Sure, some collections pop up on book lists, but outside of something as bloated and (dare I say) club-ish as the Best American series, there isn’t a whole lot of space in these articles for the celebrating the short.Īll of this rambling is to say that I want to share something with you: twelve short story collections from 2013 that really stuck with me. And while I dislike yearly “best of” lists, I still check them out, often only to be bummed by the lack of short narrative love. Most of my reviews, those I link to here and the anonymous ones, are for short story collections. It’s pretty much all I read, both on the clock and off. I mean it: 2,000 pounds of short stories per year.
Here’s the thing: I read a ton of short story collections every year. But why am I writing this, if I proclaim to hate lists? Am I so in love with myself that I feel I’m some sort of authority on something? Is it because I like to hear myself talk? Or type? Am I just filled with so much self-loathing that I feel like I need to create that which I despise? You can tell this right from the title: Top 12 Short Story Collections of 2013. Everyone wants to proclaim the ten best movies, books, restaurants, albums, tv shows, colors, lampshades, zombie-themed children’s games, spoons, oak trees, pine trees, artificial trees, crossword puzzles, wigs, and, well, you get the picture. OK, so I don’t buy into journalistic lists, and this time of year, listicles are relentless.
