As I sit here trying to shove new books onto my collapsing shelves, I realize it has been quite some time since I did a book haul update. I’m dividing my entire summer haul over two or possibly three entries. I contemplated no longer doing these types of blogs, but realized that the books I buy say just as much as the ones I read. This week’s installment is dedicated to all the short story collections I purchased over the summer.
Photo Credit: Natalie Getter
Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro: I couldn’t resist getting this book of five interconnected stories from one of my all-time favorite writers. Seriously if you haven’t read Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, please do so immediately. Music is an important part of the author’s life and described as an “essential character” in this book. I’m quite curious to see how that works.
Vampires in the Lemon Grove and Other Stories by Karen Russell: I’m always on the lookout for intriguing sounding tales from unfamiliar writers. This collection contains stories featuring fantastic elements in the vein of some of my favorite writers like Kelly Link. My excitement is off the charts!
The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson: Since reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle last year, I’ve been dying to read more Shirley Jackson. I love how she is able to write both spine-tingling horror as well as humorous slice-of-life fiction. Based on the cover blurb, this book puts together some of her best short fiction. This was worth buying just for the classic title story that was my favorite short story from high school.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang: I’ve been wanting to read more quality science fiction, and there’s been a lot of buzz online about Ted Chiang. Hopefully, I can get this one soon.
Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness by Kenzaburo Oe: Instead of several short stories, this one is comprised of four novellas. Honestly, I knew nothing about this writer before purchasing this book. Once again, I was attracted to it from the descriptions on the back cover. Perhaps Murakami has a contender in my heart.
The Mother Garden by Robin Romm: I bought this while on vacation at a used thrift store. This looks like a fascinating collection of shorts dealing with themes of loss and grief. The title story alone sounds promising. It’s about someone who decides to create a literal garden of mothers to make up for the loss of her own.
My only problem now is deciding which one I should read! My hope is that I can acquire some ideas through these writers to strengthen my own creative powers. Next week, I will write part two of my summer book haul (with a birthday coming up, maybe my accumulations aren’t over). I’ve made the difficult and painful decision to instill a temporary book buying ban while I catch up.
Have you read or heard about any of these books? Please comment below as I would love to read your thoughts!
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