Bright Lights, Big City

Book #49 on my reading list this year was Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City.

If you had to pick just one book from the 80's to stick in a time capsule it'd probably be this one. Yuppies? Check. Cocaine? Check. Michael J. Fox? Check. It's also smart, dynamic (2nd person!) and a great read.

Why I Read This One
It's a book that pops up frequently in discussions of the best novels of the past 25 years. I'd avoided it a long time due to the movie, which is odd since I've never even seen the film and shouldn't harbor any ill will towards it. The thing that finally pushed me over the precipice was McInerney's associations with Raymond Carver who he studied under and who blurbed BLBC as a 'rambunctious, deadly funny novel that goes right for the mark - the human heart'. Anyone who's alright with Carver is alright with me. Didn't hurt that the two other blurbs on my copy were Richard Ford and a comparison to Catcher in the Rye.

Wikipedia
Salon interview
Fan page
EW's 100 New Classics

My Mistress's Sparrow Is Dead

Tome #13 was My Mistress's Sparrow Is Dead: Great Love Stories, from Chekov to Munro.

It's not every day you find short story collections that mix works of some of today's best writers: George Saunders, Miranda July, Raymond Carver, Richard Ford, etc. alongside great writers of the past such as James Joyce, William Faulkner, Anton Chekov and Vladimir Nabakov. It's a bold choice on the part of editor Jeffrey Eugenides and one he manages to pull off without coming across as a Schelleyian madman. If you're guessing at this point that this must be a McSweeney's project give yourself a big pat on the back. Proceeds from this one go 826 Chicago and their sweet secret agent supply store.

Hard to pick favorite stories especially since I'd read some of the pieces previously but in terms of writers who piqued my interest for reading more, I'd go with Harold Brodkey whose two stories were both excellent.

Previously: The Book of Other People

Short Cuts

Film #9 this year was Robert Altman's ensemble classic Short Cuts.

My NetFlix rating: 4 stars
Jamie says: Great acting, but this would be a must see anyways since it's based on Raymond Carver characters...of course you could just cut out the middle man and read the books instead
RIYL: The Anniversary Party, Magnolia, American Beauty

Official site
Rotten Tomatoes reviews
Wikipedia

Cathedral

Raymond Carver's Cathedral was book #22 on my list this year.

So, um yeah you may have noticed that I've been reading a lot of short stories lately. Tis true. What can I say, they make the perfect literary snack for the internet generation. One thing that's become abundently clear as I've delved deeper and deeper into the genre is that Raymond Carver was truly an amazing talent. He's the Michael Jordan of contemperary authors, effortlessly achieving what others can only aspire to. Cathedral is but another highlight in his storied career.

In Cathedral Carver gives us a dozen dazzling stories that make up one masterpiece of a collection. My favorites were "Feathers", "The Compartment", "A Small Good Thing", "Fever", "The Bridle" and "Cathedral". Highly recommended.

"This old station wagon with Minnesota plates pulls into a parking space in front of the window. There's a man and woman in the front seat, two boys in the back. It's July, temperature's one hundred plus. These people look whipped. There are clothes hanging inside; suitcases, boxes, and such piled in back. From what Harley and I put together later, that's all they had left after the bank in Minnesota took their house, their pickup, their tractor, the farm implements, and a few cows." -- opening paragraph of "The Bridle"

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Book #53 on my 2005 reading list was Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.

Though I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, I found it to be yet another stellar short story collection. Carver just kicks ass, no two ways about it.

Perhaps the most interesting thing I got out of reading this one was a discussion I had with a friend while reading the book. He told me about the fascinating but controversial claims that much of Carver's early works were actually ghost written by his eccentric editor Gordon Lish. Gotta love a good literary feud.

Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?

Book #47 on my 2005 reading list was Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, a collection of short stories by Raymond Carver (who is not to be confused with Raymond Chandler).

Reading this book reminded me of watching a masterful boxer toying with an unworthy foe. Round after round, story after story Carver delivers body blows to anyone challenging his reputation as a short story master. Condensing 22 stories into just under 250 pages, Carver cuts right to the point delivering emotional Hemingway-like slice of life vignettes that are sure to be taught in Lit 101 classes for years to come.

If you're a fan of short stories I'd definitely recommend checking this one out. I haven't read any other Carver works yet, so I don't know where this ranks in relation to his later output. It looks like Where I'm Calling From would also be a good place to start since it's sort of a greatest hits compilation of his stories (including several from Will You Please Be Quiet, Please).