Category Archives: Short Stories/Essays

Strange Weather

Posted on June 6, 2018 by

Joe Hill prefaces this collection of four novellas by saying that the novella is a wonderful form. It’s long enough to be really meaty and provide for depth of characterization, but short enough to be lean, and to demand that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories/Essays, Speculative Fiction | 3 Comments

The Street of Crocodiles

Posted on June 4, 2018 by

I’ve had Bruno Schulz on the periphery of my reading for a long time. Lots of readers I like have mentioned him: John Crowley, Cynthia Ozick, China Miéville, and many more. He was a Polish writer from the provincial town … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories/Essays, Speculative Fiction | 1 Comment

Blue Horses Rush In

Posted on June 2, 2018 by

This is a short book of poems and stories by Navajo author Luci Tapahonso. I found it completely enjoyable to read in a quiet, personal way: it feels as if Tapahonso is talking to me, telling me about her experiences, … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Short Stories/Essays | Leave a comment

Fidelity

Posted on April 24, 2018 by

This actually appears to be the first book by Wendell Berry I’ve ever read, despite his being apparently completely up my alley. Berry is so much part of my mental furniture as an essayist, as a Christian farmer-ecologist, and as … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories/Essays | 8 Comments

What Are We Doing Here?

Posted on April 23, 2018 by

The essays in this collection by Marilynne Robinson address several different aspects of American life, from its Puritan history, to the presidency, to the media. Some also take on such lofty theological concepts as the sacred, grace and beauty, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Short Stories/Essays | 6 Comments

This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America

Posted on April 7, 2018 by

In this collection of 10 essays, Morgan Jerkins reflects on her life and how it represents the experiences of black women in America. Each essay tackles a different aspect of life, including her childhood impressions of beauty, to life in … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Short Stories/Essays | 6 Comments

The Complete Stories, Clarice Lispector

Posted on November 15, 2017 by

Sometimes it happens that I’ll read something that I’ve seen on other people’s lists of The Greatest! of! All Time!, and for whatever reason (let’s face it, it’s because I’m a terrible person) I’ve dismissed the hype. How great could … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Short Stories/Essays | 9 Comments

The White Album

Posted on November 3, 2017 by

One of the best books I read last year was Joan Didion’s essay collection, Slouching Towards Bethlehem. I appreciated Didion’s keen observations and her blending of personal observation with commentary on the culture. It felt significant and hardly at all … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Short Stories/Essays | 7 Comments

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

Posted on October 26, 2017 by

Ta-Nehisi Coates rose to prominence as a writer largely through his articles for The Atlantic, and this collection includes nine of those articles, each drawn from a year of the Obama presidency and the year following. Through them, we can … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Short Stories/Essays | 8 Comments

Consider the Lobster and Other Essays

Posted on September 21, 2017 by

Several years ago, I read David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. I enjoyed it, mostly, but found it was too much of a good thing. The sort of good thing where once you’ve had too much of it, you feel a … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Short Stories/Essays | 12 Comments