Quirky Essays for Quirky People: The Complete Collection

By: Barbara Venkataraman

Narrated by: Carrie Lee Martz

For the first time, all in one place, are the award-winning books A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities and I'm Not Talking About You, Of Course plus seven bonus essays. What a collection! If this doesn't make you smile, then you're not even trying.

A Trip to the Hardware Store

These humorous essays explore 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 his or her job ("Beyond Belief"), and how to complicate simple transactions ("High Finance").

I'm Not Talking About You, Of Course

A collection of humorous insights into important topics ranging from annoying pet people ("I'm Not Talking About You, Of Course") to analyzing your inner child ("Irrational Fears") to living like the Amish in the aftermath of a hurricane ("A Jolt of Electricity"). Other essays examine just how much damage a sneeze can cause ("It All Started with a Loud Sneeze"), why it is so complicated to buy a tube of toothpaste ("Ask Me No Questions"), how a parent's obsessive hobbies can become an inescapable vortex ("Crazy Hobbies"), and why spending the night in a sleep clinic is like being abducted by probing aliens ("Nightmare at the Sleep Clinic").

If you don't see yourself in each of these entertaining essays, then I'm not talking about you, of course.

©2014 Barbara Venkataraman (P)2015 Barbara Venkataraman

short stories

What did you love best about Quirky Essays for Quirky People: The Complete Collection?

funny, short stories

Who was your favorite character and why?

the first story, the father sounded just like my husband

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

no

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

I thought they were all light and funny

Funny and Quirky

The author shares bits of her life, family, and friends in a humorous light. She tells the stories that you can relate to and even put yourself in as the central character. I enjoyed the book as read, but I think it might be even funnier if you read it yourself. Enjoy!!

Humorous stories to relate to

This is a collection of humorous essays inspired by Barbara Venkataraman’s own life and circumstances. Some are reflections, some recollections of past events, but what many of them share is a final punch.

I was able to relate more to some stories than others but this is just due to my personal experiences. They are 24 very short stories, ideal for a light and quick listen. I laughed with most of them, but I had more troubles to relate to the one where she has to cook dinner and her friends have various allergies and intolerances. The situation pretended to be humorous and a bit ridiculous, but as a multi-allergic person who never eats out and only trusts a couple of people in the world to cook for me, I was unable to see the funny side. The rest of the stories though, were funny and some maybe even bitter because of how much I could identify with them.

Carrie Lee Martz used a light and sometimes snarky tone, a style that perfectly matched the stories. For some, I think I would have appreciated a more subtle narration, but it is just a personal preference.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Comedy of everyday life

This book will keep you laughing about everyday life and someone else's outlook on it. Love the way the author makes references to her other books in a round about way.

Life in the FUN lane!

family-dynamics, friendship, situational-humor, verbal-humor, essays, short

Life in the FUN lane!
Laughed my way through the whole lot! Each vignette is funnier than the last and perfect to listen to while doing boring tasks. NOT suited to sitting in an office waiting your turn or while drinking hot beverage!
I have audio interpreted perfectly by Carrie Lee Martz who really knows comedy!

Really funny book. Extremely enjoyable

I was given a free copy of this as an audio book in exchange for a fair review.

This was really enjoyable. I was absolutely laughing out loud at many of these essays. Some were a bit more poignant. I really enjoyed all of them. My favorite was the one about kitchen gadgets. As a self proclaimed kitchen gadget man it felt like Barbara had access to my kitchen and had been poking around. I was laughing uncontrollably at times!

The audio production was very good. The reader did an excellent job.

Lots of good everyday observational kind of humor in these. I think there is at least a little something for everyone. I would highly recommend this. It was just a really fun read/listen. If you are considering this just get yourself a copy it’s well worth listening to!