As September comes closer, a big part of the reading-me shudders in panic. With the new catalogues and the tempting pitches, the prizelists and the festivals: how to fit in all-the-books. When one's reading plans back in January are still all needy and stuff. Oh, and some of those
Reading this story might change your reading life forever. That's what happened to Peter Orner, whose essay on Mavis Gallant's stories is mesmerizing: "The Way Vivid, Way Underappreciated Short Stories of Mavis Gallant", published in The Atlantic's "By Heart" series. "The first story I read is called 'The Ice Wagon
Besides Lori McNulty's Life on Mars and Mavis Gallant's stories, I've been dabbling in some other collections this year too. Edwidge Danticat's Krik? Krak! (1996) Drawn from a number of literary magazines and publications (including 1994's Pushcart Prize collection), these tales were gathered together to satisfy the readers who yearned
Walter is just a kid, in comparison to the elderly widows with whom he spends most of his time. And perhaps when he's driving his sporty little Singer, he's not thinking about ending things. But in quiet moments, despair sneaks up on him. Promenade des anglais, Nice, 1960
Agatha Christie said her work was "very original". Julian Symons declared that she "has few peers, and no superior in the art of bamboozlement". Soho Press Compilation, 2016 And Anthony Boucher said that Beast in View was "written with such complete realization of every character that the most
