Stories from the Vinyl Cafe

I loved this book. I've had it on my shelf for months and I wish I would have cracked it open sooner if I had known how funny it was. Keep this one in your purse, these little 5 page stories about life, family and marriage will make standing in line so much more enjoyable. I'll never look at blood pressure machine in the pharmacy without laughing again.

I'll admit it, this was the first book by Stuart McLean that I had ever read, and I never put it down. Each short story was a twist of new comedic surprise. What I liked most about this collection of short stories, is that each one stems from the last. I also enjoyed reading about a Canadian family, and about thier hectic lifes in rural Ottawa. I immidiatly beagn reading Home from the Vynil Cafe, by Stuart McLean, after I had finished Stories from the Vynil Cafe. The only draw back I can find with this book, is that it is simply too short! I was devestated when my page turner had no more pages to turn.

I was tootaling along in my car listening for the first time to an audio tape of Stuart McLean reading his Stories from the Vinyl Cafe. I almost ran off the road because I was laughing so hard. Every time I hear the story of the jock strap I start to howl all over again. And so it is with so many of his stories. I want to send the tapes to my children and friends and particularly, my enemies. I am sure they will not think so badly of someone who sent them such merriment.[...]

McLean is the winner of the 1999 Stephen Leacock award for humour in writing. This book is one of his earlier works, but his ability as a writer is discernable throughout, and it is just as good as his later works. It is a series of writings collected from Stuart McLean's radio show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio One (available in RealAudio on the Internet; check out www.cbc.ca for details), a list of stories that revolve around a family of four from Toronto. McLean has a wonderful ability to make the characters come alive in his stories, while at the same time commenting on modern Canadian and North American culture. A woderful read, guaranteed to make anyone with a moderate sense of humour laugh out loud. Also, note that this book is not out of print, it is merely published in Canada.

Stuart McLean's Stories from the Vinyl Cafe, from his CBC radio show of the same name, is light, witty, down to earth, and an absolute delight to read. Especially for Canadians. You'll recognize the many Canadianisms in his stories, including references to summer jobs at Jasper Park Lodge. I'm loving it!