Stories from the Vinyl Cafe

I was first introduced to Dave (the main character in the Vinyl Cafe stories) at my daughter's birthday party this summer. As we sat around the campfire roasting marshmallows and making s'mores, we took turns telling stories. One precocious storyteller reenacted the story of Dave and the bicycle. It was hilarious! Later her father told me that they listened to Stuart McLean's radio show every week, in which there is a new installment about Dave, the fictional person at the heart of the stories. The show is not broadcast at a good time for us, so when I was visiting Vancouver, BC this summer, I decided to purchase the first Vinyl Cafe book. (Thank you to a fellow LTer for getting me to a good bookstore!) I listened to some of the shows show more via podcast, but I preferred reading just the Dave stories.

I loved the stories in this book. The main characters are Dave and his wife, Morley, and their two children, Stephanie a teenager, and Sam the younger son. Each chapter is complete unto itself, given that they were originally written for radio, so it made a perfect bedtime book, easy to pick up and put down. My husband thought it odd that I was laughing so much while reading (my reading tends to run to the depressing). I read him a few passages, but the effect is not the same. The stories are by turns hysterical and heartwarming. There are moments between husband and wife, or parent and child that McLean gets just right. I have asked for the next books in the series for the holidays. I'll keep you posted. show less

A collection of short stories, many, but not all featuring record store owner Dave, his wife Morley, and their kids Sam and Steph. Many of the stories feature music prominently, as in "Be-Bop-A-Lula", where Dave is left at home while Morley takes the kids to Florida. He starts out having a great time reconnecting with the rock 'n' roll of his youth, but being forty-five catches up with him fast. In "Rock of Ages", elderly piano teacher Flora is crushed to learn that the last man who ever showed an interest in her has died.
The collection includes both humorous stories, like "Shirts", in which Dave is positive that their neighbor has been stealing his shirts from the close-line, and there are several stories that delve into real sadness, show more like "Rock of Ages" or "Fresh, Never Frozen", in which Margaret is caught shoplifting at the grocery store. The plots of each story grabbed me right away. While this one isn't as focused on humor as most of the Vinyl Cafe books, the writing is so engaging. show less

Here is a remarkable collection of short stories by a well known and loved Canadian radio broadcaster and author sure to entertain. Very readable, a few of the stories are laugh-out-loud funny; some are sad but true. All of McLean's stories reflect common aspects of real life. There is no escape. The reader is caught glancing in a mirror of his own human nature.

Convinced that a facial blemish is the start of skin cancer, Dave (a significant middle-aged character in this book) is working his way into a frightful state of nerves:

" Like many men, Dave has a complicated relationship with his body. He inhabits it the way a nervous traveller settles into a commercial airliner - carefully monitoring every arrhythmia - continually aware that show more only through a force of his will does it stay in the air... He couldn't help what his mind did with a list of symptoms..." and what follows is recognizably amusing.

McLean has won awards for his humor and is hugely popular. One of his talents is to give us a chance to honestly recognize our own face in the mirror, laugh at ourselves, and take comfort that we are not alone. There are several other Vinyl Cafe books to follow this and I intend to dive in. show less

Vinyl Cafe never fails to amuse me. Favourite stories from this edition: The Jock Strap, Skunks, Polaroids

Goodreads recommended this to me because I'm reading [b:Purity|23754479|Purity|Jonathan Franzen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438958976l/23754479._SX50_.jpg|43369154]??? I'm pretty sure this book could not be less similar to Purity if it's anything like the radio show. I don't know and I'm not going to read it because that show is one of the most boring things I've ever encountered. I don't care the least bit about Dave and his dad jokes that are billed as witty commentary on Canadian life. Boo. (Not saying anything about the quality of Purity because I've also gotten a little bored with that but for very different reasons).

Normally find Stuart McLean very amusing but this book was far more sad than amusing.

Stuart McLean. Vinyl Cafe. Awesome. I order you to read everything he writes. 'Nuff said.