I had two cracking finds in my local library bookstore this week. Will found the first one.
I’ve wanged on previously about how Roald Dahl’s short story The Hitchhiker opened me up to the wonderful world of short stories. Strangely, I don’t see too many of his books “out in the wild”, so I was delighted to pick this up for ONE DOLLAR!
The next was a lovely surprise. I was sprawled on the floor, combing through the shelves, and saw a brown spine that I couldn’t quite make out. Reader, imagine my delight when I pulled the book out, and found a 1930, first edition of Dorothy Parker’s Laments for the Living, in wonderful condition. For three dollars. James S. Thalman Library, I love you.
Short Stories
My unread short story collections have started wailing at me from my bookshelves, so I’m trying to read as many different authors as possible this year. I finally read In the Land of Men, by Antonya Nelson, which was amazing. I also read a tiny, heartbreaking tale by Alice Walker called The Flowers.
I finished Tananarive Due’s forthcoming collection, The Wishing Pool, so keep your eyes open for a full review this week.
I document every short story I read here. Follow along if you like!
What I’ve Been Reading
I’m trying to reduce the rate at which I go through books, but I’ve been lucky enough to read genuinely “unputdownable” books this week. You can read my reviews for Liar, Dreamer, Thief, and Sea Change; two fantastic debuts from Korean-American writers, Maria Dong and Gina Chung.
I finished the audiobook of Self-Portrait with Nothing, a truly bonkers book by Aimee Pokwatka about a woman whose birth-mother paints portraits that open portals to alternate universes. Not as heavy as it sounds; this is an incredibly accessible, fun book.
And I have finally started Seanan McGuire’s wonderful Wayward Children series. Every Heart a Doorway is a phenomenal introduction to a beguiling world, and I’m already Down Among the Sticks and Bones. I’m overjoyed I still have so many books in the series, and that McGuire is still writing them.
California Reading 