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)

Just about perfect.

I can't think of a short story collection that left me as giddy and wanting more as this one. A bit of Shel Silverstein mischief in story construction, combined with an absurdist hipster-tinged poignancy that has a surprising amount of insight on the modern human condition.

Aesop's Fables for the 21st Century

Funny, but more importantly: clever. I learned more about myself and society in these satirical short stories than in any self reflective musings I could've had on my own. Bravo!

Good not great.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist that title lol. Overall the book was good. For me, reading this book was more about the experience you go through while reading, and the afterthought that the stories encourage. It was good. This book landed on my shelves because I’m a Mindy Kaling fan, so why not support her ex/best friend/rumored baby daddy lol!

Hilarious

loved it! spent the entire book laughing. Rainn Wilson should consider recording more audio books.

Amazing Writer

This book was a delight--the short stories were unique, surprising, and beautifully written, not to mention laugh out loud funny. Novak is a genius and I will seek out his work in the future.

Mostly fun short stories

I haven't read many books of short stories, but B.J. Novak's collection is a fun one to begin with if you're looking for a gateway. In Novak's case, his shorter stories seem to carry more power; he has a witty literary sense and can turn a phrase quite well. Ultimately nothing to write home about too earnestly; I listened in 2016, and writing this review in 2018 I have vivid recollection of 2-3 of the stories. This is also a good audiobook if you're a podcast listener looking to get into Audible -- the short stories are structured at no longer than the length of a standard podcast, and they're usually much shorter. Perfect for commutes, and for coming and going within the book as you please.

Imaginative in such a no nonsense kind of way

A transportive experience with each story told. The collection of well chosen story tellers mixed with a " matter of fact" kind of whimsy was a completely delightful experience. I plan to listen all the way through once more to really savor all the flavors in the lovely turns of phrase.

bizarre but entertaining also

kind of makes me want to go listen to his other books. he certainly has a weird mind. and sometimes that's not always a bad thing. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Plenty of hits with a few misses.

First and foremost the cast is amazing and funny. Many of the stories are fantastic, some are ok and others are meh.

Just what I needed

I’ve been rereading Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s book Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory for months because I couldn’t find anything as entertaining or captivating, until I gave this book a try. I’m already excited to listen to it again, it was everything I needed