title: The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1)
author:  Lemony Snicket 
description: Praise for A Series of Unfortunate Events: Hilarious. Luckily for fans, the woes of the Baudelaires are far from over. (Publishers Weekly <strong>(starred review)</strong>)<br /><br />Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun. (Kirkus Reviews)<br /><br />Irrepressible, brave and charming. (New York Times Book Review)<br /><br />With a cast of unforgettable characters, a distinctly literary air, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, this is a great match for dark comedy fans. (Brightly)
zlib_text:  
   
  by 
  I l 
  i ons by 
  A Series of Unfortunate Events 
  BOOK the Twelfth 
  THE PENULTIMATE 
  PERIL 
  LEMONY SNICKET 
  lust ra t 
  Brett Helquist 
  
  Dear Reader,
  If this is the first book you found while searching for a
  book to read next, then the first thing you should know is
  that this next-to-last book is what you should put down
  first. Sadly, this book presents the next-to-last chronicle
  of the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, and it is next-to-
  first in its supply of misery, despair, and unpleasantness.
  Probably the next-to-last things you would like 
  to read about are a harpoon gun, a rooftop sunbathing
  salon, two mysterious initials, three unidentified triplets,
  a notorious villain, and an unsavory curry.
  Next-to-last things are the first thing to be avoided,
  and so allow me to recommend that you put this next-to-
  last book down first, and find something else to read next
  at last, such as the next-to-last book in another chronicle,
  or a chronicle containing other next-to-last things, 