Barb's Book Reviews: Review of "Big Time: Stories" by Jen Spyra (with a forward by Stephen Colbert)

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Review of "Big Time: Stories" by Jen Spyra (with a forward by Stephen Colbert)

Jen Spyra is an actress and former staff writer for 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and 'The Onion.'

Jen Spyra

Jen Spyra's short story collection is satirical, raunchy, clever and entertaining. With tales that range from prehistoric days to time travel, Spyra's creativity shines.

❁ Bridal Body - A bride who wants to look great on her wedding day is shanghaied into an expensive, gulag-like exercise camp that's so addictive she doesn't want to leave.

❁ The First Influencer - Cavewomen Grooga and Crooga enviously natter about influencer Oola, who hawks flat-belly tea and bone hair decorations.

Observing Oola's success, the prehistoric ladies try the products themselves.

❁ The Snowman - A boy builds a snowman who behaves like a horny, drug-using, drinking, vaping bad boy.....to the child's delight.

❁ Dinner at Eight - A murder mystery dinner party is described by a series of guests, including an anti-Semitic playboy, a colonel who objectifies women, a woke young lady, the host, and the victim.

❁ Birthday Girl- A woman makes huge sacrifices and spends a fortune to attend her narcissistic friend Molly's destination birthday party. It doesn't turn out as expected.

❁ My Dearest Caroline - A Civil War soldier about to enter a fierce battle confesses his adultery in a letter to his wife. When the soldier survives, he retracts the confession. The cycle repeats again and again, with the soldier's admissions of wrongdoing escalating each time.

❁ The Adventure of the Mistaken Right Swipe - A dating app pairs up a woman with Sherlock Holmes, who brings Dr. Watson along for all their excursions. Unfortunately, Holmes isn't good at courtship in the modern world.

❁ Monster Goo - When monster goo turns a teenage boy into a giant, there are consequences for the entire family.

❁ One Thousand and One Nights - A jealous sultan marries a fresh virgin each night, then executes her the next morning. Scheherazade stays alive by spinning a cliffhanger story every evening, often cribbed from TV shows.

❁ First Kid, Second Kid - A woman treats her first child as gold and her second child as garbage, with unfortunate consequences.

❁ The Boyfriend Identity - A woman uses a very rigorous training regime to transform men into perfect boyfriends.

❁ The Secret Meeting of the Women's Club - A Women's Club with members like Oprah Winfrey, Angela Merkel, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, Michelle Obama and more plot to annihilate men, so women can take over the world,

❁ The Tale of Mr. Mittlebury, Millenial Pig - A pig named Mr. Mittlebury hopes doing improv will raise his social standing.

❁ Big Time - A mouthy 1940s actress who used the casting couch to get ahead is magically propelled into the present, where her racist lingo and sexual willingness are out of place, but get her onto a popular reality show.

All the stories are fun, but I got the most laughs from Dinner at Eight, My Dearest Caroline, The Adventure of the Mistaken Right Swipe, The Secret Meeting of the Women's Club, and Big Time. If you need a smile - and don't mind saucy stories- get this book.

Thanks to Random House for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars

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Barb's Book Reviews

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Review of "Big Time: Stories" by Jen Spyra (with a forward by Stephen Colbert)

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