Selected Shorts Books

An unabridged collection of short stories includes Laura Cunningham's "Sleeping Arrangements," "How Wang Fo Was Saved" by Marguerite Yourcenar, Bernard Malamud's "The Jewbird," and other works by Sandra Cisneros, Mark Helprin, and Alice Munro.

From silly chuckles to rueful ironic glee to deep cosmic laughter, this new volume of humorous tales samples the best of recent seasons of the popular public radio series Selected Shorts .

Finalist in AudioFile Magazine's 2007 Audie Awards in the category "Audiobook Adapted from Another Medium" This three-CD compilation features some of the best short stories from National Public Radio's Selected Shorts , an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by distinguished stage and screen actors and recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. More than three hours of recordings in each collection capture the intimacy of live performance, with stories that are alternately exciting, poignant, and funny, making this the perfect accompaniment to any number of daily activities—driving, cooking, exercising, relaxing, or intently listening. Timeless Classics includes, among others, James Thurber's "The Night the Ghost Got In," read by Isaiah Sheffer; Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever," read by Maria Tucci; Jack London's "Make Westing," read by Steven Gilborn; D. H. Lawrence's "The Rocking Horse Winner," read by John Shea; Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," read by Marian Seldes; Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," read by Charles Keating; and Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," read by James Naughton.

Fans of the extremely popular Selected Shorts NPR radio program will fall in love with this three-CD compilation featuring six love stories written by authors such as Rick Bass, Laurie Colwin, and Edna O'Brien and read by acclaimed actors including William Hurt and Hope Davis. Great literature is regularly brought to life in this hour-long radio program of classic and new stories recorded live at New York's Symphony Space.

Winner of AudioFile Magazine's Earphones Award for Exceptional Audio Performance Offering a mix of classic and contemporary fiction, this funny, sensual, delectable collection serves up literary morsels to please every food lover. Delicious tales about food and eating by authors such as M. F. K. Fisher, Anton Chekhov, and Damon Runyon, are read by distinguished actors such as Tony Roberts, Fionnula Flanagan, and Bradley Whitford. Many of the stories included in this three-CD collection were recorded at a Selected Shorts tour to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in May of 2006.

Winner of AudioFile Magazine' s Earphones Award for Exceptional Audio Performance Hilarity, suspense, and high drama are offered up in the mix of tales of travel to locales familiar and exotic found on this three-CD compilation from National Public Radio's Selected Shorts. An award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction, the selections are read by distinguished stage and screen actors and recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. Join a father and son on a sailing voyage that goes dangerously awry or retreat to a country estate with the most eccentric hosts imaginable. Featured are stories written by Nadine Gordimer, Joan Didion, and Ring Lardner, among others, and read by such actors as Joanne Woodward and Bradley Whitford.

Four stories written by the great American fiction writer Edith Wharton and read by terrific actors, including Maria Tucci and Kathleen Chalfant, make up this two-CD set, recorded live at The Mount, Wharton's house and gardens which she designed and built in Lenox, Massachusetts. The first woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the first woman to be granted full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Wharton is known for writing stories that reveal a keen satire of upper-class manners, an unblinking recognition of passion's limits, and a powerfully observant style.

Recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City and at venues across the United States, these audio anthologies feature short stories from the Selected Shorts program that airs nationwide. More than 300,000 listeners tune in to this offering weekly to hear some of their favorite tales read aloud by an assortment of distinguished actors. The cast of characters in this compilation is a menagerie of animals—cats, dogs, birds, even a dragon—and their owners. Included in the funny and unexpected stories about people, pets, and their problems are T. C. Boyle’s "Heart of a Champion" read by Isaiah Sheffer; Robertson Davies’ "The Cat That Went to Trinity" read by Charles Keating; Molly Giles’ "Pie Dance" read by Kate Burton; Gail Godwin’s "St. George" read by Jane Curtin; and Max Steele’s "The Cat and the Coffee Drinkers" read by Paul Hecht.

Recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City and at venues across the United States, these audio anthologies feature short stories from the Selected Shorts program that airs nationwide. More than 300,000 listeners tune in to this offering weekly to hear some of their favorite tales read aloud by an assortment of distinguished actors.  Abraham prepares to slay Isaac; siblings fall in love with the same man; a Thai man hides his secret guilt from his best friend on draft selection day—in each betrayal, characters make choices that define their lives and suffer consequences often dire or disquieting. Among this anthology’s features are Tessa Hadley’s "Mother’s Son" read by Shohreh Aghdashloo, Adam Haslett’s "Devotion" read by John Shea, Rattawut Lapcharoensap’s "Draft Day" read by B. D. Wong, and Galina Vromen’s "Sarah’s Story" read by Jane Curtin.

Recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City and at venues across the United States, these audio anthologies feature short stories from the Selected Shorts program that airs nationwide. More than 300,000 listeners tune in to this offering weekly to hear some of their favorite tales read aloud by an assortment of distinguished actors.  Hilarious and colorful episodes in the lives of families—many depicted from a kid’s-eye-view—are the theme for this compilation. They include, Shirley Jackson’s "Charles" read by Lois Smith, Etgar Keret’s "Pride and Joy" read by Robert Sean Leonard, Diane Leslie’s "A Life of Crime" read by Jill Eikenberry, Rick Moody’s "Boys" read by B. D. Wong, Frank O’Connor’s "First Confession" read by Malachy McCourt, Grace Paley’s "The Loudest Voice" read by Linda Lavin, and Touré’s "Solomon’s Big Day: A Children’s Story" read by Daniel Alexander Jones.

Recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City and at venues across the United States, these audio anthologies feature short stories from the Selected Shorts program that airs nationwide. More than 300,000 listeners tune in to this offering weekly to hear spellbinding tales read aloud by an assortment of terrific actors. A lot can happen on the way from one place to another, especially when an overnight flight makes for an unexpected romantic encounter between strangers seated together; South-of-France shenanigans ensue in an out-of-control automobile; and a bored, Midwestern housewife tries to escape to Kansas City. This anthology of tales about people in transit features Stuart Dybek's "Pet Milk" read by Keith Szarabajka, Martha Gellhorn's “Miami–New York” read by Joanna Gleason, Edward P. Jones' "An Orange Line Train to Ballston" read by Sonia Manzano, Annie Proulx's “The Trickle-Down Effect” read by James Naughton, Dorothy Thomas' “The Getaway" read by Mia Dillon, James Thurber's "A Ride with Olympy" read by David Rakoff, and Eudora Welty's "No Place for You, My Love" read by Andrea Marcovicci.

By turns funny, moving, romantic and surreal, and filled with unexpected twists and turns, each of the tales on this lineup has a magical element. Andrew Lam's "The Palmist", performed by James Naughton. A chance encounter on a bus between a fortune-teller and a teenage boy. Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt", performed by Stephen Colbert. A room which can take you anywhere in the world - sometimes with dangerous consequences W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw", performed by John Lithgow. A wonderful ghost story about a trinket with terrible powers. Saki's "The Occasional Garden", performed by Daniel Gerroll. If you can't grow a garden; poof! - you can rent one. Donald Barthelme's "The Balloon", performed by Maria Tucci. There's something suddenly in the sky in midtown Manhattan.... Kevin Brockmeier's "The Year of Silence", performed by Anthony Rapp. What if everything went quiet? Jonathan Safran Foer's "The Sixth Borough", performed by Jerry Zaks. Yes, New York had a Sixth Borough, but it drifted away.... Aimee Bender's "Drunken Mimi", performed by Bernadette Quigley. A romance between a mermaid and an imp. Haruki Murakami's "The Little Green Monster", performed by Dana Ivey. A piece of Murakami magic: Is this a monster I see before me? T. C. Boyle's "Swept Away", performed by René Auberjonois. This story's weather forecast: Very windy and very funny.

A collection of poignant, romantic and funny tales performed by Academy Award -winning actor William Hurt. This collection includes a bonus track of an exclusive interview with William Hurt. Hurt's readings are thoughtful, tender, romantic, and resonant. A treasure. Stories in this set include: Aleksandar Hemon's "Blind Josef Pronek" - A Bosnian man struggles to make a new life in America Richard Ford's "Communist" - A teenage boy's relationship to his single mother and her new boyfriend against the background of the stark Montana landscape Ron Carlson's "Towel Season" - A tender story of a scientist and his wife's rocky moments as he works on a tough math proof Tobias Wolff's "Nightingale" - A bullying father suddenly has doubts on his drive with his stoic son to military school to "toughen up" the boy Selected Shorts is an award-winning, one-hour program featuring readings of classic and new short fiction, recorded live at New York's Symphony Space. One of the most popular series on the airwaves, this unique show is hosted by Isaiah Sheffer and produced for radio by Symphony Space and WNYC Radio.

Recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City and at venues across the United States, these audio anthologies feature short stories from the Selected Shorts program that airs nationwide. More than 300,000 listeners tune in to this offering weekly to hear some of their favorite tales read aloud by an assortment of distinguished actors. A dashing lineup of elegant crime tales and gritty hard-boiled detective stories—alternately menacing and cozy, with exotic locales and murder in the mix—are featured in this collection. Among the stories are Ed McBain's "Improvisation" read by Isaiah Sheffer, Louise Erdrich's "Gleason" read by Robert Sean Leonard, Nadine Gordiner's "Country Lovers" performed by Hattie Winston, the Dashiell Hammett classic "The Creeping Siamese" performed by John Shea, Shirley Jackson’s "The Summer People" performed by René Auberjonois, and C. S. Montanye's "A Shock for the Countess" read by Fionnula Flanagan.

A compilation of classic tales by great American writers performed by terrific actors, with a lineup ranging from Eudora Welty’s hilarious story of an independent young woman striking out on her own, "Why I Live at the P.O." read to wacky perfection by Stockard Channing to Joyce Carol Oates’ sly, creepy tale of a teenage girl’s seduction by a dangerous drifter, "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?," read poignantly by Christine Baranski to Edgar Allen Poe’s terrifyingly delicious "The Black Cat," read by René Auberjonois. Other featured stories include Alice Walker’s "Everyday Use" read by Carmen de Lavallade, John Cheever’s "Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor" performed by Malachy McCourt, Amy Tan’s "Rules of the Game" read by Freda Foh Shen and Jerry Stiller reading John Sayles laugh-out-loud classic "At the Anarchists’ Convention" by John Sayles.

A diverse selection of stories of contemporary American life and dreams lost and then found, this audio CD from the acclaimed Selected Shorts series features works from four of today’s most talented authors: Sherman Alexie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Aleksandar Hemon, and Jhumpa Lahiri. A robbery and its dramatic consequences lead a Spokane Indian to rethink his entire life in Alexie’s "Breaking and Entering," dynamically performed by B. D. Wong. A young Nigerian woman tackles adventure by taking a Greyhound bus to the end of the line and starting a new life in Hartford in Adichie’s longing-filled story "The Thing Around Your Neck," performed by Condola Rashad. Tony winner Boyd Gaines performs Hemon’s heartfelt tale "Good Living," in which a Bosnian emigrant seeks the American dream while selling magazines door to door in Chicago. Lastly, Rita Wolf gives a breathtaking performance of "Hell-Heaven," Lahiri’s story of passions and tensions in a Bengali family in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from her acclaimed collection Unaccustomed Earth. This CD is sure to delight listeners while providing an opportunity for artists and audiences to connect.

From the mad imagination of 19th-century gothic master of horror and suspense Edgar Allan Poe comes this deliciously gripping CD from the acclaimed Selected Shorts series that will leave listeners breathless and happily terrified. The creepy, breathtaking, and soulful classic tales include: “The Masque of the Red Death,” the terrifying and ironic story of a nobleman who attempts to seal himself and his friends away from a terrible plague raging outside, performed by Fionnula Flanagan; “The Pit and the Pendulum,” a hair-raising, first-person account of a man in a torture chamber during the Spanish Inquisition, performed to a fare-thee-well by Stephen Lang; “The Black Cat,” in which a man’s dead pet comes back to haunt him, performed by Tony Award–winner Rene Auberjonois. Plus there are dreamy, mesmerizing, and haunting readings of Poe’s wonderfully atmospheric best-loved poems, “The Bells,” “The Raven,” and “Annabel Lee.”