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  • General Recommendations
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VPL Picks: Reading Aloud to the Elderly - Short Entertaining Reads

This list of brief, entertaining reads is for caregivers of elderly patrons, especially those with short attention spans. Get started with these titles carefully selected by the reading specialists at Vancouver Public Library. If you would like a personalized reading list, please use the Books Just For You service at https://www.vpl.ca/readnext.

User from Vancouver Public Library

26 items

  • Gay's lyrical essays make a case for joy, especially during life's hardships.
    Book, 2022Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2022. — 828 G2851i
  • A collection of delightful stories about cats and their owners.
    Book, 2023[Toronto] : Viking, 2023. — FIC SS
  • A free-form book about life and stress and self-acceptance that can be read in any order the reader likes.
    Book, 2021Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Harper Avenue, [2021] — 158.1 H149c
  • 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.
    Book, 2020New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2020. — FIC
  • 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.
    Book, 2020New York : Vintage Books, 2020. — 827 I653wo
  • A "deliciously noir" collection of five short stories featuring Maud, a feisty octogenarian.
    Book, 2018New York, NY : Soho Crime, 2018. — FIC
  • These delightful autobiographical stories by Canadian legend Emily Carr offer a glimpse into her childhood and family.
    Book, 2004Vancouver : Douglas & McIntyre, 2004. — c828 C31a2
  • World of Wonders

    in Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

    Nezhukumatathil, Aimee
    Brief, thoughtful essays about the natural world around us .
    Book, 2020Minneapolis, Minnesota : Milkweed Editions, [2020] — 591 N57w
  • All My Patients Have Tales

    Favorite Stories From a Vet's Practice

    Wells, Jeff, D.V.M.
    Short, laugh-out-loud stories from a veterinarian's life and work with a wide range of animals.
    Book, 2009New York : St. Martin's Press, 2009. — 921 W4542a
  • A collection of some of the best stories by P. G. Wodehouse, one of the greatest comic masters and a genius for light entertainment.
    Book, 2007London : Everyman's Library, 2007. — FIC SS
  • Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul

    Heartwarming Stories for People 60 and Over

    Heartwarming tales focusing on overcoming life's obstacles and enjoying the golden years.
    Large Print, 2000Deerfield Beach, Fla. : Health Communications, c2000. — 152.4 C53co1
  • Gabrielle Roy recounts the stories of herself as a young teacher and the inspiring students she works with.
    Book, 1979Toronto : McClelland and Stewart, 1979. — c843 R88c
  • Roald Dahl, a master storyteller, wrote both for adults and younger persons. This entertaining collection includes all his short stories for adults.
    Book, 2006New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. — FIC SS
  • This collection includes the enduring Canadian classic "The Hockey Sweater" and many other short stories by Roch Carrier.
    Book, 2012Toronto : House of Anansi Press, 2012. — c843 C31e1
  • A wonderful collection of stories about creatures big and small by beloved veterinarian James Herriot.
    Book, 1997Toronto : M&S, c1997. — 921 H567as
  • The life stories of eight women, seven of them senior citizens, who are stranded at an isolated cottage when their bus breaks down.
    Book, 1991Vancouver : Talon Books, 1991. — c828 M51i
  • 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.
    Book, 1957New York, Viking Press, 1957 [c1956] — 914.95 D965m
  • The ninety nine very short stories of this collection by Pulitzer finalist Joy Williams have been described as "perfect little gems."
    Book, 2016Portland, OR : Tin House Books, [2016] — FIC SS
  • 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.
    Book, 1998Edinburgh : Polygon, c1998. — FIC MYS
  • One More Thing

    Stories and Other Stories

    Novak, B. J., 1979-
    A debut collection of fun and funny short stories by B.J. Novak, a writer for the television series "The Office".
    Book, 2014New York : Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC, 2014. — FIC SS