"A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit." ~ American author David Sedaris
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New and Recently Released!
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| The Turner House by Angela FlournoyThe Turner family has owned their home on Detroit's East Side for more than 50 years, but their traditionally black, working-class neighborhood has deteriorated and they now owe more on their mortgage than the building is worth. Focusing on three of the 13 Turner siblings, this engaging family saga traces both family and social history, incorporating flashbacks of their now-deceased father's early years in Detroit after the Great Migration. If you enjoyed the sweep of history found in Ayana Mathis' The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, you'll likely enjoy this engrossing, character-driven debut as well. |
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| Oh! You Pretty Things by Shanna MahinThis engaging debut follows the story of 29-year-old Jess Dunne, daughter of a fame-hungry failed actress, who's reaching for success in Hollywood herself. Trying to bounce back from a divorce, she takes a job as a personal assistant and chef to a demanding celebrity, which keeps her more than busy -- and allows readers to see Tinseltown stardom from Jess' snarky, sardonic seat in the fringes. But when her best friend suffers a crisis and her narcissistic mother returns to L.A., Jess will have to stop basking in the reflected glow of Hollywood and confront the consequences of her actions. |
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| The Children's Crusade by Ann PackerThere are four adult Blair children, though there were only supposed to be three. At some point after the birth of the unexpected fourth child, mother Penny decided her art career was more important than her family; this decision, of course, has long-lasting consequences. When the youngest child, unsettled James, returns home as an adult, his visit unlocks old secrets and resentments. Narrated in first- and third-person from the point of view of all four kids, The Children's Crusade is a moving tale of family intimacy and dysfunction. |
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| Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret AtwoodThough there's a common theme -- women wronged as girls triumph as adults -- running through many of the nine tales collected here, there's also plenty of perspectives on aging and death -- and revenge. There are also some interesting characters (including a woman whose genetic abnormality means people mistake her for a vampire). Biting, brainy, and penetrating, this is Canadian author Margaret Atwood "at the top of her game" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Bobcat and Other Stories by Rebecca LeeThis richly detailed collection of stories ranges all over the world, from Manhattan to Nepal just in the title story alone. Each told from a first-person perspective, the stories ruminate on love and infidelity, apathy and pride; though they're set mainly in colleges and universities, their appeal won't be limited only to those who inhabit such worlds. Providing humor even in the darkest situations, this collection contains "gorgeously crafted, scintillating stories [that] are imaginative and incisive, funny and profound" (Booklist). |
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| Suspended Sentences: Three Novellas by Patrick ModianoFrench novelist Patrick Modiano was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2014, though he's little-known in the U.S. If you've never read any of his work, but are curious to try, this recent collection of three novellas is a good place to start, for, as with his other books, they are set in Paris and illuminate aspects of the Nazi occupation there. Atmospheric and carefully written, each novella also contains some element of autobiography. |
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| One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. NovakThis debut collection of short stories from actor and television writer B.J. Novak (The Office) crams a lot into a small space -- some of his stories are not just short, but short-short (less than a page, in some cases). They mix realism with elements of fantasy and surrealism, and offer such ingenious, tongue-in-cheek ideas as a blind date with a warlord, a take on a hare/tortoise rematch, and a holographic exhibit of the Bernie Madoff hedge fund scam. Likened to such writers as Woody Allen, Steve Martin, George Saunders, and David Foster Wallace, this collection will entertain a broad audience. |
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| Vampires in the Lemon Grove: Stories by Karen RussellDo you like creatively weird, imaginatively surreal stories that mix psychological insight with dry humor and are populated by daringly inventive characters? (We're talking centuries-old vampires who suffer all-too-human woes, a former U.S. president reincarnated as a horse, a soldier whose tattoos...well, we won't ruin it for you.) If so, then you'll be right at home with award-winning author Karen Russell's short story collection, which mixes whimsy and horror in a unique and engaging manner. Fans of George Saunders will want to give Russell a try. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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