This collection of short stories includes The notorious jumping frog of Calaveras county, A true story, Jim Baker's blue-jay yarn, The private history of a campaign that failed, Extracts from Adam's diary, Eve's diary, The £1,000,000 bank-note, and How to tell a story. The title story was not among my favorites in the collection. I loved “A true story”, told largely in the voice of a former slave separated from her children. It's a sad story with an unexpectedly happy ending, and I hope it really is a true story. I also enjoyed “The £1,000,000 bank-note”. I don't think I had read the story before, but it seems like I might have seen a movie or two with a similar plot. “Extracts from Adam's diary” is much more entertaining than “Eve's diary”. All public speakers would benefit from “How to tell a story”. Norman Dietz is the perfect reader for this collection. His voice makes it easy to close your eyes and imagine yourself gathered with an intimate group of family and friends on a lazy summer evening. Recommended. ( )

Hilarious!! Every time I read it, I laugh more than the time before. ( )

A small book of smaller stories, by Mark Twain. A couple used a lot of slang and was irritating to read but the whole book was a humorous read. ( )