What People Are Saying… Reviews for Small Portions Café

Common life experiences go through a house of mirrors to become silly, quirky and absurd additions to this short story collection.
The short stories that make up ‘Small Portions Café’ by Douglas Fergus are entirely self-contained and can be read in any order, at any time, or from cover to cover. Each story is well-written, with the setting and character fleshed out enough to make them unique, separating them from the main characters in the other stories. The author also manages to play with style and form, from the song-like lyrics of ‘Sunburned, Toothless, Chain-Smoking, Alcoholic Carpenter’ to the structure in ‘Financial Responsibility Savings … And No Loans!’. This collection offers variety that could suit any mood while still working together as a collection.

With puns, play on words and the occasional 4th wall break, the author's sense of humour and perspective are clear throughout the book, with the delivery getting a smirk from me as many times as the line itself. This could be an entertaining read for those who favour hyperbolic and absurdist humour.

— LoveReading website

"This book was an interesting, fun, and quirky read!

Absolutely hilarious!” I never thought hypoglycemia, bologna sandwiches, and bedwetting, could cause me to laugh so much!!" — Becks, Goodreads member.

“Reading Small Portions Cafe is like skipping stones on the lake of your imagination. A real romp in the brain forest!”
— Barbara Nazari, Owner, Ludwigs Fine Wines

“Even the intro to this book made me laugh. With self-deprecating humor, quick wit, (infinite parenthetical asides), and a seemingly incorruptible joie de vivre, Doug Fergus tells stories that make me fall in love with being alive--not because life is so great, but because sometimes it's not so great and yet he finds the ways to make it a pleasure. The book is not written as a how-to manual, but it is one--how to find joy in unlikely and desperate places. What a gift, this book, to my grumpy self. I loved it. 

— Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Poet

I find myself laughing out loud as I'm reading this book. The author has corralled the absurd thoughts and behavior that most of us have experienced in random life moments. There is a lot of emotion in the stories, but it's refreshing and joyful. Douglas Fergus has attained his goal, with me at least, of making me happy and laugh... —-- Phil W. Ashland, Oregon

I loved this book! I read it over the holidays - I live alone and spent Christmas by myself this year because of Covid. This delightful book was my saving grace! I literally burst into laughter over and over again while reading it. The stories really hit on a very personal funny bone nerve and the body’s response is to kind of burst into laughter! Not just an emotional release kind of laughter, but a joy with no trace of sadness or lingering anything.... very light! It struck me as very unique, this type of response and I think this author is on to something in his style of expression. I look forward to future books written by this guy!

—— Johanna B.

I absolutely love the graphics on your book cover. Your humor is incredibly creative and absolutely your own. Reminds me perhaps of Robin Williams.

— Glory Fioramonti, retired Hollywood stunt woman.

I just finished reading Small Portions Cafe by Douglas Fergus. It's a book of short stories that start off as confessional reminiscences then veer off into social satire and surrealism--think of Sedaris-meets-Vonnegut-meets-Firesign Theater. It's full of entertaining wordplay and humorous digressions, with some of the best stories being MOSTLY digressions.

This is one of those books that's chopped into small pieces that will cause you to say "ONE more chapter, then I'll go to bed." It's like buying a bag of really tasty miniature cookies. It also has a readable typeface, which is another advantage of reading authors near one's own age.

I'll warn the potential reader that Doug is prone to gross exaggeration and to highly questionable metric conversions, which I mention only in service of the suggestion that readers should overlook these shortcomings and enjoy this hilarious and often heartwarming book.

If you like dirt bikes and bass guitar and HVAC repair, or if you don't enjoy any of those things, I highly recommend this book.

— Dal Carver, Owner, Wild Goose restaurant.

“It is refreshing to be brought to the table of a hypoglycemic author who treats us to dessert first and many word plays later you say, "That was totally worth the read."

— Tom Frantz, Author and Screenwriter

“This is a fun and enjoyable read. Doug has a comical and relatable way of writing, I think we all can see a little bit of ourselves in his stories. This is a perfect book for the person who wants to take five minutes out for a quick read, or for the reader who has more time and can sit and enjoy many stories at once.”

— Holly C.

“This book is super fun and can be read all at once or simply read a story or two at a time. I plan to put the paperback in my guest bathroom for sure (that is high praise!). I was totally entertained and even laughed as I read these creative and fun "portions." Following a tough 2020, this book brings a positive, playful view of the world. It is a 2021 MUST READ for everyone. Loved it!”  

— Elaine B. Retired school superintendent

"Douglas Fergus' entertaining stories will take you to another world filled with absurd and wacky characters, situations and outrageous moments. I laughed out loud!

— Judith Kohin, Executive Director of Ah Haa School for the Arts

“The author brings a creative view to his short stories. What fun to learn how the title came to be! Small Portions Café offers inspiration and entertainment to its readers.”

— Anita McGue, President of Aurora Biking and Book Club

"Doug Fergus' book is hilarious and fun, creative and inspiring all at the same time. A great read!”

— Curtis Smith, Maelstrom Music Public Relations

Kirkus review, Nov. 2021

A collection of stories that explores everyday experiences in an off-kilter way.

In this debut collection, Fergus offers his personal, idiosyncratic view of the world, fearlessly tackling subjects that aren’t often discussed in polite company—such as human excrement in “Process of Elimination.” In that tale, the author draws on his own experiences in the U.S. Air Force to humorously narrate the protagonist’s struggle of sharing a bathroom with multiple people during basic training, and it focuses on the character’s difficulties in finding relief. The story is relatable and avoids being grotesque through the use of creative wordplay, as when the main character recalls his mother’s joking that “BM” meant “bottom mess.” In the titular story, Fergus displays a keen sense of humor, as in these lines about a Girl Scout selling “goodies and magazine subscriptions”: “Makenna was a highly skilled, professional-level trained opera singer at age fourteen. Really! She began singing her sales pitch in that angelic voice of hers. How could I not buy from her?”

That said, sometimes the narration strays too long onto comedic tangents. The best tales use laughs to strengthen the story, as in “Hardware Store Light Bulbs,” about a man working at the title establishment and dealing with a condescending customer. The humor centers on the primary conflict and hits a perfect peak just before a satisfying conclusion. By contrast, “Lawn Mower Beach” attempts to tell several stories in one, including that of a Wife of the Year contest; a man named Tug who’s obsessed with forks; the latter’s struggle to enjoy a vacation with his wife, Yumkins; and Tug and Yumkins’ trip to a washed-up celebrity’s retreat, where they find people being forced to make music. The various elements are funny, but they would be much easier to appreciate if given their own space.

A slightly uneven but often entertaining set of tales.

Fun, Quirky, and Can’t Put Down

Perfect reading for a smile or chuckle. A humor short story book, it’s like a fun satire (not mean-spirited) and pokes fun at most everyone in a sly way. Some stories are straight-ahead humor, even charming. Others are off-the-wall weird. Loved it!

Mel and Me, Barnes and Noble review.