-
Selected Shorts: A Touch of Magic
- Narrated by: James Naughton, Stephen Colbert, John Lithgow, Daniel Gerroll, Maria Tucci, Anthony Rapp, Jerry Zaks
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Speech
- Release date: 03-24-10
- Language: English
- Publisher: Symphony Space
Regular price: $19.60
People who bought this also bought...
-
Men Without Women
- Stories
- By: Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel - translator, Ted Goossen - translator
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 427
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 392
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 393
Across seven tales, Haruki Murakami brings his powers of observation to bear on the lives of men who, in their own ways, find themselves alone. Here are vanishing cats and smoky bars, lonely hearts and mysterious women, baseball and the Beatles, woven together to tell stories that speak to us all. Marked by the same wry humor that has defined his entire body of work, in this collection Murakami has crafted another contemporary classic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Murakami Being Murakami
- By Jay Quintana on 05-10-17
-
Killing Commendatore
- A Novel
- By: Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel - translator, Ted Goossen - translator
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 28 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
In Killing Commendatore, a 30-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a previously unseen painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a mysterious ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious 13-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Masterpiece and A Good Novel To Start
- By Elif Kaya on 10-18-18
-
The Elephant Vanishes
- Stories
- By: Haruki Murakami, Alfred Birnbaum (translator), Jay Rubin (translator)
- Narrated by: Teresa Gallagher, John Chancer, Walter Lewis, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 78
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 79
With the same deadpan mania and genius for dislocation that he brought to his internationally acclaimed novels A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami makes this collection of stories a determined assault on the normal. A man sees his favorite elephant vanish into thin air; a newlywed couple suffers attacks of hunger that drive them to hold up a McDonald's in the middle of the night; and a young woman discovers that she has become irresistible to a little green monster who burrows up through her backyard.
-
X Minus One: The Veldt (August 4, 1955)
- By: Ray Bradbury, Ernest Kinoy - adaptation
- Narrated by: Fred Collins
- Length: 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 23
X Minus One premiered in April 1955 on NBC and ran until January 1958. Like its predecessor series, Dimension X, X Minus One featured stories by the greatest names in modern science fiction: Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Clifford Simak, Robert Bloch, and many more.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
thrilling and thought provoking
- By Matt on 03-10-17
-
Selected Shorts
- Lots of Laughs!
- By: Nicholson Baker, John Updike, David Schickler, and others
- Narrated by: Thomas Gibson, Charles Keating, David Rakoff
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 196
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 51
Selected Shorts is an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by acclaimed actors. The readings are recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. The Selected Shorts radio series is a co-production of Symphony Space and WNYC, New York Public Radio, and is heard on public radio stations nationwide.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful Radio Show
- By Steve on 11-26-05
-
Selected Shorts: Even More Laughs
- By: T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jonathan Lethem, Miranda July, and others
- Narrated by: Jerry Zaks, Alec Baldwin, Christine Baranski, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 34
From silly chuckles to rueful ironic glee to deep cosmic laughter, this new volume of humorous tales samples the best of recent seasons of the popular public radio series Selected Shorts.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Smiling more than laughing
- By Timo on 12-02-10
-
Men Without Women
- Stories
- By: Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel - translator, Ted Goossen - translator
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 427
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 392
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 393
Across seven tales, Haruki Murakami brings his powers of observation to bear on the lives of men who, in their own ways, find themselves alone. Here are vanishing cats and smoky bars, lonely hearts and mysterious women, baseball and the Beatles, woven together to tell stories that speak to us all. Marked by the same wry humor that has defined his entire body of work, in this collection Murakami has crafted another contemporary classic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Murakami Being Murakami
- By Jay Quintana on 05-10-17
-
Killing Commendatore
- A Novel
- By: Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel - translator, Ted Goossen - translator
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 28 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
In Killing Commendatore, a 30-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a previously unseen painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a mysterious ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious 13-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Masterpiece and A Good Novel To Start
- By Elif Kaya on 10-18-18
-
The Elephant Vanishes
- Stories
- By: Haruki Murakami, Alfred Birnbaum (translator), Jay Rubin (translator)
- Narrated by: Teresa Gallagher, John Chancer, Walter Lewis, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 78
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 79
With the same deadpan mania and genius for dislocation that he brought to his internationally acclaimed novels A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami makes this collection of stories a determined assault on the normal. A man sees his favorite elephant vanish into thin air; a newlywed couple suffers attacks of hunger that drive them to hold up a McDonald's in the middle of the night; and a young woman discovers that she has become irresistible to a little green monster who burrows up through her backyard.
-
X Minus One: The Veldt (August 4, 1955)
- By: Ray Bradbury, Ernest Kinoy - adaptation
- Narrated by: Fred Collins
- Length: 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 23
X Minus One premiered in April 1955 on NBC and ran until January 1958. Like its predecessor series, Dimension X, X Minus One featured stories by the greatest names in modern science fiction: Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Clifford Simak, Robert Bloch, and many more.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
thrilling and thought provoking
- By Matt on 03-10-17
-
Selected Shorts
- Lots of Laughs!
- By: Nicholson Baker, John Updike, David Schickler, and others
- Narrated by: Thomas Gibson, Charles Keating, David Rakoff
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 196
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 51
Selected Shorts is an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by acclaimed actors. The readings are recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. The Selected Shorts radio series is a co-production of Symphony Space and WNYC, New York Public Radio, and is heard on public radio stations nationwide.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful Radio Show
- By Steve on 11-26-05
-
Selected Shorts: Even More Laughs
- By: T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jonathan Lethem, Miranda July, and others
- Narrated by: Jerry Zaks, Alec Baldwin, Christine Baranski, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 34
From silly chuckles to rueful ironic glee to deep cosmic laughter, this new volume of humorous tales samples the best of recent seasons of the popular public radio series Selected Shorts.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Smiling more than laughing
- By Timo on 12-02-10
-
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 2-A
- The Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time Chosen by the Members of The Science Fiction Writers of America
- By: Theodore Sturgeon, Ben Bova - editor, Lester del Rey, and others
- Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla, Kevin T. Collins, Mark Boyett, and others
- Length: 24 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 95
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 87
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 88
This volume is the definitive collection of the best science fiction novellas published between 1929 and 1964, containing 11 great classics. No anthology better captures the birth of science fiction as a literary field. Published in 1973 to honor stories that had appeared before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame introduced tens of thousands to the wonders of science fiction and was a favorite of libraries across the country.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
'Greatest' is the word...
- By dutch wolff on 06-21-18
-
Selected Shorts
- Falling in Love
- By: Rick Bass, Padgett Powell, Laurie Colwin, and others
- Narrated by: Ted Marcoux, Christina Pickles, Hope Davis, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
Selected Shorts: Falling in Love presents a collection of stirring tales of love and longing. Selected Shorts is an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by acclaimed actors. The Selected Shorts radio series is a co-production of Symphony Space and WNYC, New York Public Radio, and is heard on public radio stations nationwide.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
all of the selected shorts series are the best
- By D. Littman on 05-31-09
-
Selected Shorts
- Timeless Classics
- By: James Thurber, Edith Wharton, Jack London, and others
- Narrated by: Maria Tucci, Charles Keating, James Naughton
- Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 87
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 19
Selected Shorts is an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by acclaimed actors. The readings are recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. The Selected Shorts radio series is a co-production of Symphony Space and WNYC, New York Public Radio, and is heard on public radio stations nationwide.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Outstanding!
- By Southern lady on 07-22-07
-
The Golden Apples of the Sun
- And Other Stories
- By: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 89
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
Ray Bradbury is a modern cultural treasure. His disarming simplicity of style underlies a towering body of work unmatched in metaphorical power by any other American storyteller. And here are 32 of his most famous tales - prime examples of the poignant and mysterious poetry that Bradbury uniquely uncovers in the depths of the human soul, the otherwordly portraits that spring from the canvas of one of the century's great men of imagination.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
2 Books in 1
- By Maliboo on 05-05-13
-
The Lottery and Seven Other Stories
- By: Shirley Jackson
- Narrated by: Carol Jordan Stewart
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 55
It's just townspeople picking numbers for the annual lottery...why, then, is there an ominous feeling to "The Lottery"? Find out just what this lottery is for, and listen to seven other unique stories. The collection reveals Jackson's remarkable range, from hilarious to horrifying, dealing with modern issues of alienation, empowerment, racism, and economic class.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mesmerizing characters
- By Melody on 09-08-12
-
Selected Shorts: New American Stories
- By: Aleksandar Hemon, Jhumpa Lahiri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and others
- Narrated by: Boyd Gaines, Rita Wolf, Condola Rashad, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 67
New American Stories presents diverse stories of contemporary American life and dreams lost and found, by four of the best young contemporary writers - Jhumpa Lahiri, Sherman Alexie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Aleksandar Hemon - as performed by terrific stage and screen actors. All four writers have a unique perspective on the American experience, which is reflected in their work.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Riveting stories so well told!
- By Grace L. Miller on 09-09-12
-
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
- A Novel
- By: Haruki Murakami
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 26 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,639
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,409
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,410
In a Tokyo suburb a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife's missing cat.... Soon he finds himself looking for his wife as well in a netherworld that lies beneath the placid surface of Tokyo. As these searches intersect, Okada encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists: a psychic prostitute; a malevolent yet mediagenic politician; a cheerfully morbid 16-year-old-girl; and an aging war veteran who has been permanently changed by the hideous things he witnessed during Japan's forgotten campaign in Manchuria.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful book, flawed narration.
- By REBECCA on 02-08-14
-
Selected Shorts: American Classics
- By: Amy Tan, Donald Barthelme, Eudora Welty, and others
- Narrated by: Freda Foh Shen, David Strathairn, Stockard Channing, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 63
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 50
A compilation of classic tales by great American writers performed by terrific actors, with a lineup including Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners, and PEN Award winners.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Classic classics
- By Michael on 08-30-12
-
Selected Shorts: Behaving Badly
- By: Neil Gaiman, Nathan Englander, Stephen King, and others
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman, Jefferson Mays, Michael Imperioli, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 42
The award winning series of classic and contemporary fiction returns with a collection of darkly funny short stories by the likes of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Aimee Bender, A.M. Homes, Nathan Englander, Kim, Addonizio, and George Saunders. Readers include Anjelica Huston, Neil Gaiman, Michael Imperioli, Harris Yulin, Christina Pickles, Jefferson Mays, and Christine Ebersole.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Come close to me, and I'll eat your life.
- By Cynthia on 02-28-16
-
Dandelion Wine
- By: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: David Aaron Baker
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather's renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley's bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always. But as young Douglas is about to discover, summer can be more than the repetition of established rituals whose mystical power holds time at bay.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of my all time favorite books!
- By koriemax on 09-02-18
-
Smoke and Mirrors
- Short Fictions and Illusions
- By: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,131
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,047
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,043
In Smoke and Mirrors, Gaiman's imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders - where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
almost perfect
- By Jorge I. Figueroa on 12-10-14
-
Selected Shorts
- Whodunit?
- By: C. S. Montanye, Dashiell Hammett, Ed McBain, and others
- Narrated by: Fionnula Flanagan, John Shea, Isaiah Sheffer, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 18
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 16
Selected Shorts is an award-winning, one-hour program featuring readings of classic and new short fiction, recorded live at New York's Symphony Space. One of the most popular series on the airwaves, this unique show is hosted by Isaiah Sheffer and produced for radio by Symphony Space and WNYC Radio.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
This is My Kinda Fiction Buster...
- By HIYBRID on 03-18-12
Publisher's Summary
By turns funny, moving, romantic and surreal, and filled with unexpected twists and turns, each of the tales on this lineup has a magical element.
- Andrew Lam's "The Palmist", performed by James Naughton. A chance encounter on a bus between a fortune-teller and a teenage boy.
- Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt", performed by Stephen Colbert. A room which can take you anywhere in the world - sometimes with dangerous consequences
- W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw", performed by John Lithgow. A wonderful ghost story about a trinket with terrible powers.
- Saki's "The Occasional Garden", performed by Daniel Gerroll. If you can't grow a garden; poof! - you can rent one.
- Donald Barthelme's "The Balloon", performed by Maria Tucci. There's something suddenly in the sky in midtown Manhattan....
- Kevin Brockmeier's "The Year of Silence", performed by Anthony Rapp. What if everything went quiet?
- Jonathan Safran Foer's "The Sixth Borough", performed by Jerry Zaks. Yes, New York had a Sixth Borough, but it drifted away....
- Aimee Bender's "Drunken Mimi", performed by Bernadette Quigley. A romance between a mermaid and an imp.
- Haruki Murakami's "The Little Green Monster", performed by Dana Ivey. A piece of Murakami magic: Is this a monster I see before me?
- T. C. Boyle's "Swept Away", performed by René Auberjonois. This story's weather forecast: Very windy and very funny.
Critic Reviews
"In this latest collection from Symphony Space, there are, oddly enough, no magicians, but the art of illusion is broadly represented." (Publishers Weekly)
"As usual for 'Selected Shorts,' this is a high-quality, entertaining collection." (AudioFile)
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars17
-
4 Stars15
-
3 Stars8
-
2 Stars4
-
1 Stars3
Performance
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars17
-
4 Stars9
-
3 Stars5
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars2
Story
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars10
-
4 Stars15
-
3 Stars6
-
2 Stars4
-
1 Stars1
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Diana
- 04-01-16
A brilliant final story
Worth the money just for that, it flies into ones ears effortlessly a true find
1 of 1 people found this review helpful