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| Modeling clay Ganpati bappa made by my sister and nephew! |
I started to write a post about my idli recipe- and it was getting so long-winded that I removed the book portion to post here separately. Idli post to come in a couple of days! Meanwhile let's talk about books.
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| Image: Goodreads |
But Tananarive Due's book is SO GOOD! She knows how to tell a story and I am here for it. As a nice bonus, many of the stories are set right here in Georgia and Florida. The stories fall into 4 sections; "Gracetown" features three ghost stories set in Florida, the "Knowing" had 5 stories of uncanny events, 3 of which I loved; "Carriers" has 5 stories all with pandemic themes (!) and "Vanishings" ends the collection with two stories. I was blown away by several stories in this great little collection.
It has been a while since I read a book of short stories. They were my very favorite genre as a teenager and young adult. Several of the short stories that I loved and still remember decades later are available to read online in their entirety, like O. Henry's iconic The Gift of the Magi and his hilarious story of a kidnapping gone wrong, The Ransom of Red Chief. Roald Dahl is best known for his children's books but his short story Taste is outstanding. Edited to add: I just remembered another one of Dahl's classics- Lamb to the Slaughter. Other memorable short stories: the futuristic There will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury, the moralistic The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant, the highly unsettling The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Truman Capote's poignant A Christmas Memory.
A few collections of short stories that I have enjoyed over the years- Jigs and Reels by Joanne Harris, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Malgudi Days by R. K. Narayan, No Comebacks by Frederick Forsyth, I, Robot by Isaac Asimov and Tales of Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry.
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Two pieces of inspiration- a child of the slums becomes a food scientist, and this young ballet dancer from an unlikely dance academy.
Tell me what you're reading, and what's inspiring you these days.
Hi Nupur,
ReplyDeleteI'm commenting on your blog after such a long time - this post really spoke to me! You mention so many of my favourite authors and like you, short stories were a favourite genre of mine too. I particularly loved that you mention "There will come soft rains" - not very many know of that. That story gave me the creeps for a long time. And I started following Shalini Arya on Twitter after reading her article in Science - she is truly a beacon of hope in these times.
I love the Ganapati that your sister and nephew made. How adorable is that. Greetings of the festival to all of you (I don't know if one wishes people "Happy Ganesh Chaturthi").
Take care and happy reading always,
Shoots :)
Hi Shoots my dear!! Shalini Arya's essay was one of those "career stories" on the last page of Science. Those are always interesting and this one was particularly touching. My sister is so talented- gah. Loved that she took simple clay and made this in a jiffy. Happy reading to you too, and much love!
DeleteLove the modelling clay. I think that a short story collection of horror stories sounds challenging for me too. I loved roald dahl's short stories and as a kid Enid Blyton's short stories (Tales of Long Ago stands out in my memory) and at uni the Women and Fiction collections but I can't think of short stories I have read recently. I am slogging away at the Children's Book which I love but has been going for months
ReplyDeleteJohanna- I loved that these horror stories weren't pure slash and gore. They had their quietly horrifying moments but were so richly written! I need to re-read Roald Dahl's short stories for sure. And I should look for Enid Blyton comfort reading during this time. Love that you read Fiction in uni. My education was all science all the time and I missed higher ed in the humanities.
DeleteI am also a huge fan of short stories and have read and reread almost all of the ones you mention.
ReplyDeleteRecently been reading David Sedaris ..his are more essays but laugh out loud hilarious and misanthropic like a modern day James Thurber.
I like David Sedaris a lot, Janani- he writes frequently in the New Yorker, and his observations on dysfunctional families, etc. are spot on.
DeleteHi Nupur, I read Michelle Harper's The Beauty in Breaking, and do recommend it. Ive also been watching a lot of Seinfeld and Trevor Noah these last few months. I remember reading The Necklace as a teen, and re-read it again with the link you posted, so thanks! Your sister is so talented - does she have an Etsy shop?
ReplyDeleteHi Anon, the memoir looks very interesting! Trevor Noah's book has been on my to-read list for so long. I'll tell my sister you said that :) She actually was a sewing designer a few years ago and sold beautiful handmade things, but now is fully immersed in a corporate tech job.
DeleteThat is a lovely ganesha, nupur! Do you also celebrate the festival?
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago, I read and really enjoyed 'a night with a black spider: stories' by ambai. Recently I read 'india gray: historical fiction book set' by sujata massey, a collection of stories from british india - it also has a story about perveen mistry's time at oxford. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on nisha Susan's short story collection she recently published. Admittedly, the short story isn't my favourite form - I tend to get very emotionally attached to characters and it's hard to leave them after a few pages :)
Thank you- I'll tell my sis you said that! I did not know of Sujata Massey's story collection- thank you; I have enjoyed her other books and will look for it. I totally feel you on how short stories can feel unsatisfying sometimes. I always say I prefer TV shows to movies for the same reason, you can get to know the characters over time.
DeleteHow are you all doing, Nupur? I will bookmark this book and I hope I can find it in the library. But it is such a tedious process these day, with covid! Can I just vent a bit and say how I hate it? Jus this Monday (10 days since school reopening) our campus has shut down by the DoH. Many of my colleagues have tested positive. I was lucky that I got off campus teaching this year, but it's still scary and depressing. I have 'The Guernsey Literary and the potato peel pie society 'and am looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteThe Ganpati Bappa is so adorable. Like every year, I made ukdiche modak. I am looking forward to your idli recipe, is it different than the usual urad and idli rice one?
Take care and stay safe!
Oh my dear it IS all very scary and depressing. I especially feel for all the teachers who are caught in ever-changing policies and struggling to do their difficult jobs in these circumstances. Are you having to teach from home or are you taking some time off?
DeleteMy idli recipe is the typical one, I've been drafting the post for days and just not finding the time to get it done.
You all take care and hang in there. We'll get through this.
I think you will love The Guernsey Literary and the potato peel pie society!!
DeleteI asked for and got the off campus role. I am so thankful I got this option. Many of my co workers are suffering and have had to report to work already!
DeleteI am enjoying the book a lot! I just wish I had more time. Online school is even more hectic than regular school!
Take care and stay safe.
How is Vaghoba?