Showing results by publisher "Hodder & Stoughton" in Comedy & Humour

Janey has been a determined fighter all her life - from her tough Glasgow childhood to becoming the much-loved comedian she is now. It was the strength she needed to survive as a sweary-mouthed woman in the male-dominated comedy clubs of the 1990s. At the end of the long sell-out tour which followed she received the devastating news she had ovarian cancer. Her future hung in the balance, but even in treatment, a new tour went ahead, called Not Dead Yet. Janey now faces her fears head on and shares the tumultuous journey she's on, continuing to find humour even in her darkest moments.

Mostly true stories by the irrepressible star of the hit Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. There comes a time in every actress' life when she is faced with the prospect of writing a book. Ellie Kemper, the star of hit Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, first gained attention with a one-woman show, Feeling Sad/Mad, at the UCB Theatre in New York, founded by a comedy troupe that counted Amy Poehler, among others, in its ranks. Kemper's popularity exponentially grew with a regular role in the US version of The Office, followed by appearances in the highly successful Bridesmaids and 21 Jump Street.

For people who happen to be parents (or might be soon). Because for every turdy nappy you sadly deposit into a gag-reflex-inducing bin, there's a moment that's less sh*t around the corner. This is not a audiobook that will help you grow (or raise) a human successfully. But this is a book that might, if you're not too emotionally battered - and can see through the permanent eye twitch - help you laugh a little more than you cry. But that's not guaranteed.

Father of two Joe Clarke is about seventy-eight per cent sure he's just had an affair. After all that is the hopelessly attractive office intern in bed next to him, isn't it? But then again if he did have an affair why can't he remember anything at all about the night in question? Mortified by his mistake Joe vows to be a better man, but when his adored wife Penny puts two and two together and leaves him, things start to take a turn for the decidedly strange.

Driven by money, power and success, Gabriel has worked ruthlessly to get to the very top of the banking game. He's not going to let the inconvenience of a terminal brain tumour get in his way. But the tumour has other ideas. As it grows, it appears to be doing strange things to Gabriel's personality. Whether he likes it or not, he seems to be becoming less selfish, less mercenary, less unlikeable. Once he could dismiss the rest of humanity as irrelevant. Now he's not so sure.

Sometimes, the hardest part of finding love is keeping a straight face... For Jamie Newman, being a single guy isn't proving to be much fun, especially when confronted with a sexually belligerent divorcee and a goddess so far out of his league she might as well be a different species. Mind you, being a girl in search of love isn't a bowl of cherries either.

God is a tough audience as far as audible response is concerned, but at least you don't have to explain the references. In this collection of prayers, much-loved comedian, broadcaster and radio host Frank Skinner has tried to retain the bare candour of the rehearsal-room improvisation - to show what faith feels like, from the inside - but infused it with all the production values required to make it a passable public entertainment. In it are his convictions, his questions, his fears, his doubts, his elations - all presented in an eavesdropper-friendly form.

Mark is going on the trip of a lifetime: a summer touring Europe in the pay of the travel company he works for. For his plus one, he turns to his idolised cousin, Paris. Everything Mark's not, Paris is a man of the world with a thirst for adventure - even his name is better than Mark's. But after a catastrophic argument, Mark finds himself setting off alone on his voyage, instead emailing an unresponsive Paris from the road.

Milly isn't okay, but she looks it online. But everyone lies about their lives on Instagram, don't they? One day, sick of all the pretence, Milly creates Mizzenial, a new channel inspired by the straight-talking magazines of her childhood. But even here, she still can't quite admit how lonely she really is. Can she take her own advice, finally open up and start to move on?

Johnny is 19. He likes music, art and going to the beach. He is also autistic - in his case that means he will probably never get a job, never have a girlfriend, never leave home. And over the last 19 years this is what his father, TV producer and comedy writer Henry Normal and his wife Angela have been trying to come to terms with. This is a book for anyone whose life has been touched by autism - it's about the hope, the despair, and the messy, honest sometimes comical day-to-day world of autism, as well as a wonderful, warm book about the unconditional, unconventional love between a father, a mother and a son.

When her post office burns down, postmistress Véronique starts lobbying for its replacement. But her fellow residents of the small commune of Fogas in the French Pyrenees are too preoccupied to rally to her cause.Mayor Serge Papon, overwhelmed by grief at the death of his wife, has lost his joie de vivre and all taste for village politics (and croissants) and it seems as though deputy mayor Christian (whose tendresse for Véronique makes him her usual champion) will soon be saying au revoir to the mountain community.

When Alex pulls up to meet 'Max', he expects everything but a 90-year-old lady who has her heart set on getting to Brussels by carpool. As for 'Max', who is actually called Maxine, she could not be more ill at ease when settling into the seat next to this young man with bloodshot eyes. When it becomes clear that Maxine is suffering from Alzheimer's and wants to take matters into her own hands while she still can, and that Alex battles severe depression, a wonderful friendship starts to form between the unlikely pair. Before long, their travel plans take an unexpected turn.

Written by Grazia magazine's Features Director, this is a novel about a woman who is trying, and so far failing, to conceive. A hugely funny, searingly honest comedy about what to expect when you're not expecting. Olivia and Felix are trying for a baby. They even moved to the suburbs in anticipation of their future family. But despite approaching her cycle and their sex life with military precision, there's still no sign of what felt like the sure next step, whilst friends' broods seem to be growing by the week.

Amy has her entire life planned out: marry her fiancé Josh, move out of their London flat and live happily ever after in the countryside. There's just one problem - Amy and Josh haven't had sex in 180 days. She's counted. So when Josh's family decide to throw them a surprise wedding, Amy scrambles to cross everything off her to-do list... including Josh. With the help of a glass of red wine (or two), Amy steps out of her star-patterned pyjamas and into a world of too-tight lingerie and sex-positive affirmations.

Star-crossed lovers. Naughty Greeks getting up to mischief in the woods. Scottish kings losing their minds. Young men with daddy issues. Dads who just need some positive affirmation from their daughters*. (*Okay, that's maybe putting it a bit mildly) But when Imogen brings 14 amateur actors together to perform one of the Bard's great works in a bid to save their local community centre, it becomes apparent that she - or anyone who reads this book for that matter - will never see Shakespeare's greatest works in the same light again...

Meet Frankie Marks: the world's least likely fashion PR. She doesn't know the first thing about designers, she's always hungry, and she can't learn to think before she speaks. When Frankie lands a job at the prestigious GGC agency, her friends and family can't believe it - least of all her long-suffering boyfriend James. Frankie quickly realises she must fight with everything she's got to survive life behind the scenes of the glamorous and chaotic industry - with its eccentric characters, towering expectations, and quite frankly ridiculous requests.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune will probably be verified on social media. The characters of Pride and Prejudice are navigating the same struggles on unfamiliar channels—social media channels, to be precise. When authors Claire McGowan and Sarah Day imagined how Pride and Prejudice on social media might look, retelling the story through mocked-up social media posts, their post instantly went viral.

It's Krystal's 29th birthday. This year: Her boyfriend finally proposed after six years of dating (only for her to find out he cheated on her for five and a half of them). She landed her dream job as a writer at Craze magazine (which swiftly fell into administration). She moved into her dream flat overlooking the city (just for the pipes to explode making the place unlivable) As she mourns everything wrong in her life, her best friend mutters the dreaded words: Saturn Return.

For fans of The Help and The Invention of Wings, a searing and sweeping debut novel that gives a new and unforgettable perspective on modern-day domestic workers. Set in the blistering heat of Singapore, The Maid's Room follows the lives of two Filipina maids - sisters Dolly and Tala - who are working hard to send money back home and British expat Jules, who has left her job as a midwife to move to Singapore with husband David.

YouTuber, social media star and real-life teenager Saffron Barker tells it like it is for people her age in this diary of her not so perfect life.... In a world of airbrushing and perfectly constructed social media lives, one girl is battling to make it through completely unfiltered (well, almost). Immerse yourself in Saffron Barker's wonderful, comical and often challenging universe as she slays her teenage years with flair and enthusiasm (sometimes).