think it greater evil to the white than to the black race."
Ray's reviews.......2001-09-30
This is a 'must read' for all Civil War book worms. Not only does it show the true man, Robert E. Lee, but a fine, historical review of the entire war. Prepare yourself for the last 35 pages, as you will read the best account of the surrender at Appomattox that I have ever read by ANY author.
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Legacy
- Biology, Sixth Edition
- The Wholeness of a Broken Heart: A Novel
- Ulysses S. Grant : Memoirs and Selected Letters : Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant / Selected Letters,
- Vertigo and dizziness
- Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character
- Alpine Flower Finder: The Key to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers Found Above Timberline
- Debt and Taxes: Politics and Fiscal Policy in America
- Total and economically active population, employment, and unemployment
- The Red Book Kirchner's Insurance Directories: Indiana
Running with Scissors: A Memoir
Magical Thinking : True Stories
Sellevision: A Novel
Possible Side Effects
Naked
