Task 3: A Collection of Short Stories

[Soscha]

I'd thought I'd already posted this here but I guess not. I had intended to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited", which I may still pick up later but to keep on track I went went with Nam Le's "The Boat" (forgive me if I'm not doing the hyperlink correctly). He's a beautiful writer, so vivid & lyrical. I read something to the effect of his starting out as a poet, and it surely shows in his prose. Much recommended.

[Melissa]

I just finished "Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence" for this task. It could also work for a book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ. It was a great short story collection highlighting amazing, well-known writers who all wrote stories with LGBTQ characters. A really refreshing book that while is older and seems to sometimes be capturing and critiquing a different mindset in the wider society, still felt really fresh and relevant for today's readers. Really worth reading--especially if you need suggestions for either category!

[Karen]

Just completed task #3 with Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell . A good choice - 8 stories under 250 pp. I found the stories very captivating and a bit eerie. I really enjoyed this book.

[Jeimy]

This will be my seventh task, and I chose This Is How You Lose Her. While I was reading Bad Feminist: Essays last year, the author referenced one of the stories in this collection and it motivated me to pick it up. As a Puerto Rican, I have felt a bit guilty for not supporting Junot Díaz, a writer from our neighboring island. This task gave me the excuse to do so.

[Emma]

I don't generally read a lot of short stories, so I'm going to have to hunt to find a collection. Two I enjoyed were:

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
In the Forest of Forgetting by Theodora Goss

[Carrie]

I read One More Thing by BJ Novak. I was pleasantly surprised by the stories.

[[deleted user]]

Something Rich and Strange by Ron Rash.

[Amber]

I finished this task by reading This is How You Lose Her. I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but this collection was stunning.

[Robin P]

I don't usually read short stories but I'm enjoying The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories - a sci-fi/fantasy writer whose novels I love. Also I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and there are many modern collections of Holmes stories by other writers.

[Abigail]

I just started stabbing at The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brian. War stories something that I usually enjoy, but O'Brian writing is beautiful, so feel like I can, at least, middle through.

[Mary Sue]

I just finished reading Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam. It was part of my own personal challenge to read all of the Giller winners in order, and it just happened to fit this category.

[Anissa]

I just finished reading Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam. It was part of my own personal challenge to read all of the Giller winners in order, and it just happened to fit this category.

I'm not familiar with the Giller award. What is it?

[[deleted user]]

Melissa wrote: "Deciding between Redeployment by Phil Klay and Thunderstruck by Elizabeth McCracken, which could not be at further ends of the funny/depressing spectrum. Guess it will depend on what kind of mood ..."

FWIW - I really liked Redeployment - for me it was a 5 star book.

[[deleted user]]

Pam wrote: "Here is something a little different, if you like the fantasy genre - with stories selected by Neil Gaiman."

He just came out with a new book called Trigger Warning. I haven't read it - but gifted it to my daughter-in-law for Valentine's day. She turned me on to the Short Story genre and I am very grateful!!

[Nate]

The Complete Stories I will start on this book today.

[Karin]

I'm reading The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher right now and it's pretty good. Hilary Mantel has a great writing style. However the book I'm gonna use for this challenge is Get in Trouble. I love short story collections!

[Mary Sue]

Mary Sue wrote: "I just finished reading Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam. It was part of my own personal challenge to read all of the Giller winners in order, and it jus..."

Anissa wrote: " I just finished reading Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam. It was part of my own personal challenge to read all of the Giller winners in order, and it just happened to fit this catego..."

Hi Anissa - The Scotiabank Giller Prize, or Giller Prize, is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English, after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries. It was first awarded in 1994 - there are 22 winners now (2 in 2000). This was #14.

[Lisa]

I've had this one on my TBR shelf for a long time. Love when I can pick books from the ones I already own for the challenge.

[Krista]

I just completed . I've had this on my Kindle for awhile now and am glad to have finally read it. The experience has only confirmed my fan-girl adoration for Sherman Alexie's storytelling.

[Alli]

I haven't decided yet for this one but I'd recommend The Last of the Helsinki Roccamatios by Yann Martel who wrote Life of Pi. Fantastic writing!

[Leanne]

I am going to read A Country Doctor's Notebook by Mikhail Bulgakov, who is probably most famous for his book The Master and Margarita

[Stacy Lee]

I read Tenth of December by George Saunders. It was good and weird and disturbing. He is an amazing writer.

[Anushree]

I'm currently reading The Mammoth Book of Best International Crime for this: crime is my favourite genre, and it is a collection including stories by various authors from across the world, so it's a win-win all round. :D

[Grace]

Would Jean Toomer's Cane count? They're more vignettes than stories. Not sure if it's more novel than anything else.

[Danielle]

I just read "Grim" which is a retelling of some classic fairy tales by a bunch of YA authors. Enjoyable if you like fairy tales, YA, and retellings.

[Thegirlintheafternoon]

Grace wrote: "Would Jean Toomer's Cane count? They're more vignettes than stories. Not sure if it's more novel than anything else."

I've always seen Cane classified as a novel, but I don't think anyone would pitch a fit if you went with it. :)

[Judith]

Just finished Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. Not a huge fan of short stories but this was an outstanding collection, sweet and sad slice of the lives of ordinary people.

[Tim]

Enjoyed Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link. Each story took a page or two to understand the where and why, but it was worth it. The stories had a fantasy or "magic" feel about them.

[Teresa]

Problems with People: Stories was excellent!

[Srividya]

Just finished The Beat Goes On for this challenge.

[Kathy]

Finally finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed the stories when I was actually reading each one, but never wanted to get back to read the next one.

[steph]

aaaargh, i have forgotten how much i spend thinking about each short story. i am stuck in "stories", edited by al sarrantonio y neil gaiman!! will skip to other challenges, and intercalate the short stories, one at the time....!!

[Altan]

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling is a great collection of short stories!

[Katherine]

I have read by Margaret Atwood. Published in 2014, she presents 9 tales about the relationships between people - and not always in a good way. Try it!

[Pam]

Just finished Smoke & Mirrors by Neil Gaiman.

[Mark]

Going with We Were Flying to Chicago

I've also got Bark: Stories sitting in my kindle; so I'll maybe go back to back with these collections.


EDIT:
I wasn't very taken by We Were Flying to Chicago... I've never been a short story reader; I wonder if I am more frustrated by the the product because I'm not used to the style.

Exactly the same with Bark. I just don't think short stories work for me...

[Beachesnbooks]

I read and loved Kelly Link's Stranger Things Happen for this task.

[Ramona]

I'm planning to read Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk for this task. I've had it on my shelf for years, wanting to read it but never getting around it. I'm super interested in it because I write non-fiction and I'm curious to see how someone who is so good at writing fiction tackles true stories!

[Glenn]

I loved Kelly Link's "Get in Trouble." http://www.imcpl.org/readersconnectio... To give credit where it's due, I heard about it on Book Riot.

[Robin P]

Mark wrote: "Going with We Were Flying to Chicago

I've also got Bark: Stories sitting in my kindle; so I'll maybe go back to back with these collections.


EDIT:
I wasn't very t..."

I also have trouble with short stories, and felt like I had to force myself to read something for this category. I don't really like novellas either, I like length and depth. I used to feel guilty about not appreciating short stories (and poetry), but now I think "thank goodness there are a few things I don't want to read, as I have way too many lined up as it is!"

[Soscha]

Glenn wrote: "I loved Kelly Link's "Get in Trouble." http://www.imcpl.org/readersconnectio... To give credit where it's due, I heard about it on Book Riot."

I've already completed my short story entry but the Kelly Link book is in next month's shopping cart.

[Beachesnbooks]

Soscha wrote: "Glenn wrote: "I loved Kelly Link's "Get in Trouble." http://www.imcpl.org/readersconnectio... To give credit where it's due, I heard about it on Book Riot."

I've already completed my short ..."

I'm waiting for it to come out in paperback, but I saw her read part of one of the new stories at a local bookstore and it was fantastic.

[Loreen ☕️]

I've had this in my stack for a while. I'm planning to read Vampires in the Lemon Grove

Okay, I changed my mind and read . Its a collection of short stories about the Faerie realm written by the author of .

[Liz]

I read Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night by Sindiwe Magona. A great entry into modern African fiction and the apartheid system. Readers can easily draw comparisons between Part One and The Help.

[Tatiana]

For this task I read Little Tales of Misogyny by Patricia Highsmith and I'm currently reading Trouble in the Heartland: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen.

[Miss Jones]

For this task I read Dear Life by Alice Munro. I found most of the stories to be just ok.

[Heidi]

Just finished to complete this task. Another great book by Alice Munro. She is able to bring you, the reader, into the middle of the character's life and you can empathize with their journey. I definitely recommend for a short story collection.

[Heikemarie]

I read Unnatural Creatures, which was so great, and I'm working my way through One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories - totally different and based on reviews maybe not as well-received, but I really liked it.

[Denise]

I read Agatha Christie's "Labors Of Hercules". I usually like Miss Marple best but enjoyed this story collection. My favorites was The Stymphalean Bird.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16...

[Sophie]

I read Suddenly, a Knock on the Door by Etgar Keret after hearing his work read on This American Life.

You can listen to one of the stories from this collection, "What Of This Goldfish Would You Wish?" http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio...