Love Begins in Winter by Simon Van Booy

I received a copy of this collection of short stories after Book Lush hosted a giveaway of sorts (literally she just gave a huge stack of her books away to make room on her self - no tweets or signing up required, which is my kind of giveaway.) I had been hoping to get my hands on a collection of stories by Van Booy for awhile, so I was super excited to see it was available on her list of giveaway books. I'm normally not a huge fan of short stories, as I tend to gravitate and enjoy longer narrative works, but I like to sprinkle them into my reading diet nonetheless.

Unfortunately, Love Beings in Winter was not a collection that ultimately satisfied me. While there were instances of fascination and curiosity, the majority of the stories fell flat for me. Each character seemed a little too delicate and many instances too exaggerated to enjoy the meaning of the story at hand. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy any of the stories in the collection. There was one story that I found utterly charming, and there were passages in each story that were notable; I found myself underlining more lines in this book than I do in most. It should be said that Van Booy certainly isn't lacking in ideas and he manages to convey those ideas with eloquent and sobering prose.

Children are the closest we are to wisdom, and they become adults the moment that final drop of everything mysterious is strained from them. I think it happens quietly to every one of us -- like crossing a state line when you're asleep.

But in a collection of five stories, enjoying only one just seems like it misses the mark. I can say that while I didn't abhor this book, I don't think it will stay with me for very long. I probably won't be seeking out Van Booy's other collection of short stories anytime soon, though I do love the title The Secret Lives of People in Love. However, I would be willing to give his novel, Everything Beautiful Began After, a try.

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2009

"The Dinner Party" by Joshua Ferris

I loved Joshua Ferris's Then We Came to and End and after I tweeted about his sexiness (seriously), Beth from Bookworm Meets Bookworm told me to read his short story, "The Dinner Party," via The New Yorker. I did and it's official - Joshua Ferris is awesome.

"The Dinner Party" explores the repetitiveness of domesticity and the restlessness that is often associated with it. It also questions to what point is a friendship, or relationship, worth keeping after one has grown out of it or changed. Are the superficial routines of the dinner party worth it? At what point do we stop pretending?

“They come in,” he said, “we take their coats. Everyone talks in a big hurry as if we didn't have four long hours ahead of us. We self-medicate with alcohol. A lot of things are discussed, different issues. Everyone laughs a lot, but later no one can say what exactly was so witty."

The dialogue is hilarious. Ferris is spot-on with his portrayal of the everyday-bickering of a domestic couple. I almost wished this short story was longer. All-in-all, Ferris has yet to disappoint me, which is why I can't wait to pick up his latest, The Unnamed.


Image via The New Yorker.

The Missing Statues - Simon Van Booy

I've been interested in reading Simon Van Booy's collection of short stories The Secret Lives of People In Love ever since it was compared to Miranda July's Nobody Belongs Here More Than You, which is my all-time favorite collection of short stories. But, before I acquired the book I stumbled upon Van Booy's short story "The Missing Statues" via Fifty-Two Stories. (Read it here for free.)

This is a whimsical story, told in a tone that reminded me of a fairy tale, in which Van Booy captures the feeling of what it's like to be a child. There isn't a specific message van Booy relates in the story, except perhaps to highlight the importance of stories themselves:

"That sounds nice, and I like stories very much," the priest said. "They help me understand myself better."

Overall "The Missing Statues" is a nice story, but I'm not sure I'll be running out to get The Secret Lives of People In Love. Then again, he did win The Frank O'Connor Award for his collection Love Begins In Winter, so I probably shouldn't judge his writing on this one short story.

Eyes of a Blue Dog by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Earlier this week I stumbled across Classic Short Stories - a site that offers short stories (for free) written by classic authors. Since I recently read Marquez for the first time I thought I would start out with his short story "Eyes of a Blue Dog".

This is a really interesting read that becomes even more complex upon reflexion - a skill that Marquez has proved with everything else of his I've read. The entire story takes place in the narrator's dream. Marquez writes the story with a sleepy eloquence that portrays a dream-like atmosphere for the reader, making it seem as if you are in the dream yourself.

"In some city in the world, on all the walls, those words have to appear in writing: 'Eyes of a blue dog'. If I remember them tomorrow I could find you."

"Eyes of a Blue Dog" explores the intricacies of the unconscious mind in relation to the conscious mind and how these unconscious desires manifest themselves in everyday life. It's a beautifully written story that I recommend to anyone who has 15 minutes to spare.

You can read it for free in it's entirety here. If you do let me know what you think!

Mr. Penumbra's Twenty-Four Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan

I stumbled across this short story and became completely absorbed (while I should have been working). Anyhow, it's awesome and you need to read it too. Immediately. It's a wildly imaginative and refreshingly original piece about a mysterious bookstore and how ebooks and ereaders are changing more than just the way we read.

There is something to be said about stories written about books/bookstores/book mobiles. They get me every time.

Read Mr. Penumbra's Twenty-Four Hour Book Store in it's entirety for free right here. Now.

I Think I'll Subscribe

So maybe I'm out of the loop but I came across this publication called "One Story" yesterday and I think I'll subscribe.

Basically, this non-profit is on a mission to save the short story so they mail one short story to their subscribers every three weeks.

Our mission is to save the short story by publishing in a friendly format that allows readers to experience each story as a stand-alone work of art and a simple form of entertainment. One Story is designed to fit into your purse or pocket, and into your life.

Because we like a challenge we will publish each writer one time only. This prevents us from relying on a stable of writers and helps us find new and exciting voices. Between September and June, all writers can submit their work.

Sounds kind of awesome, right?

Book Worth Reading: No One Belongs Here More Than You. Stories by Miranda July

A few weeks ago I picked up this book at my favorite bookstore in Brooklyn and dove right in. Since I have been doing so much reading for work, I figured a collection of short stories would be prefect, especially for my five-minute commute to work (yes, I have to brag). I read my favorite just the other day while taking the train to the Museum of Natural History to see Journey to the Stars.

To start, this novel was named one of the Top Ten Fiction Books of 2007 by Time magazine for good reason. July is brilliantly creative, depicting stories whose characters often escape into the world of fantasy when reality disappoints them. Each quirky character seems to be part yourself – at least for me – and part everyone you have ever known.

“The Swim Team” depicts a young woman whose lack of a pool does not deter her from giving swim lessons to adults on her kitchen floor. We are introduced to the speaker as having just broken up with her boyfriend:

“This is the story I wouldn’t tell you when I was your girlfriend. You kept asking and asking, you’re your guesses were so lurid and specific. Was I a kept woman? Was Belvedere like Nevada, where prostitution is legal? Was I naked for the entire year? The reality began to seem barren. And in time I realized that if the truth felt empty, then I probably would not be your girlfriend much longer.”

The speaker then jumps ahead in time and describes a group of people she met who had never learned how to swim. As she looks down at her brown linoleum floor, thinking about how it hadn’t been washed in forever, she “suddenly felt like she was going to die. But instead of dying, [she] said: I can teach you how to swim. And we don’t even need a pool”.

The swimming lessons commence on the kitchen floor and are described in such a nonsensical manner that you can’t help but laugh out loud.

“I showed them how to put their noses and mouths in [bowls of salt water] and how to take a breath to the side. Then we added the legs, and then the arms… I taught them strokes I knew. The butterfly was just incredible, like nothing you’ve ever seen. I thought the kitchen floor would give in and turn liquid and away they would go.”

She even goes on to teach dives. “With the meticulous, hands-on coaching method, all dives began with perfect form, poised on my desktop, and ended in a belly flop onto the bed. Elizabeth added a rule that we all had to make a noise when we fell. This was a little creative for my taste, but I was open to innovation.” This last line reminds me of those people who order a super-sized meal with a diet coke. The nonsense of it all, I can’t help but smile.

To end, the speaker goes on to once again address her ex-boyfriend, closing with:

“Who I miss now, tonight? is Elizabeth, Kelda, and Jack Jack. They are dead, of this I can be sure. What a tremendously sad feeling. I must be the saddest swim coach in all of history.”

There is slight repetition in the book since each character in the stories seem to resemble each other in their odd behavior and quirkiness, but July manages this repetition in such a way that is builds a refreshingly risible motif.

Even though I gave away the entire plot of “The Swim Team,” No One Belongs Here More Than You includes 15 other deliciously crafted stories. Absolutely a must read.