Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Armchair BEA - Short Stories/Novellas

Armchair BEA Headquarters
I am participating in Armchair BEA this year. Armchair BEA is a chance for book lovers' who cannot attend BookExpo America (BEA) to join in the fun from the comfort of their own homes.


Expanding Blogging Horizons

As a new blogger, I don't feel like I have a lot to contribute to this topic, but I have enjoyed looking at other people's responses and I like looking at other people's blogs to see what they are doing. Some people vlog or do BookTube, other people incorporate GIF, and I think both are fun. 

I have a couple things that I like to do that I think make my blog a little different. I try to recommend a readalike after every review. When people ask me for book recommendations, I always ask what books they like because there just aren't that many books out there that will appeal to everyone. The last book that I read that I think almost anyone could appreciate was The Book Thief. But books like The Fault in Our Stars or Gone Girl are just not going to appeal to everyone.

The other thing is my pet project: The First 50 Pages, where I try to read at least the first 50 pages of every book that I own. It's my own solution to buyers' guilt. 

Short Stories/Novellas

As an English major, I have read quite a few short stories, but for the most part they are not something I seek out. Here are a few of my favorites from school:
  • The Awakening by Kate Chopin 
  • The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  • Rape Fantasies by Margaret Atwood
  • Raymond Carver
  • A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  • Signs & Symbols by Vladimir Nabokov
  • The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury
And of course
  • Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville

And more recently, I strongly recommend Jhumpa Lahiri's collection, The Interpreter of Maladies, George Saunders's collection, Tenth of December, and Tim O'Brien's, The Things They Carried.

9 comments:

  1. You've chosen the short story I just wrote about as my favourite. I also love the Yellow Wallpaper.For someone who says they are new to blogging you seem to have done a good job so far in finding your own path.
    I've never heard of BookTube - what is that?

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    1. I don't actually know. I think it is a YouTube channel for book bloggers. The image of the woman circling the room in The Yellow Wallpaper just blows me away.

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  2. So funny - I don't even think of The Awakening as a novella, though of course it is. I love that story so much and think it's so well put together. It feels whole and complete, despite being shorter. I also personally love The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson, which is a gorgeous little novella. Highly recommended!

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    1. I have never read Brandon Sanderson, although I've thought about it. I might check it out for my husband. I think he would like him.

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  3. Only buy books I have already read, so I don't have to worry about the first fifty pages! (I don't buy very many books for myself.) Your idea of read alikes is a good one. I do that when I give presentations, but hadn't thought to do that on my blog. Hmmm!

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    1. Thanks. I rarely buy books anymore. Most of these are books I've had for 5+ years! That's part of why I feel like I need to either read them or move on.

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  4. Readalikes are a great addition to reviews!

    Joy's Book Blog

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  5. I like the idea of including a readalike! Clever.

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  6. I like the idea of the first 50 pages -- I should start doing that so I can get books off my shelves -- and of including readalikes. Those are both smart blogging strategies!

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