By Emily Evans-Miller
Going on vacation? Take a Mascot book with you! Keep reading for some of our funny, compact, and insightful reads, perfect for your trip to the beach.You Can’t Make This Sh*t UpBy Denise MessineoWhy We Love It: When we go on vacation, that last thing we want to think about is work! Though these tales are set in the office, nothing can prepare you for the debauchery ahead. This collection of short, totally true tales is perfect for reading on the go.About the Book:After four decades as an HR executive in corporate America, Denise Messineo has seen it all. She’s mediated conflicts, terminated employments, and bailed people out of jail. In this book, she’s collected her most off-the-wall tales to share. Though she’s changed names and companies to protect the guilty, everything in this collection is real. After all, you can’t make this sh*t up!Dream JobBy JuliAnne MurphyWhy We Love It: Dream Job has it all: steamy romance, business world drama, and a protagonist who learns to love herself. JuliAnne Murphy’s memoir takes the on the ultimate adventure: moving to beautiful, sunny Panama for the perfect job opportunity and making the best of things when they don’t work out the way we planned. About the Book: The job offer was perfect: tropical location, international travel, vibrant lifestyle, the chance to make a real difference. JuliAnne knew this high-powered international dream job in exotic Panama was exactly what her executive career—and marriage—needed. But the dream quickly became a nightmare. Drowning in a sea of untrustworthy people, working a job that took everything she had, and problems in her marriage made her eight-year journey a challenge on every level—one she had no choice but to overcome.Dogging It Through Divorce and BeyondBy Jonathan WagnerWhy We Love It:There are few things we love more than man’s best friend! (Don’t believe us? Meet our mascot, Bowie.) This book is a loving tribute to the positive influence an animal can have on your physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. A truly uplifting read.
About the Book: This book of self-discovery is about much more than a failed marriage. Author Jonathan Wagner shares his journey of moving on and discovering a divine presence in the world with the help of his dogs. A testament to man’s best friend, Dogging It Through Divorce and Beyond is a wonderful exploration of why dogs mean so much to us and the wounds they help heal.Let’s Pretend This is NormalBy Miriam VerheydenWhy We Love It: Miriam’s story is one to which all women can relate: the confusion of her early twenties (What do you want to do? Who do you want to be?), complicated family drama, and an unexpected romance that changes the course of her life. This is a love letter to following your heart, no matter where it takes you! About the Book: Life after high school wasn’t at all how Miriam imagined it. Instead of having big plans and excitement for the future, she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life and struggled to find her purpose. When the man she thought would save her from herself married her sister, she traveled to the Wild West of Canada on a journey of self-discovery and found much more than she bargained for: she fell head-over-heels in love with Richard, a man twenty-five years her senior and a father of four. When she introduced him to her shocked family, they tried to persuade her to leave him. After failing to do so, they did the next best thing: they pretended it was normal. Let’s Pretend This Is Normal is a testament to what can happen when you listen to your heart instead of the opinions of others.Up All Night: From Hollywood Bombshell to Lingerie Mogul, Life Lessons from an Accidental FeministBy: Rhonda ShearWhy We Love It: Funny, raunchy, and 100% true, Up All Night is all about overcoming a world of “no” and staying true to yourself in the face of adversity. It also features some hilarious stories involving celebrities like Gilbert Gottfried, Hugh Hefner, and The Fonz. What’s not to love?About the Book:Slip on your satin pajamas, pull back the covers, and slide into bed with everyone’s favorite late-night bedtime buddy, Rhonda Shear! You know her as the smart-sexy hostess of USA: Up All Night, but did you know she was once a New Orleans beauty queen and even ran for public office?In this funny, naughty, candid book, Rhonda finally shares the unforgettable story of a woman who was always “too something”—too pretty, too funny, too ethnic, too blonde—to achieve anything, but who ended up achieving everything. Rhonda is living proof that when it comes to achieving your dreams, the only voice that matters is your own.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
By Denise Messineo
Why We Love It:
When we go on vacation, that last thing we want to think about is work! Though these tales are set in the office, nothing can prepare you for the debauchery ahead. This collection of short, totally true tales is perfect for reading on the go.
About the Book:
After four decades as an HR executive in corporate America, Denise Messineo has seen it all. She’s mediated conflicts, terminated employments, and bailed people out of jail. In this book, she’s collected her most off-the-wall tales to share. Though she’s changed names and companies to protect the guilty, everything in this collection is real. After all, you can’t make this sh*t up!
Dream Job
By JuliAnne Murphy
Why We Love It:
Dream Job has it all: steamy romance, business world drama, and a protagonist who learns to love herself. JuliAnne Murphy’s memoir takes the on the ultimate adventure: moving to beautiful, sunny Panama for the perfect job opportunity and making the best of things when they don’t work out the way we planned.
About the Book:
The job offer was perfect: tropical location, international travel, vibrant lifestyle, the chance to make a real difference. JuliAnne knew this high-powered international dream job in exotic Panama was exactly what her executive career—and marriage—needed.
But the dream quickly became a nightmare. Drowning in a sea of untrustworthy people, working a job that took everything she had, and problems in her marriage made her eight-year journey a challenge on every level—one she had no choice but to overcome.
Dogging It Through Divorce and Beyond
By Jonathan Wagner
Why We Love It:
There are few things we love more than man’s best friend! (Don’t believe us? Meet our mascot, Bowie.) This book is a loving tribute to the positive influence an animal can have on your physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. A truly uplifting read.
About the Book:
This book of self-discovery is about much more than a failed marriage. Author Jonathan Wagner shares his journey of moving on and discovering a divine presence in the world with the help of his dogs. A testament to man’s best friend, Dogging It Through Divorce and Beyond is a wonderful exploration of why dogs mean so much to us and the wounds they help heal.
Let’s Pretend This is Normal
By Miriam Verheyden
Why We Love It:
Miriam’s story is one to which all women can relate: the confusion of her early twenties (What do you want to do? Who do you want to be?), complicated family drama, and an unexpected romance that changes the course of her life. This is a love letter to following your heart, no matter where it takes you!
About the Book:
Life after high school wasn’t at all how Miriam imagined it. Instead of having big plans and excitement for the future, she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life and struggled to find her purpose. When the man she thought would save her from herself married her sister, she traveled to the Wild West of Canada on a journey of self-discovery and found much more than she bargained for: she fell head-over-heels in love with Richard, a man twenty-five years her senior and a father of four. When she introduced him to her shocked family, they tried to persuade her to leave him. After failing to do so, they did the next best thing: they pretended it was normal. Let’s Pretend This Is Normal is a testament to what can happen when you listen to your heart instead of the opinions of others.
Up All Night: From Hollywood Bombshell to Lingerie Mogul, Life Lessons from an Accidental Feminist
By: Rhonda Shear
Why We Love It:
Funny, raunchy, and 100% true, Up All Night is all about overcoming a world of “no” and staying true to yourself in the face of adversity. It also features some hilarious stories involving celebrities like Gilbert Gottfried, Hugh Hefner, and The Fonz. What’s not to love?
About the Book:
Slip on your satin pajamas, pull back the covers, and slide into bed with everyone’s favorite late-night bedtime buddy, Rhonda Shear! You know her as the smart-sexy hostess of USA: Up All Night, but did you know she was once a New Orleans beauty queen and even ran for public office?
In this funny, naughty, candid book, Rhonda finally shares the unforgettable story of a woman who was always “too something”—too pretty, too funny, too ethnic, too blonde—to achieve anything, but who ended up achieving everything. Rhonda is living proof that when it comes to achieving your dreams, the only voice that matters is your own.