One More Thing

Stories and Other Stories

By: B. J. Novak

Narrated by: B. J. Novak, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Jason Schwartzman, Katy Perry, Lena Dunham, Mindy Kaling, Julianne Moore, Carey Mulligan, Emma Thompson

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

B.J. Novak's One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories is an endlessly entertaining, surprisingly sensitive, and startlingly original debut that signals the arrival of a brilliant new voice in American fiction.

A boy wins a $100,000 prize in a box of Frosted Flakes - only to discover how claiming the winnings might unravel his family. A woman sets out to seduce motivational speaker Tony Robbins - turning for help to the famed motivator himself. A new arrival in Heaven, overwhelmed with options, procrastinates over a long-ago promise to visit his grandmother. We also meet Sophia, the first artificially intelligent being capable of love, who falls for a man who might not be ready for it himself; a vengeance-minded hare, obsessed with scoring a rematch against the tortoise who ruined his life; and post-college friends who try to figure out how to host an intervention in the era of Facebook. Along the way, we learn why wearing a red T-shirt every day is the key to finding love, how February got its name, and why the stock market is sometimes just...down.

Finding inspiration in questions from the nature of perfection to the icing on carrot cake, One More Thing has at its heart the most human of phenomena: love, fear, hope, ambition, and the inner stirring for the one elusive element that might just make a person complete. Across a dazzling range of subjects, themes, tones, and narrative voices, the many pieces in this collection are like nothing else, but they have one thing in common: They share the playful humor, deep heart, sharp eye, inquisitive mind, and altogether electrifying spirit of a writer with a fierce devotion to the entertainment of the listener.

With special appearances by Lena Dunham, Jenna Fischer, Mindy Kaling, Julianne Moore, Carey Mulligan, Katy Perry, Jason Schwartzman, Emma Thompson, and Rainn Wilson.

©2014 B. J. Novak (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"It is Mr. Novak’s gift for channeling the way we talk and think today that propels many of the funnier tales here...his precisionist eye for detail, his ability to capture the odd thoughts that burble through his characters’ minds...Mr. Novak is nimble at showing how easily the ordinary can morph into the extraordinary and adept at making us see the surreal in the everyday." (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

"Baseline clever and fresh, at best spectacularly perceptive, and always commanding, Novak’s ingeniously ambushing stories of longing, fear, pretension, and confusion reveal the quintessential absurdities and transcendent beauty of our catchas-catch-can lives." ( Booklist)

"The bulk of Novak’s stories are comedic, and more than a few are surprisingly tender.... Written by an author in complete control of his craft." ( Publishers Weekly)

Mostly entertaining; good performance

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Quite a few stories sound like the homework of a 20-something year old completing a creative writing class. And the assignment was something along the lines of "pick an appliance in your kitchen. Write a story from its point of view."

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

There are many short stories in this book. What got me to buy it was the cast of readers, which include well known actors. Some stories were good, but there are 'meh' stories in there too. It's been awhile since I listened to it... and nothing stuck really (except for the narrator's voice, interestingly enough.)

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narration was very good, both from the main narrator and actors.

Do you think One More Thing needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

If the quality of the stories can be improved, sure. The overall format of short stories goes well for car trips, and having great narrators is a big plus.

Excellent!

This is by far my favorite audio book thus far. I'll be looking out for Novak's next project, no question.

Books written and read by actors

BJ Novel and co. breathe life into his stories and characters. Hilarious, poignant and absurd, the stories are original and dynamic, some better than others but the reading elevate it to another level. I tried to re-read it but without the element of surprise and unable to skip to the stories i really liked i couldn't quite get into it a second time. favorites: the rematch, Julie and the warlord, the ambulance driver, Kellogg's, Sophia, Constructive criticism

inner monolog

These are the stories we fantasize about, but are too embarrassed to admit we thought them. It's like looking into a mirror, seeing your darkest antisocial thoughts, and laughing.

Funny and clever

B J Novak's narration is articulate, humorous, interesting. Loved this book, all of it, entirely..

Love This!

I love the writing style of BJ Novak. He writes in a comedic, knowledgeable way without going over the top. His book contains something for everyone!

Wonderful snippets!

“One More Thing” is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of stories. B. J. Novak makes you laugh, pulls at your heartstrings, helps channel your inner geek, and makes you think.

Yes, “Closure,” made me laugh aloud. Thanks for the abrupt left turn.

Laughed out loud

The perfect sarcastic storytelling I needed for a long distance drive - Had me screenshotting the book and sending to all my friends.

Very entertaining

Novak takes every day expressions and well known story's and looks at them from a different, humorous perspective.

Very Entertaining

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, very funny and entertaining

Who was your favorite character and why?

Short stories, n/a.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

He is the author and also has cameos

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

???

Any additional comments?

No