Booklover Book Reviews

Ashland Creek Press were kind enough to offer an ebook copy of the short story collection SURVIVAL SKILLS by Jean Ryan for giveaway to one lucky reader of Booklover Book Reviews.

The winner is

Janet

Congratulations Janet – please check your inbox for my email requesting your preferred ebook file type. Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about this giveaway online and via Twitter.

If you haven’t already done so, make sure you check out my review of Survival Skills and Jean Ryan’s guest post ‘The Ready Feast‘.

No luck this time around? Check for other great book giveaways in my sidebar…

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The success of ebook publishing has now made single short story publication commercially viable. If you take a look around there are some great little inexpensive morsels showcasing the work of both well known names and those looking to break through.

During May, Short Story Month, I have read three single short stories / novellas by Aussie Authors.

Ithaca In My Mind by Peter Temple

In confident prose, a sharp and darkly humorous look at the plight of a bitter ageing author;

the fickleness of success in the arts and publishing industry;

the perils of ego and the artistic temperament; and

the discerning taste of a magpie.

Find out more about Ithaca in My Mind by Peter Temple ( Kobobooks | Amazon )

The Metamorphosis of Troubadour Merriwether by Diana Hockley

A modern fable featuring the quintessential conservative nerd and an opinionated rat that reminds us of the pitfalls of changing our behaviour for other people and living in hope for something in return. A sweet yet satirical look at the good things that can be gained from taking a stand and risking everything, not least of which is self-respect.

Find out more about The Metamorphosis of Troubadour Merriwether by Diana Hockley ( Amazon )

The Water of Life by Mary-Rose MacColl

A moving look at a tragedy from the many and varied perspectives of those involved, that hammers home the intrinsic links with those we come across without even noticing while going about our everyday lives. Everyone has a story, and each story is equally valuable. The sights, sounds and identifiable locations of my home town Brisbane feature authentically in this beautifully written piece. For example, the intersection named as the site of a pedestrian accident is in real life notorious for such occurrences.

This novella originally appeared in Griffith REVIEW 38: The Novella Project.

Find out more about The Water of Life by Mary-Rose MacColl ( Kobobooks | Amazon )

* These titles count towards my participation in the Aussie Author Challenge.

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I recently had the pleasure of reading a short story collection titled Survival Skills written by Jean Ryan.

From my review:

‘Survival Skills is one of the more unique offerings I have come across in my recent quest to read more short story collections. The collection consists of 13 standalone stories ranging from 6 to 21 pages in length. There is a real clarity and strong sense of purpose about each story, but common to all is Jean Ryan’s refreshing voice and open-minded and unadorned perspective.’

I invited Jean to discuss with readers of Booklover Book Reviews a topic she feels passionate about — the under appreciated art form of short stories.

The Ready Feast

Why do most readers avoid short stories?

I’ve posed this question to several people, who have offered a small range of reasons. Some say that short stories end too abruptly, or that they often have no resolution at all. Others mention a lack of plot, claiming that writers of this genre are more concerned with style than story. But the most common complaint is that short stories are simply too short. When it comes to reading material, people favor long-term investments and will not consider other options, even with the possibility of greater returns. “I make friends with the characters,” someone told me yesterday. “I want them to stick around.”

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Survival Skills Synopsis

Jean Ryan’s debut collection tells stories of nature and of human nature.

The characters who inhabit Jean Ryan’s graceful, imaginative collection of stories are survivors of accidents and acts of nature, of injuries both physical and emotional. Ryan writes of beauty and aging, of love won and lost-with characters enveloped in the mysteries of the natural world and the animal kingdom.

In “Greyhound,” a woman brings home a rescued dog for her troubled partner in hopes that they might heal one another-while the dog in “What Gretel Knows” is the keeper of her owner’s deepest secrets. In “Migration,” a recently divorced woman retreats to a lake front cabin where she is befriended by a mysterious Canada goose just as autumn begins to turn to winter. As a tornado ravages three towns in “The Spider in the Sink,” a storm chaser’s wife spares the life of a spider as she anxiously waits for her husband to return. And in “A Sea Change,” a relationship falls victim to a woman’s obsession with the world below the waves.

The world is at once a beautiful and perilous place, Jean Ryan’s stories tell us, and our lives are defined by the shelters we build. (Ashland Creek Press)

BOOK REVIEW

Survival Skills by Jean Ryan is one of the more unique offerings I have come across in my recent quest to read more short story collections. The collection consists of 13 standalone stories ranging from 6 to 21 pages in length. There is a real clarity and strong sense of purpose about each story, but common to all is Jean Ryan’s refreshing voice and open-minded and unadorned perspective.

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This week I am reading an interesting collection, Survival Skills: Stories by Jean Ryan recently published by Ashland Creek Press.

I am enjoying Jean Ryan’s refreshing and forthright voice, with an appealing worldly sensibility.

This teaser comes from a story titled ‘Sea Change‘.

Puppet Shows Synopsis

A kindly organ grinder and his performing monkey adopt a young boy after his father spontaneously combusts; a barber living inside a whiskey bottle confronts the neighborhood nuisance who wields a dead squirrel like a pair of nunchucks; and an unruly gang of sock puppets are born in a basement dojo. Welcome to Puppet Shows, thirteen outlandish stories from a writer Tucson Weekly called “a very funny weirdo”. (Amazon)

BOOK REVIEW

If you enjoy bizarre absurdist comedy then the short story collection Puppet Shows written by Michael Frissore, with illustrations by Amy Frissore may just be for you. Check out the book trailer below for a taste of what is on offer.  (more…)

In an effort to read more short stories in December I set my self the Short Story Summer Challenge, to read and review four (4) published collections of short stories or essays during the Southern Summer, 1 December 2012 – 28 February 2013.

The four titles I reviewed for the challenge were:

LAS VEGAS FOR VEGANS by A S Patric - 4.25 stars

WANDERERS by Edward Belfar – 3.5 stars

CORPOREALITY by Hollis Seamon – 5 stars

WATERING HEAVEN by Peter Tieryas Liu - 4 stars

Author interviews featured during the challenge included:

A S Patric, Edward Belfar and Hollis Seamon

I found when I made time for short story collections in my reading schedule, I really enjoyed the format and the originality of the writing often contained. In some instances however it is best not to read a collection of stories back to back – it really depends on the collection. It is exciting to see more short story collections on the bestseller lists these days. I will definitely be reading more of them in the future.

What was the last short story collection you read?

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