I had to give my vote to Mark Haddon’s The Gun. I only ever rave about stories that light up my world and make me feel jealous. His did. I recommended it to my husband and he will be urged/forced to read it. The same goes for the Toby Litt The Bug but I just feel The Gun covers all important aspects for me when I am reading a short story!
So, get voting now! Mark Haddon, Mark Haddon, Mark Haddon.
I need more time to read! I need more money to buy books! I need more shelving in the house!
Opened the Culture section in the Times today and the headline above informed me of a short story writer I really should know..
Edith Pearlman has released Binocular Vision-new and selected stories. Not many of us have heard of her though her career spans 35 years. This collection is ‘Cosmo and Jewish’ which makes me want to buy it!
One for the list!
If you read my last blog post( and shame on you if you haven’t) then you will see that I bought a couple of books. One of those was a short story collection by the Italian writer, Pietro Grossi called Fists.
It has been translated exceedingly well. So well that I could have placed these stories in any location at all.
Fists is made up of three long short stories, all linked with the theme of boys growing up and becoming men, memories of childhood and animal and male instincts.
The first story is called Boxing and it features a nerd boy who has an alter ego-he is a super, super boxer in his spare time! Except, he doesn’t box. Eh? Well, no he does train and box but has never played a boxing match so he gets a bit of a reputation of cult status. But, the one day he meets another boy who might be better than him. And, so the story takes off…
The next story Horses, was my favourite. A story about two brothers who are given horses to look after and tend to. One brother grows apart from the other and moves to the city while the one that stays at home learns the tough lessons of manhood and nature. Quite brutal in parts but the bond between the two brothers is touching.
The last story The monkey did not go down well in the short story critic world. Even, the guy in the book shop in Bath was not happy with it. They all felt it jarred and stuck out. I disagree. The story is about a grown up man, Nico who seems to live a childish life. One day, he gets a phone call from his old friend’s sister. She tells him that his old friend from his childhood has started acting like a monkey. Yes, it sounds bizarre and it is. And, that’s why most people didn’t like it. The scene where Nico goes back to the village where he grew up is packed ful of memories that he was trying to escape from. One of them ends up being his friend who is living like a monkey. Others are old girlfriends and Nico’s own Dad running around the house naked. So, the story is not really about the monkey thing but it is…It’s about running from the past and creating stories to tell ourselves that we are normal. And in the end, that’s what Nico does.
Fists is very different, the voice is self aware in many parts, showing the main character’s sometimes pointless thoughts. But, the stories are simply and well told with themes that will hit off woman or man. Despite the masculine title and characters, Fists will be enjoyed by all readers. I really quite liked the weight of the three stories as opposed to twelve shorter ones for a change.
As my Christmas present from Simon this year, I received a trip to the city of Bath!
The location was a surprise but I had hinted vaguely at the notion of going on the car ferry, driving to a country house hotel outside of some pretty city in England so was delighted with it!
We stayed for three nights in the very lovely Homewood Park Hotel, just 6 KM outside of Bath and in the deepest, darkest countryside of Bath. The hotel was delicious, small with a fab spa, restaurant and great big fire to have hot chocolate in front of!
The hotel
The hotel
We spent our days sauntering around the city and took a trip out to Stonehenge. It was a let down and it sounds silly but it really is a load of rocks standing up in a field while millions of people walk around it taking snaps. Like us. I think they are building a centre there next year, which is really needed as we just rocked up, stuck on some incredibly boring audios and got out quickly.
However, the Roman Baths in Bath are a different thing. We loved them. They have managed to do a brilliant job of preserving as much as they could of the baths and a Bill Bryson audio commentary really helped us alongside the visual screens around the site. We spent over an hour here and could have spent more.
The baths were super hot!
Bath is full of lovely and quirky shops, lots of alleyways dying to be investigated. They have three main bookshops-WH Smith, Waterstone and their own independent Mr. B’s Emporium of Reading Delights. The staff in here were excellent and the guy shared his love of short stories with me. We spoke about how Ireland are really whipping bottom in the area of short stories. He gave me a new short story writer to look at, Pietro Grossi. I bought Fists, a book made up of 3 novella type short stories. Will be reviewing this soon. I also bought Write, a reference book packed full of insights into how and why authors write. Short and snappy. Liked and read it in one helping!
We took a visit to the Jane Austen Centre. Jane Austen set two of her six published novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, in Bath and made the city her home from 1801 to 1806. So, the people of Bath rightly love her. They also love Mr. Darcy aka Colin Firth a lot as well. The shop there is made up of Jane Austen quotes, books and anything you can think of with Mr. Darcy on the front! I picked up a ravishing bookmark of Mr. Darcy.
Even though we only stayed for three nights, I got loads done. I read lots and wrote a bit too! A lovely Christmas present and would highly recommend Bath as a literary destination!
Happy Christmas to all and everyone who reads my blog! It has been an excellent 2012 and hoping that 2013 will see lots of books, writing and enjoyment!
I found a lovely, festive short story by Belinda Mc Keon. We all know here from Solace, her wonderful novel, but she writes short stories too. and rather well as would be predicted! This story was published in the Irish Times in 2011. Enjoy this!
I felt under pressure to write my favourite reads of 2012. The thing is that this article should have been published in 2013, surely? But, in the last few days I have read loads of “Best of 2012” articles so I thought I had better get to work!
This article is very easy to write as 2012 has been packed full with brilliant, brilliant short stories. But, it was really, really hard to choose only ten but I tried! It’s all down to personal taste.
The short form is everywhere. Personally, 2012 has been the year that I have been reintroduced to this form. If you read my blog, you will know how much I rate Kevin Barry. I am convinced that I would not have delved further into the short story form without his brilliant work. I also think out of all the short stories I have read this year, his work stands way out. But, I’ve spoiled it slightly for you so read on!
10-Fish anthology 2012
God, I hate that term-emerging writers but I am not so foolish to think all writers are the same. In Fish we get some great short stories in the form of unpublished and not famous authors from all over the world. This anthology also includes a section on memoirs, poetry and flash fiction. I think this anthology sends a calling to all “aspiring” writers. If you want to write but haven’t quite then read these stories. Some of them are good, some are great and some are way above anything you might write! But, good writing should push you on and inspire you. This is why Fish is great.
10-European Fiction 2012
My husband bought me this when he went to the Dalkey Book Festival…without me. I became very sick and had to take to the bed. I was gutted but he came back with a lovely book! This book is made up of fiction from all over Europe and is compiled into themes of love, hate, lust, etc. I read a lot of Irish fiction so each story gave me a new experience. Very accessible and very quirky.
9-William Trevor Selected stories
Of course, Trevor is the master of the genre. His Selected stories collection is a massive volume so I downloaded it to my kindle. He writes easily and brilliantly on Irish and English life and characters. Stories that will cry and think. He gets the short story like no other. He the man.
8-The beautiful indifference by Sarah Hall
The-Beautiful-Indifference
I really enjoyed these stories, all very much different characters and settings but with a full-on theme of landscape, animals and humans, we are left trying to breath for air. Something I will read again.
7-Mother America by Nuala Ni Chonchuir
The great thing about this book is that you can pick it up, read one story and think about it for a few days before you delve into another. Or you can read it all in one go!
All of the stories are delightful and capture that important moment of life that a good short story should and then rising to a satisfying conclusion. The stories never get too long or tedious. some are only of a few pages, which is great to see flash fiction taking its rightful place in the short story collection.
6-Some kind of beauty by Jamie O’ Connell
The cover grabbed me first then the author’s photo made me read on. Okay, Jamie O Connell is an attractive and wonderfully polite young man but he also writes well. I liked his stories because of the different world they threw me into. Jamie has a great knack for writing in varying voices from gay to child like to very female. A great debut. I want more!
5-The China Factory by Mary Costello
The China Factory
This is Mary Costello’s first short story collection and I am jealous. Her stories are honest and raw, touching on the pain of the human condition. A beautiful book with a cover that I loved! If you have to get one new Irish short story writer this year, get this. The Stinging Fly offer a package in which you can but this book and a subscription to their stinging fly magazine. Bonus!
4-Homesick by Roshi Fernando
I came across Roshi Fernando by accident and thankfully so! I heard her read at the Cork short story festival in September. Some other author didn’t show up. I don’t even remember who that was meant to be now! Roshi’s Homesick is a series of short stories that flick between different protagonists and times in their lives, beginning with a New Years Eve party and ending with a funeral. Incredibly heart warming, sad and makes the theme of the foreigner in a strange country become incredibly meaningful. It read like a short story anthology or a novel. Loved. Loved. Loved.
3-The shelter of neighbours by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne
Eilis Ni Dhuibhne is the one really. This collection merges Irish myths and modern like extremely well. She doesn’t go over board with this as this type of myth-o-mixing can grate on me. Some of her stories share characters and places, giving a wonderful sense of the community to the whole affair. I think that short story collections that merge shared characters and locations are going to be more prominent in 2013.
2-Granta book of Irish short stories edited by Anne Enright
I really, really like anthologies. Anne Enright edited this and that’s the reason I think it works so well. The flow of the stories are effortless. I remember attempting to write up a Top ten of my favourite stories in this collection. It began to turn into a top forty or something so I gave up. If you want to read perfect short stories, any of these in here will do! (Kevin Barry also has one in here too. Just saying.)
1-Dark lies the island and There are little islands by Kevin Barry
I’ll be honest; I read both of Kevin’s short story anthologies and his novel, City of Bohane in one go! I was booked into see him read at Bantry and arranged to have a mini interview with him so I had to know my stuff! Kevin gets Ireland. He gets Irish weather. His writing is overly dramatic and silly but I bet you won’t find one writer that comes near to what he does. He has reinvigorated the form. Put him on the Leaving Cert and watch the interest in English class grow. If you get a chance to hear him read, I promise you he will entertain you! It’s not hard to predict that he will expand into film very quickly but don’t get too big, Mr Barry! And don’t forget that you do short stories really, really well!
Five poetry collections announced for the Dun Laoghaire Book Festival. I just love the covers of poetry books! Yes, I know its superficial and its what’s inside that counts but they do entice you to pick them up!
The five finalists are John Montague, Moss Cannon, Bernard O Donoghue, Mascara Woods and Michael Longley.
I wouldn’t fancy being the judges! Best of luck to all five, who are already outstanding.
Dun Laoghaire mountains to sea book festival, which runs from 4-9th September.
Get those tickets booked. No, really, go now!
Kevin Barry is reading with Maeve
Higgins, interesting? Is Kevin trying out being a comedian?
Come hear me read a couple of stories and my first attempt at poetry!
Our group, the Carlow Cooperative Writers’ Group have been working hard! In association and supported by the Carlow Library and Eigse Carlow Festival, we have nearly completed a series of workshops with Ken Bourke.
On Tuesday, 12th June at 6:30 in Carlow Library, we will read 2 of our pieces to an audience(we hope!)
Afterwards, we take the literary chat to the very literary Carlovian pub, Teach Dolmen. There will be a great range of genres, content, style amongst the flash fiction, short stories and poetry.
Oh, and the very lovely Mr. Lewis will be reading his stuff too!
Yipee!
Ballymaloe cookery school is sponsoring international poetry comp with magazine, the Moth. Win €5000 plus 2 b and b in Ballymaloe. Check out www.themothmagazine.com
I had to give my vote to Mark Haddon’s The Gun. I only ever rave about stories that light up my world and make me feel jealous. His did. I recommended it to my husband and he will be urged/forced to read it. The same goes for the Toby Litt The Bug but I just feel The Gun covers all important aspects for me when I am reading a short story!
