Home from the Vinyl Cafe: A year of stories
by Stuart McLean
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 64)
These stories made me simply, deeply happy.
"To be that close to a face with that look is something that you never forget. She was sitting on the couch talking to Michael when she noticed that his glasses had begun to fog up - for no apparent reason - and he seemed to be out of breath. Which struck her as peculiar, because he wasn't moving. He was just sitting there with his arm around her shoulders. She wasn't sure how it got there. Then she realized his face, with th...more
"To be that close to a face with that look is something that you never forget. She was sitting on the couch talking to Michael when she noticed that his glasses had begun to fog up - for no apparent reason - and he seemed to be out of breath. Which struck her as peculiar, because he wasn't moving. He was just sitting there with his arm around her shoulders. She wasn't sure how it got there. Then she realized his face, with th...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
people who like short sentences
I had a gift certificate at a local bookstore, and so picked this up pretty randomly. The author has been compared to Garrison Keillor, which sounded promising, but I've been pretty disappointed.
It's a series of stories about a family and (sometimes) their record store, and I thought it'd be some pleasant and diverting light reading, but it ends up feeling a lot like a mediocre sit-com or a bad Ben Stiller movie (as opposed to what other kind he makes, I don't know...).
The first story was...more
It's a series of stories about a family and (sometimes) their record store, and I thought it'd be some pleasant and diverting light reading, but it ends up feeling a lot like a mediocre sit-com or a bad Ben Stiller movie (as opposed to what other kind he makes, I don't know...).
The first story was...more
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Read in January, 2008
When I decided to start up a “52 books in 52 weeks” challenge for myself, I headed on over to the good folks at La Maison Anglaise, Québec City’s premier English-language bookstore, for a savvy recommendation which would ween me back into the joys of reading. For you see, it’s not without a certain amount of shame that I have not regularly read since university. So, as you may gather, I have some catching up to do and some habits to re-grow.
So I was suggested that CBC host Stuart Mc...more
So I was suggested that CBC host Stuart Mc...more
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Read in April, 2008
I got this book for Christmas and had several other books in line ahead of it. When I started it, it seemed a little dry and difficult to get into. However, once I had read a few chapters and became acquainted with the characters it was a very fun, lighthearted read. The four family members each have their own unique personalities and each chapter tells the story of some quirky incident that one or all of the family members are involved in, and include many flashbacks that are interesting and...more
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Read in May, 2008
I picked up this book because I often find myself laughing out loud during the short story segment of The Vinyl Cafe on NPR. The stories are decidedly better when read aloud by the Canadian himself - there's just something great about McLean's delivery. I'd recommend this as book on tape, as long as you don't listen to all of the stories back to back (they all have very tidy endings, so I'm afraid that would be a little too sappy).
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My sister gave me this book to read; I have no idea if she liked it, but I didn't. I need to ask her. The author is a Canadian writer & apparently he's supposed to be very funny, but I didn't find the book funny at all until the very last line; it was finally then that I had a good chuckle. Can't say I would pick up another one of his books, I think I would pass, unless it was on loan as this book was.
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Read in November, 2005
The first vinyl cafe collection I read and it hooked me. the stories are funny the characters engaging. Like a fine joke, some of these tales build to a hilarious conclusion that even when the end is seen, still you enjoy the penache.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone
This was a good light read. It was very funny. It is a series of short stories about a family with 2 kids and some of the situations and struggles they found themselves in. The book won some Canadian writing awards for humor.
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Read in June, 2008
A very hit-or-miss collection of short stories. Kind of like a sitcom in book form. A Seinfeld-type sitcom.
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Read in February, 2006
Seriously, I just want to hang with this family. Stuart McLean should be my wacky uncle.
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