Short Stories – Page 72 – Cannonball Read 17

The Forward Collection, ed. by Blake Crouch, was a fun success, except for that one story I didn’t like at all.

Ark by Veronica Roth

Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin

The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

Randomize by Andy Weir

March 1, 2020 by narfna 8 Comments

I’m putting all my reviews of this collection in one post. Blake Crouch commissioned a bunch of his writer friends to bring him stories about some aspect of near-future technology, and how that might affect life on earth. These are what they gave him (along with Crouch’s own story). “Ark,” by Veronica Roth – 3.5 STARS This is miles above the last book I read from Roth in quality. It seems she’s learned how to be subtle, which is good! This first story in the […]

George Fisher was still lying awake, thinking of the accident which he had seen on 121st Street.

The People and Unpublished Stories by Bernard Malamud

February 24, 2020 by vel veeter Leave a Comment

Most uncollected stories or worst unpublished stories collections tend to be curious and interesting, but often not very good. From my work in college and grad school reading what’s assigned to me and seeing the different ways that professor chose readings and my own choosing. So here I am looking at this giant book of Bernard Malamud short stories and it’s carefully labeled in terms of which stories go with which collection that he published in his lifetime. This is perfect for me so I […]

“If you spy a naked man among the pines, you must run as if the Devil were after you.”

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

February 23, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

Never have truer words been spoken! This collection of short stories crept around my periphery for some time, and I am both overjoyed to have finally given in to it and disappointed in myself for not biting earlier. I came across it originally on a list of fairy-tale retellings on Autostraddle, and when it popped up again in the employee recommendations section of one of my favorite booksellers (Crow Bookshop in Burlington, what’s up!) I knew that it was meant to be. Still, it sat […]

“Not Even Camping Is Like Camping Anymore

What Burns by Dale Peck

February 23, 2020 by vel veeter Leave a Comment

This is an odds and ends story collection by Dale Peck. It’s got everything you could imagine a collection that puts together 30 years of a writer’s, not know for his short fiction, short output. This is sometimes a good thing as Dale Peck is a talented writer, but also not a great thing at times, as he was never and still isn’t particularly invested in short fiction. So the structure here then is the handful of longer pieces that Peck put together throughout the […]

What were you doing on December 28, 1986?

One Day by Gene Weingarten

February 20, 2020 by Sophia 2 Comments

I discovered One Day by Gene Weingarten on NPR’s Best Books of 2019 List. It looked interesting, but I wasn’t sure I had the time to read it. When I found it available at my library on audio, I decided that was the perfect solution. I’d listen to the book in my car. For me, listening to a book is a very different experience from reading it. I generally prefer reading, where I can easily glance back if I find I’ve stopped paying attention or want to confirm […]

Alva Perry was a dignified and reserved woman of Scotch and Spanish descent, in her early forties.

Plain Pleasures by Jane Bowles

February 20, 2020 by vel veeter Leave a Comment

This is a kind of split review of both the short story collection Plain Pleasures by the American writer Jane Bowles and other for the various extra material published in her collected works as notebooks and unpublished pieces. The opening story of this collection which is the title story starts with a very odd and curious scene in which a woman invites her neighbor over to eat roasted potatoes that she cooks in an impromptu fire in her backyard. I don’t think this predates barbeque grills, […]

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Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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