Brief encounters with Che Guevara: stories by Ben Fountain
The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel
Something I've been meaning to tell you by Alice Munro
Something by Chekhov (suggestions welcome!)
Monday, December 04, 2006
Short story/novel suggestions?
I'm trying to think of a list of books I want to read next semester. I know I want to delve into these short story collections. Has anyone read anything lately (or in general) that they love? I'm looking for stuff that I can learn a lot from as a writer.
Brief encounters with Che Guevara: stories by Ben Fountain
The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel
Something I've been meaning to tell you by Alice Munro
Something by Chekhov (suggestions welcome!)
Brief encounters with Che Guevara: stories by Ben Fountain
The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel
Something I've been meaning to tell you by Alice Munro
Something by Chekhov (suggestions welcome!)
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7 comments:
well I'm far from knowing you well enough to know what to suggest....meaning that you kindof need to know a person's taste (even a little) before you can recommend...but...
as far as short stories go, two collections that I can come back to again and again are (if you hate Raymond Carver short stories, don't even bother reading any further -- or Flannery O'Conner) --
Out of the Woods by Chris Offut
and
The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake by Breece D'J Pancake
To be honest. Listen to the Prairie Home Companion or some other shows on NPR.
Though they read their writing, it is in the oral one can hear the details that a writer should be intuned to.
Keep posting the short stories you hear about, I appreciate the recommendations myself.
Thanks! Jim, I love Carver and O'Conner, so I'll check out those books. and Gogo, I love NPR and I'll pay more attention to the reading they do!
Zadie Smith's WHITE TEETH has been rocking my world lately (I feel like I'm the last one to pick it up, but perhaps that's not true). The fact that she's the same age as me, wrote it when she was 25, and has published 5 more books since, has me alternately worshipping the ground she walks on and wanting to hang myself.
Jhumpa Lahiri's INTERPRETER Of MALADIES and THE NAMESAKE will also blow your mind.
They all sound interesting! Please let us know what you pick and your thoughts on them after you read them.
Read your previous post about being worn out and I can relate! Hope you get to take a bit of time for yourself in this busy season. Take care!
I was about to recommend Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, but I'll just second Bostonerin's motion on that one. I've recently Three Junes and The Whole World Over, both by Julia Glass. I find her use of language wonderfully rich and descriptive.
My favourite for 2006 was Eve Green by Susan Fletcher which won the Whitbread first novel prize when it first came out. So I reckon it could be one to help with your writing as well as being a wonderfully poetic read.
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