Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
114th out of 146 books
—
103 voters
Shenanigans!
by
Joseph Michael Owens (Goodreads Author)
Benjamin “Benji” Palko is just trying to get by, to fly under life’s radar. But random events keep happening to him and to those he cares about most that make him question what he thinks he knows along the way.
In this collectio(novel)la, Ben gets entangled in a strange and humiliating coffee debacle that results in a trip to the Emergency Room. He has a standoff with his d...more
In this collectio(novel)la, Ben gets entangled in a strange and humiliating coffee debacle that results in a trip to the Emergency Room. He has a standoff with his d...more
Paperback, Rel. 1.5, 100 pages
Published
February 1st 2012
by Grey Sparrow Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
284)
This work could be called a collection of short stories or a novella. Either label will work and Joe Owens obviously likes them both, which is why they have been smushed together in the book description.
The first story, "Contemptibly, A Hair," introduces us to Ben Palko, an overworked IT and data entry specialist with largish pores, as he faces the dilemmas of dealing with a less-than-ideal office job. He is observant, critical, sarcastic and sensitive to the ridiculous traits of his co-workers...more
The first story, "Contemptibly, A Hair," introduces us to Ben Palko, an overworked IT and data entry specialist with largish pores, as he faces the dilemmas of dealing with a less-than-ideal office job. He is observant, critical, sarcastic and sensitive to the ridiculous traits of his co-workers...more
21 likes · like · see review
view all 8 comments
UPDATE 05/20/13: I'm now officially listed at the Next Gen. Indie Book Awards for regional fiction -- 'tis all good, as they say!!
http://www.indiebookawards.com/2013_w...
UPDATE 04/06/13: Big thanks to everyone who's read the book and offered their opinions! I truly appreciate the feedback; whether 1-star, 3 stars, or 5-stars, your time and consideration mean the world to me!!
The new cover is ready to roll! If you're interested, here's the link! http://amzn.to/N4ohSa
It's probably cheating to add...more
http://www.indiebookawards.com/2013_w...
UPDATE 04/06/13: Big thanks to everyone who's read the book and offered their opinions! I truly appreciate the feedback; whether 1-star, 3 stars, or 5-stars, your time and consideration mean the world to me!!
The new cover is ready to roll! If you're interested, here's the link! http://amzn.to/N4ohSa
It's probably cheating to add...more
4 likes · like · see review
“Shenanigans! is the textual photo-album of Anna and Ben, language made to Polaroid the gentle tangle of coupling and maturation. This is a collection wonderfully tinged with humor, beautifully tempered with landscape, and soaked in the genuine.”
– J. A. Tyler, author of Girl With Oars & Man Dying
– J. A. Tyler, author of Girl With Oars & Man Dying
This is a really friendly and endearing book. I know those are usually words to use for people rather than novellas, but Shennanigians! has a certain energy and humility that I really liked; the style reminded me a bit of DWF on occasions (especially the clever use of footnotes), but sort of pared to its emotional core. For the most part, it's rare for writers to do slice-of-life this well (which is generally something I'd expect mostly from Japanese writing), but Shenanigians! nails it; the mom...more
3 likes · like · see review
Reading "SHENANIGANS!" was like sitting down with a stranger with a cup of coffee and finding myself when I finished the last word,as if I had come to know a gentle,caring,extremely funny person & wanting to say "Wait,don't go!" The personal battles of his body bicycling against rain,ice and high altitudes in nature, or disease are described so you seem to see and feel what he was experiencing. Yet he also is not afraid to show with humor his ability to laugh at himself and invite you to lau...more
I know Joseph Michael Owens. He's a great guy and conversations with him, regardless of the topic, are always interesting. Whether he's talking about string theory, tree nuts, or David Foster Wallace, Owens has such a passion for life that it's difficult not to listen.
Owens' voice comes through strong in Shenanigans!. No matter the subject—and he covers a wide variety of subjects here from nunchucks and lasagna, to love and cancer—Owens yanks in the reader. With a tone that is both casual and ex...more
Owens' voice comes through strong in Shenanigans!. No matter the subject—and he covers a wide variety of subjects here from nunchucks and lasagna, to love and cancer—Owens yanks in the reader. With a tone that is both casual and ex...more
5 likes · like · see review
I read Shenanigans! over a long weekend spent away from home. It was between trips to a burlesque, a comic book store, a wedding, and various restaurants that I managed to digest this magnificent little masterpiece. Owens' voice reminds me of Nicholson Baker's only where Baker (though I am fond of his writing) tends to stare inward and write pontificating essays where others would just tell a cool story, Owens does both. He does both, mind you, masterfully.
Good literature can really be boiled d...more
Good literature can really be boiled d...more
I've heard that by the time Bukowski was really into the swing of things as a writer he had stopped reading much of anything because he did not feel that most of what he came across had life. It felt dead and, as such, was worthless. I can't really say for sure because I didn't know old Buk', but I believe he would have felt very differently about the writing in "Shenanigans!" If there was ever writing with life, "Shenanigans!" is it.
In some cases I mean this quite literally. The writing in "Con...more
In some cases I mean this quite literally. The writing in "Con...more
"Shenanigans!" by Joseph Michael Owens was a fast read that left a lasting impression. At first the non-linear story line distracted me, not because I dislike non-linear story lines, but because I wasn't expecting it. However, with each passing chapter/short story I felt as if I were being allowed a brief glimpse into the character's private life. It was like experiencing the secret, guilty pleasure of being a fly on the wall. Ben and Anna, their relationship, their hobbies, their work, and thei...more
This book was for me a nice read. In the stories with dialogue it was like I was there observing what was happening. In some of the stories it was like a view into someones mind with what is going on. "The Year That Was...and Was Not" being my favorite of the stories. Really got me interested in the characters and the storyline of their lives.
I really enjoyed this and reviewed the book at the Lit Pub. Here's a little segment:
"With a title like Shenanigans!, I was expecting a lot of mischief in this collection of nine short stories by Joseph Michael Owens. I was surprised, then, to find a touching relationship at the center of the stories, a connection warmly rendered between the book’s main character, Ben and his wife, Anna. Commonplace becomes setup for epiphany, only the epiphany is more like a softly whispered melody, gently invit...more
"With a title like Shenanigans!, I was expecting a lot of mischief in this collection of nine short stories by Joseph Michael Owens. I was surprised, then, to find a touching relationship at the center of the stories, a connection warmly rendered between the book’s main character, Ben and his wife, Anna. Commonplace becomes setup for epiphany, only the epiphany is more like a softly whispered melody, gently invit...more
I've won this book via goodreads Giveaways and can't wait to read it. I have been on a short story collection and bizarro kick lately. I will update this review once I have received and read this book.
Ben Palko is just trying to get by. But random events keep happening to him and those he cares about. The stories view the world with self-deprecating humor. At heart this is a young mans stories of Love and Loss, of Life and Death. Each one reads like a conversation. I look forward to reading more books by Joseph Michael Owens
You are very much caught-up in your own head, and the answers are not clear.
More - http://bentanzer.blogspot.com/2013/03...
More - http://bentanzer.blogspot.com/2013/03...
Jun 09, 2013
Rae
marked it as to-read
May 29, 2013
Kurt Baumeister
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Ian
marked it as to-read
May 04, 2013
Chip Erwin
marked it as to-read
Apr 29, 2013
Aurora Smith
marked it as to-read
Mar 15, 2013
Shawna
marked it as to-read
Mar 07, 2013
Tam Williams
marked it as to-read
Mar 03, 2013
Michelle
marked it as to-read
Mar 03, 2013
Mike
marked it as to-read
Mar 03, 2013
Susan
marked it as to-read
Mar 03, 2013
Amelia Perkins
marked it as to-read
Mar 03, 2013
Joshua Goudreau
marked it as to-read
Mar 03, 2013
Barb Patterson
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Joseph Michael Owens has written for PANK Magazine, The Rumpus, The Houston Literary Review, InDigest Magazine, Specter Magazine and Grey Sparrow Journal (CELJ’s Best New Literary Journal of 2010), where he is a regular contributor to its section, “The Campus,” and serves as an associate editor. Additionally, his short story “We Always Trust Each Other, Except for When We Don’t” was nominated for...more
More about Joseph Michael Owens...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
