A Knack for Embarrassment

By: James D. Beers

Narrated by: Chris Brinkley

Have you ever wondered why a rock thrown flat never flies straight? Have you ever survived a night in a den of 40 snorers? Did you ever blow up cuisine in the microwave and then try and hide it from your clairvoyant mother?

If so, then these stories are right up your alley!

Follow the author and his family and friends in their rollicking adventures as they sled down the dreaded Sleddin' Road, ride in a Volkswagen Rabbit that smokes more than a steam locomotive, and practice "Premeditated Bear Situation Thinking" while out in the woods. Just try not to laugh as you hear about the cutthroat cookie-decorating contest of Christmas 2007 or as the author guinea-pigs his younger brother in a game of spit wads. Reminiscent of Patrick McManus yarns, these stories are sure to get you laughing.

Born in Idaho, raised on ice cream, and schooled in calamity and disaster, author James D. Beers tells the stories of his life from a unique and humorous perspective in A Knack for Embarrassment, his first collection of short stories.

©2017 James D. Beers (P)2018 James D. Beers

a very fun listen

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I thought this was a truly funny listen. The collection of stories were very fun to listen to. The narration is well done. All in all, well worth a listen.

Remember the time when.......?

A Knack for Embarrassment
: James D. Beers

A fun collection of clean short stories that will keep the listener highly entertained. My favorite had to be the cookie decorating. If this is fiction, it is too close to what feels like the author re-living his childhood. I'm not complaining because I really liked it.



The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed by Chris Brinkley.



I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Super Entertaining Life Stories

This was hilarious, from the first sentences all the way to the end of the book James Beers had my attention and, barring the fact that I listen mainly at a work environment, I would've audibly laughed for a good portion of the presented content. The narrator lends a bombastic delivery which really aides the humor and light heartedness, a perfect fit. I definitely recommend this collection, and honestly the only negative I have for it is that there isn't enough of it.

I received this audiobook review code at my request and have honestly left this review.

Knack

This guy lived a lot like we did,except his Rabbits were Bugs at our house.Some pretty funny stuff! Chris Brinkley was a fine narrator.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

Nostalgic Stories Entertain

Author James Beers pokes a little fun at himself recounting humorous, self-deprecating stories from throughout his life. These are all family-friendly yarns, some even in a church setting. There's an old-fashioned feel to these tales, and that nostalgic mood is furthered by the cover drawing, which looks circa the 1960s.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Q & A for A Knack for Embarrassment

Who is the target audience?

The target audience for this audiobook is anybody looking for a good laugh. If you’ve grown up in a family that ever experienced camping, snoring, family contests, or anything of the sort, this audiobook is for you. Similarly, if you enjoy stories that include humor such as “a little pee coming out of me,” or other bodily functions, you’ll be right at home.

Truth be told, I’ll rank some of these stories up there with comedian Tim Hawkins. It’s good clean humor which is a rare find these days!

What did you enjoy most about A Knack for Embarrassment? How was the story/content?

The book is essentially a number of short stories shared back to back. Admittedly, some are more entertaining than others, but there’s a general flow to them so that on first listen, you don’t want to skip ahead. That said, I found myself laughing out loud, even to the point of tears during some of the stories.

Do you have any input on the language, violence, and/or other adult themes?

My kids are currently ages 11 & 13. I would have zero concerns listening to this with them. In fact, after listening to the whole of the book in a day, our family immediately listened to the first two stories before bed. Ending the day in laughter together as a family is always a good thing.

If I recall correctly, the only adult language may have occurred during a story in which there was a huge commotion and the author’s dad ran in to say, “What in the hell is going on?!” Again, it was very, very mild and I would have zero concerns listening with my kids.

At what playback speed did you listen? How long did it take you to get through the entire book?

I listened to it at 1.25x. As noted above, I was so entertained I was able to get through the entire book in a day.

How was the narrator and/or voice actors?

Honestly, I can’t think of a better narrator. For the content of the book, it was outstanding.

Will you listen to it again?

Yes. Some of these stories will be a go-to during family travel and/or other seasons in which we’re just looking for a laugh.

Final Thoughts?

Admittedly, I received a free copy from the author in return for an honest and fair review. I believe I’m being fair. I haven’t laughed this hard in weeks, maybe months. A Knack for Embarrassment was a great listen!

Funny!!!

I laughed all the way through this book. I could relate to some of these stories and some of the people sounded like people I may have known while growing up myself. This was good clean fun to listen to. Chris Brinkley was fantastic with the narration. He was perfect for this book and made it a joy to listen to. He wasn't just reading to me, he was making me see the events. I love when a narrator is able to do that! I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.
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A LOT OF FUN!

OMG this had me rolling!
LOL great collection of stories, I laughed my you know what off and really enjoyed the listen.
Can't go wrong with this one, it's great!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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Enjoyable family friendly nostalgia

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.


The author's stories are very relatable to just about anyone who was a child of the 70s / early 80s, the days before internet and modern technology. The story about trying to figure out what a "microwavable" bowl meant in the story about making pudding in the microwave brought back memories of when I faced that same question. These days we take for granted just about everything is microwavable but back then it was a new concept and the only bowl the author could find was one of his mom's good bowls.

The narrator does a great job. These are short and fun to listen to. Easy to put it down and come back to it while you work around the house or as you're getting ready for bed or just sipping coffee in the morning.

Remember When....

This book is a great nostalgic grouping of short stories looking back over all the funny, embarrassing and awkward experiences many of us have lived through. It's clean enough the whole family can listen. This book doesn't have to be read from front to back as many of the stories are individual enough that you can listen them on their own. Overall it's a good clean read or listen and I found it to be great fun!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.