Jim Norton

BEST HEARD ON AN EMPTY STOMACH Jim Norton is a pervert in the truest sense of the word. The physical equivalent of a tall slug, he pays top dollar for massages with happy endings, and is fascinated by shitty sitcoms and fat girls. He is also, at times, racially offensive and morally repugnant. He spares no one in his comedy -- least of all himself. Now, in this outrageous, blisteringly funny collection of essays, Norton tackles the topics that are...

One man wants to publish, so another must perish, in this darkly witty philosophical novel. The Third Policeman follows a narrator who is obsessed with the work of a scientist and philosopher named de Selby (who believes that Earth is not round but sausage-shaped)-and has finally completed what he believes is the definitive text on the subject. But, broke and desperate for money to get his scholarly masterpiece published, he winds up committing robbery-and...

An author who has received international critical acclaim for his exquisite prose, William Trevor saw his novel The Story of Lucy Gault short-listed for the prestigious Booker Prize. Love and Summer tells the tale of Ellie Dillahan, an orphan entered into a bleak future with the man she wed. As the story unfolds, Ellie's life is thrown into tumult by a fateful encounter with another man.

Conor McPherson is one of the leading figures in Irish contemporary drama. His look at life in a village pub, The Weir, was premiered in Dublin and then ran for over a year in the West End and Broadway. Port Authority was his next play. Three Dublin men of differing ages simply telling their stories to the audience. It is a spare document, but the wit, insight and pathos so skilfully woven by this major dramatist makes it unforgettable. A major recording...

High school senior Danny Whitaker is at a crossroads - should he do what his working-class father thinks is practical and take a job at the local metal factory, or will his loose-cannon guidance counselor convince him to enroll in college to save his own job? To escape reality, Danny and his band of misfit buddies head to the woods for the town's annual rite-of-passage fishing trip. After a wild party, Danny stumbles upon Goddess Camp, the urban legend...

Back in the 1980s, a series of controversial books aptly titled 'Truly Tasteless Jokes' swept the nation with their crude and controversial zingers. With comedy that pushed the boundaries of racism and gender, the Truly Tasteless books are a testament to how comedic culture has transformed over time. TASTELESS examines how Ashton Applewhite went from a crude joke author to a feminist activist, how comedy has evolved since the 1980s, and how the dirty...

A real estate agent moves his family out to rural Oregon, where he has high hopes for a potential development. However, it soon becomes clear that the local animals are set on ruining his project one way or another.