"WILLIE SAYS READ THESE STORIES"
920150
I really enjoyed these three short stories by Tom Winton! His style and talent for spinning interesting, character-driven stories is first-class. I guarantee once you begin reading, you'll not stop until completion. At least that's what happened to me. I highly recommend taking a relaxing break from life and dive into Winton's work. "Thank you, Tom, for an enjoyable read. Keep writin' and smilin'..."

LeeCarey-author.com
738871
Great this book was a good book. Willie shouldn't get jealous like that but she learned. So that is good
3291836
Wait for Signs by Craig Johnson is actually a collection of 12 short stories that Johnson wrote as Christmas presents for those readers who sign up for his newsletter.  This is actually a wonderful grouping that allows Johnson to stretch his wings and explore different Longmire-subjects on a smaller scale.  My husband and I listened to Wait for Signs on audiobook on a long car trip, which was read by the ever-talented George Guidall.

The stories in Wait for Signs cover a wide swath in the life of Absaroka, Wyoming sheriff, Walt Longmire.  Some of these tales are funny, some sad, some reflective and some moving.  Many of these stories have a Christmas-theme, or take place around Christmas and New Years.  Several of them are from the dark time, soon after the death of Walts wife, Martha.  There is one that takes place before the birth of his new granddaughter.  Three of my favorites are the more serious stories, Thanksgiving, Slick-Tongued Devil and Toys for Tots. In these, Johnson shows that its sometimes more important for Longmire to act as a decent and kind man rather than a law-enforcing sheriff.  But some are quite humorous including the wonderful Divorce Horse and High Holidays.

Wait for Signs was much longer than I expected at 5 hours and 8 minutes.  It also has a forward read by Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays Longmires best friend, Henry Standing Bear in the television series.  For any Longmire-fan, Wait for Signs is a must.  You will see sides of Walt Longmire that you might not find in the novels or the television series.
792088
A Tale Out of Luck Review

You take a legendary songwriter and celebrity from Texas, that has written many a perfect country song... then what do you do? Well, you take that success as far as you can go. While Willies twangy, nasal, off-beat, from the strange side of the farm voice, is perfect for Country Music. The uniqueness of his voice and genius of his phrasing is more or less lost on the pop world.

But the quality of his songs have crossed over everywhere to all genres. Just his song "Night Life" has been covered over 75 times and still going. Now songwriting and lyrics don't necessarily presage success in commentary, Philosophy, and novel writing.
So in addition to his acting career Willie has penned several books as well.
"The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes" in 2002. "The Tao of Willie" with Turk Pipken, Willie Nelson: An Epic Life with Joe Nick Patos. And in 2008 a Western with Mikle Blakely, A Spur award winning novelist in his own right. I've read the "Tao of Willie" and you have to give him credit for synthesizing the ancient Chinese Philosophy of Lao-Ztsu, and the Neo-Hippie Redneck system of Willie. Willie has always been a synthesizer of divergent groups and styles.

"A Tale Out of Luck" is his first Novel and while it may not be as masterful a novel as a Zane Grey or a Louis L'Amoure, still it fills the bill. There are plots and sub-plots and themes and sub-themes. A cast of characters including a black albino mustanger, Buffalo Soldiers, Texas Rangers, Texas Post Civil War Re-construction Police, Comanche's, and too, rustlers and ranchers and musicians. While perhaps not a masterpiece of western fiction writing, still it has a lot of heart and will take you back to the early days of Post-Civil War Texas.

Another feather for one of Willies many hats
3821079
I have read 9 of these before, and you can find reviews for them under each title separately.

THE BIG SWITCH CAPER / SCARECROW / NEW ON THE JOB / I TOLD YOU SO / I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS / THE RICHEST MAN IN NEW YORK / IN FOR A PENNY / BUT I LOVE HIM / OH, DEER

The following 2 stories are not currently for sale individually, but I have read them in this collection, and here are my reviews.

CAR TWELVE, COME IN: Super busy day for a couple of cops:  they are watching for stolen vehicles. How exciting can your day get Maybe boredom is what let this little snafu develop. Had these guys been on top of their game they would never have let their car radio completely die on them. They would have had it repaired or replaced. But come on, fellas! Are you really going with, "I heard enough of the call to know what we're supposed to be doing"? Very short so pick up your coffee, tea, whatever...  Enjoy! Not great, but kinda cute.

I LEAN AND ROB: This is a story about friends who work together pursuing their criminal activities. I have always heard there is "honor among thieves". Is there really? What would happen if one party wants to move on - to find new friends? How well do we really know someone else? --- Longer than many of Bernico's stories, but not too long so it's great for a break in the day. Grab a comfy chair and get to it!

I have not read / reviewed the 2 Cooper stories given in this selection (ALL IN A DAYS WORK / CALL 911) because I was reading the collection in order.
3343913
I love this collection. I'm still working on getting my son to pay attention to these stories but I enjoy reading them out loud anyway. I gave this 4 stars because Fox in Socks really did make my tongue numb by the end. LOL
1685447
This set of Dr. Seuss stories is helpful for shorter car rides.  The music and rhythm on the first story, Green Eggs and Ham, is interesting, and our 3-year-old likes it.  However, it does tend to remind one of a "rave," as another reviewer says, so I will refrain from giving another "rave review."

The other stories are also helpful--and it has struck me more by listening to them than by actually reading them to children that Dr. Seuss tried to have a moral to his stories.

It actually helps me to appreciate Seuss more to listen to his stories and not to have to see his illustrations, as I cannot get away from the deeply "Freudian" faces of his characters (they all have noses and chins that, well, remind the viewer of other things).

All that being said, however, and despite the morality he attempts, I have yet to see a person of color in a Seuss book.  Except for the one in Mulberry Street--but he is just there because he "eats with sticks."
2528781
Some of the songs are not what I call "Willie" songs.  They are not completely suited to his style of singing.  Most of them are typical "Willie" and I enjoy them.
4854607
These collection of stories really have a way of working into your brain and your heart.
2264002
I've wanted to read this collection for a few years now, since I saw the original devilish cover. I finally got around to it recently, and in relation to the reviews about it, I sit somewhere in the middle.

I would love to see this re-released after a razor is taken to the writing. For me, too much was told. I often didn't get the chance for his wonderfully subtle and menacing writing to paint pictures in my own imagination. On the more successful tales I did connect and envisioned.

One Goodreads reviewer said he read this collection after reading "Willy", and saw Dunbar's growth as a writer in the novel. I downloaded a Kindle sample of Willy and I have to agree. From only reading a few pages his writing is so much better.

I'm lucky to have my first overwritten self published novel off the shelves and replaced with my publishers version (after three months of rewrites to please their editor). For Dunbar, this collection is through his publisher, but I'm sure he's gone back (like all of us) and seen his own growth and maybe wishes he could edit. But I'm only surmising. After all, he got some ripper reviews including one from the Lambda Literary Foundation.

The other reviews mention favourites in this collection which appeal to most, and I agree with those picks, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say I also liked 'The Folly'.

After reading this book to nearly half way, this story introduced dialogue. Some others had to this point, but this dialogue showed wit and a real sense of the characters through their own voices. There was a slight camp touch to this story which gave it a slightly different flavour to the others.

After getting my first taste of Dunbar's writing, I am looking forward to reading his more modern work. This one, for me, was the starting point of a better writer yet to come.
4479000
Wow! First this is not your traditional writer he's a mix of Shakespeare and Poe in my opinion. Very lyrical.
Breathe is a collection of 12 stories starting with probably my favorite story,
"The POETIC LINE": art! You have to put everything you are into it or it's just not worth a damn. I couldn't put my finger on it but It strongly reminds me of "American Psycho".
In "HAZE": you have a tale about the never ending struggle between good and evil in a "Devils Advocate" meets "The Order" style.
"MR. YEPPERS": is short, dark, and confusing as hell. What's not to love about it?
"A FELLOWS GRIEVANCE": it's a killer night in the city that always feeds. Someone or something is in the prowl.
"WITHIN": another shirt, dark, and confusing tale (I love'em). I'm not sure if there's an answer to this story but I imagined two & I'll keep them both.
"MR. MINKMAN": Mr. Mink man was either way over my head or . . . I just don't know. But you have to like a story that uses the phrase "Pussy Magic".
"MR. CLOWN FROWN": Dr. Seuss has taken to much acid this time. A review if write but a written review would be wrong right? A tale to be read, enjoyed, devoured and fed to your head. But remember a smile or frown all clowns want you dead. Here's a ballon now go to bed.
"FORCELLO": A story of pain, misery, loneliness, shame and  the will to claw your way through it all. Forcello is many things.
"KNOWING": Is it just a trip home after 18 years? Is it just a bridge in the woods that you have to cross? I know what I think it is but no spoilers. Read it and you decide.
"THE MAN ABOVE": A damn good story about a situation we've all been in at one point or another in our lives.
"DOS": Get love and it can set you free, or is it get free then love? Oh well. Psycho's deserve love too, or maybe I'm just a romantic.
"BREATHE": It's a long hard road out of Hell. This story/poem will keep you company. Eight rings (maybe 9) of Hell are traversed in this BIzarro Sonnet of redemption

This is a collection to checkout for sure. It's unique and definitely bizarro, but also very refreshing to see an author just let a story go wherever it wants. I'm unsure as to who was in control the author or the pen.
4090731
The stories on this CD are:
Mrs. Manstey's View,
Roman Fever,
The Reckoning,
Xingu.
Read by Maria Tucci.
2798999
Besides from listening to a a few children audiobooks on cassettes when I was a kid, I have never been a fan of audiobooks until I started reviewing titles from Stories from the Golden Age, which are short stories that were written in the '30s and '40s by L. Ron Hubbard. With a banquet of 153 stories, Galaxy Press has been releasing these titles onto audiobooks and paperbacks for a new generation of readers.

Recently, I received both the audiobook and paperback of Gunman's Tally, a western short story that was originally published in the November 1937 issue of All Western Magazine. This title also includes an additional title, Ruin At Rio Piedras. The audiobook is directed by Jim Meskiman and features the voice-actors of Shane Johnson, R.F. Daley, Christina Huntington, Jim Meskimen, Phil Proctor, Enn Reitel, Josh R. Thompson and Michael Yurchak.

Gunman's Tally centers on Easy Bill Gates, the landowner of the Las Pinas ranch who has a gentle heart. He had never succumbed to violence until his brother was murdered by the outlaw Fanner Marsten. He tracked down Fanner and struck him down. Little did he know that Fanner was one of the fastest gun in the west, so now Bill has a reputation as a gunslinger.

George Barton is the villain of this story and he wants to claim Las Pinas as his own. He is afraid of Easy Bill Gates, so he hires the fastest and meanest gunslinger to either run Bill off of his land or kill him in the process, but Bill won't give up his land without a fight.

Ruin At Rio Piedras is a more of a kindhearted love story that is centered on Tumbleweed Lowrie, a man who was kicked off of the Rio Piedras after getting caught with the boss's daughter, Nancy Tanner, a woman who he is actually in love with. Tumbleweed finds a way to win Old Man Tanner's trust back when he tries to stop a gang of rustlers from stealing his boss's 2,000 head of cattle.

I was never a fan of westerns until about thirteen or fourteen years ago when I took a liking to Clint Eastwood westerns. Since then I have become a fan of authors Max Brand, Zane Gray, Matt Braun and of course the early works of L. Ron Hubbards. Gunman's Tally is a entertaining western which would have made the perfect fit for the late Jimmy Stewart as the title role of Easy Bill Gates. Ruin At Rio Piedras is a short fun story with a little romance tossed about. Overall, the Gunman's Tally audiobook features two great stories with an amazing cast and excellent sound effects to match.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own
1180995
My grandson loves hearing stories. So I play these short stories on my Kindle.
3786889
very nice collection.  I would like to see it expanded.  I found the comments at the end of the stories as interesting as the stories themselves
3880357
On the whole, this is an interesting collection of strange and bizarre stories. Most are written in first-person, and this makes it easy for the reader to get absorbed right into each quirky situation. I would describe these stories as "fantastical". There is always an attitude of bemused humor in the telling of the tales. The "impossible" is treated as being true and accepted in the telling of the tale -- a matter-of-fact attitude expressed by the first-person narrator. "Things fall apart" is the quote by W.B. Yeats printed on the page before the collection of stories begins. This is the thread that ties all these stories together.

I won't review each story, as this has been done well by others on Amazon. But, my favorite story is the title story: "The Miniature Wife". A man accidentally shrinks his wife to doll-size, and can't reverse the process. So, he tries to accommodate her by building her a doll house to live in. Things do not go well. Their relationship changes drastically. And, so it goes. Very creepy, and also funny.

"Cash to a Killing" is my next favorite, then "Pilot, Copilot, Writer". On my personal grading scale, all 18 of these stories merit a grade of between A+ and C, which (in my experience of reading short story collections) is excellent. Not all stories are winners, but none of them is bad. Quirky variations on tales of wolfmen, zombies, unicorns, murderers, hijackers, robots, other-worlds, end of the world, human oddities. Sprinkled in amongst the stories are several "Meritorious Life" encyclopedia-like entries. They are not short stories, but seem more like writing exercises . These are the weakest entries in this collection, with one exception: "William Corbin: A Meritorious Life". The encyclopedia entry gives a scholarly explanation of the origin of clowns. It reminded me greatly of a museum I visited in Culver City, CA -- the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Just as this museum presents the fantastical as "truth" (and you must do your own research to determine the real truth),  it is difficult to separate fact from fiction when it is presented in a scholarly format. That's what this particular entry does -- presents the wildly fantastic as truth. And, it's presented so seriously that you almost might believe it. (I don't believe that the other Meritorious Life entries are as successful.)

The writing is very good, the stories are engaging, odd, creepy, funny, etc. My main criticism of many of these stories is the author's chosen "ending". As some other reviewers have mentioned, they didn't think the stories were finished. The author is obviously very talented, so I also do not understand why he seemed to not supply adequate "endings" to some (not all) of these stories.
1664386
So many stories I have never heard before, om par with the series "Walts people".  Also the stories are about Disney people that are forgotten or unknown, what fun reading! Jim, keep writing about Disneys unsung and unknown heroes!!