Try it if you like short stories.
344114
Very good collection of short stories, by a variety of authors.  Some stories are stronger than others.
471885
Another great, all be it, what seems like a very short story.

You don't really garner much from this tale, but if you've read the ones before this, and you liked them,
you'll love this too and should go ahead and pick it up.
4078705
I enjoyed this book.  The first story was very interesting and then a collection of short stories.
2095091
I really enjoyed the stories, some seemed familiar while others were new.  Short stories make a quick read.  Fun for grandkids.
1082574
No one belongs here more than you.
Stories by Miranda July
224 Page collection of short stories, released May 15, 2007.
Won the Frank O'Conner International Short Story Award.

Suddenly I have become aware of the short story and am enjoying the genre more and more.

I wanted to like them. I really did. But...

I found most of the stories lacked substance. Sudden thrown in sexual innuendo's don't cut it.

A few I really liked. Such as the first. The Shared Patio. The characters well developed, a good story. It got my curiosity, I had to read on, but frankly most of the other stories, didn't live up to the first one. I tired of them, easily.  Repetitive. Take in small doses!

Not something you would want to read cover to cover all at once. It's good bathroom material. Read a chapter then get off the pot!

I'd give this book three stars out of five.

Michael Estey
2572157
I suppose, like any short story collection, it reflects the taste of the editor. I liked some of the stories better than others.
Although I have liked other collections better, it's great to find short pieces being paid attention to.
B Bradley
579156
I liked it.  As is obvious it is a collection of short stories - some of which have something to do with the author in question's other works.  Frankly for me the shorts by Gaimen and Rothfuss were reason enough to buy it, and I was not disappointed.  Specifically, if you are a fan of the Name of the Wind by Rothfuss but were disappointed by the short he published (The Slow Regard of Silent Things) the story here is probably more what you were looking for.

In summary, lot of good, fast interesting stories in this here book.  Worth it if that is what you are looking for.
4494902
If I could have given this book 3.5 stars, I would have done so. (I rounded up.) Some stories I really enjoyed, but others I thought were merely OK.

I thought slow pacing was an issue with most of the stories--the actual conflict of the tale wasn't evident immediately as a general rule and took time to build. I suppose it speaks to my preferences as a reader to say I think even a short story needs a strong "hook" up front to draw the reader in, something really interesting right away. I found I had to stick with these stories, even the ones that seemed a bit boring up front, to get the payoff it the end. Sometimes I felt the story was really worth it, on a few occasions not as much.

I'd say overall this is a good but not great collection of short stories. I'm looking forward to what the author produces in the future, because it probably will only get better from here.
4375028
As a rule, I truly enjoy dark stories, but I like a little satire, a little dark humor--and perhaps a big dollop of horror--in the mix.  That's probably why few of these fifteen short stories held my interest.

My favorite story was "Alabaster," about a unique, caring relationship between a Holocaust survivor and her daughter, and what happened when a little boy entered their lives for a warm, fleeting moment. That story told me something; it made me think and had a beginning, middle and end ... as I like my stories to do.

I also liked "Echo," the story of a man who always destroyed his friendships. The best friend he ever had struggled to understood him, but was eventually forced to let go.  This was a fine character study of both men.

My favorite character was "Herbie," a tough, resilient, little guy. I cheered when he finally stood up to his abusive father. The author, Mathias Freese, doesn't say, but I like to think that Herbie made it in life.

I felt empathy with all these troubled souls and give this author credit for digging into their minds, but he just went in, looked around, reported his findings, and not much else happened. But at least he understands the inner workings of the mind, it appears.  With his background as a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, he should.

I was going to give this short book three stars because of its "dryness," but because the stories are so well-written--even poetic in places--I'm giving it four stars. Perhaps the lack is in me for not understanding what the author was trying to say, but I feel justified because only the few I mentioned entertained me.

FYI, I won this book on J. Kaye Oldner's Book Blog, a great place for avid readers. This is the sixth book I've won in her weekly raffle. You should visit and try your luck.

Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, 2008
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/1106-Grand-Boulevard/dp/1932586393/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">1106 Grand Boulevard</a>
291396
I tot this book free for my honest review. It was Okay if you like books that are only 14 pages long, short stories. Otherwise I probably would have enjoyed it, b/c it was good imagination. Just to short for my taste.
1306330
Some interesting stories for late night reading.  A few at the end become boring - to me at least.  Overall a good read of short stories that may peak your curiousity.  Can put it down after a story and pick up again with a new one which I like.
1981750
I enjoyed the stories, they were somewhat predictable, but entertaining.  If you want a quick read this is your series
4419762
I really enjoyed the stories. As the case with short stories it seems they ended to quickly but were worth the read.
3957435
Can you write a  short story in only 55 words? Sure. Making it a GOOD ultra-short story is the challenge. And "The World's Shortest Stories" is an amusing light read, with many so-so stories, some duds, and some little hidden gems that might make you smile.

The majority of the stories are made up mostly of dialogue, with a twist (like piranhas or bigamy) at the end. Each one takes about ten seconds maximum to read. There's love (a werewolf has a tendency to kill his girlfriends on the full moon), murder (a sex kitten turns out to be a hit woman), terrible puns ("Abra-cadaver!") and sex ("Brenda promised the horizontal hokey-pokey if he wore a chicken suit and spoke French").

Some of the short stories feel unfinished, as if the author had a good idea but couldn't follow it through. And others are downright dour, rarely managing to get any sort of emotion from the reader; an exception was "It Was a Year Ago," a gut-wrencher about drunk driving. But more often it's maudlin, emotionless vignettes like "Photographer's Regrets."

But perhaps two-thirds of the humorous stories manage to evoke a smile or  little laugh, like "Harry's Love," about a man's adoration for his curvacious, golden, sensuous... trumpet. And a few of them give twists that will get a grin out of you, like "Dragon Tale," about a peculiar tattoo. Not to mention the vampire support meeting.

"The World's Shortest Stories" has quite a few duds sprinkled through the hits, but it's still an amusing -- and very short -- book of even shorter stories.
2180439
If you enjoy short stories you might enjoy this collection (I found the style similar to&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Deborah-Eisenberg/dp/0312429894/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Deborah Eisenberg</a>&nbsp;). The writing is a bit unfocused and the characters less developed than I normally prefer. But there are some charms in the writing. Smith's style is casual and often resembles structured stream of consciousness writing (I know that's a contradiction). I liked the chatty, casual style but I would have preferred more plot.
2037679
The genre fiction short story is an interesting animal. There is a lot of derivative genre fiction, and it's really hard in a short story to both tell and interesting story and/or bring something new to the field. Two stories in this anthology stick with me. I'll get to those first.

My favorite is "Iphengenia in Aulis" by Mike Carey. I saw this was a few other reviewers' fave, so that's why I read it early on. Immediately, it plunges you into a strange off-kilter world and an unusual narrator--a child who is strapped into a wheelchair and taken to class each day. Creepy and unsettling, I do not want to spoil the twist here; however, I do think that even if you know the twist, it makes for an interesting read, and I'm looking forward to reading it again. (*****)

Also at the top of this heap is "Sympathy for the Bones" by Marjorie M. Liu. Although this story was predictable, it did a wonderful job of setting a bleak mood in such a short space. It feels like 19th century Appalachia meets voodoo. An intriguing mix for sure.  (****)

I had never heard of either of these authors before, and I might check them out again.

Now for the rest.

As far as Sookie Stackhouse short stories go, this one was fine. The major conflict early on in the story is "Can Sookie open the door to the school with her hands full?" but things get better from there. Charlaine Harris is hardly a master craftsman at the short story, but this one built tension well, even if it did nothing to further the character development of Sookie and her nephew, Hunter. (***)

Toni Kelner's Pirate Dave story was fine. As far as her stories go, the whole Pirate Dave thing doesn't interest me, but her sense of humor still shines through. (***)

Spellcaster 2.0 by Jonathan Maberry was a decent read about a magical computer program that summons a demon. Sounds like a Buffy episode... I'd heard of him before and might seek out his work again. This story got bogged down by superfluous details and a terrible ending, however. (***)

Steve Hockensmith wrote a few of those terrible Jane Austen meets zombie things, but not the good ones. His story "Introduction to Jewish Myth and Mysticism" was like the cat comes back the very next day with added murder and gore. Snore. (**)

Finally, VSI by Nancy Holder was straight out of my Master's writing course: marital problems AND supernatural happenings? They would have eaten it right up. I say "blah." (* 1/2)

I skipped Academy Field trip because the first two paragraphs were the most boring things I've ever read in my life. And I've read *all* the Sookie Stackhouse short stories. (*)

I also skipped Low School by Rhys Bowen after about 3 pages because everyone was so unlikeable I wanted to tear the pages out and burn them, but didn't because their unlikeability would turn into smoke and pollute the air, and there's enough air pollution as it is. (*)

The rest were from series I'm unfamiliar with, so I didn't read them. Still, I bought this book used and feel I got my money's worth. Being introduced to a new author is worth the cost.
2534814
I don't like short stories. I like to know the characters from start to finish. Short stories make me feel like I'm missing something. That said, there were several stories I would have loved to see how things turned out.