All About Books discussion

My plan of reading short stories this year has not gone well. I think the problem is I keep picking up magical realism stories which is not my favourite theme.

Does anybody have a recommendation for a short story collection which does not have magical themes?

Chrissie- I’m going to go through the ones you’ve been reading from online and see if any catch my eye

I won’t be restarting the group short story discussions as I think it’s better to keep it in this thread.

Heather wrote: "Does anybody have a recommendation for a short story collection which does not have magical themes? "

You can choose a collection by Guy de Maupassant. He is is very realistic.
I've read a complete collection with his short stories and loved them all.

Pam wrote: "I have a book of Munro stories also, which surprisingly I haven’t read yet! I’m now curious to read a few of the stories to see what I think, after seeing some of your comments.

Chrissie, I don’t..."

I do not think the Liu stories will fit me b/c they are fantasy, bu thanks for the tip.

Nope, that one by Munro I have not read.

I enjoyed the short story The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro.

My review with a free online link to the short story:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I definitely enjoyed this more than the last short story I read by the author.

dely wrote: "You can choose a collection by Guy de Maupassant. He is is very realistic.
I've read a complete collection with his short ..."

A master of short stories!

I have stuck in a short story by William Trevor that is read by Jhumpa Lahiri--A day. In my review I have provided a link to it at The New Yorker.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

dely wrote: "Heather wrote: "Does anybody have a recommendation for a short story collection which does not have magical themes? "

You can choose a collection by Guy de Maupassant. He is is very..."

I will check this out and I also want to try The Birds and Other Stories

Heather - Have you tried short story collections by Andrea Barrett? I really like her writing. She adds elements of science to her stories and some of the books have connections to characters in her other books. I recommend Ship Fever: Stories and Servants of the Map. I didn’t finish Servants of the Map but what I read was good. I’m bad about not finishing collections. I usually pick a few stories that look good. I really love the artwork on her covers, too. I know covers shouldn’t make a difference BUT it’s the first thing that catches your eye!

AB wrote: "Hi all,

Currently reading ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - great read and really enjoying it so far! Can definitely draw parallels between this collection of short storie..."

Sounds good AB!

I DO like Zora Neale Hurston's short stories!

Give The Gilded Six-Bits a try and see what you think.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

As always, I have a link to the short story free online in my review.

Short stories are becoming addictive to me. Read Lily Daw and the Three Ladies by Eudora Welty. It is good!

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

There is a free online link to it in my review.

Glad you are liking shorts more, Chrissie.

Finished Wings
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Diane,sticking in short stories off and on really works for me.

I still hesitate toward purchasing anthologies. I find them repetitive and not nearly as satisfying. There will be one story that is really, stands out while the others fail to excite me. When you then rate an anthology you must look at the book as a whole, all of the stories together, and so it is difficult to give the total a high rating. This is how it is for me.

I stuck in a short story by Guy de Maupassant--The Necklace.

My exceedingly short review with a link to the short story online:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have wanted to test another short story by William Trevor. I found Three People free online in a podcast from The Guardian.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

There is a link to where I listened in my review.

I have found I can read short stories if I read just one at a time. Off and on, so to speak.

I read The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories by Agatha Christie. I was underwhelmed. The stories were very predictable and only one included Hercule Poirot. From the GR description, I thought they all included him. I read most of Christie’s novels back in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. I’ve decided that I like her novels better than her short stories.

I stuck in a short story by Eudora Welty--A Worn Path.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have put a free online link to the short story in my review. Having it there in my review is handy and others may want to read it too.

Starting a book of shorts If You See Me, Don't Say Hi: Stories

I found this brand new collection (published in June 2018) The Collected Stories of Machado de Assis at the library today that looks fabulous and includes 12 stories appearing in English for the first time! I’m eager to dive in! But, where to start? At the beginning or look for the most interesting stories? What do you all do? I usually take the latter approach unless it’s a very short collection. I think I will start at the beginning. Is anyone familiar with this Brazilian author?

Pam wrote: "I found this brand new collection (published in June 2018) The Collected Stories of Machado de Assis at the library today that looks fabulous and includes 12 stories appearing in En..."

He seems an interesting author. I had never heard about him before.

I usually start with the first story and go on reading one story after the other in order.

I read Chess Story by Stefan Zweig yesterday. I would call it a novella but it could be considered a short story at 85 pages. This is my first time reading Zweig. I loved this story! The psychological aspect was so fascinating. I can't stop thinking about it. I highly recommend it. 5 stars!

I also read the first story in the Machado de Assis collection. I really liked his writing style and the setting (Brazil) but the ending was disappointing. I feel like short stories should have some kind of twist or surprise or an ah-ha moment at the end, like a haiku. The book is chronological so I think I will try some of the later works. I have 75 more stories to choose from!

I have completed Big Blonde, a short story by Dorothy Parker. A link to the story is in my review.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am working through the short stories in Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories. So far I have only read the title story and did not like it.

I did not like Alice Munro's short story Train either.

Finished a book of shorts that I enjoyed If You See Me, Don't Say Hi
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished The Ice Palace by F. Scott Fitzgerald
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have completed A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am glad I have tested ten of O'Connor's stories, but these ten are enough for me..

I have completed the short story The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield. Its good.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

As usual, a free online link to it is provided in my review.

For the past couple of days I have been reading a novella online--
The Golden Flower Pot by E.T.A. Hoffmann.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

dely, it did not work for me.

Chrissie wrote: "dely, it did not work for me.
"

I thought so. From all his short stories, this is the one I liked the less because as we both say in our reviews, the magical part is too much that it doesn't seem real as it happens in other of his stories.

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely, it did not work for me.
"

I thought so. From all his short stories, this is the one I liked the less because as we both say in our reviews, the magical part is too much tha..."

I do not see how realism and fantasy are blended; it is very, very clear which is which. I will go read your review now. How many stars did you give it. I thought you liked it.

Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely, it did not work for me.
"

I thought so. From all his short stories, this is the one I liked the less because as we both say in our reviews, the magical part is..."

I rated it with 3 stars because I liked it, but not as much as his other short stories. Though there is some magic, I prefer that it is believable, at least in such stories that are claimed to be magical realism (of course if I read a fantasy, then I can read also about flying dogs because I know it's fantasy). Well, Hoffmann himself said that this is a fairy tale, not a novella, so I should have know that it wasn't like his other stories.

It has put me off in trying others of his.

Chrissie wrote: "It has put me off in trying others of his."

Yes, I can understand this. I won't recommend you to read other stories by Hoffmann, though I liked the others much more. It depends also how much you like magical realism and to read stories that not always explain things at the end. With Hoffmann you have often open endings and the reader doesn't know why some things happened because not everything is explained. There are a lot of not answered questions in his books or short stories. And they are creepy.

Or you could try one of his most famous short stories: The Sandman. It is very good.

I recently read My Purple Scented Novel a terrific short story, I would recommend to fans of Ian McEwan.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I stuck in a short story by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. The story, A New England Nun, is available free online in audio and written format. It is also in A New England Nun and Other Stories. I have put a link to it online in my review.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I liked it. It is worth reading, but I did not love it.

I have listened s-l-o-w-l-y to Every Tongue Got to Confess, sayings collected by Zora Neale Hurston.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have completed a collection of short stories by W. Somerset Maugham--Rain and Other South Sea Stories. They are NOT all set in South East Asia!

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have been listening to short stories on 2 different podcasts- Fictional and LeVar Burton Reads. So far, they have all been sci-fi, but that has been by choice. I've listened to three by Philip K. Dick: The Hanging Man, Second Variety, and Beyond Lies the Wub and one by New Mexican author Rebecca Roanhorse: Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience - the 2017 Nebula award winner and Hugo nominee for short story. I enjoyed all of them. It's a fun way to get a short story in while walking the dog or relaxing at home!

I stuck in a short story--Pictures by Katherine Mansfield.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I listened to it read by Juliet Stevenson. She does a good job with the narration.

I stuck in a second short story. In my view it is not quite as good, but almost. Which you like best will depend on what you are looking for.

My review of The Eyes by Edith Wharton follows here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I stuck in a short story by Jorge Luis Borges--The Gospel According to Mark. I have provided a free online ink to it in my review here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A short by Tyler, Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am reading a collection of short stories What I Didn't See and Other Stories. They are not bad, not what I usually read though. By the end of the story I am thinking there is going to be more because that is what I am used to. There is a good variety in this book.

This morning I read the one short story Cathedral in Cathedral by Raymond Carver. It is very good.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have put an online link to the story in my review.

I’m reading a collection of contemporary Chinese science fiction. I didn’t care for the first story but I’ll try another author. If I finish it, I’ll post a review.

Chrissie wrote: "This morning I read the one short story Cathedral in Cathedral by Raymond Carver. It is very good.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have pu..."

I enjoyed Cathedral as well. Unusual story.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "This morning I read the one short story Cathedral in Cathedral by Raymond Carver. It is very good.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"

I like this sharing of short stories. It is important to find the best of an author's short stories; anthologies have such a a mix.

The Luncheon by W. Somerset Maugham
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

W. Somerset Maugham --The Luncheon. It was good and will definitely make you laugh.

Diane found it and I had to read it too. I grabbed it immediately.

My short review with a link to the short story free online: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Ransom of Red Chief another web freebie
https://www.shortstoryproject.com/sto...