I have mentioned this many times before, but a new release from Undertow Publications is a cause for celebration. Northern Nights, a new anthology of Canadian fiction, is of the incredibly high caliber I have come to expect from Undertow’s output. Lovingly edited by Michael Kelly, this is a collection of uncanny darkness. Award-winning young … Continue reading Review: Northern Nights, edited by Michael Kelly (Undertow)
Review: Canoes, by Maylis de Kerangal, translated by Jessica Moore (Archipelago)
Maylis de Kerangal’s novel Eastbound was a recent favorite of mine, and a real surprise. This beautiful collection is translated from French to English by Jessica Moore. In Bivouac, a trip to the dentist reminds a woman of a visit to Paris. It’s a great introduction to Kerangal’s vivid writing, and how she establishes a … Continue reading Review: Canoes, by Maylis de Kerangal, translated by Jessica Moore (Archipelago)
Review: Flowers from the Void, by Gianni Washington (Clash Books)
I am not exaggerating when I say about five stories into this collection, I reached out to the writer, Gianni Washington, and told her the stories in Flowers from the Void were “Stephen King-level great”. This is one collection worth getting excited about, my fellow short story lovers. One of the many things I loved … Continue reading Review: Flowers from the Void, by Gianni Washington (Clash Books)
Review: Vague Prophecies and Predictions, by Daisuke Shen (Clash Books)
Yay for weird short story collections! Daisuke Shen’s debut collection is full of uncanny oddities. Here are some of my favorites: The Pasture - This opening story truly kicks the door down. A group of awful young boys commit mild terror. They encounter a strange pasture of women, and it does not end well. Such … Continue reading Review: Vague Prophecies and Predictions, by Daisuke Shen (Clash Books)
Review: Mouth, by Puloma Ghosh (Astra House)
I read sooooo many short stories. I’ve spent the last six years reading a short story (almost) every day, and I appreciate a truly original, gripping tale. Puloma Ghosh’s debut collection, Mouth, with its well-crafted, weird, female-centered stories, filled me with joy. I was won over by the opening story, Desiccation, about a strange, shut-off … Continue reading Review: Mouth, by Puloma Ghosh (Astra House)
Review: A Different Sound – Stories by Mid-Century Women Writers, edited by Lucy Scholes (Pushkin Press)
Lucy Scholes does so much work to bring “forgotten” female writers into public consciousness. I am particularly thankful to her for ensuring the republishing of Kay Dick’s unnerving novel, They. With A Different Sound, Scholes has put together a fantastic primer for those interested in discovering some underrated women storytellers. The collection opens with The … Continue reading Review: A Different Sound – Stories by Mid-Century Women Writers, edited by Lucy Scholes (Pushkin Press)
Review: Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart, by GennaRose Nethercott (Vintage)
I fell in love with GennaRose Nethercott’s writing after reading her thrilling novel, Thistlefoot. As an avid reader of weird short stories, I grabbed Nethercott’s debut collection, Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart, as soon as I could. Here are my favorites: Sundown at the Eternal Staircase - The opening story establishes the tone of … Continue reading Review: Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart, by GennaRose Nethercott (Vintage)
Review: The Secret Life of Insects, by Bernardo Esquinca (Valancourt)
A few years ago, I read Bernardo Esquinca’s story, Señor Ligotti, in the fantastic Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories. I am not exaggerating when I say I think about this story at least once a month. This new collection gives Esquinca many more opportunities to imprint his brand of terror onto the brain of … Continue reading Review: The Secret Life of Insects, by Bernardo Esquinca (Valancourt)
Some of My Favorite Short Story Collections
I have yet to complete an Instagram monthly challenge. For September 2020, I was determined to post one of my favorite short story collections every day, for Short Story September. But then god laughed, and closed my daughter’s daycare for the better part of a week. But fret not, dear reader! For here is the … Continue reading Some of My Favorite Short Story Collections
California Reading 