Short Stories
Barry, Dave. Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway: A Vicious and Unprovoked Attack on Our Most Cherished Political Institutions. Random House, 2001.Technically, this is not a selection of short stories, but it is a selection of somewhat related chapters than can be read separately and enjoyed. If you like Dave Barry, you will enjoy this book. Be advised that very likely someone you like will be insulted. From the book's introduction, "To do even a halfway decent book on a subject as complex as the United States government, you have to spend a lot of time in Washington, D.C. So the first thing I decided, when I was getting ready to write this book, was that it would not be even halfway decent." Here is a The Declaration of Independence quoted from chapter two - The United States is Born: "Whereas in the course of human events it behooves us, the people, not to ask, What can our country do for us, anyway? Bu rather, whether we have anything to fear except fear itself, so that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, may be one nation, under God, who art in heaven, as we forgive those who trespass against us and solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth until death do us part as long as we both shall live or 75,000 miles, whichever comes first, amen." Amen.
Binchy, Maeve. The Return Journey. Delacorte Press, 1998. The first story deals with the relationship between a mother and daughter. We come to know them and their feelings in the letters they share. The second story was one of mixed up luggage and the people involved. It was a bit like reading a soap opera. I was not impressed and did not read further in the compilation.
Calvino, Italo. Invisible Cities. Harcourt, 1985. Kublai Khan is bored to death. He’s seen it all, done it all, and sees no challenges anymore. His friend and advisor Marco Polo tells him no, there are still places which will fire your imagination, possibly even renew you. How can this be? asks the great Khan. And so Polo gives mesmerizing accounts of Cities of Memory, Cities of Signs, Hidden Cities. Each city tale is a short story, and they can be read in any order. The Khan gradually realizes that the cities aren’t physical; rather, they are cities of the imagination. But it finally doesn’t matter that the destinations aren’t hidden in his empire’s lands, for they are now perhaps rising in the Khan’s spirit and he feels that he will be rejuvenated. The promise of story, it seems, is with us always. Calvino as Polo is bewitching and impossibly good. If you think you’re tired of fantasy, you can’t imagine what’s in store for you.
Cash, Rosanne. Bodies of Water. Hyperion Books, 1996. The singer/lyricist whose words put a cerebral edge on country/western music moves into fiction with this impressive collection of nine short stories. Rosanne Cash's first literary collection shows her to be a gifted, lyrical prose writer, utilizing the same candor, wit, and sophistication evident in her groundbreaking songs. From delicate, luminous "prose poems" to straightforward, even comic autobiographical essays, Bodies of Water showcases Cash's profound reflections on art, motherhood, spirituality, and performance. These stories are a series of portraits of the inner lives of women seeking self-forgiveness, resolution, and freedom in the face of the familiar betrayals of everyday existence. A mother spends a comically forlorn New Year's Eve alone with her young children. Alone in Paris, a traveler faces her loneliness as middle age approaches. A dinner party becomes a battleground of concealed disappointment. It is at the margins of reality and dreams, the bound-aries between art and insanity, that Cash's characters come to learn that their redemption is to be found in facing the past, and finally, in retrieving power.
Cash, Rosanne (ed.). Songs Without Rhyme. Hyperion, 2001. What happens when you ask some of the most accomplished songwriters working today apply their talents to prose? The result is Songs Without Rhyme, a collection of short works by songwriters. The contributors come from a variety of musical genres, which is reflected in the diversity of the prose within the collection. Each piece is paired with the song lyric that inspired it, offering a rare glimpse into the artist’s creative process. From futuristic fiction to autobiographical nonfiction, the stories are as unique as their authors, and deeply compelling in their originality and imagination. This collection features stories by Rosanne Cash, David Byrnne, Rodney Crowell, Paula Cole, Shawn Colvin, Johnny Cash, Suzanne Vega and others.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Harper Audio, 2001. Unabridged. The diamond as big as the Ritz - performed by Robert Sean Leonard; Head and shoulders - performed by Peter Gallagher; Bernice bobs her hair - performed by Blythe Danner; Dalyrimple goes wrong - performed by Eric Stoltz; The ice palace - performed by Martha Plimpton; The jelly-bean - performed by Dylan Baker; Benediction - performed by Parker Posey; The curious case of Benjamin Button - performed by Bill Irwin; May Day - performed by Campbell Scott. This collection of stories both honors and enhances Fitzgerald's already irreplaceable position in American letters. Assembled here is an extraordinary cast of stage and screen stars to bring these early works to resonant life. If you are not familiar with Fitzgerald's short stories, I recommend trying these. I believe you will be wonderfully surprised.
Garner, James Finn. Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life and Times. Macmillan,1994. Garner has taken it upon himself to liberate fairy tales from sexist discriminatory, unfair cultural bias and liberate witches, animals, goblins and fairies everywhere. After reading this collection and the two following, you will never hear or see Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Pigs, and Goldilocks the same way again. Read and enjoy. These short story collections are entertaining and easy to read. Each book is small and less than 100 pages each.
Garner, James Finn. Once Upon a More Enlightened Time: More Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. Macmillan, 1995. Garner continues his quest to liberate classic fairy tales from their archaic ageist, classist, lookist and environmentally unsound prejudices with re-told tales such as The Princess and the Pea, The Tortoise and the Hare and Hansel and Gretel.
Garner, James Finn. Politically Correct Holiday Stories: For an Enlightened Yuletide Season. Macmillan, 1995. The author has stepped in here to 'revise and improve' familiar holiday tales such as The Night Before Christmas and Dickens' A Christmas Carol, to free our social consciousness from the ghost of prejudice past.
Johnson, Charles. Soulcatcher and Other Stories. Hartcorte, 2001. This collection of 12 short stories depicts events in African American history. The brief stories present tales of the effects and experience of slavery, each based on historical fact. A curious reader could use more background but their brevity may have an appeal to young adults.
Kaye, Marvin , editor. The Confidential Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. St. Martin's Griffin, 1998. A collection of "newly discovered" Sherlock Holmes cases written by Dr. Watson and previously unpublished due to the scandalous and sensitive nature of the manuscripts. From cases involving famous individuals such as the artists John Singer Sargent and James McNeil Whistler to stories too scandalous to publish at the time, each case can be read and appreciated on its own. This anthology of adventures will be enjoyed by Sherlock Holmes and mystery fans alike.
King, Stephen. The Stephen King Collection: Stories From Night Shift. Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, 1995. The Stephen King Collection combines three "bone-chilling" (at least that is what the box said) dramatic audio productions into one collection. Originally released separately as Graymatter, The Graveyard Shift and The Lawnmower Man each group of short stories probed the dark side and several were turned into scripts for the sixties TV hit The Night Shift. Generally I am a great admirer of King’s early work, but frankly, most of these stories fell flat or were just plain silly. Some were better than others, but I won’t be recommending this collection to my patrons. The writing had not matured and the narration on these audios was only so-so. I highly recommend Recorded Books Short Stories by Jack London. Great stories, great narration!
L'Amour, Louis. Beyond the Great Snow Mountains. Bantam Books, 1999. These are not all westerns. One story takes place during WWII in Russia. An American pilot is involved in flying coast patrol with a Russian pilot. They discover Japanese soldiers in the area and become involved in conflict. In another story, an airplane crashes and is hanging precariously on the side of a mountain. The passengers have the dilemma of how to get to safety on solid ground. I thoroughly enjoyed these stories and several others by L'amour.
Lewis, Beverly. October Song. Bethany House Publishers, 2001. These stories are all based on characters developed in Lewis' Lancaster County books. The author grew up in the Lancaster area and is familiar with the Amish and Mennonite heritage which is the setting for these characters and their daily lives. The community names are Hickory Hollow, Bird-in-Hand and Grasshopper Level. It becomes obvious that there is rich character development which includes strong ties to church and the surrounding geographic area. These short stories can be read following the Lancaster County books or or their own. I think if you get to know these characters you would be eager to read the previous books as well.
Nailah, Anika. Free and Other Stories. Doubleday, 2002. In perfect harmony with the national theme for Black History Month, "The Color Line Revisited: Is Racism Dead?," Anika Nailah has put together a wonderful collection of short stories of how blacks have come to deal with the social, cultural and psychological factors of racism in America. Through strong well-defined characters Nailah beautifully weaves each short story uniquely, and in such a way that any African American person can relate. The stories are sincere and candidly told as if the author is speaking from personal experience. Free: and other stories tells the gripping tale of how blacks deal, cope and prevail over the daily challenges of being black in a society that is still very bound by racism.
Norris, Helen. One Day in the Life of a Born Again Loser. University of Alabama Press, 2000. One Day in the Life of a Born Again Loser is the 2002winner of the Alabama Authors Award for Fiction given by the Alabama Library Association. It features nine stories, all with different settings and characters old and young. The title story centers around a man who has just served 90 days in jail and returns home to find his wife gone and his two daughters home by themselves. It's Christmas and there is no food in the house, so Theron Estes embarks upon a bizarre attempt to secure Christmas Dinner for his girls. Another story, The Bower-Bird, relates a Vietnam veteran's attempt to find a buddy with whom he had served in Nam. After all his trouble, he realizes he has tracked down another person with the same name. These two stories demonstrate Norris's distinctive style and mastery of the short story form. As expressed by one reviewer, "Norris's stories are complex, at turns wry and poignant, playful and amusing, haunting and mythical." Some of her stories are definitely southern in setting and theme, but she also writes of regions other than her native South. Mostly she writes about contemporary concerns set in imaginary places both rural and urban.
Parish, James Robert. The Hollywood Book of the Dead. Contemporary Books, 2001. Which blond bombshell was decapitated in an automobile crash with a carload of Chihuahuas on board? What bloodthirsty film star insisted on being buried in his Dracula cape? which washed-up starlet took a swan dive off the Hollywood sign? The Hollywood Book of the Dead is an exhaustive encyclopedia of celebrity deaths that tells all! Organized according to type of death, from "Accidental" to "Suicide", this book provides complete accounts of more than 125 celebrity departures, from John Barrymore, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, and John Belushi Audrey Hepburn, Chris Farley, and Rock Hudson.
Stephen, John Richard (editor). Into the Mummy’s Tomb. Berkley Books, 2001. A collection of work by archaeologists and writers including Anne Rice, Bram Stoker, H. P. Lovecraft, Elizabeth Peters, Tennessee Williams, Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and more. There are nonfiction pieces by Egyptologist Arthur Weigall and Howard Carter who discovered King Tut's tomb. This is an anthology of century spanning tales of horror, fantasy, romance and history.
Stockton, Frank. The Lady or the Tiger? and other stories. Most of us have had to read the story "The Lady or the Tiger?" for school at some time or other, and that's likely to be all the average reader ever learns of Frank Stockton. What a pleasure it was to discover this book of Stockton's other stories, including a sequel to the famous "Lady or the Tiger." Other noteworthy items in this collection are "The Griffin and the Minor Canon," in which a lesser official of the church gains the respect he deserves through the assistance of a man-eating monster, and "The Sisters Three and the Kilmaree," in which the would-be suitors of three princesses have to learn good sense before they can win their brides. Characterized by sly humor and inventive plots, Stockton's tales will please the reader in search of a good short story with a touch of whimsy. And for this reader, it is always enjoyable to go back to Stockton's most famous story and wonder once more: "Which came out of the opened door--thel ady, or the tiger?"
Welty, Eudora. The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. Eudora Welty will always be known as a fabulous story-teller and Southern writer. Her short stories are complex and full of symbolism, as are her characters. In a few pages, she can tell a magnificent story that many authors cannot achieve in 300 pages. Welty's writing style may not be for everyone, but I believe there is a reason many of her stories/collections are required reading.
Wodehouse, P.G. The World of Jeeves. Perennial Library, 1967. This short story collection features the world’s most perfect butler and the world’s most scatterbrained employer. It holds story after story of how Jeeves maneuvers, often behind the scenes, to make life comfortable for Bertie Wooster. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor, or humour, as the British would say.
February 13, 2002
