Joshua Ferris’ debut novel, Then We Came to the End, is not only a story of workers struggling through the daily grind of corporate America, it is also an engaging and bittersweet look at life. This tale is set in the beginning of the current century and features a slew of characters battling against the implosion of the dot-com economy in a Chicago advertising firm. In the midst of layoffs and company downturn, the firm receives a surprising pro bono assignment from a mysterious client.

Through sassy, gossipy characters caught in an unending cycle of jobs they revile, Ferris captures the boredom, frustration and resignation facing much of corporate America. Then We Came to the End is a hilarious novel that has been compared to an episode of “Seinfeld.” Even though some days the office sees little excitement beyond increasingly annoying co-workers and lengthening coffee breaks, Ferris reminds us that, at the end of the workday, our lives are much bigger than project deadlines or the size of our cubicles.

Ferris, winner of a Barnes & Noble Discover Award for Then We Came to the End, has had his short fiction appear in TheIowa Review and Best American Short Stories. Ferris will be speaking alongside writer Patrick Somerville, a Green Bay native and author of the uniquely named The Universe in Miniature in Miniature, at Boswell Book Co. on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 2 p.m.

South Milwaukee children’s author Janet Halfmann will debut her new release, Fur and Feathers, on Sept. 29 from 6-7:45 p.m. at the South Milwaukee Public Library. Fur and Feathers is the delightful tale of Sophia, a young girl who, alongside her grandmother, seeks out a variety of ways to protect her animal friends from the howling winds. Fur and Feathers features a special section at the end of the story titled “For Creative Minds,” which provides fun activities and information to enhance the educational value of the book.

Halfmann, who has authored more than 30 children’s books, is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.