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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This author was another discovery thanks to This American Life. Simon Rich is equal parts hilarious, insightful, and sincere. This collection of stories is so witty and heartfelt. Truly some laugh out loud moments perfectly tailored to the experiences and perspectives of our generation. John Mulaney reads the audiobook and it's fantastic! Definitely recommend.
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
I will always like the writing and humor of Simon Rich.
Like any book of essays (humorist or otherwise) there’s hits and misses. Overall this collections has some good ones. Particularly “We’re Not So Different, You and I.”
Like any book of essays (humorist or otherwise) there’s hits and misses. Overall this collections has some good ones. Particularly “We’re Not So Different, You and I.”
funny
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Overall: 4/5
Narration: 5/5 John Mulaney was the perfect choice.
I love short story collections and went into this blind. What an unexpected delight. A humorous and melancholic reconciliation with aging and the loss of our younger, naive selves.
Turning 32 this year is crazy. I know I’m not old, but I’m also not that carefree kid anymore either. And so many of these stories hit that exact feeling. I miss the version of me that lived in the golden days of the 99s and 2000s—the person who saw Step Up in theaters before ever knowing about back pain, taxes, and the absolute disaster that is the cost of living. This book captures that—the reckoning with where we’ve been and where we are now.
I know people are going to laugh at the first two stories. If you grew up playing every Mario game, you have to wonder—did Mario ever actually have a home? And for anyone who’s ever joked about what we’ll tell our future kids about today’s world, Millennial Fable hits in a way that’s both hilarious and kind of sad.
I’ve seen people say the humor is cheap, the jokes don’t always land, or that it’s just dad-joke territory. And honestly? I think that’s the point. The narration by John Mulaney? 10/10. It adds to that feeling of aging—the way our humor shifts, the way we laugh at things we shouldn’t, the way nostalgia sneaks up on us.
Some readers might find this book heavier than intended. Yes, it’s lighthearted and insightful, but there’s definitely a sadness woven in. Some people will resonate with it deeply, others might find it hits too close to home.
Story Ratings:
* History Report: 4.5/5 | Mario: 5/5
* Millennial Fable: 3.5/5 | The City Speaks: 5/5
* Participation Trophy: 4/5 | Time: 3/5
* Time Travel Family Counseling Inc.: 4/5
* Punishment: 3.5/5 | Riding The Rails: 4.5/5
* Tooth Fairy: 3.5/5 | The Mission: 5/5
* The Emperor’s New Clothes: 2/5 | Minutes: 4/5
* Dystopia: 4/5 | Kerosene: 2.5/5
* We’re Not So Different, You And I: 4.5/5
* Goliath: 5/5 | Thanksgiving Rider: 3/5
* Hey Millennials: 2.5/5
Quotes:
- “They needed to find some other place to eat, but neither of them had Internet access, so their only option was to physically search for food, by walking around and looking in random directions —like, truly the same process used by animals”
- “The truth is that sending your parents to the past is unlikely to make them see the errors of their ways”
- “ someday, I’ll-a run out of continues, but in the meantime, I’ve got plenty of lives left.”
- “ I fear old people more: because once they stop trying to be young, that’s when they can really do some damage”
- “ and it occurred to you that maybe all this time, instead of ignoring life, or scavenging it for material, you should have… What’s the word I’m looking for? Oh yeah. Participated.”
Narration: 5/5 John Mulaney was the perfect choice.
I love short story collections and went into this blind. What an unexpected delight. A humorous and melancholic reconciliation with aging and the loss of our younger, naive selves.
Turning 32 this year is crazy. I know I’m not old, but I’m also not that carefree kid anymore either. And so many of these stories hit that exact feeling. I miss the version of me that lived in the golden days of the 99s and 2000s—the person who saw Step Up in theaters before ever knowing about back pain, taxes, and the absolute disaster that is the cost of living. This book captures that—the reckoning with where we’ve been and where we are now.
I know people are going to laugh at the first two stories. If you grew up playing every Mario game, you have to wonder—did Mario ever actually have a home? And for anyone who’s ever joked about what we’ll tell our future kids about today’s world, Millennial Fable hits in a way that’s both hilarious and kind of sad.
I’ve seen people say the humor is cheap, the jokes don’t always land, or that it’s just dad-joke territory. And honestly? I think that’s the point. The narration by John Mulaney? 10/10. It adds to that feeling of aging—the way our humor shifts, the way we laugh at things we shouldn’t, the way nostalgia sneaks up on us.
Some readers might find this book heavier than intended. Yes, it’s lighthearted and insightful, but there’s definitely a sadness woven in. Some people will resonate with it deeply, others might find it hits too close to home.
Story Ratings:
* History Report: 4.5/5 | Mario: 5/5
* Millennial Fable: 3.5/5 | The City Speaks: 5/5
* Participation Trophy: 4/5 | Time: 3/5
* Time Travel Family Counseling Inc.: 4/5
* Punishment: 3.5/5 | Riding The Rails: 4.5/5
* Tooth Fairy: 3.5/5 | The Mission: 5/5
* The Emperor’s New Clothes: 2/5 | Minutes: 4/5
* Dystopia: 4/5 | Kerosene: 2.5/5
* We’re Not So Different, You And I: 4.5/5
* Goliath: 5/5 | Thanksgiving Rider: 3/5
* Hey Millennials: 2.5/5
Quotes:
- “They needed to find some other place to eat, but neither of them had Internet access, so their only option was to physically search for food, by walking around and looking in random directions —like, truly the same process used by animals”
- “The truth is that sending your parents to the past is unlikely to make them see the errors of their ways”
- “ someday, I’ll-a run out of continues, but in the meantime, I’ve got plenty of lives left.”
- “ I fear old people more: because once they stop trying to be young, that’s when they can really do some damage”
- “ and it occurred to you that maybe all this time, instead of ignoring life, or scavenging it for material, you should have… What’s the word I’m looking for? Oh yeah. Participated.”
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A