interesting and fun stories I've ever read
343521
The Green Man Series was one of the most intriguing, interesting and fun stories I've ever read.  I love all three and have purchased the set for many friends and family to enjoy as well.  Sharon Brubaker is an excellent writer.  Her characters are well developed and she has a knack that makes you feel you know them all well.  I highly recommend this series.  I am from the area she writes about and the map and places made these books so much more real to me.  Thank you Sharon Brubaker!
4444839
I am not normally a fan of anthologies or a collection of stories.  I guess I just always enjoy full books that tell one story.  With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Kris Radish's (she is also a journalist) book.  None of the stories are more than ten pages long, but you sure do get a great story out of them.  Some of them are hilarious, some paint beautiful pictures and some of them show you that your life might not be too hard and will break your heart.  Kris tells stories from her everyday life that are hilarious.  She also tells stories of the stories that she covered from being a journalist.  For instance, there is a story in this book about her going to war zone for a story.  Three women end up coming aboard and they do not speak English.  However, she is able to relate to them as a mother.  They somehow find common ground and build a connection over that plane ride.  She shares pictures of her son with them.  Kris always wonders about them and she makes you wonder about them.  Did they survive?  If they did, what are they doing now?  If they didn't, how are their kids?  All sorts of questions are raised.
She tells tales of heartbreak from kids being killed.  I think my favorite story in this book was funny and scary at the same time.  It is titled "The Day They Sliced Me Open."  It is about the day that she gave birth to her son Andrew.  This story was hilarious because of some of the things that were going through her mind (why she'll never use a male doctor again, talking about running off with a nurse because she never wants to touch a man again or the discussion of which way her c-section scar will be cut).  This short story also shows all the things that go through your mind when you have a baby (at least I think so, since I've never had one before).  She wonders if the doctor got enough sleep the night before, are they going to harm her son when they cut her open?, or if his medical degree is legit or not.  I laughed out loud a couple of times but also saw the scary side of the beforehand of motherhood and worrying about being a mother.  In this book, Kris makes you wonder how you would handle situations and really makes you put things into perspective.  Like I said before, I am not usually a fan of short stories, but I enjoyed these.  I think since the stories were short and made you think or were funny, it made me eager to get to the next story.  They didn't drag on and were very enjoyable.  This book may have opened up a whole new genre for me!  Thanks Kris for making me laugh and almost cry at the same time!
2618975
This book contains several short stories, all of them easy to read and very entertaining.  Most of them left me wanting to know more!!
I couldn't always tell where one story ended and the next began, but it may have just been the way it showed up on my kindle...would have preferred a new page for a new story. Overall, I really enjoyed and look forward to more by this author.
1740951
This was a fun and interesting read. It's not my usual genre, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes fiction or fantasy of any sort. It flows well and I did not often find myself slipping out of the "reading zone." There are layers to the story and characters and it can be appreciated on more than one level. Each chapter/section covers a different smaller adventure within a larger continuous story, and these served a similar function as the short stories I usually read during my commute to work. Like the previous reviewer, I can also imagine sharing this book aloud with an older child and using the stories as a jumping-off point for some good discussions.
2590157
Each evening I read another story; the writers are top notch and the stories interesting. Each is about some aspect of life in India. I enjoyed reading these stories so much that I recommended this book to several friends.
555362
I received a complementary copy from the author in exchange for this review.

As I live in the real world, I tend to enjoy speculative fiction about times and places that just don't exist.  While there is one story in this collection that fits that interest, the vast majority are about a day in the life.... and written quite well to bring that day very much to life.

There is a story about a ride down the Broad Street subway line to a Phillies game that reminded me of many such rides I have taken over the years; all a part of a very creative story whose point is not about that ride at all.

A story about An evening in a karaoke bar that resonates down the ages. A Story about two young girls who become best friends and whose children become best friends for a while. A bride to be who's having second thoughts, a wife who's simple glance at her husband tells him everything he never imagined. And a poem that might just be the best "don't text and drive" message ever.

A collection of well-crafted and well written stories. I am very glad the author invited me to take a chance on a book that would've never come to my attention. I strongly recommend you add this to your reading list.
433531
Im not sure why Patrick Egan titled this book, In All The Wrong Places, but that doesnt matter, to me, because all the stories went straight to the right place.

This book is a fun read, a collection of short stories, offering a diversity of situations and experiences that are intriguing, enjoyable and entertaining. Patricks voice is soothingly powerful, always emitting, the ring of truth, which with some stories, the ones I enjoyed most, is quite unlikely.

Each story stands alone, and yet there is a reoccurrence of the outdoors, of vibrant siblings, wise tales and a confused sintering of light religion and the super-natural.

You could do worse then take this book to bed, to fight off cold or loneliness or perhaps just for the pleasure of being entertained. Five stars.
4328302
Fun for bookworms like me--interesting recommendations for good reads
3308704
Kupersmith's stories are notable largely for their truly unique content. I can't say that I have ever read anything like a modern take on traditional Vietnamese ghost stories before. It is obvious that the stories all draw upon her own experiences living in Vietnam as well as her family's reflection on their time there and subsequent immigration. As such, the stories ring remarkably true to the American-Vietnamese experience while somehow also ably integrating fantastical horror elements.

It had also been a long time since I had sat down to read a short story collection and this book reminded me of the pleasures of format. Each story was of a length that fully satisfied but also left the reader wanting more, leading me to binge read the entire book in two nights.

For a very young author, Kupersmith is already a master of restraint. She resists the urge to over explain in a way that is particularly suited to ghost stories. I was left with so many questions at the end of each story, but in a way that did not feel like a cheap trick. In fact, the unresolved endings suit the overall theme (if there is one) of the stories well: this idea that you never really leave the past behind.

Little bits of humor and some surprising twists make this book very readable and enjoyable. I highly recommend this collection of short stories and I look forward to reading whatever Kupersmith publishes next!
2293261
I enjoyed this collection of short stories very much. Each story has notes from the author with additional information, such as her inspiration for writing the story, etc. This really added to my enjoyment of the stories. Some of the stories were supernatural and others were just suspenseful or creepy and lingered in my imagination for a while. She also has an interesting Twitter account and will follow you back if you let her know that you've read her books. I am looking forward to reading more of her work.
685131
I wasn't certain what to expect with these three short stories, having never before read anything by this author, but I was pleasantly surprised. The prose was engaging, the character fairly interesting and the short stories well managed.

The first story is about a girl who waits until she realizes she can't wait any longer. The second is about a girl obsessed with a boy who learns that she can't hide from real love. The third is about a wedding planner who has a sweet romance with a cameraman. I was a bit confused by some of the language, idioms I'm not familiar with. I'm not sure where it was supposed to be placed. I do not think America.

I had a few issues. Some of the scenes left me scratching my head. The first paragraph of "On the Sidelines" I read over and over trying to figure out how the boy could hit his head on a ball and the ground at the same time. I still don't know. Other than that, it's a fun compilation of stories apparently based on the characters of another book.

I recommend it for those who are interested in light romance.
2816949
It was an interesting and fun read. There were a variety of really interesting characters with unique stories to tell.
3621314
These stories are fascinating! I loved reading every one.
1831842
I'm not usually a fan of short story collections but I absolutely loved these stories by Francesca Marciano. Each one grabbed me in the first page or two and held me captive til the end. It's probably the first time a short story collection has kept me awake at night turning the pages. The stories were all about women in transition, living in different places, in different circumstances and different times of their lives, but each was such a unique story, unlike the others. Her character development was excellent, especially considering the short length of each story. I really wish some of them would have gone on, because I liked the characters so much, yet they all ended with some sort of satisfying resolution. Some make me sad, some made me laugh, and some had me thinking about them afterwards looking up the places were they took place on the Internet. This is a book I will definitely recommend to friends.

Marciano has written three other novels,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Casa-Rossa/dp/0375726373/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Casa Rossa</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rules-of-the-Wild-A-Novel-of-Africa/dp/0375703438/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rules of the Wild: A Novel of Africa</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-End-of-Manners-A-Novel/dp/0375425101/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The End of Manners: A Novel</a>. After reading this short story collection I'm anxious to read her other books.
3880357
On the whole, this is an interesting collection of strange and bizarre stories. Most are written in first-person, and this makes it easy for the reader to get absorbed right into each quirky situation. I would describe these stories as "fantastical". There is always an attitude of bemused humor in the telling of the tales. The "impossible" is treated as being true and accepted in the telling of the tale -- a matter-of-fact attitude expressed by the first-person narrator. "Things fall apart" is the quote by W.B. Yeats printed on the page before the collection of stories begins. This is the thread that ties all these stories together.

I won't review each story, as this has been done well by others on Amazon. But, my favorite story is the title story: "The Miniature Wife". A man accidentally shrinks his wife to doll-size, and can't reverse the process. So, he tries to accommodate her by building her a doll house to live in. Things do not go well. Their relationship changes drastically. And, so it goes. Very creepy, and also funny.

"Cash to a Killing" is my next favorite, then "Pilot, Copilot, Writer". On my personal grading scale, all 18 of these stories merit a grade of between A+ and C, which (in my experience of reading short story collections) is excellent. Not all stories are winners, but none of them is bad. Quirky variations on tales of wolfmen, zombies, unicorns, murderers, hijackers, robots, other-worlds, end of the world, human oddities. Sprinkled in amongst the stories are several "Meritorious Life" encyclopedia-like entries. They are not short stories, but seem more like writing exercises . These are the weakest entries in this collection, with one exception: "William Corbin: A Meritorious Life". The encyclopedia entry gives a scholarly explanation of the origin of clowns. It reminded me greatly of a museum I visited in Culver City, CA -- the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Just as this museum presents the fantastical as "truth" (and you must do your own research to determine the real truth),  it is difficult to separate fact from fiction when it is presented in a scholarly format. That's what this particular entry does -- presents the wildly fantastic as truth. And, it's presented so seriously that you almost might believe it. (I don't believe that the other Meritorious Life entries are as successful.)

The writing is very good, the stories are engaging, odd, creepy, funny, etc. My main criticism of many of these stories is the author's chosen "ending". As some other reviewers have mentioned, they didn't think the stories were finished. The author is obviously very talented, so I also do not understand why he seemed to not supply adequate "endings" to some (not all) of these stories.
881906
I'm a huge fan of short stories. A friend of mine gave me a gift card and I decided to purchase this book and I'm so glad I did. Each story had me unable to put the book down. Some we're comedic and others had me tearing up. Either way I  was entertained by these stories and would recommend this book. Sometimes I feel compelled to read a novel throughout and thought that short stories was a break, without actually taking a "break" from reading. And what a nice break it was.
3661673
The description and cover of this ebook really piqued my interest, so I decided to give these stories a shot; and as it turns out, they were actually very good.

I'm going to first talk about each of the individual stories, then I'll discuss the overall writing style.

STORIES:

1. The Dancing Water - When Anton was a child, he loved to play imaginative adventure games with his grandfather and twin sister Elena.  One day, during one of these games, his grandfather gives him a vial of "Dancing Water" that he claims will cure any sickness that Anton or Elena may have.  As the years pass, their community becomes a toxic wasteland; and Anton and his sister end up far away from home.  Many more years pass and Elena becomes deathly ill; Anton must venture back to the toxic wasteland, once called their home, in order to retrieve the "Dancing Water" he left there and attempt to save his sister.

There are so many more aspects and details added to the story that I'm not giving, simply because I don't want to give away the entire story.  I would have to say, though, that I found this story to be more fantasy or science fiction rather than horror.  It was still a very adventurous plot that I enjoyed very much.

2. Breaths in Winter - Wesley Smith's life seems to be slowly falling apart.  His job has him sitting in front of a window that looks out to a bridge where people commit suicide frequently; also, his partner has slipped into depression after having his sister die.  As Wes witnesses these suicidal jumpers, they push him over the edge, and he becomes confused as to what is real and what is not.

This was my least favorite of the stories.  I don't really enjoy reading homosexual themes; and although it's just a personal preference, I would have appreciated being warned about it somewhere before I read.  Also, I just didn't feel like this story had enough of a horror element to it.  I never felt like any of the story was particularly creepy.  Despite these areas that I didn't enjoy, it's still a well-written story that kept my interest the entire time.

3. Awake, Ghost Song - Tom doesn't like his wife's psychic friend; she irritates him.  When she insists on "relaxing" him by bringing back his childhood, she brings back much more.  He is suddenly being followed everywhere by his brother who has been dead for many years.

In this story, which just happens to be my favorite, we get to look at two different time periods.  The first time is when Tom was just a boy, and the horrible tragedy that occurred then.  The readers get a look (through flashbacks and dreams) at what life was like for Tom as a child.  We also get a look at Tom's adult life with his family, and how this new ghost affects his well-established life.  This story was definitely crazy and twisted, which I loved!

WRITING STYLE - All three stories were written very well.  I didn't spot a single typo, and once I started one story, I couldn't stop, because they all drew me in fully.  All of the characters and locations are developed very well, which can sometimes be an issue with short stories.  Also, the fact that this was a compilation of three short stories that weren't sold separately was amazing.

The only complaint that I would possible have is that with the first two stories just did not have enough of a horror aspect; they were a little too fantasy/sci fi.  They were still good, just not as creepy as I would have liked.  However, this is a minor flaw that isn't much of a big deal at all.

WARNINGS - Language, Violence, Sexual Scenes, Homosexual Themes

OVERALL - These three stories were very, very good.  I can definitely recommend them with the warning that they aren't going to be as creepy as you might think.  Also know that there are some rather mature themes in them.  Otherwise, they are quite interesting to read.