What do you think?
Rate this book
One Thing Or Another: Life, Aging, and the Absurdities Of It All: 2nd Edition
Welcome to the Second Edition of One Thing or Another, a collection of humor columns that takes a look at life, aging, and the absurdities of it all. It's been a few years since the first edition, and even more since they were written. The Big Six-Oh is now the Big Six-Seven, and life is just as absurd as it was the first go-round.
From our culture's refusal to use the word 'old,' to the sometimes comical consequences of aging in body and mind, if not always in spirit, you're sure to enjoy this skewed look at life's foibles for the ages. Collected from the author's personal columns, these short essays will make you chuckle, recognize yourself, and sometimes grimace at the not-always-funny price we pay for simply staying alive.
From our culture's refusal to use the word 'old,' to the sometimes comical consequences of aging in body and mind, if not always in spirit, you're sure to enjoy this skewed look at life's foibles for the ages. Collected from the author's personal columns, these short essays will make you chuckle, recognize yourself, and sometimes grimace at the not-always-funny price we pay for simply staying alive.
81 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2025
About the author
Mark McNease
54 books119 followersI've recently released 'Blank Page to Bookshelf: From First Sentence to First Sale,' condensing two years of my workshops into one easy to read guide on fiction writing, character creation, and self-publishing.
I've also written horror as M.A. McNease - not a pen name, it's my initials. Books under M.A. McNease include 'I, Warlock,' 'A House in the Woods (1 and 2)', and 'Hell to Pay' (a two-book volume of both House in the Woods books).
I'm the author of the Kyle Callahan Mysteries, two of which have been best sellers on Kindle. In 2022 I released the second Maggie Dahl Mystery, 'Open Secrets,' with Maggie pursuing another killer in sleepy Lambertville, NJ.
My Detective Linda mystery, 'Last Room at the Cliff's Edge', was released in September, 2016, and called a winner by Publishers Weekly. I released the first Marshall James thriller, 'Murder at the Paisley Parrot', in 2017, followed by 'Beautiful Corpse,' 'Final Audition,' and most recently 'Night Flight to Murder Town' in 2025.
'Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery' was released in 2018, followed by 'Open Secrets.'
I have 10 audiobooks currently available (Audible, Amazon, various retailers). My short story 'Stop the Car' was selected as a Kindle Single and is now an audiobook narrated by the amazing Braden Wright. It was selected twice to be included in the Amazon Prime reading library.
For old time's sake I also have two Emmys for Outstanding Children's Program for 'Into the Outdoors', a television show I co-created and wrote for two years that is now in its 17th year.
I live in the New Jersey woods with my husband, Frank, and our two cats, Wilma and James.
You can find me at my website, MarkMcNease.com.
I've also written horror as M.A. McNease - not a pen name, it's my initials. Books under M.A. McNease include 'I, Warlock,' 'A House in the Woods (1 and 2)', and 'Hell to Pay' (a two-book volume of both House in the Woods books).
I'm the author of the Kyle Callahan Mysteries, two of which have been best sellers on Kindle. In 2022 I released the second Maggie Dahl Mystery, 'Open Secrets,' with Maggie pursuing another killer in sleepy Lambertville, NJ.
My Detective Linda mystery, 'Last Room at the Cliff's Edge', was released in September, 2016, and called a winner by Publishers Weekly. I released the first Marshall James thriller, 'Murder at the Paisley Parrot', in 2017, followed by 'Beautiful Corpse,' 'Final Audition,' and most recently 'Night Flight to Murder Town' in 2025.
'Black Cat White Paws: A Maggie Dahl Mystery' was released in 2018, followed by 'Open Secrets.'
I have 10 audiobooks currently available (Audible, Amazon, various retailers). My short story 'Stop the Car' was selected as a Kindle Single and is now an audiobook narrated by the amazing Braden Wright. It was selected twice to be included in the Amazon Prime reading library.
For old time's sake I also have two Emmys for Outstanding Children's Program for 'Into the Outdoors', a television show I co-created and wrote for two years that is now in its 17th year.
I live in the New Jersey woods with my husband, Frank, and our two cats, Wilma and James.
You can find me at my website, MarkMcNease.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 20, 2026
4-Stars - Best enjoyed by not reading in a single sitting.
As advertised, Mark McNease’s One Thing Or Another… is a series of reflections, many funny, and all recognizable to anyone who, in a term he hates, either is or has cared for a ‘senior citizen’.
One Thing Or Another is slightly longer than the average novella, so it easily could be read in an hour or two. But because the ‘chapters’ are reflective in nature, it’s best read and enjoyed by selecting no more that two or three of the author's ‘observations’ to read in a day.
Like McNease, I too have lived in both Manhattan and Northern New Jersey, but you don’t need to have lived in either to fully appreciate his views on aging.
As advertised, Mark McNease’s One Thing Or Another… is a series of reflections, many funny, and all recognizable to anyone who, in a term he hates, either is or has cared for a ‘senior citizen’.
One Thing Or Another is slightly longer than the average novella, so it easily could be read in an hour or two. But because the ‘chapters’ are reflective in nature, it’s best read and enjoyed by selecting no more that two or three of the author's ‘observations’ to read in a day.
Like McNease, I too have lived in both Manhattan and Northern New Jersey, but you don’t need to have lived in either to fully appreciate his views on aging.
Displaying 1 of 1 review