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A Smidge of Crazy
- More Quirky Essays for Quirky People
- Narrated by: Sara M. Sapp
- Length: 59 mins
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Publisher's summary
A collection of humorous insights into important topics ranging from being targeted by annoying ads ("Nowhere to Hide"), to resorting to symbols when you've forgotten your words ("At a Loss for Words"), to figuring out what door that extra key opens ("My Extra Key").
Other essays examine how sitting is the new smoking (whatever that means) and why it is just so hard to focus when you have the attention span of a gnat.
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What do the lives of Lincoln, Helen Keller, Joan of Arc, and other historical figures have in common with Paula Poundstone? In the hands of this wryly observant and self-deprecating comedian, the answer is outrageously funny and unexpectedly touching. Poundstone compares her crazy life to theirs, as she holds forth on her children, her career, and the time in her life when it appeared she would lose them both.
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More!
- By Evelyn on 02-11-07
By: Paula Poundstone
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After I'm Gone
- A Novel
- By: Laura Lippman
- Narrated by: Linda Emond
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Dead is dead. Missing is gone. When Felix Brewer meets nineteen-year-old Bernadette "Bambi" Gottschalk at a Valentine's Day dance in 1959, he charms her with wild promises, some of which he actually keeps. Thanks to his lucrative - if not all legal - businesses, she and their three little girls live in luxury. But on the Fourth of July in 1976, Bambi's comfortable world implodes when Felix, facing prison, vanishes. Though Bambi has no idea where her husband - or his money - might be, she suspects one woman does: his devoted young mistress, Julie.
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Cannot rate this highly enough!
- By C. Vincent on 03-05-14
By: Laura Lippman
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Shanda
- A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy
- By: Letty Cottin Pogrebin
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The word "shanda" is defined as shame or disgrace in Yiddish. This book, Shanda, tells the story of three generations of complicated, intense twentieth-century Jews for whom the desire to fit in and the fear of public humiliation either drove their aspirations or crushed their spirit. In her deeply engaging, astonishingly candid memoir, author and activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin exposes the fiercely-guarded lies and intricate cover-ups woven by dozens of members of her extended family.
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Beautifully Written!
- By Adele Aron Greenspun on 01-12-23
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Becoming Duchess Goldblatt
- By: anonymous
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Lyle Lovett, J. Smith-Cameron
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Becoming Duchess Goldblatt is two stories: that of the reclusive real-life writer who created a fictional character out of loneliness and thin air, and that of the magical Duchess Goldblatt herself, a bright light in the darkness of social media. Fans around the world are drawn to Her Grace's voice, her wit, her life-affirming love for all humanity, and the fun and friendship of the community that's sprung up around her.
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Oh Dear Duchess!
- By Rebecca Lindroos on 07-20-20
By: anonymous
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Chicken Soup for the Soul - Find Your Happiness
- 101 Inspirational Stories about Finding Your Purpose, Passion, and Joy
- By: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen
- Narrated by: Cynthia Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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What makes you happy? Others share how they found their passion, purpose, and joy in life in these 101 personal and exciting stories that are sure to inspire and encourage listeners to find their own happiness. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Happiness will encourage listeners to pursue their dreams, find their passion and seek joy in their life with its 101 personal and inspiring stories. This book continues Chicken Soup for the Soul’s focus on inspiration and hope, reminding us that we all can find our own happiness.
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I got even more depressed
- By Tom on 09-08-14
By: Jack Canfield, and others
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Bitter in the Mouth
- By: Monique Truong
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Growing up in the small town of Boiling Springs, North Carolina, in the 70’s and 80’s, Linda believes that she is profoundly different from everyone else, including the members of her own family. “What I know about you, little girl, would break you in two” are the cruel, mysterious last words that Linda’s grandmother ever says to her.
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"Tasting Words" made this hard to hear!
- By Kate Anderson on 11-06-11
By: Monique Truong
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Why I Hate Green Beans
- And Other Confessions About Relationships, Reality TV, and How We See Ourselves
- By: Lincee Ray
- Narrated by: Lincee Ray
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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If there is one thing Lincee Ray has learned over the years, it's that the majority of women on the planet struggle with insecurities. Our skinny jeans mock us. Our just-trying-to-help mothers are just driving us crazy. Our social media feeds taunt us with everyone else's picture-perfect lives. It's enough to send you on a gummy-bear bender while binge-watching Friends reruns and not showering for a week. Lincee knows. She's been there. Right there, in fact. Gummy bears and all.
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Perfect in every way!
- By Anonymous User on 10-19-22
By: Lincee Ray
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Modern Loss
- Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome.
- By: Rebecca Soffer, Gabrielle Birkner
- Narrated by: Meredith Mitchell, Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it's clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map. Let's face it: Most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We're awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit.
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Not What I Was Expecting
- By Bessie Mae on 03-01-23
By: Rebecca Soffer, and others
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Funny in Farsi
- A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
- By: Firoozeh Dumas
- Narrated by: Firoozeh Dumas
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1972, when she was seven, Firoozeh Dumas and her family moved from Iran to Southern California, arriving with no firsthand knowledge of this country beyond her father's glowing memories of his graduate school years here.
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The melting pot, next generation
- By Jerry on 02-15-08
By: Firoozeh Dumas
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The Hour I First Believed
- A Novel
- By: Wally Lamb
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 25 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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When high-school teacher Caelum Quirk and his wife, Maureen, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, while Caelum is away, Maureen finds herself in the library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed. Miraculously, she survives. But when Caelum and Maureen flee to an illusion of safety on the Quirk family's Connecticut farm, they discover that the effects of chaos are not easily put right.
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excellent all around yarn
- By G. on 01-10-09
By: Wally Lamb
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The Mathematician's Shiva
- By: Stuart Rojstaczer
- Narrated by: Angela Brazil, Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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When the greatest female mathematician in history passes away, her son, Alexander "Sasha" Karnokovitch, just wants to mourn his mother in peace. But rumor has it the notoriously eccentric Polish émigré has solved one of the most difficult problems in all of mathematics and has spitefully taken the solution to her grave. A ragtag group of mathematicians from around the world descends upon Rachela's shiva, determined to find the proof or solve it for themselves - even if it means prying up the floorboards for notes.
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Great read
- By Lee Crowe on 07-27-15
What listeners say about A Smidge of Crazy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amber P.
- 04-18-20
Collection of Essays
A small collection of essays or short stories by the author that cover topics from Data Mined advertising on the internet, that extra key we all have on our key rings and don’t know where it goes, to a logophile (which is a lover of words).
“Of all the mysteries in my life, the one I someday hope to solve is the mystery of my extra key.”
“The stranger stared into my eyes so deeply it felt like he was looking into my soul. The staring went on for so long I was starting to feel uncomfortable when he finally spoke.
“You have presbyopia.”
“Oh my God,” I said, “Is that serious? It sounds like a tropical disease.”
The ophthalmologist laughed. “No, it means you have old eyes. You also have a touch of astigmatism.”
I rubbed my blurry, traitorous eyes. “What’s the cure, doc?”
He shrugged. “Longer arms so you can read a menu. Glasses, of course.”
A great, short read, very funny and extremely enjoyable. These stories are so relatable, things that we are all going through and thinking on a daily basis but Barbara has put them on paper for us to read and laugh about together. I literally laughed out loud on a few. For someone who is an attorney and an English major, you expect her writing to be stiff and full of words that most of us would have to look up but that is not the case at all. It’s written for everyone not just other logophiles to enjoy.
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- GaryE
- 02-16-24
These are just fun well written essays
I was given a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoy Barbara’s essays. They are just so much fun. I feel like getting too specific about what I liked would give away minor spoilers which I hate doing.
They are fun, cute and funny. They are well worth reading. Just buy them and enjoy!
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- Dawn H
- 09-30-19
Fun, quick, and relatable
I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free audio copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.
I’ve listened to several of Barbara Venkataraman’s books, and I always enjoy them. A Smidge of Crazy is one of my favorites. It contains 15 essays about things that are funny and that we can all relate to. Who doesn’t have that extra key that opens…something? Or how about getting sidetracked when you’re trying to accomplish a task and end up starting several tasks but finishing none of them?
It’s nice to know that I’m not the only person who’s just a little bit crazy and able to laugh at myself. I appreciate that the author has the talent to put it all on paper, and I hope she writes more essays of this type in the future.
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- Lomeraniel
- 08-02-19
Funny and light stories
This is the second volume of a collection of humorous essays inspired by Barbara Venkataraman’s own life and circumstances. If you enjoyed the first book, you will also like this one. The stories are a mix of humorous and bitter but they are always told using a light tone, irony, and the indispensable final punch.
They are 15 very short stories, ideal for a light and quick listen. I think I especially enjoyed ‘My Extra Key’, ‘Mental Health Day, ‘Try to Focus’, and ‘What is your Thunder’. I found easy to relate to Barbara’s stories, and I laughed out loud at her down to earth recollections.
It was the first time I listened to Sara M. Sapp, but her narration was very similar to Carrie Lee Martz’s in the first book, employing a light and sometimes snarky tone, a style that perfectly matched the stories.
If you enjoy funny and light short stories, this book is for you. It will also make you think about how important can be the simple things in life.
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.
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- erobbins33
- 07-23-19
Very Relatable
I enjoyed listening to these essays. I got a good chuckle about the mystery key, since I think we all have them. I really found the whole collection very easy to relate to. Well, except for the cake decorating. You see, my mom used to teach those classes, so I got to learn from a young age. Anyway, this was a fun read, and I really loved the narrator.
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- MolllyT
- 04-18-20
Fun!
Random ideas with giggles! I was smart enough to get the ebook for free and get the Whispersync for cheap, so I win hands down! I listened and laughed for an hour while I made beds and gathered dirty clothes. Totally loved it and will enjoy it again! Sara M. Sapp has just the right delivery as narrator!
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- J. Allen
- 09-11-19
okay
an okay listen, narration was good but while the essays found were cute for the most part, I thought overall the collection felt forced. Funny but not FUNNY.
this book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
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