Review:While I'm not a rabid Stephen King fan, I do enjoy his works & have read enough of his fiction over the years to give a fairly decent review of these stories.

Willa: The author admits to being overfond of this story since it was a trial run at getting back to short fiction. I think its well done and only falters in the creep-factor everyone seems to expect from King. It seems if this were from someone we'd never heard of, we'd all be terribly impressed & moved, but since its fr... Read more

Review:This iconic book by Truman Capote, whose other work I have loved, was such a disappointment. The characters were not fully developed, Holly was a one trick wonder, and the plot line just dwindled into a strange ending that was completely unsatisfying. How sad that this movie character became one of Audrey Hepburn's trademark roles. Read more

Review:I bought this book because I absolutely loved "Tenth of December," Saunders' latest book of short stories. Although I know "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" appeals to many readers and got rave reviews, the stories were too "way out there" for my taste. I just didn't enjoy reading these beautifully crafted stories with their science-fiction aspect. Read more

Review:This collection of six stories was my first exposure to Saunders, and it strikes me that the format and context probably wasn't the best for enjoying his sharp writing. I believe all of these stories originally appeared in magazines, and the problem is that by reading one a day over the course of a week, the similarities in setting, tone, theme, character become glaringly obvious. This doesn't mean the writing isn't good, but the collectivization of these stories certainly robs each of its indiv... Read more

Review:I'll admit this was probably my least favorite of the Murakami novels I've read, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. Though it may not stack up favorably against the author's best efforts, "Hard-Boiled Wonderland"--like lesser works by DeLillo, for instance--still ranks above most other writers' work. Murakami's books have a certain sense of universality that isn't so much temporal as geographical. While set in Japan, they seem as though they could occur anywhere. Partly this is due to Muraka... Read more

Review:A strange man's magical tattooes weave stories while he sleeps, stories that amaze, excite, and horrify. And when the moon is risen and the tales are told, the dark marks may tell the most horrifying story of all.

Bradbury isn't for everyone, and several of his stories aren't for the squeamish. This collection of short stories is mostly tame, and as uneven in quality as most short-story collections. "The Veldt" and "Zero Hour" are brilliantly-stirred blends of sci-fi and gothic horror, wh... Read more

Review:In Our Time is a complex series of short stories, compiled into one book, that takes place in the era of World War I, but contains concepts and ideas that can be applied to any time period. While complex, Hemingway's short stories contain deeper meanings that can relate to a variety of audiences. I recommend these short stories for someone who is willing to dedicate a large chunk of time to reading and understanding a story. By merely skimming through this, you will not be able to comprehend the... Read more

Review:I read a lot of these short stories. Mostly they are about stoic men drinking and either killing other people, getting killed, killing themselves, remembering a death, or being witness to some death of something. Read more

Review:This is heralded as one of Steinbeck's best. I'm disappointed. It's just personal taste. The voice goes from 1st to 3rd person which doesn't flow smoothly in my humble opinion. But, why take my opinion? I'm at odds with literary history. I suggest that no one base a decision on one person's view of a literary w y. Give it a try. At least you can say you've read a class Steinbeck novel! Read more

Review:Excellent set of stories by Joe Abercrombie. I longed for the First Law universe from Joe when I read the Half>>> first book. It was not very good in my estimation.
These are First Law stories Joe did over time loosely tied together. I enjoyed all of them but one that seemed out of place and slow.

Don't peak at the last one. Nice twist. Read more