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What others are saying about the book
Satire meets sharp humor in Guiaşu’s delightful latest collection. Through a mix of short stories, prose fiction, and inventive literary forms—ranging from lists to all-dialogue narratives and hermit-crab pieces—each piece offers a fresh, unique perspective on the absurdities of everyday life, societal norms, and the human condition. |
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Sharp, satirical, and endlessly entertaining…
Growing up under a dictatorship and navigating the challenges of academic life might not seem like sources for comedy, but Guiaşu turns these experiences into sharp, witty observations that find humor in unexpected places. Comprising 36 distinct pieces, the collection delves into the absurdities of modern life, academia, and personal eccentricities.
Guiaşu’s prose is sharp, vivid, and laced with irony. He balances detailed descriptions—such as the oppressive urban landscapes in “A Good Day”—with punchy, impactful sentences that keep the reader engaged. Readers who enjoy intelligent, offbeat humor reminiscent of David Sedaris or Douglas Adams will find much to admire in this witty collection." -The Prairies Book Review
★★★★★ Radu Guiaşu’s A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists offers readers a charming and heartwarming glimpse into the life of an academic through 36 lighthearted, witty pieces. This collection blends short stories, creative writing, and amusingly specific lists, bringing together scenes from Guiaşu’s youth in Romania under dictatorship, his career in academia in Canada, and snippets from his dating life.
Sprinkled throughout are humorous nods to Guiaşu’s life in Canada, providing a personal touch. The lists within the collection are equally entertaining, sure to leave readers chuckling, if not outright laughing. Guiaşu offers a humorous take on the academic world, capturing the frustrations many can relate to. Whether it’s the absurd number of authors on scientific papers, the scarcity of research funding, the sobering realization that years of hard work may lead nowhere, or the whims of peer-reviewed journals, Guiaşu’s reflections on the trials of academic life are both hilarious and achingly relatable.
With its wry humor, intelligent yet accessible language, and sharp observations, this book is not only a joy to read but also strikes a chord with anyone who has navigated the peculiarities of graduate student life. A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists is a delightful, memorable collection, perfect for light reading." -Literary Titan
Guiaşu offers a collection of funny tales and lists that tackle a vast array of subjects. Overall, there’s much to like about this congenial, diverting, and agreeable collection. Sharp writing that showcases a delightful sense of humor." -Kirkus Reviews
A Good Day is a witty collection of 36 short stories dealing with topics ranging from the everyday to the more surreal. Guiaşu's vignettes are sharp and convincing, with a fair amount of honest and thought-provoking personal observations. Guiaşu's text is confidently written and his everyday observations are rendered in a clear, concise, and often satirical manner. The short stories are simple, effective, easy to read, and benefit from a likable and engaging writing style. The variety of characters contained in this collection of short stories are vividly realized and relatable. Guiasu's charisma shines through in many of these tales, and his observations on life at educational establishments in particular is impressively realized." –BookLife Prize
★★★★ Celebrating idiosyncratic lives with satire and wit, A Good Day is a diverse and enjoyable short story collection.
The book’s humor is at various times subtle, dark, quippy, and laugh-out-loud funny, but its cleverness is consistent. Some of these absurdist character-driven stories oscillate between earnestness and satire, with plenty of space made for them to land securely on one side. And while the stories are not all directly connected to each other, there are hints throughout that they belong in the same universe—piquing allusions that form a curious throughline.
In the whimsical short story collection A Good Day, peculiar characters live in heightened states amid the challenges of the contemporary world."
–Foreword Clarion Reviews
At the heart of Guiaşu’s work is a free-spirited nature that is meshed with a penchant for humor en route to tackling pertinent topics. An academic through and through, the author has included works that span the spectrum of his educational journey from elementary school to his doctoral experiences and professorship. Ultimately, Guiaşu’s extensive experience communicating within various academic settings has allowed him to be unafraid to use his voice. More importantly, he knows exactly how to utilize comedic timing to hold important and meaningful conversations in a lighthearted setting while ensuring his message gets across. This uncanny ability is to the delight of readers as the compilation is both entertaining and introspective, letting readers look inside and outside and simply absorb what Guiaşu has to say." –Mihir Shah, The US Review of Books |
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In this entertaining collection, Guiasu (author of The Faraway Mountains) compiles tales that deal with academics, writing, living life to the fullest, and laughter’s ability to diffuse difficult situations. Constructed with an array of different styles, from lists to fake letters, the writing is rich with satire and wit, delivering laugh out loud moments and eccentric characters who jump from the page. Guiasu's dry humor—and pontification of the most mundane rights of passage—is delivered with the familiarity of old school mates reminiscing about days gone by. Eclectic, entertaining collection that probes life’s lighter moments." –BookLife
★★★★★ Through the thirty-six diverse writing pieces included in A Good Day and Other Mostly Humorous Stories and Lists, Radu Guiaşu masterfully combines wit, whimsy, satire, and personal contemplation. These vignettes cover a wide range of topics, styles, and techniques. While they often seem to be typical “slice-of-life” moments, Guiaşu clearly has a knack for finding humor in even the most absurd situations. |
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★★★★★ A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists by Radu Guiasu masterfully turns the seemingly mundane into sources of delight and amusement. This anthology, which spans thirty-six short pieces, draws heavily from Guiasu's rich tapestry of experiences—be it the challenges of growing up under a dictatorship in Romania, the rigorous demands of academic life, or the simple pleasures of exploring nature. Guiasu's collection is not confined to conventional storytelling; it is a vibrant medley that includes prose fiction and innovative literary forms such as all- dialogue stories and hermit-crab pieces. This variety ensures that readers are continually surprised, never knowing what’s coming next." –Carol Thompson, Readers' Favorite
★★★★★ A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists is a thought-provoking book covering a wide range of topics. Guiasu uses various literary forms, including prose and creative pieces like all-dialogue stories and a mock rejection letter. His writing exhibits clean, intelligent humor infused with satire, providing readers with an enjoyable escape that highlights the joy and absurdity found in everyday life. Through wit and clever storytelling, the author encourages readers to contemplate pressing social issues while providing entertainment." –Doreen Chombu, Readers' Favorite
★★★★★ Whether Radu is sharing his childhood recollection of a class bully who demanded he turn over a prized model car or pointing out why Jurassic Park dinosaurs couldn’t survive in today’s climate, he keeps readers grinning. His clever dialogue piece, The Date, in which a woman is so intrigued by the unambitious date that she wants to get to know him better is an unexpected and delightful twist." –Viga Boland, Readers' Favorite
★★★★★ Radu Guiaşu's anthology is narrated with a flair for storytelling and plenty of wit. Some pieces are wonderfully ironic while others almost reflect stream-of-consciousness writing as Guiaşu keeps the reader engaged by moving seamlessly from one topic to the next. Individuals who like to read but have very little time to do so can absorb one of these stories as they wait for an appointment or eat their lunch. Readers who enjoy a diverse selection of brief and entertaining pieces will love A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists." –Courtnee Turner Hoyle, Readers' Favorite
★★★★★ Radu Guiaşu presents thirty-six hilarious short stories and innovative satirical works in this riveting collection. A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists is a gem of a collection, bound to entertain short story lovers of all tastes. The author covers a broad range of topics and ideas in this book, but one common underlying thread is the humor that flavors each story and piece of this anthology. The short stories aside, this book also contains a few imaginative writing pieces with topics that include reasons for a 1- star Amazon book review, a heartfelt plea for a subscription, submission guidelines for an author, an honest rejection letter, and more. Many of these stories had me in stitches. All in all, short story readers will love this book." –Pikasho Deka, Readers' Favorite
A wonderfully eclectic set of shorts that will never be accused of being predictable. Lots of fun!" -A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review |
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★★★★★ Radu Guiaşu’s A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists offers readers a charming and heartwarming glimpse into the life of an academic through 36 lighthearted, witty pieces. This collection blends short stories, creative writing, and amusingly specific lists, bringing together scenes from Guiaşu’s youth in Romania under dictatorship, his career in academia in Canada, and snippets from his dating life.
Guiaşu offers a humorous take on the academic world, capturing the frustrations many can relate to. Whether it’s the absurd number of authors on scientific papers, the scarcity of research funding, the sobering realization that years of hard work may lead nowhere, or the whims of peer-reviewed journals, Guiaşu’s reflections on the trials of academic life are both hilarious and achingly relatable.
With its wry humor, intelligent yet accessible language, and sharp observations, this book is not only a joy to read but also strikes a chord with anyone who has navigated the peculiarities of graduate student life. A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists is a delightful, memorable collection, perfect for light reading." –Thomas Anderson, Literary Titan
A smartly funny collection of lists, quips, and critiques.
It takes an experimentalist to write this kind of literary fiction—a collection that dabbles, that dances, that reflects the rush of our slow everyday lives. An academic in mind but a human at heart, Radu Guiaşu is our qualified experimentalist here. And he’s ready to poke fun at just about everything, with sharp punchlines, funny concepts, and entertaining lists.
A Good Day… is a fun foray into form-bending short stories. Guiaşu does an excellent job of keeping things light while still absolutely scorching them. If you’re looking for good jokes and inventive storytelling, you can’t go wrong here." –Toni Woodruff, Independent Book Review
A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists is a series of thirty-six stories about the most random subjects. Author Radu Guiaşu uses his real-life knowledge and experiences and twists them into satirical situations that will make readers say hmm as they contemplate life. Creative, sarcastic (at times), and entertaining, this is the perfect book to chuckle at when you’ve had a long day at work.” —Kathryn Dare, Manhattan Book Review
In A Good Day and Other (Mostly) Humorous Stories and Lists, Dr. Radu Guiaşu has compiled a collection of thirty-six stories and lists to lift your spirits and bring some much-needed humor to this otherwise dreary life. I really enjoyed his dry humor and would have loved having a university professor like him. If you can’t laugh at yourself and how silly life can really be, it can be easy to get discouraged in this life. Guiaşu helps the reader to gain some of that ability back, by finding humor in all situations and pointing out the absurdity of most things (and people). If you need a good laugh and enjoy humor in general, I highly recommend you pick up this book. You will not be disappointed." –Christina Boswell, Los Angeles Book Review
