Fireworks by Angela Carter

Lorna Sage (author, literary critic, and great friend of Angela Carter) described Carter’s writing as “pyrotechnic – fuelled with ideas, packed with images and spangling the night with her starry language”; the complimentary accolade connotes an image of fireworks. The short fiction collection of the same name, her first collection of short stories, came relatively [...]

An Elegy for Easterly

Doesn’t An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah have a beautiful cover? It is reminiscent in some ways of the cover art for Helen Oyeyemi’s White is for Witching; I do like trees in book cover art. The cover for An Elegy for Easterly is one of the few things that I can enthuse about. [...]

"A Christmas Memory"

I had been planning on finally reading “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote for a few months, ever since reading this post by Mee. I also knew that it was one of Nymeth’s favourite stories and this would finally be the year to read it. I settled during this festive period fully prepared to be [...]

Interpreter of Maladies

When I wrote about books to take home with me, it was Aarti (thank you!) who commented that a short story collection would make the perfect reading for a busy long weekend; the comment immediately reminded me of another short story collection that I have been desperate to read recently since the one lined up [...]

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

Let’s Call the Whole Things Off: Love Quarrels from Anton Chekhov to ZZ Packer (notice what the title cleverly does?) selected and compiled by Kasia Boddy, Ali Smith and Sarah Wood brings together some of the best short story writers on the topic of lovers’ quarrels. Some of the writers I am very familiar with [...]

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