B.J. Novak, best known for co-writing and starring in the hit comedy "The Office," says this book developed alongside a series of public readings in front of live audiences. And that explains their accessible audible nature. With occasional help from guest performers, including Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling, among others, Novak delivers a wide variety of stories ranging from tiny minimalist pieces to longer tales peopled with intriguing characters. Novak's narration is engagingly varied, though unified by an understated humor that matches the work's quirkiness. Beginning with odd "what if" premises--what if the tortoise and the hare had a rematch, the robotic sex toy you ordered fell in love with you, the most talented ambulance driver ever decided to pursue a singing career--Novak spins tales that transport listeners to unexpected places.
Pub Date: 2014
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780804164740
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
American colleges are favorable locales for ghastly event and hair-tearing circumstance. There is, for instance, a good deal of pleasure to be had out of professor and past-prodigy Grady Tripp's awful life, as portrayed by Michael Chabon in WONDER BOYS. There is a certain amount of slapstick here, but it's balanced by Chabon's superb portrait of a gale-force mid-life crisis, a soul-destroying albatross of an unfinished novel and the mind-numbing inconsequence of writers' conferences. David Colacci sounds a little starved for oxygen in his reading, but that's not exactly out of keeping with Grady Tripp's personal gestalt.
Pub Date:
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
As a group of men bring their own emotional baggage to their football-obsessed reunion, R.C. Bray delivers his usual solid narration. He shifts his tones slightly but enough to put the listener in the motel with the men, revealing their foibles as the story progresses. The narrator's role in this book is a descriptive one, and Bray is a good guide. His narration becomes extra important because this is a rare instance when there almost isn't a protagonist. The author's well-written story--which alternates between serious and laugh-out-loud funny--uses quarterback Joe Theismann's 1985 injury, a broken leg, as a McGuffin.
Pub Date:
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781681680057
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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