Dimanche and Other Stories

Title: Dimanche & Other Stories

Author: Irene Nemirovsky

Pages: 8 discs?

Genre: Short Stories

Grade: F

Synopsis: This is a collection of 10 short stories written generally in the 1930s and set in Paris.

My Review: I made it through a couple of the stories when I realized that I had no interest in making it through any more of them.  They just did not pique my interest.

Shen of the Sea

Title: Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children

Author: Arthur Bowie Chrisman

Pages: 221

Genre: Children's Fiction, Short Stories

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book is a collection of Chinese stories (not authentic, but written by an American in the "Chinese style") that won the Newbery Medal in 1926.  The stories are witty and clever and explain how many things that are used in China today actually came to be, including gun powder, kites, printing chopsticks, tea and fine china.

My Review: Honestly, I've been fairly disappointed with the Newbery Medal winners from the 1920's so far.  The stories in the book were enjoyable, but were fairly simplistic and was more of a chore to read than something I was truly interested in.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Title: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Author: Raymond Carver

Pages: 159

Genre: Short Stories

Grade: B

Synopsis: This collection of 17 short stories was originally published in 1974.  As is true of most collections of short stories, some are better than others, but most of the stories leave you wanting more and wondering what happened next.

My Review: Oddly enough, my least favorite story was the one for which the collection is titled.  I quite enjoyed most of the others and none of them felt like they were getting too verbose.

Tales From Sliver Lands

Title: Tales From Silver Lands

Author: Charles J. Finger

Pages: 225

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award, Short Stories, Fairy Tales

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book is a collection of 19 tales that the author collected and compiled from Central and South America.  Many of the fairy tales are similar to fairy tales that we're familiar with, while others are more unique.

My Review: I was a little nervous for this book, but it exceeded my expectations (or rather, my judging the book by it's cover).  First off, I couldn't find the book at any of the libraries close to my house, so I requested it through an interlibrary loan and it ended up coming from BYU's library (an book from the original 1924 printing, no less).  Secondly, the book does not have very many reviews on goodreads (at least for being a Newbery Award winner) and most of the reviews were fairly critical.  I didn't love the book, but it was an easy read, most of the stories were only 10-15 pages long and they weren't all that bad.

You Are Not a Stranger Here

Title: you are not a stranger here

Author: Adam Haslett

Pages: 240

Genre: Short Stories, Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis:  This book is a collection of 9 short stories, some of which have previously been published in The Atlantic or other magazines.  The topics the stories covered is quite varied ranging from mental illness and estranged families to homosexuality and death.  Each story was unique and short enough to read in one sitting.

My Review:  Every once in a while I find it refreshing to pick up a book of short stories.  Most of the short stories in this book left me wanting more, which I often find to be a hallmark of a good short story, although at other times it can be frustrating.  Most of the stories in this book left me thinking for a few minutes at the end of the story.  Both about things that may have happened next and about things in the story itself.

You Know When the Men Are Gone

Title: You Know When the Men Are Gone

Author: Siobhan Fallon

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Short Stories

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book is a collection of short stories about the lives of the wives and children left home at Fort Hood in Texas while their husbands are deployed (presumably to Afghanistan or Iraq).  Each of the women deal with their husband's deployment in different ways, or more accurately, struggles with their husband's absence differently.  One finds herself obsessing about her neighbor and how she is parenting or spending her time.  Another struggles to visit the PX without having a breakdown when she gets there.

My Review: I enjoyed this collection of short stories, that all had the common thread of deployment running from one to the next.  There were a number of stories that I would have enjoyed reading for another few chapters.