Toil & Trouble by Augusten Burroughs

It’s a fairly common misconception that your everyday witch has glowing green skin, a nose full of warts and a janky broomstick that cruises through the clouds.

But did you know there are many witches that actually live among us?

They could be your kids teachers! Your next door neighbor! The barista who always misspells your name at Starbucks! (Seriously, is ‘Kate’ really THAT hard?!)

Or they could also be a New York Times bestselling author.

From the number one New York Times bestselling author comes another stunning memoir that is tender, touching…and just a little spooky.

Augusten Burroughs has always tackled some pretty astonishing autobiographical topics in his books including battling alcoholism and his looney tunes mother. And this one is no different.

Delivered in his classic conversational and snarky voice, Toil & Trouble will have you in stitches. Because of witches.

He comes from a long line of witches in fact, and the occurrences that have happened throughout his life are a bit more intense than mere coincidences. A bit heavier than your average déjà vu. And definitely not your typical hoodwink trickery. This guy casts spells. And then things happen.

I always enjoy reading about people who have special abilities.

And when it’s combined with hilarious stories of serial killer trees, washed up opera singers, a plant hospital, rambunctious Great Dane puppies, and satanic beavers…

…well, let’s just say this book has me under it’s spell.

 

Thank you @stmartinspress { #partner } for consistently sending me such amazing stories to read.⁣⁣

You can get a copy of Toil & Trouble here!

 

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (October 1, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250019958
• ISBN-13: 978-1250019950

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About the Book:

“Here’s a partial list of things I don’t believe in: God. The Devil. Heaven. Hell. Bigfoot. Ancient Aliens. Past lives. Life after death. Vampires. Zombies. Reiki. Homeopathy. Rolfing. Reflexology. Note that ‘witches’ and ‘witchcraft’ are absent from this list. The thing is, I wouldn’t believe in them, and I would privately ridicule any idiot who did, except for one thing: I am a witch.”

For as long as Augusten Burroughs could remember, he knew things he shouldn’t have known. He manifested things that shouldn’t have come to pass. And he told exactly no one about this, save one person: his mother. His mother reassured him that it was all perfectly normal, that he was descended from a long line of witches, going back to the days of the early American colonies. And that this family tree was filled with witches. It was a bond that he and his mother shared–until the day she left him in the care of her psychiatrist to be raised in his family (but that’s a whole other story). After that, Augusten was on his own. On his own to navigate the world of this tricky power; on his own to either use or misuse this gift.

From the hilarious to the terrifying, Toil & Trouble is a chronicle of one man’s journey to understand himself, to reconcile the powers he can wield with things with which he is helpless. There are very few things that are coincidences, as you will learn in Toil & Trouble. Ghosts are real, trees can want to kill you, beavers are the spawn of Satan, houses are alive, and in the end, love is the most powerful magic of all.

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About the Author:

Augusten Burroughs is the author of the autobiographical works “Running with Scissors,” “Dry,” “Magical Thinking,” “Possible Side Effects” and “A Wolf at the Table,” all of which were New York Times bestsellers. “Running with Scissors” remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over two consecutive years and was made into a Golden Globe-nominated film starring Annette Bening. His only novel, “Sellevision,” is currently in development as a series for NBC. “Dry,” Augusten’s memoir of his alcoholism and recovery, is being developed by Showtime. In addition, Burroughs is currently creating an original prime-time series for CBS. Augusten’s latest book is called “You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas.”

Twice named to Entertainment Weekly’s list of the funniest people in America, Augusten has also been the subject of a Vanity Fair cover story and a Jeopardy! answer. His books have made guest appearances in two James Patterson novels, one Linkin Park music video, numerous television shows and a porn movie.

Augusten has been a photographer since childhood and many of his images can be seen on his website, http://www.augusten.com. He lives in New York City.

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