This novel about a cowboy clown is wild, luxurious and absurd
There's funny haha, there's funny weird, and, it turns out, there's also 'funny yikes,' as 29-year-old clown Cherry Hendricks tells us in Kristen Arnett's latest novel, 'Stop Me If You've Heard This One.' Cherry describes her estranged relationship with her mother as follows: 'Sometimes it's funny to consider the fact that if I were a mother, I'd probably be just like her. Not funny haha, though; more like funny yikes.'
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Buzz Feed
5 days ago
- Buzz Feed
Funny And Relatable Tweets About Airport Security
Airport security is no doubt a very serious matter. TSA checkpoints and guidelines are in place to keep us all safe as we fly. But as the rules and technology have evolved, the passenger experience going through security has inevitably led to some hilarious moments. The funny folks of Twitter think so, anyway. We've rounded up 31 funny and relatable tweets about the airport security process, from strange searches to bizarre passenger behavior and more. to the woman who took a bite out of her chapstick in the airport security line: why you did that — Kristen Arnett (@Kristen_Arnett) November 21, 2018 i dont simply go through airport security. i have a goal. i want everyone in line to be blown away by my efficiency. i want to be celebrated as i push my belongings across the table. i want TSA to offer me a job (i'll decline). i want people talking about me at their gate. glory. — shelby wolstein (@ShelbyWolstein) April 26, 2022 I think when I finally die and go to hell its just going to be a constant loop of waiting in the airport security line hungover — Jamie Fline (@allidois_flynn) September 2, 2019 I hope the TSA agent who made me open my sandwich and 'move the pickles around' feels super stupid. In the end it was a sandwich. — Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) September 19, 2022 TSA agent: do you have anything in your back pockets? me: nah girl that's all me — tracy clayton jr the 3rd (@brokeymcpoverty) November 9, 2017 The most zen place in the airport is the 'get your shit together' bench after going through security — Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) January 13, 2019 TSA Agent: Anything sharp or dangerous in here? Me: Only if you fear the written word 😏 😏 *finger guns* TSA: 😐 Me: 😬 TSA: 🤨 Me: No, ma'am, nothing sharp or dangerous. — Lesley Nneka Arimah (@larimah) March 29, 2018 Since they're scanning me anyway, sometimes I wish airport security would just tell me how my bone density is doing — Atsuko Okatsuka (@AtsukoComedy) March 29, 2018 I can help you get through airport security 30% faster - just get in any line other than the one I am in. — 〰 Just Linda 〰 (@LindaInDisguise) December 7, 2017 can't stop thinking about the time I watched a woman try to put her dog through the airport security scanner and the tsa agent picked it up and was like 'ma'am no' — sloane (sîpihkopiyesîs) (@cottoncandaddy) July 1, 2019 TSA checking baggages the day before Valentine's: — ✨️💫🖤Beloved🖤💫✨️ (@MoonGoddess_86) February 7, 2022 TSA: Girl [with pierced nipples]: sorry I have my nipples pierced TSA: the metal detector didn't even go off- Girl: it didn't even hurt as much as you'd think — 1984's George Whorewell (@EwdatsGROSS) April 4, 2019 TSA just unpacked a man's bag and revealed it was 50% potatoes, is there no privacy in this world — worms cited (@christapeterso) May 23, 2021 Avoided saying 'You too' after the TSA guy told me to have a nice flight — Elspeth Eastman (@ElspethEastman) December 7, 2017 Me: Excuse me sir, can you please forward my X-ray and breast exam results to my doctor Airport security:... — Saucy Kensington (@Book_Krazy) August 11, 2014 just used TSA PreCheck for the first time & now this is a pic of me — Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) October 24, 2017 ppl who go through airport security w naked, unsocked feet: HOW??!!! y'all just put your feet on the lil yellow things and soak up the foot juices of THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE??? — tracy clayton jr the 3rd (@brokeymcpoverty) September 9, 2019 tsa agent: sorry you can only board with 3.4 oz of liquid or less me: ok just toss it out then Kool Aid Man: *dressed in tommy bahama* babe what — jo (@whatsJo) November 27, 2021 me before going through security at airport: what if i accidentally have a gun — Natalie (@jbfan911) June 21, 2019 Probably the hottest thing a person can do is move efficiently through the TSA security line. — Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) February 28, 2015 Apparently when TSA asks if you have any fluids, "In my bladder" is not an appropriate response. — Fishy Snowboarder (@FishySnowborder) April 6, 2014
USA Today
28-03-2025
- USA Today
New books to read: 15 March releases, from new 'Hunger Games' to shocking tell-alls
New books to read: 15 March releases, from new 'Hunger Games' to shocking tell-alls March was a big month in the publishing world. Between a new 'Hunger Games' book, a highly-anticipated nonfiction title from John Green and the third book in Tracy Deonn's BookTok sensation 'Legendborn' series, readers are booked and busy. And there are plenty of new celebrity memoirs and biographies to indulge your curiosity, including 'Yoko' by David Sheff, Graydon Carter's memoir and a new 'Bangles' deep dive. What are you in the mood to read next? We pulled together 15 of our favorites to keep your TBR well-stocked. New books: What to read next from March From sprawling family dramas and eerie dystopian novels to romance and new literary fiction, there's something for every reader on this list of March new releases. All of these books are out and available for you to buy at a bookstore near you. For a look at all the 2025 titles we're excited about, check out USA TODAY's most anticipated releases list. 'The Dream Hotel' by Laila Lalami This novel is in a dystopian near-future where artificial intelligence has an overreaching hand even in your sleep. Our protagonist, museum archivist Sara Hussein, is stopped by government agents from the Risk Assessment Administration after their algorithm analyzed her dreams and determined she's at risk of committing a crime in the future. Now, because of this dubious "crime prevention" program, she's being detained. 'The Dream Hotel' is reminiscent of '1984,' a masterful genre-bending commentary on bodily autonomy, government surveillance and the insidious side of technological innovation. 'Broken Country' by Clare Leslie Hall With an opening line of 'The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him,' 'Broken Country' doesn't waste any time getting you into this sweeping family drama. The story weaves back and forth in time, examining the consequences of love, pride and obligation. Beth and her husband Frank's willfully ignorant marital bliss is upended when Beth's brother-in-law shoots a dog that belongs to Gabriel, Beth's teenage love. He's returned to the village with his son, who reminds Beth of her own son who died in a tragic accident. 'Sunrise on the Reaping' by Suzanne Collins 'The Hunger Games' author returns with the series' fifth installment, a prequel about Haymitch's win in the 50th Hunger Games. In this 'Quarter Quell,' double the amount of tributes are reaped for the Games and Haymitch must leave his home, his beloved girlfriend and his family to fight in the Capitol arena. 'Sunrise on the Reaping' is teeming with 'Hunger Games' nostalgia, ringing true to the masterpiece of the original trilogy with its themes of propaganda and authority. Fans can expect a few loose-ends tied and the return of many favorite characters. 'Stop Me If You've Heard This One' by Kristen Arnett Big-hearted and knock-your-socks-off funny, 'Stop Me If You've Heard This One' follows Cherry Hendricks, a professional clown and part time aquarium store employee who is down on her luck. She's constantly hooking up with the wrong person's mom, her own is judgmental and Cherry's grief over her deceased brother is always popping up when she least expects it. And then she meets Margot the Magnificent, a much older lesbian magician whose success and charm manage to pull Cherry in swiftly. 'Careless People' by Sarah Wynn-Williams 'Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism' was kept a secret until less than a week before publication date, and understandably so – Meta quickly filed (and won) an emergency arbitration to stop promotion of the tell-all. In this unflinching memoir, now a bestseller, a former Facebook executive presents shocking allegations against the company's leadership influence, power and decision-making. 'Hot Air' by Marcy Dermansky 'Hot Air' is a hilariously unhinged romp through messy billionaire shenanigans, disappointing hook ups and wanting what you can't and shouldn't have. The story opens on a quickly souring first date (complicated by the fact that their children are on a playdate at the same time) as a hot air balloon, carrying a famous billionaire and his philanthropist wife, crashes into the backyard pool. When one half of the first date and one half of the billionaire couple realize they knew each other in a past life, all four embark on an entangled lost weekend into each other's lives. 'Story of My Life' by Lucy Score This small-town romance is 'Schitt's Creek' meets 'Gilmore Girls.' It follows a once-successful romance novelist whose breakup and writer's block drives her to impulsively flee to Pennsylvania in search of her next love story. There, she meets the swoony Bishop brothers, including grumpy contractor Campbell, who will renovate her newly purchased house. A fake date for 'research purposes' might be just what she needs to get her pen to paper. 'Stag Dance' by Torrey Peters You never knew you needed a short story collection that includes lonely lumberjacks exploring queerness and gender, but you do. The 'Detransition, Baby' author returns with a diverse collection that's as fun as it is serious. One short story follows a dystopian, plague-ravaged world where humans can no longer create their own hormones. Another follows a sexual awakening between two roommates at a Quaker boarding school. The titular novella follows restless loggers who plan a wintertime dance, on the condition that some of them attend as women. 'Oathbound' by Tracy Deonn The highly-anticipated third book in 'The Legendborn Cycle' is finally here. Bree Matthews has isolated herself from her friends, the Legendborn Order and her ancestral connections to keep her community safe, but it comes at a cost. Now, she must make an unbreakable bargain to bind herself to the shapeshifting Shadow King's as his new protege. But can Bree ever really outrun her past? 'Everything is Tuberculosis' by John Green Green's second nonfiction book is a well-researched and engaging dive into his obsession with one of the world's deadliest infection after befriending a young tuberculosis patient in Sierra Leone. Weaving history and solutions, Green explains modern-day tuberculosis as 'both a form and expression of injustice,' writing that 'there is nothing permanent or inalterable about health inequities.' 'The Unworthy' by Agustina Bazterrica From the author of the horror novel 'Tender is the Flesh' comes a similarly eerie tale that fans of 'I Who Have Never Known Men' and 'The Handmaid's Tale' will love. In an isolated convent, a woman writes her life story in secret – she's an 'unworthy,' low on the totem pole of the Sacred Sisterhood rankings and dreams of one day ascending to be an 'Enlightened.' At less than 200 pages, Bazterrica packs a lot into this story – female rage, abuse, sacrifice, hope and ideological extremism in a world ravaged by climate crises. 'O Sinners!' by Nicole Cuffy Quickly encapsulating, 'O Sinners!' follows a grieving Muslim journalist's deep-dive into a California cult known only as 'the nameless.' As Faruq embeds himself into the cult and its enigmatic leader, Odo, he finds himself forced to confront his own past. This literary fiction novel is told in three interwoven timelines – Faruq's investigation, one that examines Odo's service in the Vietnam War and another looking back on a clash between 'the nameless' and a fundamentalist church. 'Summer in the City' by Alex Aster Bestselling fantasy author Aster pens a contemporary romance in 'Summer in the City.' This lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story follows a screenwriter returning to New York City after she nabs the gig of a lifetime. She then runs into her now-enemy 'Billionaire Bachelor' Parker, who she hooked up with two years ago. But when her hate-fueled writing about him helps her turn a corner with her screenplay and as he's scouting for a fake red carpet, the pair realize they might need each other more than they expected. 'The Antidote' by Karen Russell Several Nebraskans collide after a storm ravages their small town in this Dust Bowl epic. As the town of Uz crumbles from the Great Depression and the drought, its residents (including a 'Prairie Witch' and a Polish wheat farmer) must grapple with generational forgetting and reckon with a violent past and potential fate. A photographer's time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both. 'Raising Hare' by Chloe Dalton This moving memoir from a UK political advisor and speechwriter follows her unlikely bond with a newborn hare that she finds in her backyard after it had been chased by a dog. Though she's advised that the hare will likely die whether kept in captivity or released back out, she raises and bottle-feeds it for over two years. The hare becomes a companion, wandering the fields by day and returning to Dalton's home by night, imparting valuable lessons about slowing down and the beauty in the unexpected. 'We Need Diverse Books Day' is April 3: How to participate in inaugural celebration Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
New York Times
17-03-2025
- New York Times
So a Lesbian Clown and a 40-Something Magician Go On a Date
Some people don't like clowns. I happen to have married one. My husband was a birthday clown for about four years in the early 2000s, a history that endeared me to the premise of Kristen Arnett's latest, 'Stop Me if You've Heard This One.' Set in Central Florida, the novel follows Cherry Hendricks as she attempts to navigate the vicissitudes of late-stage capitalism. What does that look like? It means she spends her days working at Aquarium Select III, a dimly lit fish and reptile store, while pursuing, in her time off, her true calling: clowning. Cherry's clown persona is Bunko, a rhinestone-clad cowboy afraid of horses. She mainly books children's birthday gigs, but she's desperate to leave that grind for more full-time clown work. Luckily, there is a big audition for a traveling summer showcase. Cherry believes if she books the tour, it would allow her to 'network with half the clowns in Florida' and help her reach the big time. Then she meets Margot the Magnificent, 'one of the most well-respected magicians in the greater Orlando area,' through a dating app. Margot is older and toys with Cherry's heart, but she may have the professional connections to secure Cherry's future. Madcap adventures ensue, with a laid-back picaresque pace that still contains the plot elements you're hoping for: the dangling lure of the big audition, conflict with disapproving family, money problems and some pretty hot lesbian sex. Throughout the novel, clowns are framed as a way to explore queer identity and gender expression. Bunko is after all a cowboy and is referred to with male pronouns, though Cherry is a woman and referred to with female pronouns. But the way that clowns are reviled by the public at large is also explicitly compared with the queer experience: 'Clowning requires a kind of steeliness that I associate with my coming-out process: the knowledge that there will always be people in life who will hate you for who and what you love.' Clowns have always provided social commentary, whether by making kings laugh at their courts, or by reflecting back to the crowds at the circus their own self-serious posturing. But Cherry is not the scheming, hyper-intelligent court jester figure of Dumas's 'Chicot the Jester,' nor is she meant to be a dark political symbol like Heinrich Böll's Hans in 'The Clown.' If anything, she is closer to The Dude in 'The Big Lebowski': hapless yet lovable, the protagonist while never fully becoming the hero. Though Cherry has emotional motivations for becoming a clown (she's grieving a dead older brother who was always the life of the party and their mother's favorite), she is also interested in the philosophical underpinnings of clowning. Her musing leads to some of the most interesting lines in the book: 'To clown well, you must embrace the light smile and the dark heart.' Though her conceptual preoccupation sometimes slows the pace, the nerd in me longed for these passages to go even deeper and provide more technical and historical insight. Clowns are curiously underrepresented in literature, and this is rich terrain. Like Bunko, Cherry bumbles. A lot. If at times I yearned for her to simply have a better plan, or have a better act, or a better insight, I could also keenly imagine Arnett flopping down on my couch, cracking a beer and saying, 'She's not a heroine, she's a clown, you dork!' Part of the book's social commentary is a rejection of success as framed narrowly by capitalism, which also means dispensing with traditional narrative expectations of what the 'hero prevailing' might look like. What Arnett does best, besides set up scenes so cinematic the book is practically begging for adaptation, is ground Cherry in emotional reality. This is ultimately a book about not being loved enough by your mom, and the psychological accuracy of the scenes where Cherry grapples with that deficit ultimately carries the novel. At one point, Cherry is visiting one of the book's most lovable peripheral characters, an elder clown and purveyor of clowning accessories named Miri, who is certain that dolls have souls and that how we treat dolls determines how we come back in another life. 'I don't want to come back as something no one loves,' Miri says, a thought that haunts Cherry. If all characters are dolls to some extent, then it is clear Arnett has nothing to worry about: She loves Cherry very much, and by the end of 'Stop Me if You've Heard This One,' readers will love Cherry too.
