A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities

Quirky Essays for Quirky People

By: Barbara Venkataraman

Narrated by: Carrie Lee Martz

At 8,000 words, this collection of humorous essays explores such quirky topics as: disastrous home repairs, ("A Trip to the Hardware Store"), an unfortunate dinner party ("Dinner is Served"), the truth about lazy people ("Lazy Bones"), the weird life of a debt collector ("Your Account is Past Due") and obsessions with gadgets ("Gadget Girl"). Other essays examine how surreal the aging process is ("Where Did the Time Go?"), why you shouldn't judge a person by their job ("Beyond Belief"), and how to complicate simple transactions ("High Finance"). Like the author's first work, "I'm Not Talking About You, Of Course...," these essays will give your spirit a lift and leave you smiling.

©2013 Barbara Venkataraman (P)2014 Barbara Venkataraman

Wonderful!

If you could sum up A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities in three words, what would they be?

Fun, calamitous, truth

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities?

The matter of the "slight" remodeling necessary in the Trip to The Hardware Store... Understatement of the year!

Which scene was your favorite?

The dining room re flooring...

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen all in one sitting. We had a long car trip, and managed to finish it.

Any additional comments?

This was a commpendium of wonderful short stories, which were hilarious and believable. I think, based on some things I've read, that these are based on real life occurrences for the author. The narrator, Carrie Lee Martz, is once again phenomenal and wickedly versatile. Each story had it's own 'voice'. She is a tremendously talented lady!

Funny!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it's funny.

What about Carrie Lee Martz’s performance did you like?

I've heard two of her performances and she does a good job.

Any additional comments?

I received a free copy of the audiobook for an honest review.

This book has several funny stories in which the author pokes fun at herself and members of her family but the stories are ones we can all relate to. When I listen to an audiobook, I listen in my car on my commute to work. I found myself laughing often as I drove.

My favorite story was “A Trip to the Hardware Store.” Although it was extreme, it reminded me of my dad in a lot of ways.

What a fun book! Anyone who has a sense of humor would enjoy it. When I have time, I plan on getting the first book in the Quirky Essays of Quirky People series, I’m Not Talking about You, of Course…

Life Observations Reminiscent of Erma Bombeck

Any additional comments?

A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities is a collection of short essays of life's observations that are very reminiscent of Erma Bombeck. All of the stories were well written and moving ~ some of them were extremely funny.

Carrie Lee Martz did a great job narrating and contributed to my enjoyment of this short audio book.

At almost one hour, it's the perfect length for my commute to and from work. I can't wait to listen to Barbara Venkataraman's next collection of short essays!

Fun Listen

This was a fun, enjoyable listen. Listening to it felt like having a friend with a great sense of humor along for the ride, telling me some of her favorite stories.
While there were none that were particularly complex, it was still quite entertaining, in the way that personal stories often are.
The narrator was really good.
It's a collection of really authentic sounding, down to early stories that are believable and down to earth. I think my favorite passage was about the debtors - how she loved her debtors. I remember a landlord friend telling me one time that the late debtors were just his favorite - that they always paid more and were funny to listen to. This story reflected that experience.
It's family friendly, and should be great for a long commute or to take on a vacation. It's very personable, and funny in a easy, relaxing way that doesn't require total concentration.

Cute and Quaint, Random and Real

If you could sum up A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities in three words, what would they be?

Cute/Quaint, Random, Real

Who was your favorite character and why?

NA - This is a nonfiction book, so there is the narrator/speaker (presumably the author) and her husband, the lady's 3 sisters, and a slew of random people she knows.

What does Carrie Lee Martz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator has a smooth reading voice that makes this a quick, enjoyable experience.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

My favorite stories were the dinner party and hearing about the collection duties.

Any additional comments?

Well done project.

Well worth the listen

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

one sitting

Any additional comments?

This book was laugh out loud funny, which can be embarrassing when you are listening to an audio book, depending on where you are. The namesake story wa the funniest by far. I am very glad to have grown up around men and women who always knew their way around a hardware store, or at least were willing to admit it when they were in over their heads, before things got to bad off. Well worth the read or the listen, especially if you need to laugh. .

Fun, inoffensive, very mild.

Would you try another book from Barbara Venkataraman and/or Carrie Lee Martz?

Yes. I have listened to Venkataraman's Jamie Quinn Book 1 and really enjoyed it. Same narrator.

If you’ve listened to books by Barbara Venkataraman before, how does this one compare?

It was so inoffensive, so mellow, that I am not sure it will stand out in my memory in 2 or 3 months.

Have you listened to any of Carrie Lee Martz’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I listened to her perform Jamie Quinn Book 1 and I liked that book better.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. The sequence of short stories would not interest me as a movie.

Any additional comments?

Note: Even though this is Book 2 in the series, it stands alone just fine.

This collection of humorous essays captures snippets of real life. From the hardware store trip, to debt collection, to a failed dinner party, and the finance among friends, these little stories provide amusement.

I can see myself in several of these essays. I especially liked the dinner party story, Dinner Is Served. The narrator goes to great lengths to serve a tasty and impressive dinner. However, all her friends have dietary restrictions – allergic to nuts, avoiding gluten, etc. The tale ends on an amusing note of everyone deciding to order pizza, only to disagree on the toppings!

Your Account Is Past Due was my second favorite with silly little stories from a debt collector’s point of view. People tell the collector all sorts of things about their personal lives while explaining why they haven’t paid their bill.

Finally, the title piece, A Trip to the Hardware Store, gave me a giggle mostly because a confused pet dog became so flustered he piddled on fresh cement, creating quite a lot of rework for the owners. Yep, that would be my dog.

Over all, the collection was fun but not brilliant. It is suitable for all audiences with no cussing, no violence, and no adult situations. Basically, it was inoffensive. However, if you have a shared commute and want to listen to something besides your carpool snoring, this could be a fun listen. I did prefer her Jamie Quinn murder mystery over this book but this can serve as a good intro to the author’s sense of humor.

Narration: Carrie Lee Martz provided humor and surprise to the various characters in these essays. Her clear voice provided a nice narration.

A witty fun story!

This book is about several smaller stories of things that go wrong in everyday life. From discussing the newest gadgets for the kitchen, to trips to the hardware store, to planning meal or family gathering, to past jobs. What can go wrong, can & will.
I really enjoyed listening to this story. I could picture an Aunt or a Cousin actually doing the speaking. Very witty & quirky with the words. I had to chuckle when the entire family chimed in "Not the hardware store"! It kind of reminded me of stories Erma Bombeck used to say. I loved her stories too!
What a treat this book turned out to be! The author, Barbara Venkataraman is quite a comedian, finding humor in her everyday life. The Narrator, Carrie Lee Martz did a great job telling the tale to us with wonderful humor in the voices and wonderful accents when needed. A short book with a big POW! Well done ladies!

Hilarious!

Where does A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was my first humor non-fiction read. It's difficult to compare to other books since I normally read fiction, however, it kept me laughing so I rate it pretty high!

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the collector's story. Every part of that just had me laughing out loud!

just like our house

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator is too subdued in her reading. I would like more enthusiasm.Reading is a skill not everyone is adapt at. That said, the stories ring true as they did in my family when things went humorously (in retrospect) wrong..

What other book might you compare A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities to and why?

Alice through the looking glass. Things just not quite right. Subtle but obvious out of place.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Clear voice, good diction, but too even-toned for expression. Might use more expressive range for the situation. High and low tones and short and long enunciation

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

It's a series of short subject films from the 40's

Any additional comments?

Pleasant interlude but unexciting