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A review by caitpoytress
Selected Shorts: A Touch of Magic by T.C. Boyle, Andrew Lam, Kevin Brockmeier, W.W. Jacobs, Donald Barthelme, Saki, Jonathan Safran Foer, Aimee Bender, Haruki Murakami, Ray Bradbury
4.0
I cannot for the life of me recall where I first heard about Selected Shorts. I might have even come across it by accident in my library's search engine. However it came to be, better late than never. This series is awesome! Granted I've only listened to one collection so far, but who cares. I'm sold. Actors perform live readings of selected short stories (usually following a theme for each event - in this case, a touch of magic), which is recorded and broadcast on an award winning radio program every week. I was going to mention that stories 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10 were my favorites, but typing it out like that just looks ridiculous.
1. The Palmist - Andrew Lam (performed by James Naughton)
This story, about a teenage boy's encounter with a palmist while riding the bus, was a great opener. Naughton's narration was wonderful, very calm and understated, with perfect pacing. It's easy to be distracted by other things while listening to an audiobook, but I became immersed in this story right away. There was something about Naughton's tone, coupled with Lam's descriptions, that made me feel like I was on the bus with them, watching events unfold as we rattled and bumped through the pouring rain. I loved it.
2. The Veldt - Ray Bradbury (performed by Stephen Colbert)
Ok, so this story just confirms that I desperately need to read more Bradbury. Colbert is funny as hell reading this story about the unfortunate consequences of owning a "smart house" that does everything for you, from cooking dinner to brushing your teeth and tying your shoes. Originally published in 1950, it's an awesome mix of Science Fiction and 50's "Leave it to Beaver".
3. The Monkey's Paw - W.W. Jacob's (performed by John Lithgow)
This story felt like deja vu. I don't know if I've actually read it before or if it's so familiar because it's a story based on the premise of the main character getting 3 wishes. Either way, we all know how those end, right? I'm sure this would have been creepy on it's own, but John Lithgow's narration really made it shine. Lithgow is a virtuoso (though often times a little too over the top for my personal taste) and this performance was really phenomenal. Obviously I couldn't see it, but based on the audience response at the end, he got a standing ovation.
4. The Occasional Garden - Saki (performed by Daniel Gerroll)
Another fantastic narration that made a funny story hilarious. A woman finds a solution to her inadequate garden, with comic results. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it was so fun! The audience reaction made it even better; it reminded me of how much more I enjoy listening to David Sedaris performing his stuff live as opposed to reading the print version. By the way, this is the fourth kick ass story in a row and at this point I'm thinking that I am currently listening to the best. thing. ever.
5. The Balloon - Donald Bartheleme (performed by Maria Tucci)
Aaaand here's where things start to backslide. The story itself wasn't bad. The narration could have been better (I could hear every swallow/mouth noise - yuck). I don't know, maybe it just paled in comparison to the first four. Regardless, my literary high started to fade a bit.
6. The Year of Silence - Kevin Brockmeier (performed by Anthony Rapp)
I only just recently stumbled across Kevin Brockmeier when I read (and loved) his story 'Parakeets' in [b:Granta 97: Best of Young American Novelists 2|117749|Granta 97 Best of Young American Novelists 2 (Granta The Magazine of New Writing)|Granta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171742742s/117749.jpg|1047716]. This second story just reinforces my belief that I will really like this guy (and makes me glad about my post-Parakeet Brockmeier book buying binge). And there's morse code! That you figure out yourself! Not in a gimmicky way, either. Anthony Rapp* was an adequate narrator, but nothing special. *As a bonus, I realized that I can finally think of Anthony Rapp without thinking of Darryl from Adventures in Babysitting. Ya think?
7. The Sixth Borough - Jonathan Safran Foer (performed by Jerry Zacks)
This story is actually an excerpt from Foer's fanfreakingtastic novel [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. On it's own it's a lovely little fable, but I think it's gut wrenching poignancy is lost outside of the context of the novel. I could fawn over JSF like it was my job, so I'll quit while I'm ahead. The narration was nice as well.
8. Drunken Mimi - Aimee Bender (performed by Bernadette Quigley)
Aimee Bender was another first for me this year, and I fell in LOVE (thank you, [b:Willful Creatures|46205|Willful Creatures|Aimee Bender|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170315603s/46205.jpg|2386]). This story was alright... so actually, kind of a disappointment based on my inflated expectations. The narration was at least part of the problem.
9. The Little Green Monster - Haruki Murakami (performed by Dana Ivey)
This one broke my heart a little. A woman and a little green monster, but not in the way that you'd expect. I don't really want to spoil anything, but I will say that I thought about this for a while afterward. And I'm still not sure how I want to interpret it. I'm looking forward to rereading this in print form when I read [b:The Elephant Vanishes|9555|The Elephant Vanishes Stories|Haruki Murakami|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1280519630s/9555.jpg|693417].
10. Swept Away - T.C. Boyle (performed by Rene Auberjonois)
Another fantastic performance of another great story. Actually, that's what I think made the first 4 stories and this one stand out from the others. The others were "readings" of stories, some very good, but the 5 best were "performances". I'm so glad this collection ended on a high note.
I found out tonight that there is a podcast on iTunes where they have the most recent 5 programs available for free download. Score! It really is worth checking out.
1. The Palmist - Andrew Lam (performed by James Naughton)
This story, about a teenage boy's encounter with a palmist while riding the bus, was a great opener. Naughton's narration was wonderful, very calm and understated, with perfect pacing. It's easy to be distracted by other things while listening to an audiobook, but I became immersed in this story right away. There was something about Naughton's tone, coupled with Lam's descriptions, that made me feel like I was on the bus with them, watching events unfold as we rattled and bumped through the pouring rain. I loved it.
2. The Veldt - Ray Bradbury (performed by Stephen Colbert)
Ok, so this story just confirms that I desperately need to read more Bradbury. Colbert is funny as hell reading this story about the unfortunate consequences of owning a "smart house" that does everything for you, from cooking dinner to brushing your teeth and tying your shoes. Originally published in 1950, it's an awesome mix of Science Fiction and 50's "Leave it to Beaver".
3. The Monkey's Paw - W.W. Jacob's (performed by John Lithgow)
This story felt like deja vu. I don't know if I've actually read it before or if it's so familiar because it's a story based on the premise of the main character getting 3 wishes. Either way, we all know how those end, right? I'm sure this would have been creepy on it's own, but John Lithgow's narration really made it shine. Lithgow is a virtuoso (though often times a little too over the top for my personal taste) and this performance was really phenomenal. Obviously I couldn't see it, but based on the audience response at the end, he got a standing ovation.
4. The Occasional Garden - Saki (performed by Daniel Gerroll)
Another fantastic narration that made a funny story hilarious. A woman finds a solution to her inadequate garden, with comic results. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it was so fun! The audience reaction made it even better; it reminded me of how much more I enjoy listening to David Sedaris performing his stuff live as opposed to reading the print version. By the way, this is the fourth kick ass story in a row and at this point I'm thinking that I am currently listening to the best. thing. ever.
5. The Balloon - Donald Bartheleme (performed by Maria Tucci)
Aaaand here's where things start to backslide. The story itself wasn't bad. The narration could have been better (I could hear every swallow/mouth noise - yuck). I don't know, maybe it just paled in comparison to the first four. Regardless, my literary high started to fade a bit.
6. The Year of Silence - Kevin Brockmeier (performed by Anthony Rapp)
I only just recently stumbled across Kevin Brockmeier when I read (and loved) his story 'Parakeets' in [b:Granta 97: Best of Young American Novelists 2|117749|Granta 97 Best of Young American Novelists 2 (Granta The Magazine of New Writing)|Granta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171742742s/117749.jpg|1047716]. This second story just reinforces my belief that I will really like this guy (and makes me glad about my post-Parakeet Brockmeier book buying binge). And there's morse code! That you figure out yourself! Not in a gimmicky way, either. Anthony Rapp* was an adequate narrator, but nothing special. *As a bonus, I realized that I can finally think of Anthony Rapp without thinking of Darryl from Adventures in Babysitting. Ya think?
7. The Sixth Borough - Jonathan Safran Foer (performed by Jerry Zacks)
This story is actually an excerpt from Foer's fanfreakingtastic novel [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. On it's own it's a lovely little fable, but I think it's gut wrenching poignancy is lost outside of the context of the novel. I could fawn over JSF like it was my job, so I'll quit while I'm ahead. The narration was nice as well.
8. Drunken Mimi - Aimee Bender (performed by Bernadette Quigley)
Aimee Bender was another first for me this year, and I fell in LOVE (thank you, [b:Willful Creatures|46205|Willful Creatures|Aimee Bender|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170315603s/46205.jpg|2386]). This story was alright... so actually, kind of a disappointment based on my inflated expectations. The narration was at least part of the problem.
9. The Little Green Monster - Haruki Murakami (performed by Dana Ivey)
This one broke my heart a little. A woman and a little green monster, but not in the way that you'd expect. I don't really want to spoil anything, but I will say that I thought about this for a while afterward. And I'm still not sure how I want to interpret it. I'm looking forward to rereading this in print form when I read [b:The Elephant Vanishes|9555|The Elephant Vanishes Stories|Haruki Murakami|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1280519630s/9555.jpg|693417].
10. Swept Away - T.C. Boyle (performed by Rene Auberjonois)
Another fantastic performance of another great story. Actually, that's what I think made the first 4 stories and this one stand out from the others. The others were "readings" of stories, some very good, but the 5 best were "performances". I'm so glad this collection ended on a high note.
I found out tonight that there is a podcast on iTunes where they have the most recent 5 programs available for free download. Score! It really is worth checking out.