I’ve been posting a lot of reviews, bookish discussions, and the like lately. And while those are loads of fun to write, my brain is also eager for a break from constant story analysis. Consequently, in order to give my head a bit of a break, I’m just going to throw some bookish recommendations at you. Okay? Okay.
Recently I got thinking about short stories and novellas and how I don't read nearly as many of them as I should. That got me thinking about the short stories and novellas that I do own and how it would be nice to fangirl over them with other people. So I'm going to talk about seven of the short story/novella collections on my bookshelves here in Virginia. (Just click the cover photos for the Goodreads descriptions.)
STARS ABOVE
I would be a little bit shocked if you have not heard of the Lunar Chronicles by now. Just as clarification, though, in case you are somehow unfamiliar with the series, STARS ABOVE is a collection of stories/novellas set in the Lunar Chronicles universe. I don’t know about you, but the series conclusion, WINTER, left me with a bookish hangover, and it’s nice to be able to step back into this fairytale world. As of the writing of this, I’m only halfway through STARS ABOVE, so I can’t give a complete and final opinion on it. But from what I’ve read so far, it’s definitely a winner. Also, can we just stop for a moment to admire the cover? I mean, I had thought WINTER’s cover was pretty spectacular, but this puts all the covers in the series to shame. Even if you never plan to read this, I still recommend buying it because it would make a great decorative piece for your house. Just saying.
THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
I haven’t heard many people talking about THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, a collection of short stories by Stefan Bachmann, Katherine Catmull, Claire Legrand, and Emma Trevayne. And this is a massive, crying shame because THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES is marvelous. While these stories aren’t Stephen-King-level scary, they do capture the odd, quirky, and mildly sinister quality of children’s fairytales, and they are a lot of fun all around. The book also contains delightfully creepy black and white illustrations, so obviously you need to read it. *nods sagely* Of course, I have to admit that I’m especially partial to Stefan Bachmann’s contributions because I am a huge fan of his other works, THE PECULIAR and THE WHATNOT (and I’ve preordered his newest book, A DROP OF NIGHT, which releases tomorrow *incoherent happy screaming*). But even if you aren’t familiar with any of these authors (or maybe especially if), this book offers a great chance to sample their writing styles and see if you might be interested in their full-length works. Plus, the cover is gorgeous, so it’s a win-win.
(Side note: My only confusion about this book is that the supposed cover photo of the hardback edition, courtesy of Goodreads, (shown above) says “40 tales brief and sinister,” while my actual copy of that same edition clearly says “36 tales brief and sinister.” If any of you know the explanation for that, I would be immensely grateful if you shared it in the comments, because I’ve been wondering about it since before the book came out in 2013.)
A PLEASURE TO BURN
This is another book I don’t see mentioned often, which makes me infinitely sad. *weeps dramatic reader tears* All the stories in this book are so beautiful they make me want to cry (and I do NOT say that lightly). Essentially, this book is a companion to Ray Bradbury’s FAHRENHEIT 451 (bonus points if you recognize the connection between A PLEASURE TO BURN and the first sentence in FAHRENHEIT 451). This collection includes a bunch of the short stories Bradbury wrote as he was hashing out the ideas and themes he would later cover in FAHRENHEIT 451. It also includes two preliminary drafts of FAHRENHEIT 451 that give a fascinating look into the evolution of the story (which, in case you weren’t aware, is perhaps my favorite book of all time—no big deal). Pretty much anything I say by way of recommendation is not going to do this collection justice. Bradbury is more talented at short story writing than any other writer I have encountered, and his love of literature and ideas and thought just drips off the page. Honestly, I don’t know of any other author whose works are better for getting me out of reading and writing slumps.
FOUR: A DIVERGENT COLLECTION
I would actually be a little surprised if you haven't at least heard of this book, but, in case you haven’t read it yet, allow me to shove it in your face. *aggressively shoves book* FOUR is a collection of four novellas and three scenes from DIVERGENT, all written from Four’s point of view.
I like this collection because I think it does what ALLEGIANT doesn’t quite manage to do. It gives us a better understand of Four/Tobias and his backstory—thus making him more sympathetic. It offers us a chance to see Tris from another point of view. And it provides us with a more detailed look into the events that took place before and during DIVERGENT. Most importantly, though, it makes Four sound more like the strong, enigmatic, troubled Four from DIVERGENT, rather than the moody, somewhat petty, frustrating Four from ALLEGIANT. (Also, in case you’re wondering why I seem to be sending mixed messages about ALLEGIANT lately, it’s because I am. And I fully intend to discuss the entire trilogy, as soon as I have space in my bookish schedule to reread it.)
Perhaps my only complaint about this collection is that the stories didn’t feel like they were long enough and there weren’t enough of them. FOUR is only 285 pages long, and I would have been perfectly content if it had been 400 pages (but I do understand how that might have been overwhelming for the author—I’m just being cantankerous).
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On this note, I did want to stop briefly to discuss something. (Sorry brain, I guess I’m not giving you a break after all.) Not everyone is interested in companion collections like STARS ABOVE, A PLEASURE TO BURN, and FOUR. Some people get very upset when authors don’t just finish a series/standaone and then move on. They complain that the companion stories never add much to the narrative and that it would have been better if they’d never been written. People accuse the authors of doing this for money, or deride them for being unable to write new, fresh stuff.
But in doing so, they ignore some of the bigger reasons why authors might write companion collections. For instance, as I mentioned briefly, A PLEASURE TO BURN was all written before FAHRENHEIT 451, which means FAHRENHEIT 451 wouldn’t exist without it. It is especially valuable to fans of the beloved classic because it shows how the story developed in the author’s genius brain. As for FOUR, I would argue that it is valuable because Veronica Roth initially began writing DIVERGENT in Four’s viewpoint, and I like that she gets a chance to give a tip of the hat to her original drafts. I also like getting the chance to see what DIVERGENT might have looked like had she decided to keep Four as the main character. And STARS ABOVE fills in some of the gaps between CINDER, SCARLET, CRESS, FAIREST, and WINTER, and even offers us an epilogue to the entire series. So I would argue that none of these collections are pointless or extraneous.
They give the authors a chance to share with us more than they were able to include in the actual series or standalone itself, and they give us a chance to honor the author’s desire to do just that. On top of that, postpartum depression is a legitimate concern, and if a collection like this can help the author part with the storyworld they have spent years developing, in a way that is less traumatic for them, then I say the collection is definitely worth it.
Ultimately, if you don’t like companion collections and if you feel they don’t add anything to the reading experience, well, you aren’t required to read them. But I will always be eager to gobble them up and come back for more. And I know I’m not the only one. So there.
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A SOUND OF THUNDER
Maybe you thought you could get away without hearing me talk more about Ray Bradbury today, but if you assumed that, you were wrong. And in case you weren’t aware of my mild Ray Bradbury obsession, well, now you are. This. Collection. Is. A;sdlfajsdl;fjasd;flasdf Translation: It’s too beautiful for words. All of the stories are marvelous and deep and thoughtful, tangible and powerful and unique (insert a hundred more glowing adjectives here). They convey the beauty and tragedy of scientific and cultural progress, and they give us a wonderful window into Bradbury’s gorgeous mind. His writing is probably the most poetic prose I’ve ever read, so I highly recommend that you try this book before I get on my knees and make a fool of myself begging you to. Because I totally will.
THE ILLUSTRATED MAN
Once more, in case you thought I was done touting Ray Bradbury’s writing, you were mistaken. But, fortunately for you, you will be saved the glowing praise on this one because I haven’t actually read THE ILLUSTRATED MAN yet. My understanding is that there is some crossover between the stories in this one and the stories in A PLEASURE TO BURN and A SOUND OF THUNDER, but I also see a lot of titles that I don’t recognize in the table of contents, so I’m looking forward to reading them. Like I’ve said before, Ray Bradbury is my writing hero and, at this point, I seriously doubt I could ever be disappointed with something he’s written. I just don’t think it would be possible.
Aside from the fact that my edition isn’t nearly as attractive as the cover I posted above, the only reason why I haven’t read this one yet is that, since Ray Bradbury passed away in 2012, there are no new stories and books coming from him anymore (I know, strange how that works). And it’s a little bit sad to think that I will eventually run out of new Ray Bradbury material. Which is why I’m trying to take it slowly. (That being said, I do plan to tackle THE ILLUSTRATED MAN this year, as well as two of his full-length novels, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES and DANDELION WINE.)
GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES
While I have read most, if not all, of GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES, it’s been a long time, and I’m looking forward to a refresher course. (I won this collection from Ashley’s lovely blogversary giveaway when I won STARS ABOVE. Thanks again, Ashley!) I’m especially excited about this edition because it is beautiful. Along with the attractive cover and endpapers, it has a built-in ribbon bookmark and gorgeous illustrations. If every book on earth were as beautiful as this one, I’m fairly certain I would die of happiness. So if you’re interested in brushing up on or acquainting yourself with GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES, I highly recommend this edition.
Well, that’s it for today, little coffee beans. Do you like short stories? What do you think about companion collections? Have you reading anything by Stefan Bachmann? Do you like Ray Bradbury’s writing? (The answer is yes.) What are some short story/novella collections you’re excited about? Any recommendations?
