Best American Short Stories 20205 (edited by Celeste Ng) - Every year, I like to read the collection of "best" short stories from the previous year. I have to give Ms. Ng credit; she did a nice job picking stories with a wide range of subjects and viewpoints. Too many years, the editor picks stories that lean into the trendy and topical. That being said...just for fun, I did a tally. Out of 20 stories, I liked 9, disliked 4 and was just "meh" on the remaining 7. And really, only one truly stuck with me, mostly for the shock ending. No rating (unless you count tallying what I liked and didn't like).
Just curious, have you read any of Celeste Ng's books that she wrote? Little Fires Everywhere takes place in Shaker Heights. I've enjoyed the three novels she's written.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey - It's the turn of the last century and an older childless couple moves to Alaska to homestead and try to forget about the baby they lost. One night they build a "snow child"--a snowman that looks remarkably like a little girl--and the next day, the snow child is gone. Shortly after, the couple spies a little girl and her pet fox running through the woods...could it be the snow child they made, come to life? I won't spoil anything for you but I will say this was my A+ read. Lyrical, moving, beautifully told and populated with great characters, I loved every single thing about this book and read it in two short sittings.
Yay for such a great book!
The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson - It's been a while since I read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which I absolutely loved. I think it was someone here who mentioned KMR had written a sequel...I checked it out and while I liked it quite a bit, I didn't love it like I loved the original. I can't even say why...I think it just felt less like an organic story and more like "oh, there's room for a sequel so I shall write one!". It was more of the same: the same fights against discrimination, the same sad stories and circumstances, even the same job for the daughter as the mother. B-.
I read the sequel not long after it came out...these books take place where my mom grew up, so I sorta know the area, which makes it a bit special for me. Totally a make more money off the original sequel though and not an organic one, but it was still worth reading.
