Thinking Long on Short Stories
So, lately I have heard the same thing from a lot of people. It goes a little something like this, "Alex, I love your book! It's wonderful! I usually don't read short stories, but these are really good!"
And it's a compliment, but it also worries me that since I hear this from so many people, that it means that a lot of others are not buying my book because they think that they default don't like short stories, and so won't like mine.
Short Stories are perfect for summer. They are MADE for traveling. If I'm sitting out by the pool, or at the beach, on the plane or the train or the tram... I don't want to be worrying about following complex story lines over hundreds of pages. It's silly. Short Stories are an art, they condense the conflicts, emotions, relationships and surroundings of an entire novel into just a few pages. So the reader can pick up the book, read for 20 minutes, and then put it down and...talk to someone! Or..jump into the pool, or catch a wave! Or, watch a movie on the plane, or get off at the right stop on the tram! Short Stories are perfect for keeping your mind sharp and interesting, without missing the good stuff of life around you.
Above I have featured some of my favorite works of short stories, alongside my own book. Kurt Vonnegut's "Welcome to the Monkey House" is fantastic. It has a lot of stories in it that are poignant and different than his regular style, and also a lot of off-the-wall stuff you would expect from him.
Rags & Bones is an interesting work, wherein the authors have selected a fairy tale or story to retell in their own way or from a different point of view. It definitely puts a spin on stories you think you know.
Finally, besides "A Moveable Feast" which is arguably not a novel either, I am not a fan of Ernest Hemingway's novels. But, I am MAD for his short stories. They are masterful and beautiful. Some are even set in northern Michigan, which is of special interest to me, as it is where I am setting my next book.
Grab any of the above books, or my collection, Wide, Wild, Everywhere (which is mainly about people finding themselves out of their normal lives, seeing the world differently as a result of travel--and ultimately seeing themselves differently) on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, or if you are in Traverse City, you can grab them at Horizon books!
Read! It's good for your brain! xx
