Dick Cheney Shot Me in the Face

And Other Stories of Men in Pain

By: Timothy O'Leary

Narrated by: David Bosco

You've probably heard about the man Dick Cheney shot, but what if he wasn't the only one?

Ian Davis is a loner, obsessive-compulsive, and a recovering alcoholic. But when a homeless man - who resembles actor Gary Busey - starts harassing him, he resorts to dangerous old habits.

Kenny, a former sitcom star, is a veteran comedian whose career nosedives after a damaging video goes viral.

In these 18 stories we also meet: a distraught husband who experiences heartbreak and salvation after a texting teenager changes his life; a man who returns to his hometown to find his first love stacking jars in Costco; a western sheriff who confronts a pedophile - and his own past; and a successful attorney who abandons his career to play the iPad guitar.

Unexpected, humorous, sometimes dark, and surprisingly heartfelt, these award-winning tales explore the secret life of men as they pass into adulthood, middle age, and old age, confronting lust, pain, guilt, bewilderment, and mortality. The collection fearlessly distills for the listener tinctures of joy, pain, madness, heartbreak, greed, and other components of the human capacity for good and evil, for beauty and ugliness. O'Leary showcases humanity in a fluent, fun way, which will let you peek into the most intimate and the well familiar entrails of existence. Few books around these days possess the capability to bring both a tear to your eye and smile to your lips, within the span of a few chapters, such as this work does.

©2017 Timothy OLeary (P)2017 Timothy O'Leary

Hilarious and Entertaining with Great Narration

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

It made me laugh and kept me glued. I enjoyed it and didn't want it to end.

Any additional comments?

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

Refreshing collection of well-told short stories

"Dick Cheney" is a little different than other short story collections I've read or heard lately, which was really refreshing. As the subtitle suggests, males play the central role in each tale, but "Dick Cheney" isn't devoid of influential female characters. Fellow lady readers should not hesitate to savor every tender morsel of this delectable collection. These stories each stand on their own, but the observant reader/listener might notice some common threads repeated from story to story. (What, pray tell, IS "Two Buck Chuck"?) Some entries feature a twist or some type of irony, while others describe people and circumstances we've all known at some point in our own lives. A couple selections deal with the darker, harsher side of life. But all along the way, well-timed humor keeps things from getting too serious. "Dick Cheney" is a fine example of what good short stories can be, when the author lets the stories write themselves.

Narrator David Bosco effortlessly lifts O'Leary's words right up off the page, giving each character their own unique voice. Only an experienced narrator can successfully tackle the short story collection, a task Bosco accomplishes naturally, and with ease.

I was provided a free copy of this audiobook by the narrator in exchange for my unbiased review. Many thanks to the narrator for this opportunity!

Interesting group of stories

If you’ve listened to books by Timothy O'Leary before, how does this one compare?

This is my first Timothy O'Leary book.

Have you listened to any of David Bosco’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't know If I have listened to David Bosco before but I did like him on this book.

Was Dick Cheney Shot Me in the Face worth the listening time?

It wouldn't be at the top of my list but it was an ok listen

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

A thoroughly enjoyable book

This book was given to me free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

This is a wonderful collection of humorous stories focusing on men in a myriad of situations and covering multiple themes.
There are some wonderfully funny and serious moments.
There is something to be taken away from everyone of them. Whether it is going for your dream no matter how crazy or the cautionary tale of self destructive behaviour.

Anyone could enjoy this book and the narration of which helps add to that enjoyment giving life to the characters.

An epic "what if" romp through men's lives

The author and narrator bring to life a varied groups of men in and around the area of Portland. Some are good people some are true, you know what's, they are all men who have some difficulty in their lives. Some of the stories even have the men cross paths in the tales. Amongst my favorites is the one who has an interview about his ex wife, the restaurant owner (that one strikes close to home). Be ready to laugh cry and be astounded. I can still clearly see the airline cart being decorated in my mind. Enjoy them all and tell your friends. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Highly entertaining, great gift for a male reader

This book wasn't what I expected. It was better.

Starting with the narrator, this guy has a range that kind of blew me away. There was once when I had to check the credits to make sure it was only one guy who was narrating, and not two or three -- that's how many voices he did, and how varied those voices were. He did accents, older men, younger men, middle aged men...to the point where I'm not sure what the guy's real voice sounds like! And even though I got a copy of this book at no cost in exchange for an honest review, I will probably check out some more of David Bosco's work as a result of this just because I'm not a fan of his varied range as a narrator.

As to the stories. They ran the gamut: amusing, snarky, poignant, suspenseful, fantasy, tragic, ironic, depressing and vengeful. The emotional impact of the stories was all over the map. There were a a few times when I had to stop listening an hour or so before going to work so I wouldn't show up emotionally messy That's how impactful these stories were. They were the sort of thing that stick to you, like when you make bacon and the whole house smells like bacon. So not in a bad way, is what I'm trying to say.

Being effected emotionally is something GOOD and something I look for and want in an audio book. I don't want another book that just pisses me off where I'm yelling at the characters not to do stupid things. There's probably a reason I have over 600 books in my library, but fewer than 50 reviews to my name. I don't make a habit out of trashing a book that didn't move me emotionally, but when one does, I go out of my way to say so. Like this one.

If I were to change one thing about this book, it would be the title. I'm sure the author was going for something catchy. The problem I have with it is that Dick Cheney is a real person, and it took me a little while to realize that the story in the title was fiction. I mean, Dick Cheney did have a shooting accident, and it seemed odd that the author would write a fictional story about another guy that Cheney happened to shoot by accident that never made the news. For the longest time while listening, I thought, "Wow, I never knew that happened." Then I realized it was fiction. Duh. I guess that speaks to the writer's ability to trick me into believing his fiction was real, at least for a minute.

I think the title is somewhat misleading because it makes it seem like it's a collection of stories about whimsical events. And yes, the subtitle is right there on the cover: *** And other stories about men in pain.I can't think of a better title, but something like "Short stories about men and THEIR drama, for a change" would be more accurate, but it's a pretty boring title, so I get why the author, Timothy O'Leary, went with something that had perhaps familiarity or shock value -- this book is hard to title, no question there.

I just hope it's not as hard to convince people to listen to, because it's totally worth a listen. If you want to feel something -- anger, sadness, revenge, satisfaction -- give this one a try. But beware some possible triggers: child abuse by a parent and avenging violence (nothing worse than most books) are contained here. But you will leave each story with a sense of ironic satisfaction.

Funny, Uplifting and Emotionally Charged

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

Definitely. Funny, gripping and emotionally engaging, Timothy O’Leary’s draws the reader into the pages of this collection of stories that encompasses life and drama, amusement and despair, depicting those people we meet in real life, quirky or not. The stories are written well and without question, brought fully to life with the talents of narrator David Bosco, a master of voices with a new personality looming around each corner of the book. A undeniably fun listen that’ll put a smile on your face, evoke emotions and keep the listener engaged. Get yours!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The characters all shined, but the guy with the imaginary girlfriend... Priceless.

Have you listened to any of David Bosco’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. David Bosco's performance stands out in all his works. He has a superior range for voices and a feel for the characters' personalities, bringing an undeniable realism to stories. One of the best rising talents in the business.

If you could rename Dick Cheney Shot Me in the Face, what would you call it?

I like the offbeat title.

Any additional comments?

I'll be watching for Timothy O'Leary in the future, and the narration of David Bosco speaks for itself. Buy it.

highly recommend

didn't realize when I bought this book that it was a collection of short stories. I wanted something easy to concentrate on while driving. this fit the bill perfectly. amusing tales with great irony. extremely enjoyable, and David Bosco took me right into the stories.

Great short stories!

I got this collection of short stories because David Bosco is an awesome narrator. The stories are funny and witty and heartwarming and painful - performed with the special that is Bosco. They all bring a degree of feelings, some of them quite poignant. Bosco's narration is light, heavy, snarky, or biting - each character in each story portrayed to perfection.

The author did an incredible job making these short stories complete. The endings were not always what you expect (think Twilight Zone) and that was part of the fun

Confusing at first, but fun!

What made the experience of listening to Dick Cheney Shot Me in the Face the most enjoyable?

The stories and the fact that the listener had to essentially figure out the logical endings. At first I didn't know what to expect from a book with such a strange title. It took me a couple of stories to understand what this book was all about. Once that clicked for me, the stories got more and more enjoyable and intriguing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dick Cheney Shot Me in the Face?

The story that stuck with me the most was the story of the husband, wife and daughter that owned the Italian restaurant (Aldo's). I could almost feel his stress and anguish over trying to keep his business afloat. I am also a dog lover and it was shocking when the poor rescue dog was poisoned. I think this story is very relevant to what is happening in the US today as more and more hate is apparent due to the nature of politics, bigotry and racism.

Have you listened to any of David Bosco’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't. I think he did a great job. I am an audiobook narrator myself and I know how difficult it can be to create multiple characters for a book of short stories. I think he did a great job! All of the voices were distinct and I could always tell who was speaking.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Prepare to be intrigued

Any additional comments?

I was given this book for free by the author for an unbiased review of the material.