VPL Picks: Reading Aloud to the Elderly - Short Entertaining ReadsLike this list

26 items

• Inciting Joy

  Essays

  Gay, Ross, 1974-

  Add Inciting Joy to your for later shelf

  Gay's lyrical essays make a case for joy, especially during life's hardships.

• The Goodbye Cat

  Seven Cat Stories

  Arikawa, Hiro, 1972-

  Add The Goodbye Cat to your for later shelf

  A collection of delightful stories about cats and their owners.

• The Comfort Book

  Haig, Matt, 1975-

  Add The Comfort Book to your for later shelf

  A free-form book about life and stress and self-acceptance that can be read in any order the reader likes.

• Weather

  a Novel

  Offill, Jenny, 1968-

  Add Weather to your for later shelf

  A novel told in choppy, clever micro-scenes full of random observations and jokes. It is fun while you read it and yet easy enough to put down whenever you want.

• Wow, No Thank You

  Essays

  Irby, Samantha

  Add Wow, No Thank You to your for later shelf

  Irby, heading anxiously into her 40's with a new wife and 2 step-children in a new rural landscape, provides awkward and hysterical observations of life.

• An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good

  Tursten, Helene, 1954-

  Add An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good to your for later shelf

  A "deliciously noir" collection of five short stories featuring Maud, a feisty octogenarian.

• The Book of Small

  Carr, Emily, 1871-1945

  Add The Book of Small to your for later shelf

  These delightful autobiographical stories by Canadian legend Emily Carr offer a glimpse into her childhood and family.

• World of Wonders

  in Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

  Nezhukumatathil, Aimee

  Add World of Wonders to your for later shelf

  Brief, thoughtful essays about the natural world around us .

• All My Patients Have Tales

  Favorite Stories From a Vet's Practice

  Wells, Jeff, D.V.M.

  Add All My Patients Have Tales to your for later shelf

  Short, laugh-out-loud stories from a veterinarian's life and work with a wide range of animals.

• The Best of Wodehouse

  An Anthology

  Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975

  Add The Best of Wodehouse to your for later shelf

  A collection of some of the best stories by P. G. Wodehouse, one of the greatest comic masters and a genius for light entertainment.

• Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul

  Heartwarming Stories for People 60 and Over

  Add Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul to your for later shelf

  Heartwarming tales focusing on overcoming life's obstacles and enjoying the golden years.

• Children of My Heart

  Roy, Gabrielle, 1909-1983

  Add Children of My Heart to your for later shelf

  Gabrielle Roy recounts the stories of herself as a young teacher and the inspiring students she works with.

• Collected Stories

  Dahl, Roald

  Add Collected Stories to your for later shelf

  Roald Dahl, a master storyteller, wrote both for adults and younger persons. This entertaining collection includes all his short stories for adults.

• The Hockey Sweater and Other Stories

  Carrier, Roch

  Add The Hockey Sweater and Other Stories to your for later shelf

  This collection includes the enduring Canadian classic "The Hockey Sweater" and many other short stories by Roch Carrier.

• James Herriot's Animal Stories

  Herriot, James

  Add James Herriot's Animal Stories to your for later shelf

  A wonderful collection of stories about creatures big and small by beloved veterinarian James Herriot.

• In the Company of Strangers

  Meigs, Mary, 1917-2002

  Add In the Company of Strangers to your for later shelf

  The life stories of eight women, seven of them senior citizens, who are stranded at an isolated cottage when their bus breaks down.

• My Family and Other Animals

  Durrell, Gerald, 1925-1995

  Add My Family and Other Animals to your for later shelf

  A humorous account of naturalist Durrell’s childhood years in Corfu. He describes his fascination with wildlife with the same enthusiasm that he recounts the oddities of older relatives.

• Ninety-nine Stories of God

  Williams, Joy, 1944-

  Add Ninety-nine Stories of God to your for later shelf

  The ninety nine very short stories of this collection by Pulitzer finalist Joy Williams have been described as "perfect little gems."

• The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

  McCall Smith, Alexander, 1948-

  Add The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to your for later shelf

  The first volume in a bestselling cozy mystery series featuring Mme Precious Ramotswe, a keen observer of human nature, who opens a detective agency in Botswana.

• One More Thing

  Stories and Other Stories

  Novak, B. J., 1979-

  Add One More Thing to your for later shelf

  A debut collection of fun and funny short stories by B.J. Novak, a writer for the television series "The Office".