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Aimee Bender recommended Jesus' Son in Books (curated)
The Vibrating Pond
10.0
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Book
The Vibrating Pond, second edition, is a collection of fiction short stories written over several...
Contemporary Fiction
Merissa (11943 KP) created a post
Feb 3, 2023
Tales of the Lost
Book
Tales of the Lost is a book of short stories for adults, ranging from realms of fantasy to...
The First Dazzling Chill of Winter: Collected Stories
Book
Nicholas Hagger's Collected Stories covered five volumes containing 1,001 very short stories...
Complete Stories: Kurt Vonnegut
Book
Here for the first time is the complete short fiction of one of the twentieth century's foremost...
Fiction anthology
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated You Think It, I'll Say It in Books
Apr 19, 2018
Great, satisfying set of stories
This short story collection features ten short stories from author Sittenfeld, featuring a cast of diverse, real characters. Told from a variety of point of views--a bored housewife, a wealthy bachelor, a new mom, and more--they offer pointed and humorous insight into current society.
I typically am not a huge fan of short stories because they don't give me enough information about the characters, and I'm a very character-driven person. But when I saw that Curtis Sittenfeld had a short story collection coming out, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. She gets a lot of press for Prep, but I feel like American Wife and Eligible are both still so fully ingrained in my brain. I loved them both so much, and they are go-to recommendations when I get the standard, "oh you like to read, what should I read?" question.
But, I digress. Sittenfeld. Short stories. I shouldn't have been surprised, honestly, that her collection would be above the typical fare. I probably enjoyed this set of short stories more than any other I've read in ages. It's so well-written and engaging. As with Sittenfeld's other work, the stories are so wonderfully descriptive, so you can immediately picture the characters and their situations. I felt like I was quickly transported to the setting of each story as soon as it began.
The stories are similar but not repetitive, which was also refreshing, and seem to be real, instead of striving to reach some sort of literary bar that makes them tedious and therefore unreadable. They are about real, relatable characters struggling with misinformed impressions, lingering resentments, and different types of relationships. But - oh hooray - even better, the majority of the stories didn't leave me with that unfinished feeling. They are honestly fascinating, and I enjoyed how they all start (I enjoyed them all the way through too, of course, but it seemed like each had a bit of a common thread in its beginning). I could have read more about each story's characters, sure, but I didn't feel frustrated when they ended, which was so amazing and different for me.
I really liked each and every story. For instance, there's "Vox Clamantis in Deserto" which begins with a woman (girl?) who idolizes a fellow college student from afar in line at the post office. Two of the stories, "Plausible Deniability" and "The Prairie Wife," had actual twists and surprises, which was so much fun. And some of the longing that came across in these characters was very touching and heartfelt. I have a soft spot for slightly nerdy high school/college kids, even once they're all grown up, and for slightly fatigued moms, so these stories were my cup of tea.
Overall, this was a great set of short stories. They are filled with real people set in complicated yet enjoyable and interesting situations. They are easy-to-read and don't leave you wanting for more--except maybe more stories. This only cements my feeling that I'll continue to read (and adore) anything Ms. Sittenfeld writes.
I received a copy of this story collection from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
I typically am not a huge fan of short stories because they don't give me enough information about the characters, and I'm a very character-driven person. But when I saw that Curtis Sittenfeld had a short story collection coming out, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. She gets a lot of press for Prep, but I feel like American Wife and Eligible are both still so fully ingrained in my brain. I loved them both so much, and they are go-to recommendations when I get the standard, "oh you like to read, what should I read?" question.
But, I digress. Sittenfeld. Short stories. I shouldn't have been surprised, honestly, that her collection would be above the typical fare. I probably enjoyed this set of short stories more than any other I've read in ages. It's so well-written and engaging. As with Sittenfeld's other work, the stories are so wonderfully descriptive, so you can immediately picture the characters and their situations. I felt like I was quickly transported to the setting of each story as soon as it began.
The stories are similar but not repetitive, which was also refreshing, and seem to be real, instead of striving to reach some sort of literary bar that makes them tedious and therefore unreadable. They are about real, relatable characters struggling with misinformed impressions, lingering resentments, and different types of relationships. But - oh hooray - even better, the majority of the stories didn't leave me with that unfinished feeling. They are honestly fascinating, and I enjoyed how they all start (I enjoyed them all the way through too, of course, but it seemed like each had a bit of a common thread in its beginning). I could have read more about each story's characters, sure, but I didn't feel frustrated when they ended, which was so amazing and different for me.
I really liked each and every story. For instance, there's "Vox Clamantis in Deserto" which begins with a woman (girl?) who idolizes a fellow college student from afar in line at the post office. Two of the stories, "Plausible Deniability" and "The Prairie Wife," had actual twists and surprises, which was so much fun. And some of the longing that came across in these characters was very touching and heartfelt. I have a soft spot for slightly nerdy high school/college kids, even once they're all grown up, and for slightly fatigued moms, so these stories were my cup of tea.
Overall, this was a great set of short stories. They are filled with real people set in complicated yet enjoyable and interesting situations. They are easy-to-read and don't leave you wanting for more--except maybe more stories. This only cements my feeling that I'll continue to read (and adore) anything Ms. Sittenfeld writes.
I received a copy of this story collection from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Chesapeake Crimes: Homicidal Holidays in Books
Mar 9, 2018
This collection of short stories focuses on various holidays. Yes, the majority are Halloween and Christmas, but you also get a few fun days like Groundhog Day and Talk Like a Pirate Day.
There were several stories about a woman getting revenge on a man, and those really bothered me since that kind of justice doesn’t appeal to me. However, the majority of the stories were fun with decent characters and good plots. The variety in stories and holidays makes this a book worth checking out.
NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/10/book-review-chesapeake-crimes-homicidal.html">Carstairs Considers</>.
There were several stories about a woman getting revenge on a man, and those really bothered me since that kind of justice doesn’t appeal to me. However, the majority of the stories were fun with decent characters and good plots. The variety in stories and holidays makes this a book worth checking out.
NOTE: I was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/10/book-review-chesapeake-crimes-homicidal.html">Carstairs Considers</>.
Ross (3284 KP) rated That's Your Lot in Books
Aug 1, 2019
Not as good as Daft Wee Stories
Some more daft wee stories from Limmy. I picked this up as a holiday read when my current fantasy book became too grim for poolside reading. These short stories are all of a similar feel to the first set but to my mind of lesser quality. The stories are generally all someone getting themselves into a ludicrous situation after a series of seemingly logical decisions. None of these quite match up with those in the first book, and some just end without his trademark twisted punchline. The final story, more of a novella, is more like a rejected Irvine Welsh story than his usual, and is really quite an unpleasant read.
Extreme Survivors: 60 Epic Stories of Human Endurance
Book
The story of 60 of the most astonishing stories of human endurance and endeavour. Now available as a...