Short Stories Books

This book was interesting, and the family dynamics were fascinating. I think a lot of the sex and foul language was not necessary. I wish the title was mentioned more than once in the book. Why didn't the parents sing at the wedding? Just one question I would have for the author. Quick read and will keep your attention, I just thought it could have been better.

This book was very hard to put down. I would have read it in one day if not for the fact that the next day was Thanksgiving and I had stuff to do! Needless to say, as soon as I could, I picked up where I left off. Very well written, great characters. Looking forward to reading her other books.

This book takes a poignant look at sisters and the Jewish culture. Very funny and very entertaining.

Estelle Zarr dreams of making it in Hollywood as a highly regarded movie director and to find her soulmate, but so far has failed on both fronts. Having never left their hometown of Toronto, her sister Jessie worries about everything involving her two children Levi and Ilana as her marriage fails. The third sibling Erica lives in New York where she dreams of becoming writer, but instead lives her aspirations through her live-in lover, novelist Paul. Their parents also living in Toronto, Lilly and former songwriter Milton, struggle with the ennui of their golden years that seem tarnished lately.

When Milton's former partner Gladys dies, he feels his mortality. His two daughters living in the States join the third sister in Toronto to attend the funeral of a person who was like an aunt to them and to offer their condolences especially to their father. Each of the sisters looks at how green the grass is under the feet of their siblings, how jealous of the attention their mom showers on the other two, and makes decisions about their future. Estelle decides her film career needs her attention not finding a husband; Jessie seeks warmth in an affair that further deteriorates her marriage; Erica and Paul break up as both need breathing room.

This is a terrific family drama as Joanna Goodman manages to keep the five Zarrs and their lovers and offspring unique and totally different from one another. Each of the three siblings and their parents face a personal crisis filled with doubts as to the best course of action. YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU is a strong character study that rotates first person perspective so that the audience gets deep inside of the cast to understand what motivates them. Ms. Goodman has provided a fascinating contemporary tale.

Harriet Klausner

This book was thoroughly addictive and I could not put it down once I started. The journey of the Zarr sisters was one to which I could relate as the characters were immensely rich and real. I found myself reflecting on my own life as I travelled their path with them.

What a fabulous story of life, family and the choices we make. Kudos, Joanna! When is your next book coming out?!

I saw the movie by chance ("The Young Visiters" a BBC Television special featuring Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie and Bill Nighy), and found out it was based on this highly original book written in 1890 by a wonderfully naive 9-year-old girl. What a treat! I would have preferred reading the book first, but the original did not disappoint. Really great fun, especially since the original (mis)spellings are preserved and add very much to the printed version. This book gives you a really great insight into the mind of a child of that day and age, which is hilarious and touching!

Would we enjoy this book as much if it was not written by a nine year old child? Was it written by a nine year old child? Does it appeal to Americans or to Britishers who are not familiar with the nuances of social pretensions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?
Frank Swinnerton, and James Barrie are suspects for being the true authors but there good evidence (although I don't know if it's been recently reevaluated) for Daisy Ashford.
The compartments in the Crystal palace in which the nobility live seem to me to be authentic products of nine year old imagination. Small children often come up with gems like that. The ability to create a coherent plot and follow narrative theme for the length of a novel, even if only a sixty page one is unusual for even a talented child. Children are lazy and, even if they write at length, their stories become fragmented, lose their thread, and are often derivative. It takes adult skills and capacity for sustained hard work to write a coherent full-length work of fiction.. Ashford's failure to write after Barrie's death is suspicious..
Whatever the answers, the fact remains that I did enjoy it - treemendusly.

This is the book that started the schoolchild genre subsequently defined by '1066 and All That' and Molesworth's various manuals such as 'Down with Skool' and 'Whizz for Atoms'. As with 'The Young Visiters', the grammar, the language and the authorial viewpoint of those classics contribute much to our enjoyment. But unlike its descendants, 'The Young Visiters' wasn't written by an adult ... probably.

To my knowledge, there isn't an audiobook version of the full text. But there are a couple of gushing extracts contained on the Naxos compilation '1000 Years of Laughter' which demonstrate that it isn't just the troubled spelling which make the book so amusing. The introduction to those extracts lead us to believe that JM Barrie, who wrote the introduction, could have had much to do with the entire work. Certainly once Barrie had died, she never wrote again, but my feeling is that the nine-year-old Ashford probably was the author. The story is less than 60 pages long, and can be enjoyed in a couple of sittings, then repeatedly re-read.

This work is likely to experience a dramatic surge in popularity this year. A TV adaptation starring Jim Broadbent (of 'Moulin Rouge' fame) will be broadcast, and this recently overlooked masterpiece will return to prominence once again.

I was surprized at how very funny this book is and how true!Try it you'll like it!

How many self styled "comic" novels could hope to be as funny as this one...not many in my opinion. When a novel can be read through in a couple of hours and give you laughs on every page, you'd be mad not to buy it. Plus you'll probably want to read it again. There's plenty of information surrounding the background to this unique book, so I won't repeat any of it here. But basically, anyone with an interest in humour, absurd romantic situations, social history and a love of the English language simply has to have a copy of this. The charm of this book lies chiefly in the reading, it cannot be understood by just having it explained to you. Nor does it translate well to filmed adaptation; the recent BBC dramatisation with Jim Broadbent made a real ham-fisted job of it, adding their own extra plot and even making up new dialogue and mis-spellings...unforgivable!!
I agree with another reviewer who has mentioned that the J.M. Barrie forward is almost as entertaining as the book itself, drawing attention as it does to many of the best passages. Everybody I have introduced this book to has fallen in love with it, because it's nothing less than a pleasure to read. And its cheap too. In fact, my review could really be confined to two words - "Buy It!"

Each of the short mystery stories has a nicely surprising ending. Very entertaining. I found that the best stories were placed before lesser ones; in general they are included in roughly descending order (as to perceived quality).

In my monthly Mystery Newsletter, I recommended, 100 Malicious Little Mysteries. Here you'll find, "...charmingly insidious, satisfyingly devious little mysteries. Each story has its own particular appeal-that unexpected twist, a delectable puzzle, a devastating revelation. There are stories by some of the most well-known writers in the field including Michael Gilbert, Edward Wellen and Bill Pronzini."
This is quite an enjoyable book. Of course, there are some stories that appeal more than others, but overall, it's a fun read. There is also an added plus; each mystery is short and easy to read before closing your eyes. A doctor of the macabre might say, "Take one little mystery before bedtime and call me in the morning."
Gerard Bianco author of the mystery novel, Dying For Deception
www.dyingfordeception.com

I loved this book. If you need to pass some time, and don't want to get involved in a lengthy novel, try this out. Perhaps I should not have said "Horror and Humor" but some of these stories made me chuckle. I love them, and would recommend them and other 100.... collections.

If you're looking for a good book to pass time, pick this one up. My favorite story is "A Feline Felony" by Lael J. Littke. Jerome Kotter was a cat. He walked, talked, and acted like a human though. He grew up living a pretty happy, normal life except for one guy, Benny Rhoades, who made Jerome's life miserable. Jerome survives school and gets a nice job with a nice secretary. He fogets about Benny. One day Benny shows up and he has gotten a job in the mail room. Jerome can't believe it. Latter that week, Jerome and his secretary, Marie, were settled down for a pleasant evening when Benny burst in. He had a gun! Jerome didn't think, he leaped into the air, Benny . . . you'll have to read the story to find out what happens.

For the most part, these stories do not fit my definition of "mystery." With the exception of one very neat little Sherlock Holmes pastiche, there usually are no detectives and no whodunnits. The stories feature tales of crime, intrigue, and suspense with surprising plot twists. And the literary genres are as varied as the authors. Some of the stories would even be at home in fantasy and science fiction anthologies.

These short-short stories can give you a few morsels of entertainment at odd moments of leisure in a hectic day's work, or you can curl up in your armchair and bite off huge chunks of reading pleasure in the evenings.

What a shocker this book had me engrossed from page 1. I could not believe someone had the balls to write what I was reading. I was hoping that the lady next to me on the plane wasn't looking over my shoulder. 13 stories takes you for a ride you have no idea where it will lead until Ed decides to blindside you with his unique style. If you like your surprises with no holds barred then this book is a must read for you. I hope somewhere Ed is working on a sophamore project for the following this author is sure to amass.

Cain is undoubtedly one of the best new talents. All the stories are written by him, but you'd never know it to read them! Each story is a different facet of this fascinating man's personality. From an anything-but-simple haunting "The Lost Souls of the Stanton", To an odd diary, ( very odd) "The Diary" to the amazing "Glory Hole", each shows the talent of a much more experienced author. There IS one thing in common in all 13 stories--they make it difficult to fall asleep at night! So if you dare, give 13 STORIES a try, and invite me to your nightmares! Enjoy!

From disgust to revulsion, from fright to abject terror... Ed Cain strikes a cord in so many ways with his first book. "Glory Hole" takes you to the depths of depravity and shows in vivid detail where that path can lead. "Pieces" tears apart your psyche like the wrecked body of the monster in the story. And "The Lost Souls of the Stanton" departs from the classic horror genre, but Cain's results are no less unsettling for it. I was skeptical when I first cracked the pages of this book, as new authors usually have to write several books to find their voice, but Ed Cain captures your attention from the get-go. I was truly engrossed in this book from start to finish.

What sticks out most is that this book is like no other I've read. This work is void of the common horror cliches we've come to expect in this ever-narrowing genre of vampires and knife-wielding psychonuts. As an example, who would expect to find Satan himself in the thick of the battle in Viet Nam? "In the Scope", my favorite story, we see that the ol' fork-tailed one has landed himself and a few of his own in the jungle letting hell play itself out as the war rages on around him. This is a refreshing set of short stories that takes the reader to different settings and surroundings somewhat new to the horror realm. "Teven's Monster" takes us to the inner-city project where a young boy meets a brother he never knew he had - and for good reason. Cain is able to play on your worst fears and deepest delusions like a conductor would a symphony.

Wow! I just finished reading this book and I'm still trying to digest it. Where has this guy been? As an avid fan of horror who had grown Oh so tired of vampires or horror disguising itself as romance, I've finally found a writer who writes horror without trying to be PC. Cain's stories don't hold back. They are rude at times, violent, he never backs off. Though I wish some of the stories had been longer, Cain's writing style is definitely for the Gen-X crowd. Rather than having to skip large portions of the text due to excessive use of adjectives, Cain gives you enough background to understand where you are, then throws you into the abyss. The baby boomers have Stephen King, and Dean Koontz, but few of our generation feel like reading a 500 page book. Cain covers in 170 pages what many author's would cover in 500, but you don't miss anything. Without doubt, the strongest story in the book would have to be Glory Hole. This bizarre tale of ancient Chinese myth, spun neatly into the life of a porn junkie living during the depression, is brilliant, original, and totally engrossing. Tevin's Monster ran a close second with me. The story centers around a young black child living in the projects who discovers a family secret the hard way. Cain's settings are perhaps the best part of his books. No two of these stories are even close to the same, even the writing style changes to adapt to the needs of the story. I don't normally recommend books, but if you are a fan of horror, or just looking for something completely different, try 13 Stories, you won't be disappointed.

A collection of stories but also a great insight into the scince and fiction trends.

Absolutely spellbinding. To keep it short, Harry is the most creative writer I've ever "known"(!). This book is filled with so much variety, action, humor, and surprise endings that a television producer could easily create a miniseries based on it. Just plain fun reading - highly recommended!

I can only hope and pray for the Stainless Steel Rat to show his face in at least one more book!

In 50 In 50 Harrison not only gives the fans of SF a semi-auto-biographical overview of his 50 plus year career, but gives us 50 of his best stories. From his first 'Rock Diver', to his most recent, 'The Road To The Year 3000'. From the fantastic to hard SF, humorous to the serious, to stories that defy category. It is a compendium that is a must for every fan of SF. The extensive story notes that not only look into the stories, but what makes this writer one of SF's very best, and his long and illustrious, prolific and continuing career... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet.

This collection contains 50 stories written by Harry Harrison in 50 years of professional writing of science fiction. Most of the stories are well-written, but a few are outdated by subsequence events. Some are deliberately shocking -- Rescue Operation, Roommates -- and others are humorous -- The Man From P.I.G. -- and some supposed to be -- Space Rats of the CCC -- but some of the best stories aren't in this collection since they were expanded into novels and even into movie scripts.

Although already writing in other fields, Harrison originally came into science fiction as an artist and some samples of his works are included. Harrison also worked as an editor, first in comics and then moving on to science fiction magazines. He also edited the Best SF series with Brian Aldiss, the Nova series, and the SF Authors' Choice anthologies. He is probably best known for the Stainless Steel Rat series, which started off with a bang, but have become rather predictable. His Deathworld trilogy continues to be admired by his long time fans, showing the advantage of quitting while you are ahead.

Harrison and I are almost diametrically opposed on many political and social issues, so I wish I knew the man personally and could sit down with him for extented discussions of anything and everything. Reading his works is the next best thing and I have done so for over 40 years. I still think he is one of the best at his craft.

Having read Harrison for so long, most of these stories are old friends that I read when first published, but some were new to me. I bought it for old times sake, but I suggest you try this collection if you have never read any of Harrison's short works. It should be an interesting experience.

'50 in 50' was surprisingly enjoyable. Many stories from decades past are trite and out-of-date. Most of the stories in Harry Harrison's new collection hold up very well.

There are several overarching themes in Harrison's stories. The major theme is overpopulation. My favorite story in the volume is about a couple who breaks the law by having a second child. By law if you bring an unauthorized life into the world, another life must leave. So the government hires an assassin to kill one of the parents. This is a taut, chilling story of a man's desire to protect his family against a cold-blooded killer. The other overpopulation stories are equally memorable.

Included in this collection is the story that was the basis for the movie 'Soylent Green'.

Most of the 50 stories in the collection are entertaining. A few are dated, such as stories about interplanetary flights and space exploration, but on the whole they hold up quite well. I was disappointed with the lack of a bibliography telling when each story was published. The reader is left to guess at each story's publication date. The cover art is marvelous, which, though inconsequential, made the book all-the-more enjoyable for me to read. A solid collection. Though there are no award-winners in here, it's a good read.

I must say that I truly enjoyed this book! I read it all in one day, which is what I do when I enjoy a good book.
Steven's brother, Mike, was in my class at school. And although some of the short stories don't connect with me, many of them do.
The things that struck me the most were his vivid descriptions which brought back so many memories. I've been gone from Aberdeen for over 28 years, yet when I read the story about the "Nat" I could actually see it and hear the sounds. I hadn't thought of the "Posse" or Alcho Chumley for many many years. It brought back memories of school days and certain teachers. It brought back memories of "Aberdeen Days," fireworks, the boat dock, spring hollow, the library, the "Sweet Shop," the movie theater, the library, hula hoops, marbles, and the Neeley Honey Company. It brought back my childhood in a wonderful way. I would recommend this book! Thanks Steven for writing it!

Aberdeen Stories is a wonderful book about children growing up on a farm in rural Idaho. Steven Stoker's writing style is akin to Archibald Rutledge's. When reading the stories you feel as if you are sitting on a front porch listening to the author talk of his boy hood. While delightfully funny, Steven's serious side and his deep feelings of family unity and love are very apparent.
A must for everyone who enjoys reading about a simpler life in rural America.

You watch the news and about all you hear is bad news. Turn off the T.V. and read this book and enjoy the daily activities of a boy growing up in small town America. It's the best book I've read in a very long time. Return to a time when a mop was instantly transformed into a hero's horse. A box was the rocket ship that would take you to another galaxy. A boy saw the world through his eyes and now that he's a man he has put his memories to paper. THANK GOODNESS because we all need this type book!

A very interesting book.Good clean fun for all ages.

Usually, I'm not much for a lot of nostalgia, but when I heard about this book I just had to check it out. Why? It is about my home town and written by a classmate of mine. However, I've shared it with friends and found that regardless of when they went to school or where they grew up, in small or larger towns, they share the same stories. With the horror of this week of 9/11/01, reading this was wrapping myself in the warmth of a comforting quilt of wonderful memories of growing up. Thanks, Steve! Move over Garrison Keillor!

I'd fallen out of reading short stories but a friend recommended this and it's great. A perfect summer vacation read. Good tales, and it's extra fun trying to guess who'll be the next Orson Scott Card or Douglas Adams. I suspect it'll be Daniel Conover: Don't miss his riff on George W. Bush negotiating secret treaties with rival extra-terrestials!

Cannot say enough good things about this entire collection, but must note that I especially enjoyed (laughed out loud!) at Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? by Daniel Conover. His work in Empire of Dreams and Miracles was sensitive, suspenseful and thought-provoking; in Absolutely Brilliant in Chrome, he is all of that, but also deft, a little sly, and irreverently funny.
I think Douglas Adams would approve of the rollicking satire of Guess Who, but there is more of a nod to John Irving in Conover's other submission, Perfect for Each Other. Anyone who has read Irving's Garp or The 158-lb. Marriage knows he can be surgically precise in identifying the heart of a troubled relationship, and Conover uses the same incisive intelligence in describing the genetically superior, but emotionally crippled characters in his story.
I read both wanting to know what happens next at the end of the stories, and I eagerly anticipate publication of a full-length novel by this smart, funny, talented writer.

This is a solid ten collection anthology by seven individuals (Daniel Conover, Carl Frederick, and James Maxey submitted two tales each) who have won Phobos Fiction contests and considered by editor Keith Olexa as some of the future breed of superstars. The tales range the gamut of science fiction from Justin Stanchfield's terraforming deep space to earthly satire and all points in between as the only "Meeting of the Minds (besides Gerald Gross' contribution) is that this is an outstanding compilation. The formats also differ from a series of correspondence (Rebecca Carmi's "Letters to a Sister"), Matthew Rotundo's extreme sports "exposé", all the way to a humorous biting tale by Mr. Maxey focusing on a fetish for the latest cosmetic fad Skintex. Any anthology that has aliens arriving for a KISS concert is an indication of the solar and earthly lunacy of this absolutely brilliant short story compilation worth reading just to "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"

Harriet Klausner

As an owner of the Empire of Dreams and Miracles I looked forward to reading more work from some up and coming authors. I was most pleased with the two new stories from Daniel Conover.

In Empire of Dreams he showed he was capable of dealing with deep social and personal issues while presenting an interesting and well developed backdrop. Here he's showing his ability to broaden his spectrum and take aim at our social and political systems.

Bravo!

This collection covers everything from lush fantasy tales, to clean sci-fi. I enjoyed all the stories, but especially liked the two by Daniel Conover. His clean style, wit, and sense of irony shine through in both stories.

I don't remember how this made it into my shopping cart, but am I glad it did. This was one of the best debut novels I have read in a while. It kept my interest from the very first page. It was beautifully written - with some well developed characters and realistic dialogue. You could tell that the author used her personal experiences to shape the story.

This book was selected for One Region, One Book in Southeastern Connecticut, where I used to live. That is how I became interested.
The novel has a cross-generational appeal and speaks to issues of our day. It effectively combines family history with the controversial subject of immigration reform. It is full of poignant drama, class and racial tensions and a heartwarming story of hope amidst despair. I would recommend it without reservation, both as a good read and an appeal to practice the golden rule!!

I first had the pleasure of hearing Reyna read a snippet of this book at a local fair. Her prose was elegant and enchanting. It immediately caught my attention as did the subject matter of her book -- those left behind during the quest to reach the United States. When my parents fled Cuba my sister and I were left behind and it took nearly two years for us to be reunited so I could most definitely identify with this story. After reading the entire book, I was not disappointed by Reyna's larger than life storytelling. This is a great book by an author who has already made her mark on Latina literature with this debut. Not to be missed.

"Reyna Grande's debut novel about immigration's human side is not only timely and necessary, it's beautiful." -- CATALINA magazine

This was an excellent book, full of unsparing detail and sharp images. The two stories coincide and cross in a surprisingly possible way, with haunting twists and turns. After just reading Enrique's Journey, the crossing to El Otro Lado in this book reiterated the inhumanity of the border situation for me. A riveting book. Highly recommended.

What it takes to write one great book is a lifetime of preparation. It seems that every element of Daniel Keyes' life, up to the writing of Flowers for Algernon, was gearing toward that one great book. Every piece of Charlie's life, and every phrase spoken by his coworkers and the scientists who changed him came from Keyes' experience.

Half of this autobiography is the set-up to his great novel, the one work that would define his life. The other half is the aftermath. Thrust into fame and the machine that profits off other's works, Keyes' found himself tossed to and fro.

A writer wants to write, not to examine contracts and make decisions about rights. A writer wants to create and then to own his creations, not to see what came from his mind as property to be arbitrated. Daniel Keyes' found himself in the fortunate position of creating a work of beauty and then wrestling with ownership of that beauty for many years afterward.

What I loved about this autobiography is the journey which prepared him to write a great novel - showing the work and creativity and effort that goes into an instance of genius. What I also loved was the life's lessons learned that he put down on paper so that another person might have an easier journey.

- CV Rick

Mr. Keyes exposes himself personally in this intimate autobiography. I was captured by his honesty, his sensitivity and his fluid writing style. I felt, as though I was a familiar friend and I gained and enormous appreciation for his dedication in writing "Flowers for Algernon". I look forward to more books by this gifted author. I hear his next will be science fiction / mystery.

This book is about one retarded guy named Charlie Gordon. Thisbook is very interesting because this book is written as a real diaryof Charlie. Very first part of book... Charlie's grammars and spellings are all wrong. After Charlie gets operation, Charlie is getting smarter and his writing skills are getting better. End of this book, Charlie is turn into retarded man again. This book shows Charlie's efforts to get smarter, Charlie's lonesome life, and his emotional changes. I felt sorry about Charlie when I read last part of the book. This book is extraordinary and very cool.

The main charm of "Algernon, Charlie and I" is the revealed episodes behind "Flowers for Algernon", which make you understand (at least partly) why "Flowers's for Algernon", the author's acclaimed novel, is so increadibly compelling and moving.

By reading this book, you will find that the "Flowers for Algernon" is not a product of pure fantasy, but is based on so actual facts, emotions and feelings, that the author had been observing and experiencing himself. Charlie's desire to become smart comes from the author's experience while working with mentally retarded children, who wanted to become smart. Charlie's feeling toward the professor, while becoming smarter than the professor who created him, comes from the author's experience of suddently over-growing his parents, immigrants who did not speak English fluently.

After reading this book, you will realise that it is the author's sensitivity, warmness toward other people and his candidness about his own feeling what make his extraordinary novel so warm and moving. In the end, "Flowers for Algernon" is not about this poor guy who has gone through extraordinary experience, but about all of us.

In Algernon, Charlie And I: A Writer's Journey, Daniel Keys reveals the life experiences behind his creation of the character Charlie Gordon, a young man whose quest for intelligence and knowledge parallels that of the mouse, Algernon, in his acclaimed novelette "Flowers for Algernon" (which has been optioned and is in production for a CBS made-for-tv movie. Both the novelette version, and the novel that followed, have been widely translated and remain part of many school and college literature course curriculums. Algernon, Charlie And I includes the author's original short novelette version and is a "must" for all Keys fans.

This is a truly fascinating and at times startling account of one man's
desperate search for wisdom and knowledge.
Few books have held my attention as this one did,and any serious seeker
for Truth will recognise in the author and the main character a fellow
seeker.
To follow his journey through deception and delusion to his final encounter with destiny was a delight indeed.
Recommended to all who likewise seek for wisdom and understanding.

En esta obra, Gustav Meyrink logra una de sus mejores novelas junto con "El golem". Este es un libro profundo, lleno de misterio, que sabe lo que dice... Una obra que refleja la busqueda de la identidad y nos habla de las herencias malditas.

Huy

A man inherits the collected papers of his deceased cousin and is suddenly plagued with nightmares and flashbacks of the past and of the life of his ancestor, John Dee. Strange people start visiting him: the mysterious Lipotin, the seductive Assia Chotokalungin, both demanding of him his most valuable heirloom, the legendary spear head of Hoel Dhat, of which he has no knowledge of possession. Full of alchemistic symbols, the plot spans the time from the reign of Elizabeth I. to early 20th century. The atmosphere is one of increasing angst, the images heavily tinted with the shadiest of grays. Highly recommended!

Meyrink's final work, though flawed, is a brilliant and heartfelt exploration of the individual's search for mystical individuation. It is evident throughout that the spiritual quest of the main character mirror's Meyrink's own struggles in his final hours. Because of its profundity, The Angel of the West Window is of more than occult interest; it has a universal application.