A big shoutout to my friends at NPR's Weekend Edition, whose interview with Hausfrau author Jill Alexander Essbaum inspired my husband to visit Literati in Ann Arbor, and surprise me with a signed copy AND a new translation of Madame Bovary my none other than Lydia Davis (yes, that Lydia Davis). Not pictured, the most recent issue of 'New York' magazine with Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson on the cover, also included in this very excellent gift.
What I'm Reading: 'The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis'
I'm sure I've written before about my long-standing distaste for short stories. It probably stemmed from early adolescence, when I was forced to read 'The Gift of the Magi' one time too many. All of the awful short stories that English teachers make kids read give the impression that all short stories must have some kind of macabre, twist ending. As an adult, I skipped over the short story in every issue of The New Yorker, and it wasn't until I read George Saunders that I really started to enjoy them.
I'm not too proud to confess that I bought The Collected Short Stories of Lydia Davis purely for its aesthetic appeal: it's tiny and thick and the most beautiful blushy-orange color. It looks extremely satisfying on my nightstand, and I'm really enjoying the slow process of consuming it. Some stories are as short as a paragraph or a even a sentence, so it's hard to recommend to short story skeptics like myself, because Davis' stories are an exercise in the dismantling of the genre. Even so, for those who never found short stories appealing, the fact that her collection is so very different may be precisely what converts you.
This Week in Books: David Sedaris,
David Sedaris got addicted to FitBit and wrote about it for the New Yorker. I'm not sure what more background information you need to want to read this...
Flavorwire gave a run-down of 2014's best fiction thus far. Some of their picks are surprising, as are some of the titles they left off, but I love them for their book coverage, and it's worth checking out as always.
The Atlantic has an excellent piece on Lydia Davis that includes her own commentary on some early stories. I love her work and I'm still trudging my way through the Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, and her recently published volume is very much on my radar. I'm also happy to report that I got my mom into Lydia Davis as well, so I'm doing my part.
Shelf Hues: Blush
Editor's Note: Shelf Hues is a recurring visual post of books I'm enjoying, arranged by color. I can't organize my library this way, but it looks pretty.