Readers’ Favorite announces the review of the Fiction – Short Story/Novella book “The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man” by Joe Cappello
United States – September 1, 2026 – Readers’ Favorite announces the review of the Fiction – Short Story/Novella book “The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man” by Joe Cappello, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GX2XQK1S.
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“Reviewed By Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man by Joe Cappello is a collection of 14 short stories that readers will enjoy. All the stories are built around characters his father used to describe as having “rocks in their heads,” people who refuse to settle for whatever life hands them and instead chase unusual solutions to their problems. The title story follows Win Winthrop and his friends at an eccentric widow’s ash-scattering ceremony that spirals into chaos, while “A Cat in a Box for Mom” throws the bickering Zabretti siblings into a very funny standoff over their free-spirited hippie mother’s open-or-closed casket. Other stories tackle everything from office workers dreaming up a hot dog cart escape plan to a boy determined to honor Elvis his own way, no matter how much the adults around him disapprove. Each story is wonderfully different and entertaining.
I had such a great time reading this collection. I liked how Joe Cappello added his personal touch and sense of humor in every story. The title story had my attention right away. The opening image of the widow banging the urn against the fence had me laughing before I even knew what was going on. “A Cat in a Box for Mom” was probably my favorite story of the collection. The siblings bickering over their mother’s very different funeral wishes felt so real and so funny at the same time. I loved how Luce was fighting to honor their mom’s free-spirited nature against Marion’s more reserved and traditional wishes. The author has such a skill for writing characters who are a little bit ridiculous but very human at the same time. I loved how, underneath all the humor, the stories followed the themes of family, work, and grief. The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man is a great collection that will be loved by readers who enjoy quirky, warm, and genuinely funny stories.”
You can learn more about Joe Cappello and “The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man” at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-secret-of-the-smiling-rock-man where you can read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.
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