One more thing : stories and other stories Cover Image

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One more thing : stories and other stories / B.J. Novak.

Novak, B. J., 1979- (Author).

Summary:

"Across a 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9780385351836 (hardback)
ISBN: 0385351836 (hardback)
Physical Description: x, 276 pages ; 22 cm
Edition: First edition
Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2014.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references.

Formatted Contents Note:

The rematch -- Dark matter -- No one goes to heaven to see Dan Fogelberg -- Romance, chapter one -- Julie and the warlord -- The something by John Grisham -- The girl who gave great advice -- All you have to do -- 'Rithmetic -- The ambulance driver -- Walking on eggshells (or: when I loved Tony Robbins) -- The impatient billionaire and the mirror for Earth -- Missed connection: grocery spill at 21st and 6th 2:30 pm on Wednesday -- I never want to walk on the moon -- Sophia -- The Comedy Central roast of Nelson Mandela -- They kept driving faster and outran the rain -- The man who invented the calendar -- The ghost of Mark Twain -- The beautiful girl in the bookstore -- MONSTER: the roller coaster -- Kellogg's (or: the last wholesome fantasy of the middle-school boy) -- The man who posted pictures of everything he ate -- Closure -- Kindness among cakes -- Quantum nonlocality and the death of Elvis Presley -- If I had a nickel -- A good problem to have -- Johnny Depp, fate, and the double-decker Hollywood tour bus -- Being young was her thing -- Angel Echeverria, comediante superpopular -- The market was down -- The vague restaurant critic -- One of these days, we have to do something about Willie -- Wikipedia Brown and the case of the missing bicycle -- Regret is just perfectionism plus time -- Chris Hansen at the Justin Bieber concert -- Great writers steal -- Confucius at home -- War -- If you love something -- Just an idea -- Heyyyyy, rabbits -- The best thing in the world awards -- Bingo -- Marie's stupid boyfriend -- Pick a lane -- "Everyone was singing the same song": the Duke of Earl recalls his trip to America in June of 1962 -- The pleasure of being right -- Strange news -- Never fall in love -- The world's biggest rip-off -- The walk to school on the day after Labor Day -- Kate Moss -- Welcome to Camp Fantastic for gifted teens -- There is a fine line between why and why not -- The man who told us about inflatable women -- A new Hitler -- Constructive criticism -- The bravest thing I ever did -- Rome -- The literalist's love poem -- J. C. Audetat, translator of Don Quixote -- Discussion questions.