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Letti Park by Judith Hermann (transl. Margot Bettauer Dembo): Quiet and...

This is the third book I’ve read by Judith Hermann. Like Alice, the first, Letti Park is a collection of short stories comprising seventeen pieces, some just a few pages long. All three books are...

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You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld: Appearances can be deceptive

I read Curtis Sittenfeld’s The American Wife on holiday quite some time ago and found it hard to drag myself away from. Those who’ve read it will know that the titular wife is loosely based on Laura...

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Girl, Balancing by Helen Dunmore: An unexpected, very welcome treat

In his touching Foreword to Girl, Balancing and Other Stories, Helen Dunmore’s son, Patrick Charnley, tells us that she had discussed with him the possibility of a collection of short stories to be...

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Evening in Paradise by Lucia Berlin: An unexpected treat

I owe my short story conversion largely to Lucia Berlin’s A Manual for Cleaning Women. There’d been others along the way but it was Berlin’s collection that sealed the deal. Given that she died in...

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The Wooden Hill by Jamie Guiney: Stairway to heaven?

Jamie Guiney’s collection first caught my eye at What Cathy Read Next. It was its striking jacket that snagged my attention, perfectly fitting its theme with four figures of different ages making their...

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Show Them a Good Time by Nicole Flattery: An idiosyncratic collection

I’d heard good things about Nicole Flattery’s Show Them a Good Time well before publication, not in a shouty in-your-face, can’t-get-away-from-it kind of way but enough to snag my attention. Then I...

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Lot by Bryan Washington: No place like home

Bryan Washington’s Lot comes garlanded with praise from all manner of people not least Max Porter, whose own writing has caught the eye of a multitude of reviewers, but it was Jami Attenberg’s...

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Witches Sail in Eggshells by Chloe Turner: A smartly turned out collection

I was initially attracted to Chloe Turner’s debut collection by its cover. Such a lovely pared back image and once you’ve read what’s inside, you’ll find it’s entirely relevant, too. Witches Sail in...

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Fly Already by Etgar Keret (Various translators): Stories with personality

I’d scored one Israeli success this year with Ayelet Gundar-Goshen’s Liar when Etgar Keret’s short stories, Fly Already, turned up, looking like another. Made up of twenty pieces, some no longer than a...

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Your Duck Is My Duck by Deborah Eisenberg: Six little gems

Hard not to be intrigued by a collection of short stories with a title like Your Duck is My Duck not to mention that cover. On closer inspection, Deborah Eisenberg turned out to be garlanded with...

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Faces on the Tip of My Tongue by Emmanuelle Pagano (transl. Jennifer Higgins...

I’m sure I’ve already made this observation here but I’ve yet to read a dud from Peirene Press. Their books are always thought-provoking and often beautifully expressed, a tribute to both writer and...

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To the Volcano by Elleke Boehmer: Stories of longing and loneliness

I’d not heard of Elleke Boehmer before To the Volcano turned up, despite the five novels she has under her belt. She’s also the author of an acclaimed biography of Nelson Mandela not to mention editor...

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Diary of a Murderer and Other Stories by Kim Young-Ha (transl. Krys Lee):...

I feel I should have heard of Kim Young-Ha before Diary of a Murderer and Other Stories turned up given that several of his many books have been translated into English. He’s well known in his native...

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She-Clown and Other Stories by Hannah Vincent: All about women

It was that eye-catching jacket that attracted me to Hannah Vincent’s She-Clown and Other Stories although I’d spotted Amanda at Bookish Chat was interested and she has a sharp eye for short stories....

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Wild Swims by Dorthe Nors (transl. Misha Hoekstra): Smart, astute and funny

I first came across Dorthe Nors when I read her novella, Mirror, Shoulder, Signal, shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2017. Her crisp, plain style coupled with an undercurrent of...

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How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa: ‘They’d had to begin all...

It was that title that attracted me to this collection of stories about immigrants and refugees, cleverly exemplifying the many idiosyncratic challenges English throws at those for whom it’s a second...

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A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth by Daniel Mason: Stories of history,...

Historical novelist Daniel Mason’s name will be well known to many readers, I’m sure. I remember The Piano Tuner causing quite a stir when it was published back in 2002 but it didn’t appeal to me. You...

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Alligator and Other Stories by Dima Alzayat: Immigration reprised

This is the second collection I’ve read recently which explores the theme of immigration although my reading experience for each of them was very different. I read a print edition of How to Pronounce...

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Dancers on the Shore by William Melvin Kelley: More, please

Originally published in I964, William Melvin Kelley’s Dancers on the Shore comprises sixteen stories some of which recall the characters who brought his striking novel A Different Drummer so vividly to...

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Carrying Fire and Water by Deirdre Shanahan: Stories of loss and longing 

I rarely agree to look at a book in response to a direct request from the author. Given that this blog is about books I’d be happy to recommend to a friend, there’s too much of a risk I won’t enjoy it...

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