Books like 'Counting Backwards'
Readers who enjoyed Counting Backwards by Binnie Kirshenbaum also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary horror literary-fiction medical satire humor family
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The 2016 R.L. Mathewson Chronicle Collection by R.L. Mathewson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe 2016 R.L. Mathewson Chronicle collection with bonus material that wasn't originally published online. 2016 was an interesting year, a very busy year, as well as one where I didn't get the chance to do everything that I wanted with the Chronicles. I wanted to continue several of the Chronicle series as well as add a few for special occasions so that is where this year's Chronicle collection... -
![Every Sin We Erase by J.E. Parker]()
Every Sin We Erase by J.E. Parker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt all started when I stole his wallet... Before I tell you my story, there’s something you should know. My life—it wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. At eighteen, I had dreams: go to college, become a nurse, create a better life for my family. But then I was taken by the cartel. Now, years later, I’ve been forced to become the one thing I swore never to be... -
![The Undead Day Three by R.R. Haywood]()
The Undead Day Three by R.R. Haywood
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy name is Howie. I was named after my father Howard, but it became too confusing to have two Howards, so I became Howie. I am 27 years old and I work as a night's manager in a supermarket.I will tell you what happened.On Friday the world fell apart. A zombie infestation has ravaged Europe... -
![Cemetery Nights by Stephen Dobyns]()
Cemetery Nights by Stephen Dobyns
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the fabulous storytelling of our dreams to the mute passions of domestic life, Stephen Dobyns explores a full range of human experience in these narrative poems... -
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![The Garbage Times/White Ibis: Two Novellas by Sam Pink, Tom Fria]()
The Garbage Times/White Ibis: Two Novellas by Sam Pink, Tom Fria
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the freezing alleys of Chicago to the dew-blanketed bayou of Florida. From bouncing drunks and cleaning up puke to biking through the swamp laughing at peacocks. Freeze to thaw. Filth and broken glass and black water backed up in showers; lizards and Girl Scouts and themed birthday parties... -
![The Semplica-Girl Diaries (short story) by George Saunders]()
The Semplica-Girl Diaries (short story) by George Saunders
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNovelette, Free online fiction.From newyorker.com“The Semplica-Girl Diaries” deals with a family in a not-too-distant future (or perhaps an alternate present or past?) that is struggling to keep up with the Joneses—which, in this society, means leasing some unusual garden ornaments... -
![The Buying of Lot 37 by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor]()
The Buying of Lot 37 by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the authors of the New York Times bestselling novels It Devours! and Welcome to Night Vale and the creators of the #1 international podcast of the same name, comes a collection of episodes from Season Three of their hit podcast, featuring an introduction by the authors, a foreword by Dessa, behind-the-scenes commentary, and original illustrations... -
![Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang]()
Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsSly, surprising, and razor-sharp, Natural Beauty follows a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost.Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution... -
![The Ice Cream Man and Other Stories by Sam Pink]()
The Ice Cream Man and Other Stories by Sam Pink
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Pink is a keen observer of the culture of minimum-wage jobs and low-rent studio apartments that is the reality of life for all those who don't find a cog space in today's hyper-capitalist economy." —The GuardianIt was maybe the first job I'd ever had where people were happy to see me. An odd feeling indeed, to wield this kind of power. To be this kind of force... -
![Secrets & Spies by Sienna Mercer]()
Secrets & Spies by Sienna Mercer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA funny, super-girly story with a vampire bite to it. Sink your teeth into Olivia and Ivy’s fifteenth fright-time adventure.There’s always a lot of stuff to keep hidden in Franklin Grove (like, um, the fact that vampires exist), but suddenly everyone seems to have gone into Secrecy Overdrive!Ivy’s sure that new girl Maya is up to something, and it involves Ivy’s boyfriend, Brendan . . -
![Sredni Vashtar and Other Stories by Saki]()
Sredni Vashtar and Other Stories by Saki
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBorn in Burma in 1870, Scottish writer H.H. Munro (his pseudonym is from FitzGerald's Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam) satirized the social conventions, cruelty and foolishness of the Edwardian era with a highly readable blend of flippant humor and outrageous inventiveness, often overlaid with a mood of horror... -
![Fashion Frightmare! by Sienna Mercer]()
Fashion Frightmare! by Sienna Mercer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe twins' 16th adventure finds them sleuthing with styleThe Café Creative fashion show is just around the corner, and everyone who's anyone is ready to strike a pose. Everyone except Ivy, that is. Modeling is her worst nightmare! Twin sister Olivia is there to lend a hand. But soon strutting down the catwalk is the least of their worries, when a priceless accessory goes missing... -
![Rontel by Sam Pink]()
Rontel by Sam Pink
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the author of 'person' and 'the ice cream man and other stories.' Follow our narrator as he attempts to make it to the end of a journey most magical... -
![No-one Ever Has Sex on Holiday by Tracy Bloom]()
No-one Ever Has Sex on Holiday by Tracy Bloom
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGet ready to enjoy your first holiday abroad with small children. Highlights include: being woken at 5 every morning and working a gruelling day in unbearable heat chasing kids around the pool with a bottle of sunscreen. Added features: screaming during mealtimes and toddlers moaning about sand... -
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![The Wrong Boy by Willy Russell]()
The Wrong Boy by Willy Russell
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe hilarious, bittersweet novel from the playwright behind EDUCATING RITA, SHIRLEY VALENTINE and award-winning musical BLOOD BROTHERS.Dear Morrissey,I'm feeling dead depressed and down. Like a streetlamp without a bulb or a goose at the onset of Christmas time.Anyroad, I thought I'd pen a few lines to someone who'd understand...It's 1991...Categorized as:
humor literary-fiction action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age contemporary fiction -
![The Amateurs: A Novel by John Niven]()
The Amateurs: A Novel by John Niven
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“Brilliant.” —GQ "Hilarious.” — The Times (London) “A novel about golf that is not only hilarious, but gripping, sexy, violent, and outrageous. . . . Niven combines his increasingly bizarre plots, and some shocking behavior, with considerable skill and, of course, large helpings of humor... -
![Terms May Apply by Keith A. Pearson]()
Terms May Apply by Keith A. Pearson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat would you give for a wish to come true? Your left arm? Your most cherished possession? Your last crumb of integrity?Kyle Hammond is suffering a surprise birthday party he really didn’t want. As he blows out the candles on his cake, he makes a token wish. Three days later, to his utter astonishment, that wish comes true... -
![The Portable Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde]()
The Portable Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIncludes the following works: Novels—The Portrait of Dorian Gray; Plays—Salome and The Importance of Being Earnest; Writings—De Profundis, Critic as Artist, and Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Very Young; and selections from Lady Windermere's Fan, An Ideal Husband, and A Woman of No Importance... -
![Oddjobs by Heide Goody, Iain Grant]()
Oddjobs by Heide Goody, Iain Grant
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt’s the end of the world as we know it, but someone still needs to do the paperwork. Incomprehensible horrors from beyond are going to devour our world but that’s no excuse to get all emotional about it. Morag Murray works for the secret government organisation responsible for making sure the apocalypse goes as smoothly and as quietly as possible... -
![Person by Sam Pink]()
Person by Sam Pink
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsYou see him at the liquor store. You see him at the bus stop, trying to look at you without being seen. Who is he? He is a person. In this debut novel, a person walks around Chicago contemplating the possibility of starving to death on purpose. He has sex with his neighbor. He goes out to look for a job but just buys little plastic dogs from homeless people instead... -
![The Divine Farce by Michael S.A. Graziano]()
The Divine Farce by Michael S.A. Graziano
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“A Dante/Beckett reduction of human struggle to its lowest common denominator.”— Michael Mirolla, author of The Formal Logic of Emotion and Berlin“One of the most original and thought-provoking stories I have ever read...true literary art...Not a word is wasted in this masterpiece. Yes, I call it that... -
![The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories by Jamil Jan Kochai]()
The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories by Jamil Jan Kochai
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA luminous meditation on sons and fathers, ghosts of war, and living history that moves between modern-day Afghanistan and the Afghan diaspora... -
![Love and Hydrogen: New and Selected Stories by Jim Shepard]()
Love and Hydrogen: New and Selected Stories by Jim Shepard
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI’ve been a problem baby, a lousy son, a distant brother, an off-putting neighbor, a piss-poor student, a worrisome seatmate, an unreliable employee, a bewildering lover, a frustrating confidante and a crappy husband. Among the things I do pretty well at this point I’d have to list darts, re-closing Stay-Fresh boxes, and staying out of the way...Categorized as:
humor literary-fiction satire adult anthologies contemporary fiction historical-fiction -
![Blinding by Mircea Cărtărescu]()
Blinding by Mircea Cărtărescu
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsPart visceral dream-memoir, part fictive journey through a hallucinatory Bucharest, Mircea Cărtărescu's BLINDING was one of the most widely heralded literary sensations in contemporary Romania, and a bestseller from the day of its release... -
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![The Origin of the Brunists by Robert Coover]()
The Origin of the Brunists by Robert Coover
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOriginally published in 1966 and now back in print after over a decade, Robert Coover's first novel instantly established his mastery. A coal-mine explosion in a small mid-American town claims ninety-seven lives. The only survivor, a lapsed Catholic given to mysterious visions, is adopted as a doomsday prophet by a group of small-town mystics... -
![A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers]()
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsFood critic Dorothy Daniels loves what she does. Discerning, meticulous, and very, very smart, Dorothy’s clear mastery of the culinary arts make it likely that she could, on any given night, whip up a more inspired dish than any one of the chefs she writes about... -
![Precious and the Boo Hag by Patricia C. McKissack, Onawumi Jean Moss]()
Precious and the Boo Hag by Patricia C. McKissack, Onawumi Jean Moss
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Precious is left home alone with a stomachache, she's got nothing but a warning from Mama -- "Don't let nothing or nobody into this house" -- to keep her company. You see, "nothing or nobody" could turn out to be something awful: the Boo Hag! The Boo Hag's got a voice that rumbles like thunder and hair that shoots out like lightning. And she can disguise herself to look like anything... -
![Rose's Run by Dawn Dumont, Daniel Grenier]()
Rose's Run by Dawn Dumont, Daniel Grenier
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRose Okanese, a single mother with two kids, has been pushed into a corner by Rez citizens to claim some self-respect, and decides that the fastest way to do that is to run the reserve’s annual marathon. Though Rose hasn’t run in twenty years, smokes, and initially has little motivation, she announces her intention to run the race... -
![Baby Hater by C.V. Hunt]()
Baby Hater by C.V. Hunt
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA novelette about an unlikely superhero... -
![Before and Ever Since by Sharla Lovelace]()
Before and Ever Since by Sharla Lovelace
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFans of Jodi Thomas and Lori Wilde will love this sparkling romance from Sharla Lovelace, the bestselling author of Just One Day and The Reason Is You. Emily Lockwood has her hands full with a stubbornly independent daughter, an ex-husband who sometimes tests her patience, and a mother who often does... -
![Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell]()
Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the Pulitzer Finalist and universally beloved author of the New York Times best sellers Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove, a stunning new collection of short fiction that showcases Karen Russell's extraordinary, irresistible gifts of language and imagination... -
![Angel Dust Apocalypse by Jeremy Robert Johnson]()
Angel Dust Apocalypse by Jeremy Robert Johnson
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMeth-heads, man-made monsters, and murderous Neo-Nazis. Blissed out club kids dying at the speed of sound. The un-dead and the very soon-to-be-dead. They're all here, trying to claw their way free...Categorized as:
literary-fiction medical adult anthologies apocalyptic contemporary fiction graphic-violence -
![Sticky Fingers by J.T. Lawrence]()
Sticky Fingers by J.T. Lawrence
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDiverse, dark-humoured, and deliciously bite-sized, this compelling collection of 12 short stories by JT Lawrence include:'Escape' -- a story about about a suicidal baby who knows he was born into the wrong life, and has to get creative to take measures correct the mistake, much to his mother¹s horror... -
![Observatory Mansions by Edward Carey, محمد غفوری]()
Observatory Mansions by Edward Carey, محمد غفوری
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOnce the Orme family’s magnificent ancestral estate, Observatory Mansions is now a crumbling apartment complex, home to an eccentric group of misfits. One of them is Francis Orme, who earns his livelihood as a living statue. When not practicing “inner and outer stillness,” Francis steals the cherished possessions of others to add to his private museum... -
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![The Paper Doorway: Funny Verse and Nothing Worse by Dean Koontz]()
The Paper Doorway: Funny Verse and Nothing Worse by Dean Koontz
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFollowing the success of Santa's Twin, Koontz presents a richly imaginative book of poems with fanciful black-and-white drawings that take readers on a romp through the twists and turns of the imagination... -
![The Bizarro Starter Kit (blue) by Steve Aylett, Bradley Sands]()
The Bizarro Starter Kit (blue) by Steve Aylett, Bradley Sands
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThere's a new genre rising from the underground. Its name: BIZARRO. For years, readers have been asking for a category of fiction dedicated to the weird, crazy, cult side of storytelling that has become a staple in the film industry (with directors such as David Lynch, Takashi Miike, Tim Burton, and even Lloyd Kaufman) but has been largely ignored in the literary world, until now... -
![How Best to Avoid Dying by Owen Egerton]()
How Best to Avoid Dying by Owen Egerton
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratings[i]Lazarus Dying[/i]: the man Jesus raised from the dead is alive and living in New York City. [i]The Fecalist[/i]: an author whose best selling work is his latest poop. [i]Christmas[/i]: she loves you, you love her, she has a gun in your mouth. Welcome to the award-winning short fiction of Owen Egerton... -
![Negrophobia by Darius James]()
Negrophobia by Darius James
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvery racial stereotype is brought to life in this wry and raucous debut by James, a cutting-edge African American writer with an already established underground reputation. "By far the best novel to emerge from New York's Lower East Side literary scene".--Kirkus... -
![The Wine Club by Laurie Lisa]()
The Wine Club by Laurie Lisa
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBe ready to get hooked, with The Wine Club.Most people can’t tell a good wine from a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck.At least that’s what best friends Reggie and Audrey decide one night while celebrating their daughters’ election to the elite Mohave High Tigerette Pom Squad. But cheerleading in Scottsdale Arizona doesn’t come cheap, and both women are strapped for cash and going through a rough patch... -
![Only Americans Burn in Hell by Jarett Kobek]()
Only Americans Burn in Hell by Jarett Kobek
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA hilarious and unmissable provocation about the death spiral of the WestWhat if you were a novelist in a world where the only media people consumed was spectacular pornography about war with titles like Wonder Woman and Captain America? What if your country had elected as its leader a shameless millionaire who was stealing your money... -
![The Cliffs: A novel by J. Courtney Sullivan]()
The Cliffs: A novel by J. Courtney Sullivan
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house, lavender with gingerbread trim, a home that contains a century’s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family fiction historical-fiction contemporary gothic womens-fiction season-summer -
![Vantage Point by Sara Sligar]()
Vantage Point by Sara Sligar
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSuccession meets Megan Abbott in this seductive Gothic suspense novel about the dramatic downfall of one of America’s most affluent families.The old-money Wieland family has it all—wealth, status, power. They’re also famously cursed. Clara and her brother Teddy grew up on a small island in Maine in the shadow of their parents’ tragic deaths, haunted by rumors and paparazzi... -
![Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer]()
Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsBad Moms meets My Best Friend's Exorcism in this comedic horror novel about a group of women in the Chicago burbs, whose cul-de-sac gets a new neighbor: a demon. Amy Foster considers herself lucky. After she left the city and moved to the suburbs, she found her place quickly with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, snarking together from the outskirts of the PTA crowd... -
![The Life of Insects by Victor Pelevin]()
The Life of Insects by Victor Pelevin
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSet in a crumbling Soviet Black Sea resort, The Life of Insects with its motley cast of characters who exist simultaneously as human beings (racketeers, mystics, drug addicts and prostitutes) and as insects, extended the surreal comic range for which Pelevin's first novel Omon Ra was acclaimed by critics... -
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![Liquor by Poppy Z. Brite]()
Liquor by Poppy Z. Brite
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNew Orleans natives Rickey and G-man are lifetime friends and down-and-out line cooks desperate to make a quick buck. When Rickey concocts the idea of opening a restaurant in their alcohol-loving hometown where every dish packs a spirited punch, they know they're on their way to the bank... -
![The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns]()
The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIn their idyllic garden, Gertrude and Bernard forge a perfect triangle of friendship with Bella, the scarred mother of an illegitimate child. Then Gertrude conceives the child which has long eluded her, and the spell breaks into foreboding, menace and madness... -
![Broken: A Novel by Daniel Clay]()
Broken: A Novel by Daniel Clay
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsUntil that fateful afternoon, Skunk Cunningham had been a normal little girl, playing on the curb in front of her house. Rick Buckley had been a normal geeky teenager, hosing off his brand-new car. Bob Oswald had been a normal sociopathic single father of five slutty daughters, charging furiously down the sidewalk...Categorized as:
family humor literary-fiction audiobook bildungsroman book coming-of-age contemporary -
![Up Jumps the Devil by Michael Poore]()
Up Jumps the Devil by Michael Poore
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“The sustained comedy in this hilarious novel is equaled only by its heart, and the myriad ways there are for it to break. I love this book. Michael Poore writes like an angel... -
![Stay Up With Me: Stories by Tom Barbash]()
Stay Up With Me: Stories by Tom Barbash
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn the tradition of classic short stories by John Cheever and Tobias Wolff, those in Tom Barbash's evocative collection explore the myriad ways we try to connect to one another and to the sometimes cruel world around us. The newly single mother in "The Break" interferes with her son's love life over his Christmas vacation from college...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family fiction contemporary anthologies horror action-adventure marriage -
![Spider Kiss by Harlan Ellison]()
Spider Kiss by Harlan Ellison
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe claims he's not a fan of rock-and-roll, but somehow Harlan Ellison's seminal novel based on the career of Jerry Lee Lewis ended up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One of the first -- and still one of the best -- dissections of the wildly destructive rock-and-roll lifestyle, Spider Kiss isn't about giant cockroaches that attack Detroit or space invaders that smell like chicken soup...
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