I've been listening to Garrison Keillor tell stories on public radio's A Prairie Home Companion for 40 years. Like millions of his fans, I never tire of the yarns the sage of Minnesota, America's modern day Mark Twain, weaves every week. His books have all been winners and so is this new one.
The title is The Keillor Reader (no subtitle), published May 1, 2014, by Viking. It's 400 pages of memoir, interwoven with a collection of tales about that mythical and timeless small town in central Minnesota, Lake Woebegon. Some of these stories you've heard before but he adds prefaces to older material explaining when and/or where each tale was written. Despite having read nearly all of his books and listened to countless monologues on APHC, these renditions seem fresh and remain forever funny.
I always wondered how Keillor prepares his weekly monologue. He shares his technique and other behind-the-scenes stuff, giving the book an autobiographical feel. As you read this anthology, anyone around you will wonder what's causing your belly laughs.
To learn more about The Keillor Reader and, if you wish, purchase a copy in print or for your Kindle (as I did), or to learn more about this book, click on this link to Amazon.
