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"Before you know it as the years go by, you're just like other people you have seen, with all those peculiar human ailments. Just another vehicle for temper and vanity and rashness and all the rest. Who wants it? Who needs it? These things occupy the place where a man's soul should be." -- Henderson the Rain King

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Speaking With The Angel

Book #51 of my reading list was Speaking With The Angel, a short story collection edited by Nick Hornby.

My standard review for short story anthologies is that they're usually a mixed bag: a couple of gems, a bunch of so-so stuff and a few stinkers. This is one of the rare collections though that's pretty darned solid throughout. I had a few faves, Hornby's "NippleJesus", Dave Eggers' "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned" and Roddy Doyle's "The Slave", but even Colin Firth's piece is surprisingly good (who knew he was a writer?).

Why I Read this One
Main thing that drew my attention on this one was the quality of writers included (including Eggers who is a fave and an early work from Zadie Smith). Hornby also is a voracious reader and his "Stuff I've Been Reading" column in The Believer is always intriguing so that also increased my faith that he'd put together a great collection.

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posted by Jamie at 12:43 AM