B.J. Novak

From an actor, writer, and director of the hit TV comedy The Office (US version): a story collection that was "workshopped" at comedy clubs and bookstores on both coasts. B.J. Novak's One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories is an endlessly entertaining, surprisingly sensitive, and startlingly original debut collection that signals the arrival of a welcome new voice in American fiction. Across a dazzling range of subjects, themes, tones, and narrative voices, Novak's assured prose and expansive imagination introduce readers to people, places, and premises that are hilarious, insightful, provocative, and moving-often at the same time. In One More Thing, a boy wins a $100,000 prize in a box of Frosted Flakes - only to discover that claiming the winnings may unravel his family. A woman sets out to seduce motivational speaker Tony Robbins - turning for help to the famed motivator himself. A school principal unveils a bold plan to permanently abolish arithmetic. An acclaimed ambulance driver seeks the courage to follow his heart and throw it all away to be a singer-songwriter. Author John Grisham contemplates a monumental typo. A new arrival in heaven, overwhelmed by infinite options, procrastinates over his long-ago promise to visit his grandmother. We meet a vengeance-minded hare, obsessed with scoring a rematch against the tortoise who ruined his life; and post-college friends who debate how to stage an intervention in the era of Facebook. We learn why wearing a red t-shirt every day is the key to finding love; how February got its name; and why the stock market is sometimes just... down. Finding inspiration in questions from the nature of perfection to the icing on carrot cake, from the deeply familiar to the intoxicatingly imaginative, One More Thing finds its heart in the most human of phenomena: love, fear, family, ambition, and the inner stirring for the one elusive element that might make a person complete. The stories in this collection are like nothing else, but they have one thing in common: they share the playful humor, deep heart, inquisitive mind, and altogether electrifying spirit of a writer with a fierce devotion to the entertainment of the reader.

Warning! This book looks serious but it is actually completely ridiculous! A book with no pictures? What could be fun about that? After all, if a book has no pictures, there's nothing to look at but the words on the page. Words that might make you say silly sounds... In ridiculous voices... Hey, what kind of book is this, anyway? At once disarmingly simple and ingeniously imaginative, 'The Book With No Pictures' inspires laughter every time it is opened, creating a warm and joyous experience to share—and introducing young children to the powerful idea that the written word can be an unending source of mischief and delight. If a kid is trying to make you read this book, the kid is playing a trick on you. You will end up saying silly things and making everybody laugh and laugh! Don't say I didn't warn you... B.j. Novak (1979–) is well known for his work on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 'The Office' as a writer, actor, director, and executive producer. He is also acclaimed for his stand-up comedy, his performances in motion pictures, and is collection of short stories, 'One More Thing' (2014). B.J. has brown hair and blue eyes. There are pictures of him, but not in this book. Edition MSRP: U.S. $17⁹⁹ / Canada $19⁹⁹ (ISBN 978-0-8037-4171-3) Manufactured in the U.S.A.