This gave A Prairie Home Companion vibes. Hilarious, (mostly) wholesome, and fun.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Remmy grows up with Beth in Bellhammer, Illinois as oil and coal companies rob the land of everything that made it paradise. Under his Grandad, he learns how to properly prank his neighbors, friends, and foes. Beth tries to fix Remmy by taking him to church. Under his Daddy, Remmy starts the Bell Hammer Construction Company, which depends on contracts from Texarco Oil. And Beth argues with him about how to build a better business. Together, Remmy and Beth start to build a great neighborhood of "merry men" carpenters: a paradise of s’mores, porch furniture, newborn babies, and summer trips to Branson where their boys pop the tops of off the neighborhood’s two hundred soda bottles. Their witty banter builds a kind of castle among a growing nostalgia.

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I love when an author narrates their own book, I think it adds so much more character and life. For me, a narrator can really make or break an audiobook and Schaubert really made this audio for me. I wasn’t too sure what I was getting into with this story, but 5 minutes into listening I was laughing.

The way the story is told reminded me so much of how my grandpa used to tell stories, without holding back and with some crass language to boot.

We follow Remy and Beth throughout this story but we’re also told the story of the town and the time period and all that people were facing during this time and that for me really created a well fleshed out story. It felt like I was part of a conversation rather than an outsider looking in.

Schaubert successfully made what could have been a depressing story, one of hope and humor instead, while still shedding light on the misfortunes of Little Egypt, Illinois.

This was not my normal read/listen but I am glad I gave it a chance!

Let me preface this by saying, this isnt the type of book I normally would pick up. I generally lean towards horror but everyone needs a little humor in their life and I needed an audiobook to fill some travel time I had coming up. Im glad I grabbed this one. The book is a bunch of anecdotes that span the entire lifetime of our main character, Remy. Filled with both humor and heartbreak, this book faces some harsh realities about the working lower class. I highly suggest going with the audio version because the narration added so much to the story that reading it wont give you. Four Stars from me!

Lancelot Schaubert is an entertaining author and performer. I ordinarily avoid books where the author reads their own work, but I could not imagine anyone else doing a better job delivering it than him!

Full of antics and pranks, this book is just plain fun.

I think this will either be a love it or hate it book. Take the storytelling of Grandpa Simpson, combine it with the wackiness of Betty White's hometown on The Golden Girls, and you've got yourself a recipe for how this book feels. I'd definitely recommend getting the audiobook, since the story is written so conversationally that you miss out on a lot of nuance just trying to read it. It's a fun, quick read.

Bell Hammers Written and read by Lancelot Schaubert

Synopsis

Remmy grows up with Beth in Bellhammer, Illinois as oil and coal companies rob the land of everything that made it paradise. Under his Grandad, he learns how to properly prank his neighbours, friends, and foes. Beth tries to fix Remmy by taking him to church. Under his Daddy, Remmy starts the Bell Hammer Construction Company, which depends on contracts from Texarco Oil. And Beth argues with him about how to build a better business. Together, Remmy and Beth start to build a great neighborhood of "merry men" carpenters: a paradise of s’mores, porch furniture, newborn babies, and summer trips to Branson where their boys pop the tops of off the neighbourhood’s two hundred soda bottles. Their witty banter builds a kind of castle among a growing nostalgia.
Then one of Jim Johnstone’s faulty Texarco oil derricks falls down on their house and poisons their neighbourhood's well.

I listened to this as an Audiobook written and narrated by Lancelot Schaubert
The narrative was entertaining and Lancelot really brought the family to life

The story follows one family living in Little Egypt and fighting against the oil companies
The book was warm and spoke of love friendship and family I loved Remmy as a character and was so content reading about his escapades in both high and low times
This is one I would probably not have chosen but am so glad I listened to it and would highly recommend it

BELL HAMMERS by Lancelot Schaubert and read by the author, was an absolute riot!

I had no real idea what this folksy sounding tale would be, and after listening, I am still unable to fully articulate just what traveling through the antics of Remmy for 80 years was like except that it was hysterical with some poignant moments sprinkled in.

We meet Remmy as a kid in Bellhammer Illinois where the oil and gas companies are taking over and the tension builds between the need for jobs and the reality of what is happening to the landscape. When Grandad teaches him how to prank, Remmy finds his calling, though it doesn't always go according to plan and the consequences can be dire as the years add to the intensity of pranks.

A delightful listen that felt reminiscent of Twain and his ROUGHING IT, I highly recommend listening to this audio. The author delivers all the characters with such flair! I fell in love with these characters through all the highs and lows.

Thank you to @NetGalley for this ALC that is out the 13th of March by Vale Publishers. My opinion is all my own. Any lovers of humorist writing should enjoy this rollicking tale of Remmy, his wife Beth, and his "merry men!"

Bell Hammers is a wonderful recreation of a family story based on reminiscing grandpas and their folk tales. It just begs to be listened to as the author did his own narration which was ripe with local southern Illinois accents, fabulous voices, and even singing. The cadence is absolutely perfect and the stories ripe with down-home sometimes crass humor (think grandpa's pull my finger jokes) which made me pee my pants laughing. It's a good thing I didn't padlock my outhouse though!

The author has done an amazing job of capturing his family's history and showcasing nostalgic Americana in the best of ways. If only I could have recorded by grandparents before they passed, but the technology just wasn't as accessible as it is today. At least I have all our family recipes though!

Thank you to Vale Audiobook and #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC.

I enjoyed this audiobook narrated by the author.
It is a bit of a love story, with quite a bit of humor, songs, religion, and the little guy fighting back against the big corporate oil company.
Remmy learns from his grandfather how to prank the corporations, telling them a lie to get free cigarettes. From there, Remmy begins pranking his neighbors and finally pulls a huge prank on the company. This doesn't go so well! However, Remmy keeps his good nature and never lets up on pranks. It eventually works out for him, and his love, Beth.
Humorous story and you definitely root for Remmy, while following his life from the 1940s to the 2010s.
I especially enjoyed hearing the songs sung by the author, it gave the book a real voice!

This book was suuuuper fun!

I chose to listen to this book to entertain myself when I couldn’t actually read…and that, my friends, it did.

As we follow Remmy from childhood to adulthood, we get a nice clean picture of what life was like for him because the descriptions are so colorful. At times, I could clearly see how Remmy was moving though his day, what he was wearing, even how he looked when he was faced with a situation. The story itself was interesting and kept me engaged, wondering where all of this was going. I really enjoyed following Remmy as he grew up, he’s quite the scoundrel!

The humor, oh my word, the humor! I found myself smiling a ton and chuckling often. It’s mostly clean humor with some course language (a little too much for my liking but if curse words don’t bother you, this’ll be just fine) and totally relatable. I thought the narrator did a decent job changing his voice and really getting into the story. There were a few times he seemed a little too hasty and I wished he would have slowed down a titch but it was still good narration overall.

A delightful story, especially if you enjoyed Olive Kitteridge. The exploits of Remmy and Beth (who was fondly reminiscent of Lucy from Charlie Brown) kept me enthralled for hours. Contrary to my prior experience, the author's reading of his own work was phenomenal and he breathed actual life into all of the disparate and often dysfunctional characters that inhabit the Illinois small town all but governed by the Texarco oil company, Remmy's bete noir. The audiobook was extremely well read, though Shaubert's twangy accent did jar at first, making the story a bit difficult to follow. However, perseverance paid dividends, and delivered a most enjoyable listen, Heartily recommended.

Bell Hammers is the story of Wilson Remus from 1941 (6 years old) until his death in 2015. Wilson Remus reminds me of one of the characters from Hew Haw or the old westerns my dads always watching. He’s always trying to get a laugh, ens up in trouble but loves his family above all! I miss the days when people put God and family first. I so enjoyed this book I listed to it twice. I definitely recommend this book to anyone!

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When I listen to this book I feel as though I am listening to a friend's stories and they make me laugh. What a light easy read this book is. It is simple to pick up and put down at any time of the day.

This book is not an "edge of your seat thriller" but more of a casual book that you could read during some down time while waiting at an appointment or on a lazy Sunday afternoon. As I mentioned, I had the audio version of this book and I loved the narrator - who is actually also the author. His accent is great, his tone was wonderful, and the stories made me feel warm and fuzzy - like listening to my own family stories.

#BellHammers #NetGalley

What a joy to listen to. I received the audiobook courtesy of Net Galley and boy what a treat it was. Bell Hammers tells the story of Wilson Remus (Remy) who has led a somewhat unconventional life. From entrepreneur to town prankster the story follows Remy from childhood till death. The only true way to experience this story and the characters is by listening to the audiobook. Narrated by the author Lancelot Schaubert, it adds so much to the story, I was like being with Remy and his merry men in person.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author Lancelot Schaubert for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was written as many short stories interwoven together about life growing up in the backwoods of southern Illinois. There were so many funny antics in this novel that actually made me laugh out loud while I listened to this book. The writing was so descriptive, it was easy to envision early life during the oil boom times for the hardworking men and the disparity between classes. Even though the main character of the book was one of the hardworking guys, it never felt like a pity party, but rather a “we will overcome” novel! I enjoyed this book!
Thanks #NetGalley for the #BellHammers audiobook to review!

Big hearted tale with important messages told humorously through vignettes. Each year starting in 1941 until his death in the later 2000's, we read a story of pranks both funny and those gone awry based on the life of Remmy and co-conspirators in mayhem who reside in Bellhammer, IL. It feels like Tom Sawyer would approve.
I listened on audiobook which was narrated by the author. I can't say I enjoyed his voicing of the main character, it became grating. I would recommend the book over the audiobook format.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing access to my copy. All opinions are my own.

A strong narrative voice propels this wacky fable of American entrepreneurship and prankster joy. Although this book wasn't really for me, I appreciate its cohesion of story and style.

I expected more from this. It reminded me of a Mark Twain story but could never reach the full potential. It’s interesting at times, funny, sad… but never really kept my full attention.

Interesting accent, but I don't remember a whole lot of this book. It wasn't very impactful on me. Audiobook is probably the right medium for this, I would have struggled reading this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the audiobook ARC!

Bell Hammers is certainly an entertaining read. From the author's tone and interpretation of his characters to the madcap hijinks that abound, there's something here for everyone. A little reminiscent of A Confederacy of Dunces, which is high praise!