New Releases by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

What can you say about an ordinary life? Well, quite a lot actually. Most of us live them, complain about them, worry, laugh and cry about them. IN a world saturated with stories of the extraordinary lives we aren''t living, Amy Krouse Rosenthal''s Encyclopaedia of an Ordinary Life is a delightful celebration of the just plain ordinary, in all its glory. ANXIOUS, THINGS THAT MAKE ME Tran Schedules (. . . even after I''ve confirmed there''s an 8.06, I''ll pull the crinkly little schedule out of my bag and check one more time. And then, as the final coup de grace, I''ll turn to some guy waiting on the platform and ask, ''You''re waiting for the 8.06, right?''). . . BROTHER My brother, who grew up with three sisters, was I won''t say how many years old when he finally realised that he did not have to wrap a towel around his chest when he came out of the shower. OPINION, FRAGILE FOUNDATION OF STRONG The two people laughing and drinking and carrying on at the next table are annoying, stupid, childishly conspiring, and clearly beneath you, until they invite you over to join them.

A memoir in bite-size chunks from the author of the viral Modern Love column “You May Want to Marry My Husband.” “[Rosenthal] shines her generous light of humanity on the seemingly humdrum moments of life and shows how delightfully precious they actually are.” —The Chicago Sun-Times How do you conjure a life? Give the truest account of what you saw, felt, learned, loved, strived for? For Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the surprising answer came in the form of an encyclopedia. In Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life she has ingeniously adapted this centuries-old format for conveying knowledge into a poignant, wise, often funny, fully realized memoir. Using mostly short entries organized from A to Z, many of which are cross-referenced, Rosenthal captures in wonderful and episodic detail the moments, observations, and emotions that comprise a contemporary life. Start anywhere—preferably at the beginning—and see how one young woman’s alphabetized existence can open up and define the world in new and unexpected ways. An ordinary life, perhaps, but an extraordinary book.

Start this at birth, wrap it up at eighteen, fill it out each year in between. This is not anything like a baby book. It''s a birthday book! It was born from the simple idea that birthdays provide the perfect annual opportunity to preserve a sweet moment in time as your child changes from year to year. So it''s a multi-layered confection: annual touchstone, cherished ritual, and eternal keepsake. This journal provides fun, fast, and casual birthday activities for ages 1-18 as well as space to stick birthday photos and a random picture from each year, amusing and thought-provoking questions to ask your kid, and a time-capsule envelope for stashing away odds and ends (artwork, school papers, hand tracings, birthday cards, invitations, and other memorabilia). From toddler hood to young adulthood to every hood in between, you''ll return to the same four activities for each birthday. The questions prompts, and tone may shift each year, but the essence intentionally remains intact.

Contained in the familiar pleather checkbook holder, Karma Checks consists of two separate booklets–one for Good Karma and one for Bad Karma. The checks are preprinted with messages that apply to common daily scenarios. Good Karma Checks are intended for acknowledging positive moments (receiving an unsolicited favor, being served by a waiter who doesn''t rush the table, having an excellent conversation with a stranger), while Bad Karma Checks are for admonishing bad behavior (talking loudly on a cell phone in a public place, chatting during a movie, stealing a parking spot). Fun to fill out and eminently practical, the Good Karma Checks are perfect for leaving on a recipient''s desk or tucking into a thank-you note. If you aren''t feeling bold enough to actually issue a Bad Karma Check, at least you''ll have the satisfaction of glaring at the perpetrator as you privately write one out! 60 pages, 6 3/8 x 3 5/8 inches

Sometimes life just doesn’t seem fair. Have you ever had a day when . . . your favorite pants shrunk in the wash? your best friend was being a beast? you were too short to go on the best ride? no one would listen to you? Well, take heart—you’re not alone. Everyone has one of those days sometimes. And even if you bowled gutter balls or your nice sweater made you itchy, at least there’s a bright side—a brand-new day is waiting for you tomorrow, and you can laugh at those days when they’re over.

"The first pregnancy journal devoted 100 percent to you and your growing belly, The belly book is organized by trimester and includes pages for ''time lapse'' belly photos and ultrasound images, as well as prompts for writing about morning sickness, cravings, maternity clothes you never want to see again, plus much more"--P. [4] of cover.

October 1993