You might not know it from this blog, but every now and then I do something that isn’t related to bicycling. On that note, I’ve setup another blog recently. This one is dedicated to the very specific theme of short stories that I’ve read and to nothing else.
It’s nothing special really, just short posts about short stories. They aren’t full reviews, only quick comments and maybe the rare insight, but don’t count on it.
Anyway, if you are interested go to The Storyphile and check things out.
I hope everyone will enjoy the new Library page that I’ve added along with the “about me” and “contact” and “gallery” pages already there.
The Library page actually already existed for a while now, but it wasn’t so plainly and easily accessible. It’s a fun way for me to share what I am reading, have read or am about to read. And for those books that I write a review about I can either put the review with the book page for that book, or I can link the book page to the review post.
Anyway, I hope you find it interesting, and if you ever think you want to purchase one of the books you see just click the link or the cover image you see on that page and it will take you straight to Amazon where you can order the title.
[UPDATE] I have switched off the library plugin I was using. If you would like to view my reading lists now then please go to goodreads.
I read a short-story today by Alice Munro called, “The View from Castle Rock.” I think it is probably one of the more competent stories I’ve read in some time. The voice, tone and feel of this story all seem perfectly in sync. I found it in the 2006 Best American Short Stories that I have been reading ever so slowly for some time. (You can find a link to it in the blog sidebar under “now reading.”) The story was originally published in The New Yorker.
It is essentially an account of a family’s journey from Scotland to America as the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Each character has their own personality and destiny, and there is joy and happiness and sadness and sorrow aplenty for all along the way. It is kind of a character study of a family and an era.
I can imagine attempts at similar stories that might be done as exercises in what to write, where the mission is to go to a local old graveyard and find the oldest headstones for a good sized family from 200 years ago and then write a story about what their lives must have been like. But I can imagine very few outcomes as well done as this.
I don’t understand how it happens that so much time passes when I don’t do any reading, but I really enjoyed this story. Hopefully it will act as inspiration to read some more.
