*Disclaimer: this book was read via audiobook.* Sherman Alexie’s writing never ceases to astonish me. He is brutally honest while also being personal, funny, and witty at once. I appreciate the stories he tells, and the way he tells them keeps me interested and engaged. I saw the audiobook at my library and what got me to check it out was his narration of the book–well worth it. War Dances is a collection of short stories and poetry, like much of his other work. One […]
Like talking to a cross-section of ordinary people at a pub, England and Other Stories is a collection of twenty-five short stories that peer into everyday worries, thoughts and lives.
These are ordinary people. Mostly male, they are often fixated on small minutia, worried and fixated on something out of their control. The subjects vary wildly, from a weary window cleaner reflecting on his life around London before the recession of 2007; a reunion at a teacher’s funeral that hides an adolescent secret; a suburban oddball with a perchance for alternative medicine and a darker side; or a love letter never delivered to its recipient. Unlike most conventional short stories, the short tales in this […]
Three evocative and delicate short stories from a Japanese master.
Life of a Counterfeiter is the third in a series of recently re-translated works by Inoue that Pushkin Press have released. Containing the titular novella and two other short stories that are appearing in English for the first time, it’s a fine collection of tales dealing with ambition, rejection and the power of memory. Life of a Counterfeiter is narrated by a character who has been hired to write a biography of a celebrated artist called Keigaku, but wracked by writer’s block, the narrator instead […]
The Winds of Marble Arch: Personal Correspondence and Travel Guides
Quick Synopsis: The second and third parts of the short story collection, dealing with letters and travel. Quick Review: Another four stories, two in each section. Newsletter was the standout of Personal Correspondence, a funny take on the traditional holiday newsletter. Nonstop to Portales was my favorite of Travel Guides. Read the full review here.
The Winds of Marble Arch: Weather Reports
Quick Synopsis: The first set of stories in Connie Willis’s massive collection of novellas and short stories, all dealing with weather or natural phenomena Quick Review: Four short stories, ranging from the fallout of the Blitz to the explosion of the sun. Daisy in the Sun was probably the standout for me of these. Read the full review here
Short Story Collection by a Favorite Author
For the most part, I liked all the stories, and I thought she wrapped them up really well – while I still would have preferred novels and longer narratives, I wasn’t left wanting more. She clearly sets up her characters and their lives in the short time she has in the pages devoted to them. Having read her previous work, I also didn’t feel completely clueless about Nigeria’s history, culture and differing ethnic backgrounds, which helped me avoid too much confusion with some of the […]