Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe (edition 2012)

The world can be a perilous place. And the seemingly friendly world of Canada’s favourite fictional family is no different. Everyone is afraid of something: Dave, for example, is afraid of dolls, germs and Mary Turlington. Sam, on the other hand, is afraid of bees, UFOs, and “mewpilated” cows. Morley’s fears—public nudity and drop-in visits—are slightly less peculiar. It’s hard to be brave in the face of sewer monsters, deformed fish heads, abandoned car wrecks and ravenous bears, but in this brand new collection of Vinyl Cafe stories, Dave and the gang pluck up the courage to deal with all kinds of danger, both real and imagined.

In Stuart McLean’s hilarious new book of cautionary tales, rediscover the deep, delicious thrill of fear that looms so large in childhood and spills over into adult life with startling, often delightful effect