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Book Review

Publisher's Note:

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 that 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 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 just that might 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,…

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One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories

by B.J. Novak

Reviewer: Lydia
Genre: Fiction
Recommended Age: 18+

Overall Book Review:

For years I refused to pick up collections of short stories. They just didn’t appeal to me, although I am not sure why. Earlier this year I read Aimee Bender’s The Color Master which is a beautiful collection of short stories and I was instantly a convert. Never again will I turn up my nose at short stories. There is something about an author’s ability to fit all they have to say about something into what would amount to one short chapter in a “normal” book. B.J. Novak delighted me with his work in his debut collection by not only providing charming stories, but also by surreptitiously connecting several of them.

B.J. Novak may be best known for his contribution in writing and acting in the hit TV show The Office, but after reading his book I am convinced that he is destined to be an author of more bestselling books. If you have the opportunity to listen to this book in audio format, I would encourage it. I did, and enjoyed that B.J. is joined by several hot names such as Carey Mulligan, Rainn Wilson, and even Katy Perry in narrating his book. I was highly impressed by One More Thing, and I think you will be too. So, go to your nearest independent bookstore, library, or if you must, computer and pick up this title while all your friends are talking about it–because I am pretty sure they will be.


Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  11 mild obscenities; 7 religious profanities; 2 derogatory names; 13 F-Word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  A man is mentioned to commit suicide; a man steals; a character dies, no details are given; a boy threatens his teacher verbally and physically.

Sex/Nudity:  Adults kiss; a woman contemplates having sex with a man; adults mentioned to have sex several times; teens are mentioned to be encouraged to have sex; a man purchases a “sex robot” and utilizes it; a man mentions cheating on his wife, making out with a “slut”.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death, interpersonal relationships.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drink; adults smoke; an adult is mentioned to “smoke a bowl”; teens encouraged to do drugs.

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
10
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
2
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
5
10

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About the Reviewer

Lydia
Books and reading have always been an important part of my life. When I was very young, my grandma was the library director at our local public library. Years later, after she had retired, I became a librarian at the same library and worked there for several years before taking a part-time job at a local coffee shop, which gives me more time to do what I love, to read and to review books! A few of my favorite authors are Aimee Bender, Diane Chamberlain, and Curtis Sittenfeld however, I will read almost any book I come across! In my spare time you can find me reading (of course), volunteering at a wildlife animal rehab, or hanging out with my three house rabbits.

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