In the immortal words of Seinfeld’s Frank Costanza, we’re all looking for a little “serenity NOW!” But in the meantime, even 5 minutes of chill time might do the trick. So break out those colored pencils, print out these free pages, and color some flippin’ cute cats while you listen to short stories on audio; a.k.a, here’s a little something for your hands to do while you sharpen your mind-fangs…and you may even find a moment of serenity.
Cats n’ Stuff Coloring Pages for You (print out this PDF).
Audio short stories for arty smarties:
Danielle Evans is widely acclaimed for her blisteringly smart voice and X-ray insights into complex human relationships. With The Office of Historical Corrections, Evans zooms in on particular moments and relationships in her characters’ lives in a way that allows them to speak to larger issues of race, culture, and history.
“Seven talented narrators bring the complex protagonists of Evans’s short fiction to life. The stories are a dazzling blend of the personal and the universal…Evans’s writing is confident and spare, and each narrator amplifies the power of the prose in her own particular way.”—AudioFile
This debut collection of satirical stories from New Yorker contributor and former Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer Jen Spyra is narrated by Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens, Stephen Colbert, and other notable voices. Delightfully raucous and strange, Big Time takes a culture that seems almost beyond parody and holds it up to a funhouse mirror.
Ghost stories tap into some of our most primal emotions, and nothing goes better with a dark and stormy night. The Ghost Variations include tales that are by turn scary, funny, philosophic, and touching…if you’re bold enough to press play.
Read by a full cast. Escape to worlds full of adventure and magic in Small Magic, the first-ever Terry Brooks short-story collection, featuring both new and fan-favorite stories from all three of his major literary worlds: Shannara, Magic Kingdom, and The Word and the Void—a must-have collection for any Terry Brooks fan.
Want more craft ideas and audio pairings? Check out our Listen & Craft archive.