There are great big novels—some simply long [War and Peace, Les Misérables], some long and hard [The Recognitions, Ulysses]. [Skipping, for now, the books that take an extraordinary commitment to decipher, to finish, to take pleasure from—Finnegan's Wake
Thank you for sharing this list of reads; I am looking forward to part 2! I like how short works wield so much power in a relatively limited number of words, and often in very tight time frames. This is perhaps also due to the fact that the endings of these stories are often startling revelations, as you put it.
I find too that these works are often easy to read, while still delivering very impactful, almost shocking, messages.
I’d like to put forward two of my recent short reads:
Come rain or come shine by Kazuo Ishiguro — a light and comical read with a strong hit of nostalgia.
Indelicacy by Amina Cain – one of those reads that never make a reference to the location nor time period of the story, and is all the more intriguing because of it.
Thanks for commenting! I checked out the Ishiguro story--it's part of a series from Faber & Faber [29 books and counting] of individual stories by well-known writers. Some people commenting at Amazon noted that it was published before as part of his collection, NOCTURES . . . so I read this at some point but don't remember it specifically. Amina Cain's book I read also, and put an asterisk next to it in my reading list, but I can't remember it at all. That happens all too frequently these days--sometimes going back and having a quick look brings the story back, sometimes not. You can't remember everything you read, but it's still bothersome. I hope you check out some of these shorties. Also, maybe go back to the first posts of this blog, where I talk about what I want to do with it.
In Cain’s story, the protagonist insults someone by referring them to a hairy tooth (or some similar phrase). I wonder if that will trigger your memory? I have had a look at your first posts and think you may be referring to the birth year project? If so, I’m happy to participate! My year is 1992.
Thank you for sharing this list of reads; I am looking forward to part 2! I like how short works wield so much power in a relatively limited number of words, and often in very tight time frames. This is perhaps also due to the fact that the endings of these stories are often startling revelations, as you put it.
I find too that these works are often easy to read, while still delivering very impactful, almost shocking, messages.
I’d like to put forward two of my recent short reads:
Come rain or come shine by Kazuo Ishiguro — a light and comical read with a strong hit of nostalgia.
Indelicacy by Amina Cain – one of those reads that never make a reference to the location nor time period of the story, and is all the more intriguing because of it.
Thanks for commenting! I checked out the Ishiguro story--it's part of a series from Faber & Faber [29 books and counting] of individual stories by well-known writers. Some people commenting at Amazon noted that it was published before as part of his collection, NOCTURES . . . so I read this at some point but don't remember it specifically. Amina Cain's book I read also, and put an asterisk next to it in my reading list, but I can't remember it at all. That happens all too frequently these days--sometimes going back and having a quick look brings the story back, sometimes not. You can't remember everything you read, but it's still bothersome. I hope you check out some of these shorties. Also, maybe go back to the first posts of this blog, where I talk about what I want to do with it.
In Cain’s story, the protagonist insults someone by referring them to a hairy tooth (or some similar phrase). I wonder if that will trigger your memory? I have had a look at your first posts and think you may be referring to the birth year project? If so, I’m happy to participate! My year is 1992.
Oh, good. I love doing the years. Check back in a day or so.