I loved After the Parade and The Bigness of the World, so was excited for these and they delivered. My favorites were The Bus Driver, The Gap Year (esI loved After the Parade and The Bigness of the World, so was excited for these and they delivered. My favorites were The Bus Driver, The Gap Year (especially the penultimate paragraph), The Stalker (as chilling as a horror story), and Just Another Family, but I liked them all. Note: you may need a dark turn of mind to be the right audience here....more
I love a huge, best-of compilation of short stories. Some highlights from the first 50 years: The Weeds, Mary McCarthy (1944) - a woman trying to escapI love a huge, best-of compilation of short stories. Some highlights from the first 50 years: The Weeds, Mary McCarthy (1944) - a woman trying to escape her husband Symbols and Signs, Nabokov (1948) - visiting a son who is "incurably deranged in his mind" The Ladder, V.S. Pritchett (1949) - a stepmother, stranded The Happiest I've Been, Updike (1959) - especially the ending
Then came what I thought of as the "Greatest Hits" portion of the book, which were all re-reads and some of my favorite stories of all time: Where I'm Calling From, Raymond Carver (1982) The Way We Live Now, Susan Sontag (1986) Bullet in the Brain, Tobias Wolff (1995) - they is, they is, they is Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx (1997)
And then some standouts from the last 25 years: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer (2000) - seemed ahead of its time Dimension, Alice Munro (2006) - Deborah Treisman was not afraid to include some authors who have been cancelled The Other Place, Mary Gaitskill (2011) - I liked this one against my will. It had a very Joyce Carol Oates vibe, and then I noticed there's no JCO in this collection! What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, Nathan Englander (2011) - I had forgotten this one, with its sledgehammer ending An Abduction, Tessa Hadley (2012) Cold Little Bird, Ben Marcus (2015) Cat Person, Kristen Roupenian (2017) - I thought this held up Café Loup, Ben Lerner (2021) - strong debt to Bullet in the Brain! ...more
These loosely linked stories over several centuries were really something special, both moving and transporting. To jog my own memory, they featured fThese loosely linked stories over several centuries were really something special, both moving and transporting. To jog my own memory, they featured folk song collecting, a religious cult, an extinct bird, a wife with dementia, a son who is an addict, mysterious deaths at an early 1900's logging camp, and several love stories. If you liked this, try The World to Come by Jim Shepard. ...more
This wasn't my favorite edition, but it was worth checking out for Winners by Merritt Tierce alone. I also liked The Rest Is History by Peggy Shinner This wasn't my favorite edition, but it was worth checking out for Winners by Merritt Tierce alone. I also liked The Rest Is History by Peggy Shinner and Ballistics by Leslie Jill Patterson, as well as these three poems: Black Person Head Bob by Yael Valencia Aldana The Virgin Mary on MTV's Teen Mom: Nazareth by Adia Muhammad If Adam Picked the Apple by Danielle Coffyn...more
I'm sorry to be a frownmouse but these didn't really work for me. I feel like I've outgrown her plus I'm over her love of fictionalizing famous peopleI'm sorry to be a frownmouse but these didn't really work for me. I feel like I've outgrown her plus I'm over her love of fictionalizing famous people. I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. But I'm a longstanding fan and read the whole thing so I'll stick with three stars....more
I tracked this down because of Caroline Kim's story Hiding Spot in the 2024 O. Henry Prize compilation. These stories are VERY, VERY good. My favoriteI tracked this down because of Caroline Kim's story Hiding Spot in the 2024 O. Henry Prize compilation. These stories are VERY, VERY good. My favorites were Mr. Oh, Arirang, Picasso's Blue Period, and Therapy Robot. The stories with adolescent narrators also shined: Lucia, Russell, and Me, Magdalena, and Not Usual for Korean. I cannot wait for her next collection!...more
I think this is the best annual compilation of short stories I've ever read. I loved twelve of them, which is really not normal. Thank you, Amor TowleI think this is the best annual compilation of short stories I've ever read. I loved twelve of them, which is really not normal. Thank you, Amor Towles!
Top 4: *The Home Visit by Morris Collins, about an ailing cat and marriage *Hiding Spot by Caroline Kim, about a son battling addiction *The Paper Artist by E.K. Ota, about an unforgiving father *The Dark by Jess Walter: Walter is one of my very favorite short story writers, and this one about a man returning to dating after the death of his wife was hilarious and heartbreaking and had a truly great ending
Honorable mention: *Roy by Emma Binder, about a black sheep uncle *Didi by Amber Caron, about an aunt and her troubled niece *Serranos by Francisco Gonzalez, about an immigrant community in California *The Castle of Rose Tellin by Kate DiCamillo, about an abusive father *Marital Problems by Robin Romm, a funny story about a couple and their contractor *The Last Grownup by Allegra Goodman, told from the perspective of a recently divorced mom *The Honor of Your Presence by Dave Eggers, a joyful story about coming back to life after covid *The Room-Service Waiter by Tom Crewe: I especially loved the author note for this one...more
These were so good--uncanny short stories, mostly set in the Southwest, about the dangers stalking women and girls. My favorite was You Can Never Be TThese were so good--uncanny short stories, mostly set in the Southwest, about the dangers stalking women and girls. My favorite was You Can Never Be Too Sure, about an urban legend at a college that morphs into a terrifying encounter. Other standouts:
*Dogs, about a woman hitching a ride with a stranger *Bright Lights, Big Deal, a coming-of-age story set in Brooklyn *The Reclamation, about a retreat led by a self-help guru *Reaper Ranch, about a woman sent to an independent living facility after her husband dies (with lines from Valencia's grandmother's actual diary!) *Mystery Lights and Vermilion, two mother-daughter stories
These were truly one-of-a-kind and I hope that this collection gets some attention!...more
My favorites were Hasta Luego and The Bootlegger. I couldn't get into Eve in Hollywood even though I loved Rules of Civility.My favorites were Hasta Luego and The Bootlegger. I couldn't get into Eve in Hollywood even though I loved Rules of Civility....more
This was PHENOMENAL. I want to press this on everyone I see. Sometimes story collections start to have a sameness, but these all had a unique, memorabThis was PHENOMENAL. I want to press this on everyone I see. Sometimes story collections start to have a sameness, but these all had a unique, memorable voice (even more incredible when you know that the author died at 22). Some highlights: the ending of Key to the City, the linked stories Health Service and Traffic Jam, the complex family dynamics in The Visitor and Spiders Cry Without Tears. Our Trip to the Nature Museum may have been my favorite. Please read this!...more
I liked this description of George Singleton that I read in a Bitter Southerner essay by Zackary Vernon: His stories portray the South as it was and isI liked this description of George Singleton that I read in a Bitter Southerner essay by Zackary Vernon: His stories portray the South as it was and is, celebrating when appropriate, while also critiquing its racism, religiosity, and narrow-minded conservatism. Singleton’s fiction is a call to arms, a black sheep’s instruction manual about how to agitate and ultimately how to make the region better.
My favorite was Standard Hole, but the whole collection was good. I will say that these are better read separately, not all in one big gulp. And what's going on with that cover?...more
I am a HUGE fan of the Pushcart Prize and anxiously await its publication each year, but this was not my favorite edition. My top five:
*The Future Is I am a HUGE fan of the Pushcart Prize and anxiously await its publication each year, but this was not my favorite edition. My top five:
*The Future Is a Click Away by Allegra Hyde *La Boheme by Clifford Thompson *Jorie, Jr. by Michael Czyzniejewski *A Most Generous Offer by Joy Guo *the one by Julie Hecht, only because I love her voice so much...more
I love linked stories! These were mostly about the rules and secrets involved in navigating family relationships. My favorites were The Gatekeepers, aI love linked stories! These were mostly about the rules and secrets involved in navigating family relationships. My favorites were The Gatekeepers, about an annoying daughter-in-law, Rioja, re: bringing a new girlfriend to Thanksgiving, and Mote, about a toxic childhood friendship rekindled in adulthood....more
Loved this collection, which I tracked down after reading Office Hours in The Best Short Stories 2023: The O. Henry Prize Winners. My favorite was PekLoved this collection, which I tracked down after reading Office Hours in The Best Short Stories 2023: The O. Henry Prize Winners. My favorite was Peking Duck....more
I loved the mixture of suburbia and the fantastic here, but about halfway through I got too much of a feeling of sameness. But Millhauser has a very dI loved the mixture of suburbia and the fantastic here, but about halfway through I got too much of a feeling of sameness. But Millhauser has a very distinctive writing style that is fun and soothing to read. I liked Theater of Shadows best.
P.S. My favorite Steven Millhauser will always be Edwin Mullhouse. ...more
I think Jill McCorkle is the best writer of Southern short stories out there (2nd place: George Singleton). My favorites were Low Tones, A Simple QuesI think Jill McCorkle is the best writer of Southern short stories out there (2nd place: George Singleton). My favorites were Low Tones, A Simple Question, Baby in the Pan, and Sparrow....more
Kelly Link's debt to Joan Aiken was really strong here. I love the combination of super realistic details with the supernatural. My favorite was SkindKelly Link's debt to Joan Aiken was really strong here. I love the combination of super realistic details with the supernatural. My favorite was Skinder's Veil....more