Thanks, Alex, for another video helping me discover more books! I've read more individual stories than collections, but my favorite collection is Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones. The story, "The Store" is sheer perfection imho. All Aunt Hagar's Children is also great just more of a time commitment since the stories are longer. Also enjoyed Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans.
I literally have never heard of any of these!! Sometimes on my work lunches I like to read some stories, so I'll try searching for any available online from these writers to get my footing
I've had When Watched on my shelf for a while and every time I say I'm gonna read it, I end up choosing something else. I find collections difficult to talk about sometimes because of how I might like or dislike certain stories more as a reader and writer and how that might color my perception of the book as whole. I do have some recs though The Isle of Youth by Laura van den Berg (I love all her stuff, but her short stories are superior imo) Sweet and Low by Nick White, contemporary southern gothic energy How to Leave Hialeah by Jeninne Capó Crucet, very place-based A Better Angel by Chris Adrian, a recent favorite of mine
I can't imagine trying to be a bookseller and suggesting a short story collection, pretty bold! I've heard of Van den Berg (wolf....something something??) with some similar tonality to Moshfegh, would you say that's true? And I've heard Adrian's title story from that collection tossed around before! So that sounds like as good a sign as any to me to look into him more
@@whatpageareyouon It was hard to recommend any short story collections unless people came in looking specifically for them, and that wasn't very often. I haven't read any of Moshfegh's work, which makes me a bad reader™️, but I've seen that comparison made--the border between magic and obliteration (a van den Berg quote) but I think that captures her work even though there's no literal magic. The title story from Adrian's collection is free online if you're interested. I'm eager to read more of his work
I love the everyday characters we meet in Raymond carver, Lucia Berlin, denis Johnson and breeze d’j pancake short stories. Still in literary fiction, I love the short stories of Amy hempel and the book skinship by yoon Choi. For science fiction short stories I would recommend Stories of your life and others by Ted Chiang and Friday black by nana kwame adjei-brenyah.
Thank you for the list. The short story collections that have really stayed with me are Adam Johnson's Fortune Smiles and Alice Munro's Too Much Happiness.
Hi Alex! Have you read Tom Hanks’ book Uncommon Type? I was actually quite surprised by the clarity of his voice. Definitely worth a read on a boring lazy Sunday. It’s more a book of essays and not short stories but nevertheless I highly recommend “having and being had” by eula biss. I think you’ll find it interesting. I picked up “lot” and “cool for america” from your recommendation! Can’t wait to dig in.
I always love a personal recommendation! So I'll look into the Bliss : ) And it's so funny, I find celebratory writing ventures so interesting, sometimes the process more interesting than the product itself (I think there was some sort of Time article about why Hanks started writing, but whatever it is, I loved reading about it lol). So if these are more like essays that does make me even more intrigued! I hope you like Lot and Cool For America, too!
My favourite short story writers are Alice Munro and George Saunders, but these all sound fantastic. I’m especially keen to get to Lucia Berlin soon. Thank you for the great recommendations!
It's funny but I keep trying to get into Saunders Tenth of December...I think it's the oldest book on my TBR?? I don't know why I'm so alienated from him haha but if you like Munro too then this may be the push I need!
Pancake sounds like a powerful writer. I acquired a copy of Orringer at your suggestion last year, but I haven't read it yet. And yay for Alice Munro! (I am an old fogey who still love the short stories of Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor.)
@whatpageareyouon Try Why I Live at the PO and A Worn Path--two stories in different registers. Actually, I read both aloud on my channel and think I think "Why I Live at the PO" is just MEANT to be heard. Welty is definitely one to know. If I am remembering correctly, she is one of Steve Donogue's very favorite short story writers as well.
@@HannahsBooks Thanks Hannah! And OH if it's also a beloved Steve writing, then it is my civic duty to read Welty as a form of required reading, especially with Steve's terror over his two least favorite words: "Alice Munro"! haha
Awesome list! I’ve added most of these to my goodreads for the future. I just got the collection by Breece D’J Pancake so I’ve been looking forward to checking that out. I wish I had known it’s short story month! I feel like if I tried to make a video about short stories I’ve enjoyed it would be repeating a lot of the stories I’ve already covered 😅 Have you read any Alice Munro, by any chance? She’s literary royalty here in Canada. She has a ton of short story collections to pick from and I’ve heard they’re all good. The one I read is called “Runaway” and it broke me emotionally in the best way.
Yeah! I can’t believe I forgot to mention Munro! I love her haha, her volume Selected Stories is wonderful! My favorite among having read her Dear Life and Runaway collections as well. I hope you enjoy the Pancake! Such vivid writing, hopefully beyond my rose colored glasses he also has the same effect on you 🤓 🌹
Hi. Could you make your videos louder please? I have time to watch RUclips in public transport only. It appears to be an issue to hear you sometimes :)
ugh I'm sorry! This is actually happenstance since I'd tried listening to one of my videos with headphones in while on the metro a few weeks ago, and found the feedback/static way too overpowering since having dropped my phone, it seems to have affected the volume. I hope to get a mic to use for future videos soon!
Short stories are my jam. So glad you did this video. You acknowledged Munro and Lahiri but I also noted an absence of Denis Johnson, namely Jesus’ Son. If you haven’t read it, please do. I’ve never heard many on YT talk about Berlin (both of her collections are so alive) nor Orringer (who I sadly believe has not replicated the magic of that first beautiful collection). Saunders Tenth of December is one of my favorite reminders of why I love short stories and a favorite book of mine. Last year, Danielle Evans’s The Office of Historical Corrections and I Hold a Wolf By the Ears were two of my favorite reads and not enough people read either. I am always reading a short story collections so I could go on, but I won’t 😉
I hear about Jesus's Son story all the time! I need to get to it soon. I'm hoping to read Saunders latest nonfic/guide-to-writing book soon, I've had Tenth of December on my TBR literally for so long, I think it's the oldest book I have on the TBR lol (since....2015??) And oh nooo about Orringer, is this also in regard to her novel last year? I wanted to pick it up but if it's not the same magic of her short stories then I can likely pass. And I hear everyone talking about that Wolf By The Ears book!! I can't escape it, so maybe it's time I give in to that one too
I FORGOT TO MENTION THE MASTER OF THE SHORT STORY: Alice Munro!! It’s Munro’s world and we’re all just living in it!! 😯✨📚
While we are at it, Wordsworth classics has published a Best of Guy De Maupassant. Highly recommended.
Thanks, Alex, for another video helping me discover more books! I've read more individual stories than collections, but my favorite collection is Lost in the City by Edward P. Jones. The story, "The Store" is sheer perfection imho. All Aunt Hagar's Children is also great just more of a time commitment since the stories are longer. Also enjoyed Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans.
I literally have never heard of any of these!! Sometimes on my work lunches I like to read some stories, so I'll try searching for any available online from these writers to get my footing
I've had When Watched on my shelf for a while and every time I say I'm gonna read it, I end up choosing something else. I find collections difficult to talk about sometimes because of how I might like or dislike certain stories more as a reader and writer and how that might color my perception of the book as whole. I do have some recs though
The Isle of Youth by Laura van den Berg (I love all her stuff, but her short stories are superior imo)
Sweet and Low by Nick White, contemporary southern gothic energy
How to Leave Hialeah by Jeninne Capó Crucet, very place-based
A Better Angel by Chris Adrian, a recent favorite of mine
I can't imagine trying to be a bookseller and suggesting a short story collection, pretty bold! I've heard of Van den Berg (wolf....something something??) with some similar tonality to Moshfegh, would you say that's true? And I've heard Adrian's title story from that collection tossed around before! So that sounds like as good a sign as any to me to look into him more
@@whatpageareyouon It was hard to recommend any short story collections unless people came in looking specifically for them, and that wasn't very often. I haven't read any of Moshfegh's work, which makes me a bad reader™️, but I've seen that comparison made--the border between magic and obliteration (a van den Berg quote) but I think that captures her work even though there's no literal magic. The title story from Adrian's collection is free online if you're interested. I'm eager to read more of his work
I love the everyday characters we meet in Raymond carver, Lucia Berlin, denis Johnson and breeze d’j pancake short stories. Still in literary fiction, I love the short stories of Amy hempel and the book skinship by yoon Choi. For science fiction short stories I would recommend Stories of your life and others by Ted Chiang and Friday black by nana kwame adjei-brenyah.
Thank you for the list. The short story collections that have really stayed with me are Adam Johnson's Fortune Smiles and Alice Munro's Too Much Happiness.
Munro is great! I’ll have to look into the Johnson if you are also a Munro fan : )
For more contemporary writers, try out Kelly Link, Carmen Maria Machado, and Karen Russell. For classics, Borges blew everyone out of the water.
Hi Alex! Have you read Tom Hanks’ book Uncommon Type? I was actually quite surprised by the clarity of his voice. Definitely worth a read on a boring lazy Sunday. It’s more a book of essays and not short stories but nevertheless I highly recommend “having and being had” by eula biss. I think you’ll find it interesting. I picked up “lot” and “cool for america” from your recommendation! Can’t wait to dig in.
I always love a personal recommendation! So I'll look into the Bliss : ) And it's so funny, I find celebratory writing ventures so interesting, sometimes the process more interesting than the product itself (I think there was some sort of Time article about why Hanks started writing, but whatever it is, I loved reading about it lol). So if these are more like essays that does make me even more intrigued!
I hope you like Lot and Cool For America, too!
My favourite short story writers are Alice Munro and George Saunders, but these all sound fantastic. I’m especially keen to get to Lucia Berlin soon. Thank you for the great recommendations!
It's funny but I keep trying to get into Saunders Tenth of December...I think it's the oldest book on my TBR?? I don't know why I'm so alienated from him haha but if you like Munro too then this may be the push I need!
Pancake sounds like a powerful writer. I acquired a copy of Orringer at your suggestion last year, but I haven't read it yet. And yay for Alice Munro! (I am an old fogey who still love the short stories of Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor.)
O'Conner is another classic! Have never heard of Welty before though, will have to do some digging
@whatpageareyouon Try Why I Live at the PO and A Worn Path--two stories in different registers. Actually, I read both aloud on my channel and think I think "Why I Live at the PO" is just MEANT to be heard. Welty is definitely one to know. If I am remembering correctly, she is one of Steve Donogue's very favorite short story writers as well.
@@HannahsBooks Thanks Hannah! And OH if it's also a beloved Steve writing, then it is my civic duty to read Welty as a form of required reading, especially with Steve's terror over his two least favorite words: "Alice Munro"! haha
Good video.
Awesome list! I’ve added most of these to my goodreads for the future. I just got the collection by Breece D’J Pancake so I’ve been looking forward to checking that out.
I wish I had known it’s short story month! I feel like if I tried to make a video about short stories I’ve enjoyed it would be repeating a lot of the stories I’ve already covered 😅
Have you read any Alice Munro, by any chance? She’s literary royalty here in Canada. She has a ton of short story collections to pick from and I’ve heard they’re all good. The one I read is called “Runaway” and it broke me emotionally in the best way.
Yeah! I can’t believe I forgot to mention Munro! I love her haha, her volume Selected Stories is wonderful! My favorite among having read her Dear Life and Runaway collections as well.
I hope you enjoy the Pancake! Such vivid writing, hopefully beyond my rose colored glasses he also has the same effect on you 🤓 🌹
Lucia Berlin!!! 💕 Have you read any Deborah Eisenberg?
❤️!! And I have not read Eisenberg...in fact, never heard of her 😳
Hi. Could you make your videos louder please? I have time to watch RUclips in public transport only. It appears to be an issue to hear you sometimes :)
ugh I'm sorry! This is actually happenstance since I'd tried listening to one of my videos with headphones in while on the metro a few weeks ago, and found the feedback/static way too overpowering since having dropped my phone, it seems to have affected the volume. I hope to get a mic to use for future videos soon!
Short stories are my jam. So glad you did this video. You acknowledged Munro and Lahiri but I also noted an absence of Denis Johnson, namely Jesus’ Son. If you haven’t read it, please do.
I’ve never heard many on YT talk about Berlin (both of her collections are so alive) nor Orringer (who I sadly believe has not replicated the magic of that first beautiful collection). Saunders Tenth of December is one of my favorite reminders of why I love short stories and a favorite book of mine. Last year, Danielle Evans’s The Office of Historical Corrections and I Hold a Wolf By the Ears were two of my favorite reads and not enough people read either.
I am always reading a short story collections so I could go on, but I won’t 😉
I hear about Jesus's Son story all the time! I need to get to it soon. I'm hoping to read Saunders latest nonfic/guide-to-writing book soon, I've had Tenth of December on my TBR literally for so long, I think it's the oldest book I have on the TBR lol (since....2015??) And oh nooo about Orringer, is this also in regard to her novel last year? I wanted to pick it up but if it's not the same magic of her short stories then I can likely pass. And I hear everyone talking about that Wolf By The Ears book!! I can't escape it, so maybe it's time I give in to that one too