Hits and Misses by Simon Rich audiobook

Hits and Misses: Stories

By Simon Rich
Read by Simon Rich

Little, Brown & Company, Hachette Book Group 9780316468893

Unabridged

Format : Library CD (In Stock)
  • 3 Formats: CD
  • 3 Formats: Library CD
  • 3 Formats: Playaway

  • ISBN: 9781549172786

  • ISBN: 9781549172755

  • ISBN: 9781549172779

Runtime: 3.88 Hours
Category: Fiction
Audience: Adult
Language: English
Sign In For Price

Summary

Summary

A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice of the Week

A hilarious collection inspired by a former Saturday Night Live writer's real experiences in Hollywood, chronicling the absurdity of fame and the humanity of failure in a world dominated by social media influencers and reality TV stars.

Simon Rich is "one of the funniest writers in America" (Daily Beast) -- a humorist who draws comparisons to Douglas Adams (New York Times Book Review), James Thurber, and P.G. Wodehouse (The Guardian). With Hits and Misses, he's back with a hilarious new collection of stories about dreaming big and falling flat, about ordinary people desperate for stardom and the stars who are bored by having it all.

Inspired by Rich's real experiences in Hollywood, Hits and Misses chronicles all the absurdity of fame and success alongside the heartbreaking humanity of failure. From a bitter tell-all by the horse Paul Revere rode to greatness to a gushing magazine profile of everyone's favorite World War II dictator, these stories roam across time and space to skewer our obsession with making it big -- from the days of ancient Babylon to the age of TMZ.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“In Hits and Misses, Simon Rich dissects his generation’s culture with humor and empathy.” —New York Times
“This collection of eighteen satirical stories—by an author who makes the difficult look so easy you could think of him as the Serena Williams of humor writing—pokes fun at the foibles of millennial culture.” —New York Times Book Review
“Rich’s special genius is his ability to nest an absurd premise in an otherwise ordinary situation…The tale of an actual dinosaur being laid off as a comedy writer is a perfect example of Rich’s ability to mix humor and poignancy.” — Washington Post
“He’s endlessly clever, but not impressed by his own wit; gentle, but not afraid to test boundaries…Rich has come into his own as one of the most talented writers of comedic fiction working today.” —NPR
“Flights of fancy from preternaturally gifted humorist Rich… Shades of Christopher Moore’s slapstick…[and] Python-esque medieval farce…He has a sweet spot between mockery and respect for old Hollywood…Lovingly crafted comedies from a writer beginning to match wit with wisdom.” —Kirkus Reviews
Rich's special genius is his ability to nest an absurd premise in an otherwise ordinary situation... A perfect example of Rich's ability to mix humor and poignancy. —Ron Charles, Washington Post
Welcome to the sweet but twisted world of Simon Rich... Rich has proved he has a boundless imagination and a sharp sense of humor, and Hits and Misses continues that streak--it's a bizarre and hilarious collection from one of the funniest writers in America... He's endlessly clever but not impressed by his own wit; gentle, but not afraid to test boundaries. It's a kind of humor that recalls early 20th-century writers like James Thurber and E.B. White, but Rich's comic genius is really all his own. He spent years being regarded as a kind of precocious wunderkind, but with this book, Rich has come into his own as one of the most talented writers of comedic fiction working today. —Michael Schaub, NPR
Great writers tend to arrive when we need them most, and at this moment Simon Rich is a comedic godsend. Hits and Misses is a motherlode of silly, inventive, absurd brilliance. My admiration for Rich is rivaled only by my jealousy. —Conan O'Brien
Simon Rich is the Stephen King of comedy writing. From the first lines, he pulls you into a world of hilarious, simple, kind, determined, dumb, and bizarrely proud characters who, like all of us, are terrified of being embarrassed. He is the funniest writer I have ever met and Hits and Misses is his best collection of stories. —John Mulaney
Simon Rich is the Serena Williams of humor writing... Rich has sharpened his satire over the years, and he now wields it with skill... Rich is at the height of his craft when he is writing on the border between comedy and tragedy. —New York Times Book Review
Simon Rich "writes funny, short, inventive, breathtakingly precise pieces... Rich's insistence on hope, love, and that people (other than himself) are basically good is refreshing. —The Millions
Rich's special genius is his ability to nest an absurd premise in an otherwise ordinary situation... the tale of an actual dinosaur being laid off as a comedy writer is a perfect example of Rich's ability to mix humor and poignancy. —Ron Charles, The Washington Post
Flights of fancy from preternaturally gifted humorist Rich... Shades of Christopher Moore's slapstick... [and] Python-esque medieval farce... He has a sweet spot between mockery and respect for old Hollywood... lovingly crafted comedies from a writer beginning to match wit with wisdom. —Kirkus
Hits and Misses is full of the kinds of snappy writing and short, well-crafted situations that make perfect sense. —BookReporter

Reviews

Reviews

Be the first to review this product

Author

Author Bio: Simon Rich

Author Bio: Simon Rich

Simon Rich has written for Saturday Night Live, Pixar, and The Simpsons. He is a frequent contributor to the New Yorker and has also written for GQ, Mad, Harvard Lampoon, and other magazines. He is the author of several humor collections, including Ant Farm, which was a finalist for the 2008 Thurber Prize for American Humor.

Titles by Author

Details

Details

Available Formats : CD, Library CD, Playaway
Category: Fiction
Runtime: 3.88
Audience: Adult
Language: English

1-800-621-0182

Serving libraries since 1987, Blackstone Library is your one-stop shop for audiobooks. We are dedicated to providing top-quality audio content, offering over 82,500 unabridged titles—with more than 1,000 new releases and 625+ exclusive titles added each month.

©2025 Blackstone Library . All rights reserved. Privacy Terms of Use Purchase Terms Cookie Policy ©2025 Blackstone Library . All rights reserved.