Thirtysomething Stories

First of all... kamusta ang likod? Hindi kita tatanungin kung may sarili ka nang bahay, kung kasal ka na, o kung na-achieve mo na 'yung mga pangarap mo noong college. Ang tanong lang muna natin dito: Bakit pagtuntong ng 30s, parang may kasama nang sound effects ang pagtayo mula sa sofa? Walang nag-warning sa atin na ganito pala ang actual adulting. Isang araw, bata ka lang na naglalaro sa computer shop, nag-aabang ng text sa keypad phone, at nagmamadaling umuwi para manood ng paborito mong show. The next thing you know, ikaw na 'yung nagbabayad ng bills, nagba-budget ng grocery, nag-iisip kung kailangan mo ba talaga lumabas ng bahay, at natutuwang may Buy-1-Take-1 sa detergent. Somewhere along the way, naging adults pala tayo. Mula sa Friendster, Yahoo! Messenger, burned CDs, Nokia phones, at mga panahong kailangan mo pang tumayo para palitan ang channel sa TV, napunta tayo sa work, responsibilities, bills, family, expectations, at kung minsan... Salonpas. So... Kamusta ang Likod? is a collection of stories, memories, observations, at mga bagay na malamang na naisip mo na rin pero hindi mo lang sinasabi nang malakas. Hindi ito life advice. Hindi ko rin alam ang ginagawa ko. Pero kung gusto mong matawa, ma-nostalgic, at mapaisip ng "Hala, akala ko ako lang," halika at sabayan mo ako. Pahinga ka muna sa pagiging adult. At tara, pag-usapan natin.

When you hit your 30s, it's like society flips a switch and cranks up the pressure. Suddenly, you're asking yourself those ridiculous questions: "Shouldn't I be married or at least dating someone? Am I destined to die alone? Why does everyone interesting seem to be already taken? Shouldn't I be successful in my career already? Is it too late to follow my dreams? Am I the only one feeling completely lost? " Well, that's exactly what Sally and Jack were thinking while swiping through their dating apps. Little do they know, love might be closer than they expect.

Freya Beaumont is thirty-eight, fabulous, fiercely independent-and spectacularly single. With a successful career, a gorgeous London flat, a killer wardrobe, and enough attitude to frighten off emotionally unavailable men from a five-mile radius, Freya has absolutely no intention of panicking about her relationship status. Her mother, however, has other plans. After yet another disastrous family dinner filled with questions about marriage, children and "whether she's being too picky," Freya finds herself making a ridiculous bet with her best friend: six months to find a proper relationship. Three dates. One chance at love. Absolutely no falling for the wrong man. Simple, right? Wrong. Just as Freya begins navigating London's dating jungle-with disastrous dates, questionable men, and one particularly memorable encounter involving a man's mother-she comes face-to-face with Oliver Hartley Eleven years ago, they shared one unforgettable Christmas kiss. Then he disappeared. Now he's back in London, annoyingly handsome, infuriatingly charming and apparently determined to drive Freya completely mad. As Freya's dating disasters become the subject of a wildly popular anonymous online column, her private life turns into London's favorite romantic comedy. But perhaps the biggest surprise isn't finding love. It's discovering that you never needed love to complete you in the first place. Because Freya isn't looking for someone to save her. She's looking for someone who can keep up. She's 38. She's single. She's too hot to handle. And she's about to discover that sometimes the man you can't stand is the one you can't live without.

A paranoid gun enthusiast with a secret and her best friend leave town for a wedding but end up being intercepted by a hoard of demons instead. In short order they will not only discover who has sent the demons but be thrust into an entirely new world that wants nothing more than to destroy them. Set in a world where all of the old gods still walk among us this is an action packed story about friendship, guns, monsters, evil mermaids, pregnancy, demons and coming of age in your thirties. Huge shout out to @Krazydiamond for the cover! :D

Shelby Sax's in reboot mode. She has a secret gift she can't quite figure out how to use for herself, but she needs to. If Shelby can picture something in her mind's eye, she can creatively make it happen. This skill once made Shelby a rising star at a top Santa Monica creative agency, and certainly made her ex-husband Ethan social media influencer and popular public speaker. But now, three years after her divorce and the pandemic shut down, Shelby's broke; She's only working part time, and still living with her mom so they can split expenses. When Shelby's charming great uncle Gary has a bad fall and needs her to fly to the Pacific Northwest to lend a hand, Shelby's happy to help. Will time away in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest be just what she needs to get her life back on track and put her secret skill to work making her own dreams come true? And can her neighbor Ash, and his adorable twin teen girls, open Shelby's heart to love again?

For a brief time a few months ago, my legs turned to marshmallow when he touched me. Now I want to grind his thumb in a vise. Or stomp on his big toe in my hiking boots and ask him, "How does that feel?" Lucy Bernard is close friends with teacher-buddy widower Deon Goldbloom. She bakes brownies to help him get over his heartache--four years and still not dating--and keeps him company on hikes, thrift store forays, and happy-hour outings. They call themselves sidekick soulmates, and with Phoebe, the trio are like three social Musketeers. Until the night everything changes for the better. At first. And then... Lucy and Deon are still friends, but it's not the same. Not even close. Still, a guy can dream, can't he? But Deon isn't content with dreaming, and that's his big mistake.

Laura is in therapy. Her husband of ten years, father of her children, has been cheating on her - but she's paralysed and using all the lessons she's learning in her counselling to write long and thoughtful responses to other people's life crisis, in anonymous forums online, while her own life is in free fall.

Living with his parents - rent-free, jobless, and on the dole - life is stress-free and easy. However, watching the world go by has not made Steve any less opinionated, especially on important and pressing issues such as social networking sites and daytime TV. But fate is about to deal another hand. Motivated by the fear of losing his benefits and precious beer money, and enticed by an exotic-sounding location, Steve takes a job that is not quite what it seems . . . Thrust into a surreal world where multi-national organised terrorism is regulated by crazy bureaucracy and health and safety gone mad, Steve finds himself employed by the megalomaniac Dr Won Doin who is hell bent on that old cliché of world domination. If Daniel Craig portrays Bond in a modern era, then Dr Won must fancy himself as the ultimate modern day Bond nemesis. Guns, girls and paperwork – Is it possible to be bad at being bad? Steve is about to find out. “This book has three themes which could easily make it fall apart but it doesn't. It’s held together with tight prose and so many laughs that I giggled through most of the book!” – Anna R (Amazon 5* review)

A not so close family. A depressed daughter and couples living in a web of lies. They never see eye to eye but there's an issue now. They're stuck together for God knows how long. How long will they stick together or how long will it take for them to fall apart.

Rashad is a thirty something African American man who has it all together in his career, social and love life until he finds himself torn between two women. One black, the other white. Journey with him as he discovers and explore possible change or remaining the same and the themes of race and love.

If you haven't found yourself by now, should you just stop looking? From ice cream truck driver and magician's assistant to funeral home receptionist and associate producer for The Jerry Springer Show, this 30-something has held a total of 50 jobs; called 21 different addresses home; earned two degrees; and lived life as a marketing executive, professional actress, paid party girl, would-be Cuban-American princess, entrepreneur (and amateur tramp) in an obsessive quest to figure out who she wants to be when she grows up. Through this hilarious collection of true life stories a few things become clear... • The only thing better than getting a job is quitting a job • Lying about your age requires advanced math skills • If the music stops and you're left standing...you'll do anything to grab a chair This book is a guilty pleasure that will make you laugh, sigh, and feel better about your own decisions.

The seven grown Lasacrina sisters are all living in the suburbs of Chicago where they grew up; in a picturesque neighborhood. They have a large family, and they fight but love each other more than anything. Everything seems perfect, but there is a past that no one talks about. Quinn is trying to move on from the tragedy, but her family is afraid of letting her go. The youngest Clia is getting married, and Athena is going through a tough divorce and now living at home with her parents with her three young children. Free is dating a married professor, and Quinn is keeping her secret plus plenty of her own including the fact she's falling love for the first time. The seven sisters struggle to keep together and be their own people.