Not the End of the World - Kate Atkinson

Not the End of the World

Title: Not the End of the World

Author: Kate Atkinson

Publication Date: 2002

Pages: 288

Genre: Fantasy / Short Stories / Fiction

How I Found It: I'm a fan of Atkinson's work

Date Completed: 8/1/17

Summary: A collection of short stories in which our modern reality is blended with classical myths and a potential future.

What I Thought: I am not usually a huge fan of short story collections. I think they are wonderful for certain things, but I generally enjoy a more in depth plot and chance for character development. Short stories really are a totally different art form than the novel. 

That being said, I did not realize I was picking up a short story collection when I grabbed this book. I am a big fan of Kate Atkinson's writing and have wanted to go back and read more of her early work. As often happens when I am reading work by an author I already enjoy, I did not read the description too closely. So, I was in for a surprise when I realized it was a short story collection.

Mendocino Fire - Elizabeth Tallent

Mendocino Fire

This week, I'm partnering with TLC Book Tours to bring you a new book every day! They span a wide range of genre, so make sure to check back each day for a new review; you're bound to find something you'll enjoy.

Title: Mendocino Fire

Author: Elizabeth Tallent

Publication Date: 10/20/15

Pages: 272

Genre: Short Stories / Fiction

How I Found It: TLC Book Tours

Date Completed: 10/7/15

Summary: A collection of short stories.

What I Thought: As I mentioned recently, short story anthologies have occupied a tenuous ground for me for many years. Lately, though, I have been willing to give them more of a shot and have been trying to realign my thinking about short stories.

Tallent's collection reminded me of the beauty of writing and the skill needed to capture characters without the benefit of hundreds of pages of dialogue and decisions. Her writing is absolutely beautiful, if a bit mired down at times by the theoretical. There isn't a lot of action, but this isn't that type of book. To truly enjoy Tallent's writing, you have to be willing to devote some of yourself to it. This is one of those books where you get back as much as you are willing to put in. Spend the time and energy truly absorbing her words, and you will find them rich and rewarding. Try to skim through for the action and the high points and you'll be left wanting. I can admit to using both, depending on the day I picked up the book. Experiencing such satisfaction on the days I gave the book my full attention makes me want to go back and read the stories which did not receive the same my first time through.

Fortune Smiles - Adam Johnson

Fortune Smiles

Title: Fortune Smiles

Author: Adam Johnson

Publication Date: 8/13/15

Pages: 320

Genre: Short Stories / Fiction

How I Found It: NetGalley

Date Completed: 8/3/15

Summary: A collection of short stories

What I Thought: I absolutely loved Adam Johnson's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from 2013, The Orphan Master's Son. That book was the first I had heard of Johnson and, after reading it, I became a fan. When I saw NetGalley offering chances to read and review Johnson's latest, this collection of short stories, my hopes were high.

Short story collections are always a bit tricky for me. It's so rare to pick up a collection and love every story in it, or to detest every story in it. Yet, there is something about encapsulating a story into just a few pages - the length of one chapter in a novel. I am realizing more and more that I like the format of short stories and should expose myself to more of them.

In this case, I had moments of adoring Johnson's writing style and direction, and moments of wondering why he chose certain pathways. Maybe that is the real beauty of short story collections. We get to step inside the author's mind and see several of those ideas that have been bouncing around waiting for an escape route. 

Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout

Olive Kitteridge

Title: Olive Kitteridge

Author: Elizabeth Strout

Publication Date: 9/30/07

Pages: 270

Genre: Literary Fiction / Short Stories / Fiction

How I Found It: Required reading for my Gender in Contemporary Literature course

Date Completed: 3/24/15

Summary: A collection of short stories set in small-town Crosby, Maine all weave in the character of Olive Kitteridge and give the reader a glimpse into her life and emotional journey.

What I Thought: Today, as I was reading another novel from the 100 Best Novels list, I contemplated what modern novels would make the cut on such a list 100 years from now. Fortuitously, I now sit trying to think what to say about Olive Kitteridge. One of my first thoughts: I could see this book on a best novels list decades from now.

Two years into the challenge and knowing what I know now about the types of books chosen for such a list, I think Olive Kitteridge would fit right in. It's complex and philosophical in the most ordinary ways. The characters are rich, yet plain. The depth of the novel far surpasses any surface level entertainment value.

Not to say the book isn't entertaining. It is, in its own way; much more than entertaining, though, it speaks to human nature and needs in a quiet, wise voice.

Taking What I Like - Linda Bamber

Taking What I Like

Today marks new territory for me! Taking What I Like by Linda Bamber might be the first book of short stories I have ever read - at least in my adult life.

It seems crazy, I know, but I have always been drawn to full length novels. Being the sucker for character development that I am, short stories sometimes irritate me; they leave me wanting more information on the characters' journeys.

That being said, when I received the opportunity to read Bamber's collection, I hesitated initially. The concept interested me, but I wasn't sure I could overcome my indifference to the medium. In the end, I obviously decided to give it a try. I figured it was about time I gave short stories a real chance.

Taking What I Like was initially described to me as "eight short stories that playfully respond to and reinterpret classics." As you know, I am all about the classics lately. Bamber's stories focus mainly on Shakespeare, although she swings briefly by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and also the artist Thomas Eakins.

Some stories focus on characters of Bamber's own creation. In my favorite story, perhaps because I can relate to is so well, a college professor laments teaching Jane Eyre to yet another cohort of students. In another, an actress works issues while playing Henry IV. Bamber spends a great deal of time representing Shakespeare characters. Some stories and unique retellings of Shakespeare's plays. Others place his characters into new situations. For instance, the opening story finds the cast of Othello serving as the English department of a northeastern college.