I have the cassette collection of all four seasons of News from Lake Wobegon, and have worn them out. Time to buy the CDs! Winter is my favorite. It warms your heart and makes you laugh.

The five stories in this CD set are all majestic, and they include every aspect of winter one can think of. "Guys on ice" is a rather self-explanatory title, chronicling the thoughts of guys on ice; always interesting. "James Lundeen's Christmas" is the story of a boy who finds Christmas as it is truly meant to be. "Christmas story re-told isn't as magical as it is in the Bible, but Keillor comes as close as one can in his re-telling. "New Year's from New York" details Keillor's appreciation for the event from a child's perspective. "Storm Home" brings to life the things that can make school and home life tolerable. This is a terrific compilation of Keillor's winter work.

If the current population in Washington isn't doing much to make you feel good, harken back to the days of yore with this audiotape made at a benefit for the homeless at Symphony Space in 1989. The Symphony Space (un Upper Westside institution, for those of you unfamiliar with Manhattan) is an auditorium where readings and other artistic events supplemented the theater of the streets of the Upper West Side before no one could afford to live in this neighborhood anymore unless they were over 70 or had made a pact with the devil.

Tom Wolfe, Calvin Trillin and Garrison Keilor all read very pithy stuff but Calvin Trillin's deadpan annecdote, based on a fait divers about Ronald Reagan's address in Bel Air, is priceless. Maya Angelou is fascinating and compelling, but it is Laurie Colwin's performance for which I bought this tape because I wanted to hear if she sounds as wonderful as she reads.

Colwin died only three years after this recording was made, quite suddenly. Although her name was known to me, I only began to avidly read--and appreciate her books over the past year, surprisingly as a result of having read her food essays--a genre I seldom touch. They were so great they inspired me to read the novels and short stories.

Finding this tape was like winning a treasure hunt--it far exceeded my minimal expectations and has become my favorite driving excuse.

Laurie Colwin reads an excerpt from "Goodbye without Leaving" that almost had me wetting my pants in the car without leaving--it was that funny--and her delivery was as good as the text.

For Laurie Colwin fans this tape is a collector's item. The more I read her work and read about her, the more I miss her--I never saw or met this woman but I intensely love her. If you can still get a copy--grab it!!

On this cassette, Garrison Keillor writes four stories that range from the absurd "Pontoon Boat", to the poignant "O death", to the delightfully real "Smokes" to the irreverent "Let Us Pray". They are definitely all keepers, and if you have the appreciation for Keillor's unquestioned genius, then you will enjoy these stories as much as I do.

"Fall" contains the single funniest Lake Wobegon monolgue yet written: "Bruno the Fishing Dog." It also contains a typically Minnesotan Thanksgiving recap ("Hors duerves at the Tollefson's, can you believe it?"), and a devastating 24-minute epic, "The Royal Family," that has nothing to do with the Windsors.

Owning this collection (and "Gospel Birds") is a must for fans, and a great starting place for newbies.

Although less well-known than the "Earl of Louisiana" and the recently-rescued-from-neglect "Between Meals," this sly and rollicking account of a Gentleman con-man is among Liebling's greatest achievements in form and in style. No follower of AJL's work can fail to note the author's bag of tricks or his own con game within the story, both of which illustrate Liebling at the top of his game. Purportedly a reporter's account of an aged confidence man, the work is in fact a running gag. Liebling was well-versed in the lore of American fun-and-games, an erudition that breaks forth in these pages with unalloyed glee. He contributes an account of gunfights in newspaper offices that some readers will recognize as an offshoot of a Twain story (which was also worked over, without gunfire, by Mencken).

The structure is simple: an aged newspaper man (the Colonel) recounts his life in "the Fourth Estate," complete with race tracks, swindles, marks, boobs and baloney. Charming scams are told in an engaging, orotund style in the hands of a master reporter and portraitist whose skills are sorely needed today. Liebling's delight in his world are evident, and an attentive reader will view the modern era with a more mirthful eye when he finishes the book. It is also worth pointing out that, as an example of a well-told story, this book is unsurpassed. The details are perfect and the timing is exquisite. Seasoned readers of Red Smith, Joe Mitchell and Damon Runyon (to pick only three)will noticed many inside jokes that only increase on re-reading. One fears this work has been neglected because it is just too damn clever and too damn good. Now that a humorist has been awarded a Nobel Prize, perhaps America will awaken to the fact that fun and wit have some revealing things to say. But do not let the fear of portentious Truth deter you from this book: you need gain nothing but fun.

I have not heard the whole cassette yet (I will since I plan to order this when I'm finished the review). But I just heard the *Young Lutheran's Guide to the Orchestra* on my Public Broadcasting Station as I pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store. I sat in my car for 25 minutes, totally enthralled, laughing until I hurt at his comments on each orchestral instrument and why each was unappropriate for a Lutheran to play.

My sister drives quite a distance to work and listens to audio tapes in the car. After I enjoy Keillor's tape, I'll give this to her for Christmas--or maybe I'll get one of my own...?

This is a wonderful collection of the best of Minnesota writers and artists. There are essays by a wide range of Minnesotans, living and dead, from the humor of Garrison Keillor to the remembrances of African-American author Evelyn Fairbanks. The photographs are stunning, including an incredible head-on view of a grey owl in flight and beautiful portraits of the diverse Minnesota landscape. The rest of the country must surely envy the incredible talent we have here in Minnesota!

"More News From Lake Wobegon's" "Hope", contains four more stories that further cement Keillor's place as the greatest storyteller in modern American History. The first story is "Alaska", an absurdly brilliant account of an independent Minnesotan who goes to Alaska to get away from her mother. Second is "The perils of Spring", where Keillor honors the constantly struggling farmer with humor, as always. "A trip to Grand Rapids" is the story of a couple who tries to get away for the weekend, with little initial success, and "Author" is a look into the pre-adolescent mind of the future author, Garrison Keillor himself. Altogether, these stories are magnificent and would be enjoyed certainly by anyone who reads this review.

The four stories of "Love", are quite simply genius, capturing the perfect balance between humor and poignancy. "Truckstop" is as good a story as Keillor has ever come up with, profiling the events both before and after Florian Krebsbach leaves his wife Myrtle at a truckstop. "Uncle Al's gift" provide side splitting humor as well as an excellent moral. "Rotten Apples" gives us another insight from Keillor into a child's weord, wonderful mind. And "The Wise Men" provides a glimpse into the difficulties of being a minister, especially at Christmastime. Personally, I would recommend that those considering buying this tape buy the whole "More News From Lake Wobegone" series, but if you're going to buy just one cassette, this is the one!

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.