A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities: Quirky Essays for Quirky People
Written by: Barbara Venkataraman
Narrated by: Carrie Lee Martz
Length: 55 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date: 02-26-14
Publisher: Barbara Markley
I was hesitant to dedicate a whole post reviewing this title because at 55 minutes long it’s weird to even call it an audiobook, considering most podcasts these days are longer. However, I’m pleased to do so because some people aren’t into podcasts and this format may be of interest to them. Have an hour to kill while driving or doing chores? This light and humourus read will provide you with family friendly entertainment in the form of short essays about everyday life events. Doesn’t sound like much but most of them are quite relatable and surprisingly funny.
The short collection explores everyday themes that are supposed to be ordinary and mundane but somehow always go horibly wrong. From 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 kitchen appliances (“Gadget Girl”) it’s guaranteed there’s going to be something in there to make you laugh. It’s not some never before seen or brilliant humor but still, it’s pretty amusing.
I want to take a minute and talk about the narration. There’s just something off about it but I can’t put my finger on exactly what. It’s something about Carrie Lee Martz’s intonation or pace that doesn’t sit right with me and distracted me from enjoying the essays more. She isn’t exactly bad at narrating, it’s just that her voice sounds weird to me somehow. Regardless of this, on a technical level the production wasn’t flawed and sounded good throughout.
In conclusion, I recommend that you listen to the free sample on Audible before getting the audiobook and if the narration sounds OK to you, then by all means get it.
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