Books Over Drinks with John Kenney

Obituary writer Bud Stanley isn’t really living his best life. He’s fallen into a funk after a divorce. (She left him for another man, who, in fairness, was far more interesting.) He’s not doing his job well. He’s given up on dating. And he’s about to be fired for accidentally publishing his own obituary one mildly drunken night (though technically the company can’t legally fire a dead person). As Bud awaits his fate at work, he does the only logical thing: He goes to the wakes and funerals of total strangers to learn how to live again. If you love Steven Rowley and David Nicholls, you do not want to miss Books Over Drinks with John Kenney for I See You’ve Called In Dead! REVIEWS: “I See You’ve Called in Dead is a riotously funny, poignantly introspective novel that dives headfirst into the absurdity of existence. Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who gets everything wrong—including accidentally publishing his own death notice. From botched blind dates to philosophical musings about life and death, Bud grapples with love, legacy, and the existential (and satirical) weight of being alive. But seriously . . . read this, it is laugh out loud funny. Perfect for fans of dark, heartfelt comedy.” —Weike Wang, author of Rental House “I loved this beautiful book so much I couldn’t put it down. Funny, charming, and so incredibly moving. I even cried. Ugh. John Kenney, what have you done to me?” —Gary Janetti, author of Do You Mind If I Cancel?: (Things That Still Annoy Me) “John Kenney’s I See You’ve Called in Dead will be relatable to anyone who took the Talking Heads to heart and woke up thinking ‘How did I get here?’ His novel manages both heartbreaking loss and hilarious observational humor, while giving us a glimpse at the human condition, its unpredictable fleeting ecstasies, warts and all.” —Annabelle Gurwitch, author of The End of My Life Is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker “Wise, wry, and heartfelt, I See You Called in Dead is the most life-affirming novel about death you’ll ever read—and possibly the funniest. Kenney takes his hero, a middle-aged obituary writer in a rut, on a bumpy odyssey toward understanding that grief and joy are inextricably linked, and to try to separate them is to miss out on truly living. I adored this book!” —Jane Roper, author of The Society of Shame “John Kenney has the remarkable ability to write characters that are at once hilariously absurd, charming, deeply flawed, cringe-worthy, lovable and just so . . . human. I See You’ve Called in Dead is all of those things . . . All this is to say, I woke my whole family up laughing—dogs included.” —Liz Astrof, author of Stay-at-Work Mom: Marriage, Kids, and Other Disasters and producer of The King of Queens ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Kenney is the bestselling author of two novels and four books of poetry, including Talk to Me, Love Poems for Married People, Love Poems for People with Children, and Love Poems for Anxious People. His first novel, Truth In Advertising, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He is a longtime contributor to The New Yorker magazine’s Shouts & Murmurs column. He lives in Larchmont, New York, with his wife, Lissa, a therapist, and two children, whose names currently escape him. Never been to Books Over Drinks? Your ticket includes entry to the event, a signed copy of the featured book, and a signature cocktail/mocktail.