A version of the Cinderella story from the point of view of one of the ugly stepsisters, in this case young Iris, who blossoms into an interesting person in her own right, even as the beautiful Clara wins the hand of the prince.

The story of Snow White and the dwarfs is re-enacted in 17th-century Tuscany, where little Bianca, cruelly treated by her foster family (the Borgias) and abandoned in the woods, finds a home with the seven dwarfs--who, in this version, are actually strange, semi-human creatures. There is also a missing eighth dwarf.

Noah's wife begins his story, revealing that her ancient husband (there's a 500-year age difference) is distant, domineering, and downright unpleasant. When he gets the call from God to build an ark and save humanity from the coming flood, the family reacts in a variety of ways, and the narrative bounces back and forth between them. It's his sons, of course, who have to do the work of shipbuilding, and it's his disgruntled daughters-in-law who have to track down all the animal species and herd them into the ark. Then there's the ordeal of living in close quarters with the animals, all of whom have to be fed and cared for. His long-suffering family reluctantly has to admit that Noah was right--not crazy--but the experience takes its toll on them all as they try to please both Noah and God. David Maine reimagines the familiar Biblical tale from a modern perspective, humanizing all the participants and making the story vivid and new.

Humorist and actor Steve Martin writes a novel about Mirabelle, who works at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. A lonely businessman falls for her, and Martin charts the rocky progress of their relationship with insight, compassion, and perfect comic timing.

Steve Martin's comic novella stars a madly obsessive-compulsive guy named Daniel who can't hold a job because he's too busy turning the lights off and on, fantasizing about a real-estate broker, and touching a corner of every one of the copiers at the local Kinko's.