5 comments about Plenty of Pretty Good Jokes (Prairie Home Companion).

1. I got a cassette tape of the first PHC joke show years ago and just about wore it out from playing it to keep me alert and upbeat on road trips. Now I found this compilation on 4 CDs and I'm laughing more than ever. Sure, there are sophomoric jokes, 3rd grade jokes, puns, groaners and old chestnuts you've heard before, but somehow they all work when presented by Garrison, Roy Blount, Paula Poundstone and the rest. I love it!



2. This is the best way I know to get through a long road trip laughing. It will also take your mind off your worries, because you have to really pay attention to keep up with the rapid fire delivery style and you can't think about much else at the same time. This has become a classic in our home, and a great gift for everyone who says, "I have to have that for myself!"



3. The four CDs in this collection are great entertainment, albeit a bit ribald, from Garrison Keilor's NPR radio shows. I've bought several copies for friends and even sent a couple of copies to our troops in the mid-east. My son says it helped boost morale when he was there. Avoid it if you're easily offended, but great fun for the rest of us.



4. Garrison Keillor can leave me cold, but these collections are a great distraction in the car on trips. Virtually all the jokes I already know, but they are still fun to hear and draw an occasional laugh.



5. I play this CD whenever I need to laugh. It is classic funny Prairie Home Companion humor, both intellectual and silly.

2 comments about Summer: Stories from the Collection News from Lake Wobegon.

1. Amongst the wonderful "News from Lake Wobegon" collections, this stands high as a personal favourite. Apart from the classic "Lving Flag" and "Tomato Butt", "The Tollefson Boy goes to College" and "Mrs Berge and the Schubert Carillon Piano" [with brilliant impersonations of the carillon piano] are strong, mixing acute observation of the humour, tedium and sadness of everyday life with just enough exaggeration to provide comic relief.



2. This is a collection of perfect reflective meditations, which always leave you feeling happier no matter how often you listen.

5 comments about Your Introduction to Morse Code.

1. I like the cd very much, it is very informative. The only way (I believe) that it could be better is if it had a visual(dvd)effect. In other words, some feedback besides just writing down the letters and words. If there was some type of devise with which the student could also "send" the letters and words. If someone has - or can come up with a "kit" that includes both receive AND send - audio and visual - maybe using the computer and a printout to be used to better evaluate one's progress, one could learn more quickly. I would like to be able to "test" myself.



2. I'm not yet done learning the morse code alphabet, but this has helped me with half of it so far. Great Value as well.



3. This CS is a no nonsense guide to learning code. It jumps right on in and starts. the narration gets to you so I would only recommend short lessons with frequency. Otherwise, you do really seem to pick up the code fairly easily.



4. This was a gift for my mother. She is really enjoying it. She is 86 and learning Morse Code, just for fun!



5. I used this product to learn the code, and it worked wonders! I was preparing for my General amateur radio exam, and I turned to the ARRL for assistance in the form of this CD and booklet. It is excellently put together. They start you off slow, learning and repeating the characters until you are thoroughly familiar with the entire alphabet. They then move onto the words and phrases. By the end of the program, you are competent in morse code, and can easily decipher and send at around 5 words per minute, a good starting place. The good thing about the program is that it uses something called the Farnsworth method to teach morse code. This utilizes extra large spaces in between the individual characters, giving you ample time to decipher them. This is a great help in the learning process. Highly recommended!!!

1 comments about NPR Driveway Moments for Dads: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go.

1. My daughter gave me this CD for Fathers Day and I was so impressed with it that I bought one for my son and son-in-law for Christmas.

5 comments about Humor: Stories from the Collection More News from Lake Wobegon.

1. My purchases were made for Garrison Keillor fans. I'm sure They Loved Them All.



2. Garrison Keillor has a wonderful way with words, but this CD was disappointing. The stories dragged on too long and sometimes with no purpose in the end or sentiment to remember. Keillor can do much better. He is usually a great story teller. He seemed to run out of steam on this 4hour tape. This will still not deter me from buying and listening to other news from Lake Wobegon.



3. I love to give these collections of monologues to folks who are experiencing a long recovery from surgery or undergoing medical treatment. The monologues are funny to listen to, and after they have listened to them a time or two, just hearing Garrison Keillor's soothing voice has a calming effect. The stories from Lake Wobegon are the best sleeping potions available--and there are no side effects other than falling asleep with a smile on your face.



4. This CD is great for a long drive, or long flight, it is entertaining and better than a book on tape. It can be a little boring at times.



5. This is not only funny, and I mean at times very funny. It was relaxing and interesting. It held my 19 year old daughters attention and that was nice to be able to share something our whole family could enjoy. The stories are something we all could relate to. Rare

1 comments about Car Talk Field Guide to the North American Wacko.

1. We have heard all the "Click and Clack" brothers CD's. This has to be one of the funniest.

5 comments about Never Better (Prairie Home Companion).

1. ...but not of my favorite stories. I fell in love with Lake Woebegone about ten years ago. I used to do a lot of driving between Georgia and Tennessee and Garrison's hilarious stories made the drive go by fast. I tried to listen to this CD several times, but I noticed that it wouldn't really hold my attention. The stories aren't bad. It's just as a collection, it didn't pop. But I'll continued to listen to his work.



2. The CD stories were absolutely and truely stories from Lake Wobegan. They were tasteful and full of humor



3. Like another reviewer, many driving hours have been happily spent listening to Keilor's incredibly engaging tales of Lake Wobegon. When I saw a new collection, my heart raced as I stood at the checkout....only to be sorely disappointed. These aren't stories, they are just newsy ramblings. And they aren't all that funny either. It sounds like Garrison is getting tired of Lake Wobegon, as evidenced by the bored tone of his voice and the superficial news tidbits he plies us with in this collection. If you love his older stories from collections such as Mother, Father, Aunt, Uncle or Summmer, Winter, Spring, Fall, these will not live up to your expectations. But, us Lake Wobegon junkies take what we can get, and any new stories are welcomed. But, jeez, Garrison, there must be some good ones left in you. Although I'm giving this a 3-star rating, it's really more a 2.5 star when compared to his older stories.



4. If you've never heard of Garrison Keillor or Lake Wobegon, well are you in for a treat.
   Sit back and put on your head phones and be prepared for people around you to think you're out of your mind when they glance in your direction and hear you laughing.



5. Garrison Keillor -- NEVER BETTER -- is very entertaining and keeps you smiling for the entire CD.

1 comments about NPR Driveway Moments All About Animals: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go (Npr Driveway Moments).

1. The "NPR Driveway Moments All About Animals" is really enjoyable. It is insightful and engaging. It made me remember all the wonderful animals I enjoyed as a child growing up on a farm. Thanks NPR!

1 comments about NPR Funniest Driveway Moments: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go.

1. Truth in advertising - The 16 stories on this set - most about eight minutes long - are NOT the "funniest moments" from NPR. Because they were culled from shows aired only between 2003 and 2008 on NPR news magazine type programs like "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", there was a limit. While some are truly funny interviews (Only David Sedaris's track is a monologue, rather than an interview), others are actually serious discussions of comedy. Author and comedian Daryl Littleton is interviewed discussing his book on Black stand-up comedy and, while some recorded excerpts of Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx are included, this is a serious discussion. The second longest piece in the collection (13:26) is an interview with Jonathan Winters and was one of the highlights for me. But, though it's funny in parts, Winters is more serious discussing his abusive parents and becomes emotional during the interview with Scott Simon on "Weekend Edition".
   
   I'm a big fan of the pop culture stores broadcast on the various NPR shows, and particularly interviews done by Scott Simon. The other notable piece on this collection is the first track of Disc One - an interview by Simon with Dame Edna. Slightly longer than the Winters interview, Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) continually says things so funny that Simon breaks up on the air. If laughter is contagious, it's certainly obvious here. I found myself breaking into laughter along with Simon.
   
   If you want interviews on the business of Comedy, there's a better collection, culled from "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" (full title "Fresh Air: Laughs with Terry Gross" - also released by Highbridge Audio. (Note: there are no "Fresh Air" interviews on "Driveway Moments).
   
   So, a better title for this set would be: "A Sampler of moments with comedians appearing on NPR magazine shows". I enjoyed it but it could have been better.
   
   Steve Ramm
   "Anything Phonographic"

1 comments about A Prairie Home Companion: English Majors: A Comedy Collection for the Highly Literate (Prairie Home Companion).

1. I am a huge Garrison Keillor fan - I buy everything I can get my hands on (on audio CD) and it makes my drive time so enjoyable. I stopped listening to this one only because it has so much inside humour that my little non English major brain didn't understand or didn't find humourous. I intend to give in to my brother who lives in Minnesota and has a PHD in English, loved Shakespeare and I know he'll enjoy it better than this music major did.