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We Love Anderson Cooper
In this quirky, humorous, and deeply human short story collection, Pushcart Prize-nominated author R.L. Maizes reminds us that even in our most isolated moments, we are never truly alone.
In We Love Anderson Cooper, characters are treated as outsiders because of their sexual orientation, racial or religious identity, or simply because they look different. A young man courts the publicity that comes from outing himself at his bar mitzvah. When a painter is shunned because of his appearance, he learns to ink tattoos that come to life. A paranoid Jewish actuary suspects his cat of cheating on him—with his Protestant girlfriend.
In this debut collection, humor complements pathos. Readers will recognize themselves in these stories and in these protagonists, whose backgrounds are vastly different from their own—we’ve all been outsiders at some point.
In We Love Anderson Cooper, characters are treated as outsiders because of their sexual orientation, racial or religious identity, or simply because they look different. A young man courts the publicity that comes from outing himself at his bar mitzvah. When a painter is shunned because of his appearance, he learns to ink tattoos that come to life. A paranoid Jewish actuary suspects his cat of cheating on him—with his Protestant girlfriend.
In this debut collection, humor complements pathos. Readers will recognize themselves in these stories and in these protagonists, whose backgrounds are vastly different from their own—we’ve all been outsiders at some point.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published July 23, 2019
72 people are currently reading
6067 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Maizes
5 books228 followersR.L. Maizes is the author of the forthcoming novel A COMPLETE FICTION, the novel OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS, winner of the 2021 Colorado Book Award in Fiction, and the short story collection WE LOVE ANDERSON COOPER. Her stories have aired on National Public Radio and have appeared in Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading. Maizes's essays have aired on NPR and have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, O Magazine, McSweeney's and elsewhere.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Maizes currently lives in Boulder County, CO, with her husband, Steve, and her muses: Arie, a cat who was dropped in the animal shelter’s night box like an overdue library book, and Rosie, a dog who spent her first year homeless in South Dakota and thinks Colorado is downright balmy.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Maizes currently lives in Boulder County, CO, with her husband, Steve, and her muses: Arie, a cat who was dropped in the animal shelter’s night box like an overdue library book, and Rosie, a dog who spent her first year homeless in South Dakota and thinks Colorado is downright balmy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
October 9, 2019
NO SPOILERS...
But.... I wish I could spill the beans. I adored these stories.
10 out of 11 stories were each memorable to me!!
“Tattoo” is my ‘very’ favorite.
A struggling artist with a masters degree in Fine Arts, walks into a tattoo shop to apply for a job. He has no tattoos.
This story unfolds, and unfolds....
it’s *powerful*!!!
I wish a novel would develop!!!
The title story, “We Love Anderson Cooper”, is priceless.
Being assigned a section to read and interpret Leviticus for Bar Mitzvah preparations from the Torah is just bad luck! Haha!
Every Jewish child would prefer Genesis over Leviticus.
Smart kid I said to myself...
The 13 year old, may have pissed off the rabbi - disappointed his mother - betrayed his friend- but he managed to weasel himself out of his - ha- religious-educational-speech....
Ha.....
....only to leave a bigger mark!
There are several ways we can look at R.L. Maizes’ stories: humorous >>> to “OMG, NO WAY”....”*THAT* didn’t just happen”...
to *Lucy Dog*, .....to holy crap! >>> to....”but....it’s so sad”!
With universal familiar threads: loss, jealousy, negligence, sadness, anger, guilt, grief, humor, prejudice, success, failures, illness, death, purpose, love, and relationships ...each of these stories are unique and diverse.
Some stories are charming, others are subdued, others are eye-opening- others jolting....
All have a tinge of sadness or a lot of sadness....
11 short stories were VERY ENTERTAINING...( one was only so-so- but all is forgiven)....
R.L. Maizes’ heart is huge!!!
So happy to have discovered her!!
But.... I wish I could spill the beans. I adored these stories.
10 out of 11 stories were each memorable to me!!
“Tattoo” is my ‘very’ favorite.
A struggling artist with a masters degree in Fine Arts, walks into a tattoo shop to apply for a job. He has no tattoos.
This story unfolds, and unfolds....
it’s *powerful*!!!
I wish a novel would develop!!!
The title story, “We Love Anderson Cooper”, is priceless.
Being assigned a section to read and interpret Leviticus for Bar Mitzvah preparations from the Torah is just bad luck! Haha!
Every Jewish child would prefer Genesis over Leviticus.
Smart kid I said to myself...
The 13 year old, may have pissed off the rabbi - disappointed his mother - betrayed his friend- but he managed to weasel himself out of his - ha- religious-educational-speech....
Ha.....
....only to leave a bigger mark!
There are several ways we can look at R.L. Maizes’ stories: humorous >>> to “OMG, NO WAY”....”*THAT* didn’t just happen”...
to *Lucy Dog*, .....to holy crap! >>> to....”but....it’s so sad”!
With universal familiar threads: loss, jealousy, negligence, sadness, anger, guilt, grief, humor, prejudice, success, failures, illness, death, purpose, love, and relationships ...each of these stories are unique and diverse.
Some stories are charming, others are subdued, others are eye-opening- others jolting....
All have a tinge of sadness or a lot of sadness....
11 short stories were VERY ENTERTAINING...( one was only so-so- but all is forgiven)....
R.L. Maizes’ heart is huge!!!
So happy to have discovered her!!
April 14, 2019
It's too strange to review your own book. So instead I'm going to quote what two authors I admire had to say about it:
"Told with humor and wisdom, these charming stories burst with possibility: At any moment, a character might risk all, or the world might tilt on its axis. Here is a wildly entertaining new voice, one to revel in."
—Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers
"I found myself dazzled, moved, and lost in admiration for these unforgettable stories, each one a gem. Where do I sign up for the R.L. Maizes school of brilliantly depicting off-kilter love and loss with unfailing wit and empathy?"
―Elinor Lipman, author of Good Riddance and On Turpentine Lane
"Told with humor and wisdom, these charming stories burst with possibility: At any moment, a character might risk all, or the world might tilt on its axis. Here is a wildly entertaining new voice, one to revel in."
—Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers
"I found myself dazzled, moved, and lost in admiration for these unforgettable stories, each one a gem. Where do I sign up for the R.L. Maizes school of brilliantly depicting off-kilter love and loss with unfailing wit and empathy?"
―Elinor Lipman, author of Good Riddance and On Turpentine Lane
July 28, 2019
!! NOW AVAILABLE !!
A collection of eleven short stories by R.L. Maizes, another new author for me.
The first of these short stories is the one the title of the book is based on - “We Love Anderson Cooper.” This story begins with young Markus who is reluctantly listening to his Rabbi’s recording of Leviticus 20:13 ”If a man lies with a man…both have committed an abomination…” ”In less than a month, he was supposed to chant those words from memory” in the temple, but laying on his bed with these words pouring into his brain through a single earbud, all he can think of is having sex with Gavin, and his plans of announcing that he’s gay during the bar mitzvah speech, hoping the YouTube video will catch Ellen DeGeneres’ attention and bring him instant fame. 4 stars
“Collections,” the second story, is about a woman whose partner died, after they’d lived together for fourteen years, leaving her nothing. 2. 5 stars
The third story is “Tattoo” and follows an artist-painter who gives up his painting and uses his art afterward to focus on tattoo art, becoming more and more convinced of the life-altering nature of his new art. 4 stars
Fourth is “The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee” which was probably had the lightest feeling to it, without really being light. A love story between to actuaries: Barry -a male Jewish cat owner sharing his life with Mac (the cat), and Annette – a Christmas-decorating-loving woman who slowly comes to be Mac’s person. 2.5 stars
Fifth “No Shortage of Birds” is a sad and disturbing story of a mother and teenage daughter coming to terms with life during the aftermath of the husband / father’s death. The mother brings home a parakeet a month after his death as a gift, which the daughter doesn’t want, and tells her to take it back. 2.5 stars
Sixth – “L’Chaim” is perhaps the shortest, and is a tenderly moving story of a woman whose wedding has just been cancelled, looking over the venue. 4 stars
Seventh – “A Cat Called Grievous.” A man and his wife, after seven non-child-bearing years, find a cat, ”curled up inside a fleece-lined boot” on their porch. The wife chooses to use the unused nursery as a room for the cat. 4 stars
Eighth – “Better Homes and Gardens.” A man loses his suffocating and boring job with excellent pay during the economic crisis, and takes a job delivering pizza, much to the chagrin of his wife and his two entitled teen daughters. 3 stars
Ninth – “Couch.” Penelope is a therapist, whose office couch had once belonged to her grandmother, and it was free so it began as her office couch out of economic sense. “ Without quite realizing it, Penelope had come to believe the couch was responsible for her success.” 4 stars
Tenth – “Yiddish Lessons” concerns a young teen girl trying to come to terms with the things she is prevented from pursuing since she is a girl. 4 stars
Eleventh – “Ghost Dogs” - this is a sad story – most of these stories have some ‘tinge’ of sadness to them, but this was sadness upon sadness upon sadness. ”Thwap. Thwap.” 4 stars
As with any collection of short stories, I enjoyed some more than others, and I’m sure that other readers might enjoy some more than I did, and others will enjoy some less. I found all of these interesting and worth reading, and I found the author’s style and viewpoint were creative and refreshingly unique.
Pub Date: 23 Jul 2019
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Celadon Books
A collection of eleven short stories by R.L. Maizes, another new author for me.
The first of these short stories is the one the title of the book is based on - “We Love Anderson Cooper.” This story begins with young Markus who is reluctantly listening to his Rabbi’s recording of Leviticus 20:13 ”If a man lies with a man…both have committed an abomination…” ”In less than a month, he was supposed to chant those words from memory” in the temple, but laying on his bed with these words pouring into his brain through a single earbud, all he can think of is having sex with Gavin, and his plans of announcing that he’s gay during the bar mitzvah speech, hoping the YouTube video will catch Ellen DeGeneres’ attention and bring him instant fame. 4 stars
“Collections,” the second story, is about a woman whose partner died, after they’d lived together for fourteen years, leaving her nothing. 2. 5 stars
The third story is “Tattoo” and follows an artist-painter who gives up his painting and uses his art afterward to focus on tattoo art, becoming more and more convinced of the life-altering nature of his new art. 4 stars
Fourth is “The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee” which was probably had the lightest feeling to it, without really being light. A love story between to actuaries: Barry -a male Jewish cat owner sharing his life with Mac (the cat), and Annette – a Christmas-decorating-loving woman who slowly comes to be Mac’s person. 2.5 stars
Fifth “No Shortage of Birds” is a sad and disturbing story of a mother and teenage daughter coming to terms with life during the aftermath of the husband / father’s death. The mother brings home a parakeet a month after his death as a gift, which the daughter doesn’t want, and tells her to take it back. 2.5 stars
Sixth – “L’Chaim” is perhaps the shortest, and is a tenderly moving story of a woman whose wedding has just been cancelled, looking over the venue. 4 stars
Seventh – “A Cat Called Grievous.” A man and his wife, after seven non-child-bearing years, find a cat, ”curled up inside a fleece-lined boot” on their porch. The wife chooses to use the unused nursery as a room for the cat. 4 stars
Eighth – “Better Homes and Gardens.” A man loses his suffocating and boring job with excellent pay during the economic crisis, and takes a job delivering pizza, much to the chagrin of his wife and his two entitled teen daughters. 3 stars
Ninth – “Couch.” Penelope is a therapist, whose office couch had once belonged to her grandmother, and it was free so it began as her office couch out of economic sense. “ Without quite realizing it, Penelope had come to believe the couch was responsible for her success.” 4 stars
Tenth – “Yiddish Lessons” concerns a young teen girl trying to come to terms with the things she is prevented from pursuing since she is a girl. 4 stars
Eleventh – “Ghost Dogs” - this is a sad story – most of these stories have some ‘tinge’ of sadness to them, but this was sadness upon sadness upon sadness. ”Thwap. Thwap.” 4 stars
As with any collection of short stories, I enjoyed some more than others, and I’m sure that other readers might enjoy some more than I did, and others will enjoy some less. I found all of these interesting and worth reading, and I found the author’s style and viewpoint were creative and refreshingly unique.
Pub Date: 23 Jul 2019
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Celadon Books
April 5, 2019
This short story collection was an unexpected treat! Not really a short story reader, I was taken by surprise at how engaging the stories were and how engrossed in them I became in such a short time! Book available for preorder and will be published in July.
Follow Book Nation by Jen for all reviews and recommendations.
Feel Like an Outsider? You Are Not Alone. R.L. Maizes’ characters try to overcome challenges in We Love Anderson Cooper.
Review and Q & A With R.L. Maizes
I haven’t read a lot of short stories and when the publisher asked me to take a look at We Love Anderson Cooper I was happy to do so…the title made me smile and when the book arrived I was increasingly motivated by the great looking cover!
A teenage boy coming out publicly at his Bar Mitzvah, a cat playing favorites during the Christmas/Hanukah holiday season, the relief of a called off wedding, and the power of a couch…so wonderful getting to know the varied characters and becoming absorbed in their emotional journeys in such a short time.
I really loved all the stories and was thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with author R.L. Maizes about this new short story collection, her writing process and more.
Q & A with R.L. Maizes
Q: From a reader’s point of view, each of your stories in this wonderful collection stand on its own and is unrelated, with different characters and situations. Every main character seems to have a problem or obstacle they face and tackle during the short time we are with them and I became invested in each and every one! Are any of these short stories in We Love Anderson Cooper linked or connected to each other in any way?
Thanks so much for the kind words about the collection. What connects the stories in We Love Anderson Cooper is that the main characters are outsiders. For example, in the story “Tattoo,” a tattoo artist is shunned because of his unusual appearance. In “Collections,” a woman is excluded from her wealthy partner’s upper crust world because of her race and class. In “No Shortage of Birds,” a young girl becomes alienated from her mother and her friends when her father dies. Being outsiders creates challenges for these characters that they try to overcome in the stories.
Q: Did you write each story with the others in mind? Are there other stories that didn’t make the cut? Did you always plan on putting these together in a collection?
I wrote the stories over a ten-year period. The pain we all feel at being excluded and our tremendous desire to belong was one of my preoccupations, but I wasn’t thinking of writing a collection during that entire time. Many stories I wrote didn’t make the cut.
Q: How long did writing each story take? Have any of them been published on their own prior to this book?
With the exception of one very short one, I spent more than a year writing and revising each of them. Some took many years. A number of the stories were published in magazines before being included in the book. One aired on National Public Radio. Another was dramatized in a production of Stories on Stage.
Q: From a writing standpoint, how do you gage timing, know how much to reveal in such a short time and do you have to do any work developing the characters or the story arc before the story is written or does it just all come together as you write?
I’m what’s known as a pantser, which means I develop the stories as I write them (“fly by the seat of my pants”) rather than plotting them out beforehand. The stories end up needing more revision this way, but it’s the only way I know how to write.
Figuring out when to reveal information is one of the great challenges of fiction writing, and each story has its own needs in that regard. In “Ghost Dogs,” for example, the last story in the collection, I intentionally hold back important information until the middle of the story. While in another story, I reveal the end of the story first, allowing the suspense to arise from how the ending comes about.
Q: What is the editing process like for a short story – do you generally write too much and have to cut, or too little and have to expand?
Both! I have to write too much to discover what the story is really about. Once I know, I cut to the heart of the story. The challenge of the form is compression. At the same time, when I want to go deeper into a character or to slow down a scene for dramatic purposes, I expand parts of the story.
Q: Would you ever consider expanding any of these stories into a book?
I’m writing a novel now called “Other People’s Pets.” The main character is an animal empath who drops out of veterinary school to become a burglar. Her father’s been arrested and she’s desperate to earn enough to pay his attorney’s fees. It has some similarities with the collection. The main character is an outsider and the book features animals. But it’s not an expansion of any of the stories. I don’t plan to expand any of the stories in the collection because each one feels complete to me as it is.
Q: How do you get your ideas for your writing?
Stories are everywhere. A news report might trigger an idea for a story. Something that happened to an acquaintance might be the genesis of a story. I might observe something odd in my neighborhood. But the finished stories are always greatly changed from what initially sparked them.
Q: Are you going on book tour?
It’s a little too soon to know. I’ll be reading at bookstores in Colorado where I live. But I’m not sure where else I’ll tour.
Q: What are three books you recently read and would recommend?
I loved Rebecca Makkai’s recent novel, The Great Believers, and her story collection, Music for Wartime. Mad Boy by Nick Arvin is a wonderful book, funny and tender. It’s currently a finalist for a Colorado Book Award. I’m a big fan of Steve Yarbrough’s novels because of the compassion he has for his characters. The Unmade World, which came out this past year, was fantastic. I thought Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend was great. Naturally because of the dog. But also because the structure of that book was marvelous. I guess that’s more than three.
Q: What is on your nightstand to read next?
I’m looking forward to reading Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise and was lucky enough to pick up an advance reading copy at a conference I recently attended. I’m also about to begin Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s debut story collection, Sabrina & Corina.
Thank you to R.L. Maizes for answering some questions! If you feel like an outsider, you are not alone. Easy to read, engaging and thought provoking, every step of the way, I highly recommend pre-ordering a copy of We Love Anderson Cooper today – book will be available in July.
Follow Book Nation by Jen for all reviews and recommendations.
Feel Like an Outsider? You Are Not Alone. R.L. Maizes’ characters try to overcome challenges in We Love Anderson Cooper.
Review and Q & A With R.L. Maizes
I haven’t read a lot of short stories and when the publisher asked me to take a look at We Love Anderson Cooper I was happy to do so…the title made me smile and when the book arrived I was increasingly motivated by the great looking cover!
A teenage boy coming out publicly at his Bar Mitzvah, a cat playing favorites during the Christmas/Hanukah holiday season, the relief of a called off wedding, and the power of a couch…so wonderful getting to know the varied characters and becoming absorbed in their emotional journeys in such a short time.
I really loved all the stories and was thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with author R.L. Maizes about this new short story collection, her writing process and more.
Q & A with R.L. Maizes
Q: From a reader’s point of view, each of your stories in this wonderful collection stand on its own and is unrelated, with different characters and situations. Every main character seems to have a problem or obstacle they face and tackle during the short time we are with them and I became invested in each and every one! Are any of these short stories in We Love Anderson Cooper linked or connected to each other in any way?
Thanks so much for the kind words about the collection. What connects the stories in We Love Anderson Cooper is that the main characters are outsiders. For example, in the story “Tattoo,” a tattoo artist is shunned because of his unusual appearance. In “Collections,” a woman is excluded from her wealthy partner’s upper crust world because of her race and class. In “No Shortage of Birds,” a young girl becomes alienated from her mother and her friends when her father dies. Being outsiders creates challenges for these characters that they try to overcome in the stories.
Q: Did you write each story with the others in mind? Are there other stories that didn’t make the cut? Did you always plan on putting these together in a collection?
I wrote the stories over a ten-year period. The pain we all feel at being excluded and our tremendous desire to belong was one of my preoccupations, but I wasn’t thinking of writing a collection during that entire time. Many stories I wrote didn’t make the cut.
Q: How long did writing each story take? Have any of them been published on their own prior to this book?
With the exception of one very short one, I spent more than a year writing and revising each of them. Some took many years. A number of the stories were published in magazines before being included in the book. One aired on National Public Radio. Another was dramatized in a production of Stories on Stage.
Q: From a writing standpoint, how do you gage timing, know how much to reveal in such a short time and do you have to do any work developing the characters or the story arc before the story is written or does it just all come together as you write?
I’m what’s known as a pantser, which means I develop the stories as I write them (“fly by the seat of my pants”) rather than plotting them out beforehand. The stories end up needing more revision this way, but it’s the only way I know how to write.
Figuring out when to reveal information is one of the great challenges of fiction writing, and each story has its own needs in that regard. In “Ghost Dogs,” for example, the last story in the collection, I intentionally hold back important information until the middle of the story. While in another story, I reveal the end of the story first, allowing the suspense to arise from how the ending comes about.
Q: What is the editing process like for a short story – do you generally write too much and have to cut, or too little and have to expand?
Both! I have to write too much to discover what the story is really about. Once I know, I cut to the heart of the story. The challenge of the form is compression. At the same time, when I want to go deeper into a character or to slow down a scene for dramatic purposes, I expand parts of the story.
Q: Would you ever consider expanding any of these stories into a book?
I’m writing a novel now called “Other People’s Pets.” The main character is an animal empath who drops out of veterinary school to become a burglar. Her father’s been arrested and she’s desperate to earn enough to pay his attorney’s fees. It has some similarities with the collection. The main character is an outsider and the book features animals. But it’s not an expansion of any of the stories. I don’t plan to expand any of the stories in the collection because each one feels complete to me as it is.
Q: How do you get your ideas for your writing?
Stories are everywhere. A news report might trigger an idea for a story. Something that happened to an acquaintance might be the genesis of a story. I might observe something odd in my neighborhood. But the finished stories are always greatly changed from what initially sparked them.
Q: Are you going on book tour?
It’s a little too soon to know. I’ll be reading at bookstores in Colorado where I live. But I’m not sure where else I’ll tour.
Q: What are three books you recently read and would recommend?
I loved Rebecca Makkai’s recent novel, The Great Believers, and her story collection, Music for Wartime. Mad Boy by Nick Arvin is a wonderful book, funny and tender. It’s currently a finalist for a Colorado Book Award. I’m a big fan of Steve Yarbrough’s novels because of the compassion he has for his characters. The Unmade World, which came out this past year, was fantastic. I thought Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend was great. Naturally because of the dog. But also because the structure of that book was marvelous. I guess that’s more than three.
Q: What is on your nightstand to read next?
I’m looking forward to reading Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise and was lucky enough to pick up an advance reading copy at a conference I recently attended. I’m also about to begin Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s debut story collection, Sabrina & Corina.
Thank you to R.L. Maizes for answering some questions! If you feel like an outsider, you are not alone. Easy to read, engaging and thought provoking, every step of the way, I highly recommend pre-ordering a copy of We Love Anderson Cooper today – book will be available in July.
November 8, 2020
I really enjoyed this book of short stories. The publisher sent it to me last year and I feel bad t hat it lingered on my shelf, but that's one thing the pandemic has been good for - returning to my shelves more often! I've had this sitting beside my work computer for when I need a quick diversion.
These stories portray people who don't fit in to their expectations and react a number of ways. Sometimes what they do happens in a sentence or was only hinted at in the beginning of a story and you have to backtrack (it's often subversive!) I love the tattoo and couch stories best, as the author was able to make me really feel connected to the solitary character in each of them and I felt very invested in their futures.
These stories portray people who don't fit in to their expectations and react a number of ways. Sometimes what they do happens in a sentence or was only hinted at in the beginning of a story and you have to backtrack (it's often subversive!) I love the tattoo and couch stories best, as the author was able to make me really feel connected to the solitary character in each of them and I felt very invested in their futures.
April 8, 2020
Maizes writes in a relatable, entertaining way about familiar people dealing with love and loss - yet makes it feel fresh. I look forward to reading more of her...
August 15, 2019
3.5 stars.
I'm a big fan of short stories, but it doesn't seem like there have been many collections this year that have caught my eye. I'll need to remedy that, because every time I read a collection of stories I'm reminded of how much I like this format, and how incredibly writers can create compelling scenarios in just a small number of pages.
I was drawn to R.L. Maizes' debut collection, We Love Anderson Cooper , because of the title, first and foremost. (I do love him, honestly.) But I stayed for the stories. While not all of the 11 stories clicked for me—and one was so short that it seemed like I was missing something—I was so impressed by Maizes' writing, her imagery, and her creativity.
My favorites in the collection included: "Tattoo," about a talented yet struggling artist who turns to tattooing and begins to create designs which become reality; "Couch," which tells of a therapist whose practice—and life—are upended by the purchase of a new couch for her office; "The Infidelity of Judah Macabee," where a man feels betrayed by his cat; "Collections," about an older woman left behind when her companion, whom she cared for, left her with nothing even though she thought of him as her husband; and the title story, which tells of a young man planning to out himself at his bar mitzvah, but isn't sure of the consequences.
Some of the characters in these stories are memorable, some of them are very twisted and even cruel. There are a few stories which might trigger those uncomfortable with animal cruelty, descriptions of animals dying (accidentally and on purpose), murder, and blood. (It's funny, I didn't realize how crazy some of the stories were until I started writing this list!)
The stories I loved in this collection will definitely linger on in my mind. There's no doubt that Maizes is a talented writer with a very bright future, and I look forward to seeing what comes next for her. For those of you who enjoy short stories, you might want to check this collection out!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
I'm a big fan of short stories, but it doesn't seem like there have been many collections this year that have caught my eye. I'll need to remedy that, because every time I read a collection of stories I'm reminded of how much I like this format, and how incredibly writers can create compelling scenarios in just a small number of pages.
I was drawn to R.L. Maizes' debut collection, We Love Anderson Cooper , because of the title, first and foremost. (I do love him, honestly.) But I stayed for the stories. While not all of the 11 stories clicked for me—and one was so short that it seemed like I was missing something—I was so impressed by Maizes' writing, her imagery, and her creativity.
My favorites in the collection included: "Tattoo," about a talented yet struggling artist who turns to tattooing and begins to create designs which become reality; "Couch," which tells of a therapist whose practice—and life—are upended by the purchase of a new couch for her office; "The Infidelity of Judah Macabee," where a man feels betrayed by his cat; "Collections," about an older woman left behind when her companion, whom she cared for, left her with nothing even though she thought of him as her husband; and the title story, which tells of a young man planning to out himself at his bar mitzvah, but isn't sure of the consequences.
Some of the characters in these stories are memorable, some of them are very twisted and even cruel. There are a few stories which might trigger those uncomfortable with animal cruelty, descriptions of animals dying (accidentally and on purpose), murder, and blood. (It's funny, I didn't realize how crazy some of the stories were until I started writing this list!)
The stories I loved in this collection will definitely linger on in my mind. There's no doubt that Maizes is a talented writer with a very bright future, and I look forward to seeing what comes next for her. For those of you who enjoy short stories, you might want to check this collection out!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
July 12, 2019
A young girl’s father dies and her mother gives her a parakeet to cheer her up but that only worsens her feelings of loss. A young boy decides to use his bar mitzvah as the time to come out about being gay. A struggling artist turns to doing tattoos which are more real than usual. A Jewish man struggles with his jealousy of his cat’s affections for his Christian girlfriend and her desire to celebrate Christmas. A cat named Grievous makes a profound impact on her family. A therapist finds a couch for her office that does a better job than she does. Petal and Tanner are two dogs that are sorely missed by their owner.
I couldn’t have been more impressed with these wonderful, unique short stories. Many of the stories have pets as a focal point. The author uses these conflicts caused by pets as a fascinating way of exploring grief, loss and jealousy. Another theme the author uses in these stories is that of being an outsider. Some of these stories are humorous, some are tragic and some are pure magic. The last line of the last story, “Ghost Dogs”, quite literally tore my heart in two. I just sat there stunned. This isn’t a book I requested but it found its way to me anyway and I’m so glad it appeared one day. Thank you, Celadon Books, for sending me this lovely book. I will treasure it always.
Most highly recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
I couldn’t have been more impressed with these wonderful, unique short stories. Many of the stories have pets as a focal point. The author uses these conflicts caused by pets as a fascinating way of exploring grief, loss and jealousy. Another theme the author uses in these stories is that of being an outsider. Some of these stories are humorous, some are tragic and some are pure magic. The last line of the last story, “Ghost Dogs”, quite literally tore my heart in two. I just sat there stunned. This isn’t a book I requested but it found its way to me anyway and I’m so glad it appeared one day. Thank you, Celadon Books, for sending me this lovely book. I will treasure it always.
Most highly recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
July 10, 2020
What a strong, involving collection this is. And not a clinker in the bunch. Although I've checked my culture-Jewish and magic realism boxes, not all stories fall into those categories, but enough do to warrant notice. The author's ability to create characters at a crossroads and have their situation play out in ways that are truly original kept me reaching for "one more, just one more," until the book was done. I usually like to stretch collections of short stories out, but each story was so different from its predecessor, I just kept going. Maizes also has a true knack for portraying the affinity between animals and their humans, exhibiting a deep understanding of the heart.
March 26, 2019
You just gotta love a short story collection titled We Love Anderson Cooper.
Anderson Cooper is, of course the ultimate insider’s outsider – proudly gay and successful without making traditionalists the slightest bit uncomfortable. And that’s the thing about R.L. Maizes’ characters: they’re all outsiders and many are even quirky. But they are also recognizably us – even if, often, they are an exaggerated portrait of who we are.
Each short story collection has its subjective favorites, and so here are some of mine: the story Tattoo introduces a fine painter, face covered with large black moles, who becomes a sought-after tattoo artist because his inkings turn into living flesh. In A Cat Called Grievous (it helps to love animals to enjoy R.L. Maizes’ stories!), an infertile couple take in a stray cat whose litter has died and then watch the daughter they eventually have adopt some of her behavior. In Shortage of Birds, a grieving young teen whose dad has just died feels jealousy toward a parakeet who usurps her mom’s love.
There is a Jewish actuary who feels cheated that his cat seems to prefer his new Protestant wife. A teenage boy whose reading of Leviticus prompts him to come out of the closet during his Bar Mitzvah. And more – 11 stories in all.
With a touch of humor and more than a touch of compassion, this debut author writes engaging stories that reveal that all of us – no matter what background we are or emotional state we’re in – just wants understanding and love.
Anderson Cooper is, of course the ultimate insider’s outsider – proudly gay and successful without making traditionalists the slightest bit uncomfortable. And that’s the thing about R.L. Maizes’ characters: they’re all outsiders and many are even quirky. But they are also recognizably us – even if, often, they are an exaggerated portrait of who we are.
Each short story collection has its subjective favorites, and so here are some of mine: the story Tattoo introduces a fine painter, face covered with large black moles, who becomes a sought-after tattoo artist because his inkings turn into living flesh. In A Cat Called Grievous (it helps to love animals to enjoy R.L. Maizes’ stories!), an infertile couple take in a stray cat whose litter has died and then watch the daughter they eventually have adopt some of her behavior. In Shortage of Birds, a grieving young teen whose dad has just died feels jealousy toward a parakeet who usurps her mom’s love.
There is a Jewish actuary who feels cheated that his cat seems to prefer his new Protestant wife. A teenage boy whose reading of Leviticus prompts him to come out of the closet during his Bar Mitzvah. And more – 11 stories in all.
With a touch of humor and more than a touch of compassion, this debut author writes engaging stories that reveal that all of us – no matter what background we are or emotional state we’re in – just wants understanding and love.
July 11, 2019
*I received this book as an ARC from the author for an honest review.*
4.5 stars!
Short stories and I don’t always get along. They’ve typically been a hit or miss with me in the past.
I’m pleased to say these stories were a hit! Some were humorous, some sad and some I found myself cheering the protagonist on. There were some dislikable characters but they made the stories what they are.
This is R.L. Maizes debut collection and I look forward to anything else she writes in the future. You may recognize yourself in some of these stories and others may be totally different than anything you’ve experienced. I definitely recommend this collection!
This book will be released 7/23/19.
4.5 stars!
Short stories and I don’t always get along. They’ve typically been a hit or miss with me in the past.
I’m pleased to say these stories were a hit! Some were humorous, some sad and some I found myself cheering the protagonist on. There were some dislikable characters but they made the stories what they are.
This is R.L. Maizes debut collection and I look forward to anything else she writes in the future. You may recognize yourself in some of these stories and others may be totally different than anything you’ve experienced. I definitely recommend this collection!
This book will be released 7/23/19.
June 24, 2019
I was pleasantly surprised by these short stories! Told with humor and in such a wonderful way. I don’t read many short story collections but I highly recommend these!
*Thank you to Celadon Books for providing a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own
*Thank you to Celadon Books for providing a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own
July 21, 2019
A short story collection I found to be different than most. In these stories the characters are all outsiders. Either by sexual orientation, racial, religious and even appearance. These stories are unique, heartfelt and funny. I enjoyed every of them. Cleaver and witty. A wonderful collection. I wanted to more!
Thank you Celadon Books!
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
Thank you Celadon Books!
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
June 13, 2021
This is why I revere short stories and have been exploring them for 50 years. I love what goes on in R.L.’s head. Brilliant and life-affirming pieces.
Update: posted today on “The Millions” is a lovely interview with R.L. I look forward to “Other People’s Pets”.
Update: posted today on “The Millions” is a lovely interview with R.L. I look forward to “Other People’s Pets”.
May 1, 2019
This is one of the most delightful collections of short stories I've ever read. Although Ms. Maizes has her own, distinct, voice, her dry wit, clever character development, and sometimes peculiar situations remind me a lot of Jacob M. Appel and David Sedaris (two of my all-time favorite contemporary writers).
The book's title is also the title of the first story; in brief, the story of the angst of a boy preparing to "become a man" at his bar mitzvah.. While you don't have to be Jewish to appreciate it, I think the fact that I am Jewish made this story even more delicious for me. This boy is suffering more than the usual pre-bar mitzvah jitters; his bar mitzvah Torah portion just happens to be from the chapters in Leviticus that admonish that men should not lie with men. While only the Orthodox still believe this to be a prohibition against homosexuality (the Reform Movement has figured a way around this by dismissing this commandment as no longer relevant), it's a tricky subject nonetheless. made even more difficult for this young man because he is gay, and, in fact, has a boyfriend. He refuses to read the speech his mother wrote for him, choosing instead to use his own words, but when the moment arises, he's so flustered that he publicly comes out before the congregation, his friends and family, and all the other guests. By the time this happened, I was laughing so much that tears ran from my eyes and snot from my nose. Well, okay, that's an exaggeration. But it's darn funny. And it doesn't end the way the poor bar mitzvah boy fears.
Ms. Maizes is an absolute delight as a writer. She infuses all her characters (including a couple of cats) with humanity and makes them believable, then adds her twists of fate and wit to make them truly come alive.
All the other stories in this collection measure up to the high standard set by "We Love Anderson Cooper." Ms. Maizes has either published the other pieces in magazines or read them on NPR, but I'd not heard of her before receiving the book as an ARC from NetGalley. I think she is currently writing a book. I'll be first in line to get it.
The book's title is also the title of the first story; in brief, the story of the angst of a boy preparing to "become a man" at his bar mitzvah.. While you don't have to be Jewish to appreciate it, I think the fact that I am Jewish made this story even more delicious for me. This boy is suffering more than the usual pre-bar mitzvah jitters; his bar mitzvah Torah portion just happens to be from the chapters in Leviticus that admonish that men should not lie with men. While only the Orthodox still believe this to be a prohibition against homosexuality (the Reform Movement has figured a way around this by dismissing this commandment as no longer relevant), it's a tricky subject nonetheless. made even more difficult for this young man because he is gay, and, in fact, has a boyfriend. He refuses to read the speech his mother wrote for him, choosing instead to use his own words, but when the moment arises, he's so flustered that he publicly comes out before the congregation, his friends and family, and all the other guests. By the time this happened, I was laughing so much that tears ran from my eyes and snot from my nose. Well, okay, that's an exaggeration. But it's darn funny. And it doesn't end the way the poor bar mitzvah boy fears.
Ms. Maizes is an absolute delight as a writer. She infuses all her characters (including a couple of cats) with humanity and makes them believable, then adds her twists of fate and wit to make them truly come alive.
All the other stories in this collection measure up to the high standard set by "We Love Anderson Cooper." Ms. Maizes has either published the other pieces in magazines or read them on NPR, but I'd not heard of her before receiving the book as an ARC from NetGalley. I think she is currently writing a book. I'll be first in line to get it.
August 17, 2020
I haven’t read a lot of short stories and when the publisher asked me to take a look at We Love Anderson Cooper I was happy to do so…the title made me smile and when the book arrived I was increasingly motivated by the great looking cover!
A teenage boy coming out publicly at his Bar Mitzvah, a cat playing favorites during the Christmas/Hanukah holiday season, the relief of a called off wedding, and the power of a couch…so wonderful getting to know the varied characters and becoming absorbed in their emotional journeys in such a short time.
I really loved all the stories and was thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with author R.L. Maizes about this new short story collection, her writing process and more.
Q & A with R.L. Maizes
Q: From a reader’s point of view, each of your stories in this wonderful collection stand on its own and is unrelated, with different characters and situations. Every main character seems to have a problem or obstacle they face and tackle during the short time we are with them and I became invested in each and every one! Are any of these short stories in We Love Anderson Cooper linked or connected to each other in any way?
Thanks so much for the kind words about the collection. What connects the stories in We Love Anderson Cooper is that the main characters are outsiders. For example, in the story “Tattoo,” a tattoo artist is shunned because of his unusual appearance. In “Collections,” a woman is excluded from her wealthy partner’s upper crust world because of her race and class. In “No Shortage of Birds,” a young girl becomes alienated from her mother and her friends when her father dies. Being outsiders creates challenges for these characters that they try to overcome in the stories.
Q: Did you write each story with the others in mind? Are there other stories that didn’t make the cut? Did you always plan on putting these together in a collection?
I wrote the stories over a ten-year period. The pain we all feel at being excluded and our tremendous desire to belong was one of my preoccupations, but I wasn’t thinking of writing a collection during that entire time. Many stories I wrote didn’t make the cut.
Q: How long did writing each story take? Have any of them been published on their own prior to this book?
With the exception of one very short one, I spent more than a year writing and revising each of them. Some took many years. A number of the stories were published in magazines before being included in the book. One aired on National Public Radio. Another was dramatized in a production of Stories on Stage.
Q: From a writing standpoint, how do you gage timing, know how much to reveal in such a short time and do you have to do any work developing the characters or the story arc before the story is written or does it just all come together as you write?
I’m what’s known as a pantser, which means I develop the stories as I write them (“fly by the seat of my pants”) rather than plotting them out beforehand. The stories end up needing more revision this way, but it’s the only way I know how to write.
Figuring out when to reveal information is one of the great challenges of fiction writing, and each story has its own needs in that regard. In “Ghost Dogs,” for example, the last story in the collection, I intentionally hold back important information until the middle of the story. While in another story, I reveal the end of the story first, allowing the suspense to arise from how the ending comes about.
Q: What is the editing process like for a short story – do you generally write too much and have to cut, or too little and have to expand?
Both! I have to write too much to discover what the story is really about. Once I know, I cut to the heart of the story. The challenge of the form is compression. At the same time, when I want to go deeper into a character or to slow down a scene for dramatic purposes, I expand parts of the story.
Q: Would you ever consider expanding any of these stories into a book?
I’m writing a novel now called “Other People’s Pets.” The main character is an animal empath who drops out of veterinary school to become a burglar. Her father’s been arrested and she’s desperate to earn enough to pay his attorney’s fees. It has some similarities with the collection. The main character is an outsider and the book features animals. But it’s not an expansion of any of the stories. I don’t plan to expand any of the stories in the collection because each one feels complete to me as it is.
Q: How do you get your ideas for your writing?
Stories are everywhere. A news report might trigger an idea for a story. Something that happened to an acquaintance might be the genesis of a story. I might observe something odd in my neighborhood. But the finished stories are always greatly changed from what initially sparked them.
Q: Are you going on book tour?
It’s a little too soon to know. I’ll be reading at bookstores in Colorado where I live. But I’m not sure where else I’ll tour.
Q: What are three books you recently read and would recommend?
I loved Rebecca Makkai’s recent novel, The Great Believers, and her story collection, Music for Wartime. Mad Boy by Nick Arvin is a wonderful book, funny and tender. It’s currently a finalist for a Colorado Book Award. I’m a big fan of Steve Yarbrough’s novels because of the compassion he has for his characters. The Unmade World, which came out this past year, was fantastic. I thought Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend was great. Naturally because of the dog. But also because the structure of that book was marvelous. I guess that’s more than three.
Q: What is on your nightstand to read next?
I’m looking forward to reading Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise and was lucky enough to pick up an advance reading copy at a conference I recently attended. I’m also about to begin Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s debut story collection, Sabrina & Corina.
Thank you to R.L. Maizes for answering some questions! If you feel like an outsider, you are not alone. Easy to read, engaging and thought provoking, every step of the way, I highly recommend We Love Anderson Cooper. For all reviews please follow Book Nation by Jen's blog.
A teenage boy coming out publicly at his Bar Mitzvah, a cat playing favorites during the Christmas/Hanukah holiday season, the relief of a called off wedding, and the power of a couch…so wonderful getting to know the varied characters and becoming absorbed in their emotional journeys in such a short time.
I really loved all the stories and was thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with author R.L. Maizes about this new short story collection, her writing process and more.
Q & A with R.L. Maizes
Q: From a reader’s point of view, each of your stories in this wonderful collection stand on its own and is unrelated, with different characters and situations. Every main character seems to have a problem or obstacle they face and tackle during the short time we are with them and I became invested in each and every one! Are any of these short stories in We Love Anderson Cooper linked or connected to each other in any way?
Thanks so much for the kind words about the collection. What connects the stories in We Love Anderson Cooper is that the main characters are outsiders. For example, in the story “Tattoo,” a tattoo artist is shunned because of his unusual appearance. In “Collections,” a woman is excluded from her wealthy partner’s upper crust world because of her race and class. In “No Shortage of Birds,” a young girl becomes alienated from her mother and her friends when her father dies. Being outsiders creates challenges for these characters that they try to overcome in the stories.
Q: Did you write each story with the others in mind? Are there other stories that didn’t make the cut? Did you always plan on putting these together in a collection?
I wrote the stories over a ten-year period. The pain we all feel at being excluded and our tremendous desire to belong was one of my preoccupations, but I wasn’t thinking of writing a collection during that entire time. Many stories I wrote didn’t make the cut.
Q: How long did writing each story take? Have any of them been published on their own prior to this book?
With the exception of one very short one, I spent more than a year writing and revising each of them. Some took many years. A number of the stories were published in magazines before being included in the book. One aired on National Public Radio. Another was dramatized in a production of Stories on Stage.
Q: From a writing standpoint, how do you gage timing, know how much to reveal in such a short time and do you have to do any work developing the characters or the story arc before the story is written or does it just all come together as you write?
I’m what’s known as a pantser, which means I develop the stories as I write them (“fly by the seat of my pants”) rather than plotting them out beforehand. The stories end up needing more revision this way, but it’s the only way I know how to write.
Figuring out when to reveal information is one of the great challenges of fiction writing, and each story has its own needs in that regard. In “Ghost Dogs,” for example, the last story in the collection, I intentionally hold back important information until the middle of the story. While in another story, I reveal the end of the story first, allowing the suspense to arise from how the ending comes about.
Q: What is the editing process like for a short story – do you generally write too much and have to cut, or too little and have to expand?
Both! I have to write too much to discover what the story is really about. Once I know, I cut to the heart of the story. The challenge of the form is compression. At the same time, when I want to go deeper into a character or to slow down a scene for dramatic purposes, I expand parts of the story.
Q: Would you ever consider expanding any of these stories into a book?
I’m writing a novel now called “Other People’s Pets.” The main character is an animal empath who drops out of veterinary school to become a burglar. Her father’s been arrested and she’s desperate to earn enough to pay his attorney’s fees. It has some similarities with the collection. The main character is an outsider and the book features animals. But it’s not an expansion of any of the stories. I don’t plan to expand any of the stories in the collection because each one feels complete to me as it is.
Q: How do you get your ideas for your writing?
Stories are everywhere. A news report might trigger an idea for a story. Something that happened to an acquaintance might be the genesis of a story. I might observe something odd in my neighborhood. But the finished stories are always greatly changed from what initially sparked them.
Q: Are you going on book tour?
It’s a little too soon to know. I’ll be reading at bookstores in Colorado where I live. But I’m not sure where else I’ll tour.
Q: What are three books you recently read and would recommend?
I loved Rebecca Makkai’s recent novel, The Great Believers, and her story collection, Music for Wartime. Mad Boy by Nick Arvin is a wonderful book, funny and tender. It’s currently a finalist for a Colorado Book Award. I’m a big fan of Steve Yarbrough’s novels because of the compassion he has for his characters. The Unmade World, which came out this past year, was fantastic. I thought Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend was great. Naturally because of the dog. But also because the structure of that book was marvelous. I guess that’s more than three.
Q: What is on your nightstand to read next?
I’m looking forward to reading Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise and was lucky enough to pick up an advance reading copy at a conference I recently attended. I’m also about to begin Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s debut story collection, Sabrina & Corina.
Thank you to R.L. Maizes for answering some questions! If you feel like an outsider, you are not alone. Easy to read, engaging and thought provoking, every step of the way, I highly recommend We Love Anderson Cooper. For all reviews please follow Book Nation by Jen's blog.
July 9, 2019
Usually I’m not much for short story collections. They seem to be hit and miss. I absolutely loved this one though! I felt connected and interested in each one. Even found myself repeating the stories to my husband. :)
September 19, 2019
I'll be honest. I don't really like short stories, but I picked up this book because of the title. Yes! Who doesn't love Anderson Cooper? The title story was one of the best and pulled me into this short story collection right away. Each of the stories is very different, but I found almost all of them featured characters that seemed so real and genuine, and they all had some (or a lot) of angst and sadness. There is humor in many of the stories, which provided some much needed comic relief, but there are also characters who are mourning a loss, or the end of a relationship. Although I haven't experienced some of the hardship that Maizes describes, the descriptions are so well crafted that I was completely drawn into the conflict and sadness.
Excellent set of stories!
Excellent set of stories!
August 7, 2019
What a fantastic title! We Love Anderson Cooper is the title and a line in R. L. Maizes first short story in her collection, a parental response to their thirteen-year-old son's inability to be frank about his sexual orientation until he chooses the absolute wrong moment to out himself. He imagined it all going down differently. It is hilarious and heartbreaking.
"We love Anderson Cooper" therefore you should know I would accept you. Does it really follow? 'I'm not prejudiced' --fill in the blank for any person or idea. Isn't that what we do? I have black friends/gay friends/lesbian buddies/Muslim or Jewish or Christian or Hindu friends. How can you think I am prejudiced?
Geez, guys, just tell your son you love him!
Oh, we do love to feel superior to people who struggle and fail when we know what they should do. And these stories are filled with folk whose actions don't make sense to us.
And yet it is the best they can do.
We are all doing our best, and the even most wise and centered and rich and sane of us can find ourselves veering off into the gray and cloudy areas, just like the people in these stories where animals hold special places in people's lives and magical abilities and influences sway lives and jealousy and change brings division. We laugh, we feel empathetic pain, we recognize social and cultural truths.
Maya spent fourteen years caring for her employer-turned-lover and at his death found herself unprovided for. His kids dismissed her without a thought. Now she has to find her own way.
A talented artist whose art isn't selling becomes a tattoo artist and finds not only success but perhaps the ability to not only alter but to change lives.
A mid-life Jewish man is jealous when his cat prefers his lover. Worse yet, she is suddenly introducing Christmas into his life--cookies and trees and carols--and the cat likes it. "This is how assimilation begins--with baked goods," he thinks.
After her father's early death, Charlotte's mother gets a bird and transfers her affection to it. The sin of omission is strong in Charlotte's life.
At the last minute, a bride stops her wedding.
A couple are adopted by a sometimes vicious feral cat which their daughter adores and imitates. The parents are at loggerheads over the cat's place in the family.
A man is relieved when he losses his high-pressure, lucrative job. His wife can't believe he is happy delivering pizza. He can't convince her to downsize their life.
A therapist's heirloom couch breaks and seems irreplaceable. She finds the 'right' one, which affects her clients in a positive way.
A girl adores her aunt but is jealous of her aunt's adoration of her son. She gets even in a very dark way.
After nursing her ill husband, the loss of their dogs causes him to leave her.
These are memorable characters.
I read a copy purchased by my local library at my request.
"We love Anderson Cooper" therefore you should know I would accept you. Does it really follow? 'I'm not prejudiced' --fill in the blank for any person or idea. Isn't that what we do? I have black friends/gay friends/lesbian buddies/Muslim or Jewish or Christian or Hindu friends. How can you think I am prejudiced?
Geez, guys, just tell your son you love him!
Oh, we do love to feel superior to people who struggle and fail when we know what they should do. And these stories are filled with folk whose actions don't make sense to us.
And yet it is the best they can do.
We are all doing our best, and the even most wise and centered and rich and sane of us can find ourselves veering off into the gray and cloudy areas, just like the people in these stories where animals hold special places in people's lives and magical abilities and influences sway lives and jealousy and change brings division. We laugh, we feel empathetic pain, we recognize social and cultural truths.
Maya spent fourteen years caring for her employer-turned-lover and at his death found herself unprovided for. His kids dismissed her without a thought. Now she has to find her own way.
A talented artist whose art isn't selling becomes a tattoo artist and finds not only success but perhaps the ability to not only alter but to change lives.
A mid-life Jewish man is jealous when his cat prefers his lover. Worse yet, she is suddenly introducing Christmas into his life--cookies and trees and carols--and the cat likes it. "This is how assimilation begins--with baked goods," he thinks.
After her father's early death, Charlotte's mother gets a bird and transfers her affection to it. The sin of omission is strong in Charlotte's life.
At the last minute, a bride stops her wedding.
A couple are adopted by a sometimes vicious feral cat which their daughter adores and imitates. The parents are at loggerheads over the cat's place in the family.
A man is relieved when he losses his high-pressure, lucrative job. His wife can't believe he is happy delivering pizza. He can't convince her to downsize their life.
A therapist's heirloom couch breaks and seems irreplaceable. She finds the 'right' one, which affects her clients in a positive way.
A girl adores her aunt but is jealous of her aunt's adoration of her son. She gets even in a very dark way.
After nursing her ill husband, the loss of their dogs causes him to leave her.
These are memorable characters.
I read a copy purchased by my local library at my request.
June 3, 2019
WE LOVE ANDERSON COOPER is a short story collection bringing together tales about characters that have experienced being treated as outsiders for a variety of reasons, such as sexual orientation, religious identity, socioeconomic status, and their appearance. Each story focuses on a unique situation with a mixture of humor and heavy topics. Maizes debut collection drops the reader into stories that make they question what they would do in someone else’s shoes, while at the same time evaluating how we treat those around us.
I don’t read a lot of short story collections, but I’m always intrigued by them and think they make a great compliment to a chunky TBR. I always envision them as short stories to sprinkle in between reads to break up the bigger books. That being said, I’ve mostly read collections by various authors or with a focus on horror/thriller stories. When I received WE LOVE ANDERSON COOPER I had no idea what to expect. By the time I finished, I was in love!
R.L. Maizes has put together a collection of eleven stories that range in topic, but always fit the same formula. The stories all focus on an individual dealing with a situation where they are made to feel like an outsider. There are some heavy topics to digest, but Maizes always finds a way to balance that with humor. I was very pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of a magical realism aspect to several stories. If I had to pick my favorite stories from this collection, I would choose: A Cat Called Grievous, We Love Anderson Cooper, Tattoo, and Collections. There were a few stories I think missed the mark for me personally, but I can see them working for others. If you’re looking to add a short story collection that will make you think to your TBR, I would definitely giving this one a go!
Disclosure: Thank you Celadon Books for sending me a free copy of this book!
I don’t read a lot of short story collections, but I’m always intrigued by them and think they make a great compliment to a chunky TBR. I always envision them as short stories to sprinkle in between reads to break up the bigger books. That being said, I’ve mostly read collections by various authors or with a focus on horror/thriller stories. When I received WE LOVE ANDERSON COOPER I had no idea what to expect. By the time I finished, I was in love!
R.L. Maizes has put together a collection of eleven stories that range in topic, but always fit the same formula. The stories all focus on an individual dealing with a situation where they are made to feel like an outsider. There are some heavy topics to digest, but Maizes always finds a way to balance that with humor. I was very pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of a magical realism aspect to several stories. If I had to pick my favorite stories from this collection, I would choose: A Cat Called Grievous, We Love Anderson Cooper, Tattoo, and Collections. There were a few stories I think missed the mark for me personally, but I can see them working for others. If you’re looking to add a short story collection that will make you think to your TBR, I would definitely giving this one a go!
Disclosure: Thank you Celadon Books for sending me a free copy of this book!
June 24, 2019
11 amazing stories about outsiders, told with compassion and great humor and the occasional bit of magical realism. Maizes is a master of openings: the first sentences of the book begin the title story with: "Marcus hadn't had sex with Gavin. Not yet." Then we watch Marcus (and ache with/for Marcus) as he comes out as gay in front of all the guests at his Bar Mitzvah. Later, we meet the tattoo artist who transforms, and maybe heals, his clients, but not himself. And the therapist whose patients are magically healed by her couch. The teenager who feels guilty for her father's death. The woman struggling with infertility who develops an attachment to a new-found cat. (Pets play a major role in the lives of many of these outsiders.) Every story is different, and every story delivers a surprise. Pub date is July 23 -- order it now!
August 28, 2019
UPDATE, AUGUST 28, 2019: If you missed it in the THE PRACTICING WRITER newsletter, my Q&A with author R.L. Maizes has been archived at https://wp.me/P4x0h8-c81.
I'm placing this book on my "Jewish Lit" shelf although not all of the 11 stories fit that label. (This book has many strengths, and the diversity—religious and other—of its characters is one of them.) I can't claim to be completely unbiased, since the author is a friend (thus, my access to a pre-publication copy). But on its own terms, the book offers a varied set of situations and stories, all infused with lively intelligence and crafted expertly. I am eager for others to have the opportunity to read it.
I'm placing this book on my "Jewish Lit" shelf although not all of the 11 stories fit that label. (This book has many strengths, and the diversity—religious and other—of its characters is one of them.) I can't claim to be completely unbiased, since the author is a friend (thus, my access to a pre-publication copy). But on its own terms, the book offers a varied set of situations and stories, all infused with lively intelligence and crafted expertly. I am eager for others to have the opportunity to read it.
May 31, 2019
I very rarely seek out short story collections, but I will be looking forward to anything R.L. Maizes writes in the future. I really enjoyed all of these stories.
We Love Anderson Cooper ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Collections ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tattoo (Initially ⭐⭐⭐, but in the end this story stuck with me the longest and I am going to change it to ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. It was just so different from all the other stories that it caught me off guard)
The Infidelity of Judah Macabee ⭐⭐⭐
No Shortage of Birds ⭐⭐⭐⭐
L'Chaim ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Cat Called Grievous ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Better Homes and Gardens ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Couch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yiddish Lessons ⭐⭐⭐
Ghost Dogs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
We Love Anderson Cooper ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Collections ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tattoo (Initially ⭐⭐⭐, but in the end this story stuck with me the longest and I am going to change it to ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. It was just so different from all the other stories that it caught me off guard)
The Infidelity of Judah Macabee ⭐⭐⭐
No Shortage of Birds ⭐⭐⭐⭐
L'Chaim ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Cat Called Grievous ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Better Homes and Gardens ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Couch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Yiddish Lessons ⭐⭐⭐
Ghost Dogs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
April 15, 2019
I couldn't love these stories more. They are funny, touching, thoughtful, transformative... everything you want from a short story collection. My only complaint: I want MORE!! My favorite is the one about the guy who thinks his cat is cheating on him with his girlfriend -- hilarious and touching. Kudos, Ms. Maizes!!
May 26, 2019
I received a e-galley of this title from Netgalley and leave my honest thoughts about it below.
Humor and sadness combine in this slim but enlightening collection of 11 short stories by R.L. Maizes. Besides the title story, in which a young boy growing into his sexuality finds that fame and freedom aren’t all that you need, Maizes includes stories dealing with the magical power of couches, the role of a cat within family relationships, and in both the shortest and yet in my opinion, the most powerful of stories, L’Chaim, how tragedy and humor can mix together to devastating effect.
There is much here to find that is both interesting and delightful. Infidelity and secrets are dealt with both tragically and in “A Cat Called Grievous” humorously, albeit with a bitter blackened edge. “Better Homes and Gardens” talks of the divides that occur when financial circumstances turn and priorities amongst family members turn against each other. And “Yiddish Lessons” speaks of the eternal battle between traditional and modern priorities.
Some may look down at short stories collections as secondary works for authors, preferring to see the skill involved in weaving one longer tale as the better talent. But what keeps me coming back to strong collections like this is in getting to peek behind the mask of an author, where each story illuminates the priorities and concerns the author sees around them. In reading these stories, you get to see a more complete picture of what they have to say, and in the case of R.L. Maizes, she has a great deal to tell us. I for one, am looking forward to reading more of it.
Humor and sadness combine in this slim but enlightening collection of 11 short stories by R.L. Maizes. Besides the title story, in which a young boy growing into his sexuality finds that fame and freedom aren’t all that you need, Maizes includes stories dealing with the magical power of couches, the role of a cat within family relationships, and in both the shortest and yet in my opinion, the most powerful of stories, L’Chaim, how tragedy and humor can mix together to devastating effect.
There is much here to find that is both interesting and delightful. Infidelity and secrets are dealt with both tragically and in “A Cat Called Grievous” humorously, albeit with a bitter blackened edge. “Better Homes and Gardens” talks of the divides that occur when financial circumstances turn and priorities amongst family members turn against each other. And “Yiddish Lessons” speaks of the eternal battle between traditional and modern priorities.
Some may look down at short stories collections as secondary works for authors, preferring to see the skill involved in weaving one longer tale as the better talent. But what keeps me coming back to strong collections like this is in getting to peek behind the mask of an author, where each story illuminates the priorities and concerns the author sees around them. In reading these stories, you get to see a more complete picture of what they have to say, and in the case of R.L. Maizes, she has a great deal to tell us. I for one, am looking forward to reading more of it.
August 8, 2019
I was sent this gorgeous little book by the publisher and was immediately smitten. It's a small book with a luscious, thick and smooth cover, in the loveliest shade of pale green, graced with the most charming little bird. I love birds, so I was immediately pleased. As I read these stories I was again pleased that animals play a very big part, as does a bit of magical realism. When I read somewhere the author spends a year (?) with each story I was not surprised at all. As I read the stories it felt like every word had been very carefully chosen, with just the perfect intent and impact necessary to move the reader fluidly through the story line. I was also pleased to chuckle out loud while I read because this book can be funny and the humor was a bit dark and wry which is my favorite kind. I would like to thank Celadon Books for sending me this really lovely book.
November 4, 2019
This collection is misleading. The summary states, "Maizes's stories use humor to complement pathos and magic to soften harsh realities. Readers will recognize themselves in these stories, imbued with fierce empathy and deep understanding..."
BULL. FUCKING. SHIT.
"Fierce empathy"? "Humor"? How can I empathize with some of the most OBNOXIOUS HUMANS in fiction, and WHAT the FUCK is humorous about any of these stories?! WHERE WAS THE FUCKING HUMOR IN A COLLECTION OF FUCKING DEPRESSING STORIES ABOUT A BUNCH OF MISERABLE FUCKS?! I cannot FUCKING tell if the editors/publishers actually believe this bullshit or they put it in there to lure unsuspecting readers to it (like me, unfortunately).
I was tempted in the beginning (aka after the first 4-5 stories) to give this at least two stars because the writing was competent, most of the stories made sense, and I understood what the author was going with her stories. But then I stopped and REALLY thought about that. Am I REALLY going to give a short story collection I DESPISED two stars because it did THE ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM IN WRITING? Yeah, it became a one star after that. On top of that, I tend to compare novels in when I'm struggling to make a decision, and the only other short story collection I despised as much as this one was "The Merry Spinster" which I gave two stars. Here's the difference: I actually LOVED two of the short stories in that collection, whereas I did not like A SINGLE STORY in "We Love Anderson Cooper". It would be incredibly unfair to give this dumpster fire of a collection two stars when I didn't even like one of the 11 stories (hold on. "The Merry Spinster" also had 11 stories in it...that can't be a coincidence...)
Okay, I've ranted enough. Time for a short breakdown of each story. Enjoy.
"We Love Anderson Cooper"-While I enjoyed the commentary on homosexuality, coming out, and religion, Markus was a selfish little shit and the ending sucked. Next.
"Collections"-Miserable woman continues to be miserable while barely doing anything to help her situation. Riveting.
"Tattoo"-Interesting concept, but got predictable towards the end and the ending was kind of confusing.
"The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee"-Again, I adored the commentary in this story, specifically about how marginalized Jewish people must feel during the Christmas season. However, Barry was too spiteful towards Annette and I don't care how marginalized you feel, you don't get to erase or hide someone else's religious holidays or make them feel guilty by celebrating it. Also, Barry is jealous that his cat is giving affection to his girlfriend. ARE. YOU. FUCKING. SERIOUS?! How fucking childish can you be if you're JEALOUS of YOUR GIRLFRIEND for getting more affection FROM YOUR CAT than you?! So fucking stupid, next.
"No Shortage of Birds"-A good portrayal of grief and how it affects everyone differently. Other than that, both characters were fucking obnoxious and I couldn't connect nor empathize with either of them. Next.
"L'Chaim"-While I applaud Maizes for writing a complete story in one and half pages, the story was too damn short to get invested in fucking ANYTHING and it's message wasn't nearly as strong as previous stories. A bold effort, but it fell short (pun intended).
"A Cat Called Grievous"-ARE YOU ACTUALLY FUCKING KIDDING ME?! You killed your husband over A CAT?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! He wasn't even abusing it or anything, but because he didn't like it and wanted it gone because it was negatively affecting your HUMAN CHILD, you decide to KILL HIM?! Holy fuck, holy flying fucker fuck, what the fuck is wrong with this collection?!
"Better Homes and Gardens"-Everybody's an irredeemable asshole. Next.
"Couch"-Practicing therapist has a couch that makes people sad. It breaks. She gets a new couch that motivates people do better. I have just summed up this entire boring-ass story, YOU'RE WELCOME.
"Yiddish Lessons"-This bitch watched a toddler climb up a step stool to get to an open window, turned and walked away, and the baby fell out said window and died. She neglected this toddler because it was absorbing her favorite aunt's world and it was a boy, which is important in Judaism, apparently (I'm Episcopalian, so I'm taking the author's word on this). I shall repeat myself: WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?! I AM supposed to empathize with these people, right?! So why is Maizes making that DAMNED NEAR IMPOSSIBLE?! And I don't want to hear a FUCKING person say, "Oh, but SHE didn't know it was going to climb out the window!" BITCH, HERE'S THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE STORY, "A tragedy. A child who had just learned to walk to say father, tati, that child died. An unnecessary death. A fall. Because someone left a window open and looked away." The main character is the narrator. DOES THAT SOUND REGRETFUL OR MOURNFUL TO YOU? BECAUSE IT SURE AS FUCK DOESN'T TO ME! *Deep breath in, then out. In, then out* Okay, final story.
"Ghost Dogs"-Boring as fuck, I skimmed through most of it because I had APPROXIMATELY zero fucks left and I just wanted to get this collection over with.
In short, I hated this collection, I WOULD NOT recommend it to ANYONE, and it is now officially my least favorite short story collection EVER. Thank you for coming to my rage-fueled rant, have a glorious fucking day.
BULL. FUCKING. SHIT.
"Fierce empathy"? "Humor"? How can I empathize with some of the most OBNOXIOUS HUMANS in fiction, and WHAT the FUCK is humorous about any of these stories?! WHERE WAS THE FUCKING HUMOR IN A COLLECTION OF FUCKING DEPRESSING STORIES ABOUT A BUNCH OF MISERABLE FUCKS?! I cannot FUCKING tell if the editors/publishers actually believe this bullshit or they put it in there to lure unsuspecting readers to it (like me, unfortunately).
I was tempted in the beginning (aka after the first 4-5 stories) to give this at least two stars because the writing was competent, most of the stories made sense, and I understood what the author was going with her stories. But then I stopped and REALLY thought about that. Am I REALLY going to give a short story collection I DESPISED two stars because it did THE ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM IN WRITING? Yeah, it became a one star after that. On top of that, I tend to compare novels in when I'm struggling to make a decision, and the only other short story collection I despised as much as this one was "The Merry Spinster" which I gave two stars. Here's the difference: I actually LOVED two of the short stories in that collection, whereas I did not like A SINGLE STORY in "We Love Anderson Cooper". It would be incredibly unfair to give this dumpster fire of a collection two stars when I didn't even like one of the 11 stories (hold on. "The Merry Spinster" also had 11 stories in it...that can't be a coincidence...)
Okay, I've ranted enough. Time for a short breakdown of each story. Enjoy.
"We Love Anderson Cooper"-While I enjoyed the commentary on homosexuality, coming out, and religion, Markus was a selfish little shit and the ending sucked. Next.
"Collections"-Miserable woman continues to be miserable while barely doing anything to help her situation. Riveting.
"Tattoo"-Interesting concept, but got predictable towards the end and the ending was kind of confusing.
"The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee"-Again, I adored the commentary in this story, specifically about how marginalized Jewish people must feel during the Christmas season. However, Barry was too spiteful towards Annette and I don't care how marginalized you feel, you don't get to erase or hide someone else's religious holidays or make them feel guilty by celebrating it. Also, Barry is jealous that his cat is giving affection to his girlfriend. ARE. YOU. FUCKING. SERIOUS?! How fucking childish can you be if you're JEALOUS of YOUR GIRLFRIEND for getting more affection FROM YOUR CAT than you?! So fucking stupid, next.
"No Shortage of Birds"-A good portrayal of grief and how it affects everyone differently. Other than that, both characters were fucking obnoxious and I couldn't connect nor empathize with either of them. Next.
"L'Chaim"-While I applaud Maizes for writing a complete story in one and half pages, the story was too damn short to get invested in fucking ANYTHING and it's message wasn't nearly as strong as previous stories. A bold effort, but it fell short (pun intended).
"A Cat Called Grievous"-ARE YOU ACTUALLY FUCKING KIDDING ME?! You killed your husband over A CAT?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! He wasn't even abusing it or anything, but because he didn't like it and wanted it gone because it was negatively affecting your HUMAN CHILD, you decide to KILL HIM?! Holy fuck, holy flying fucker fuck, what the fuck is wrong with this collection?!
"Better Homes and Gardens"-Everybody's an irredeemable asshole. Next.
"Couch"-Practicing therapist has a couch that makes people sad. It breaks. She gets a new couch that motivates people do better. I have just summed up this entire boring-ass story, YOU'RE WELCOME.
"Yiddish Lessons"-This bitch watched a toddler climb up a step stool to get to an open window, turned and walked away, and the baby fell out said window and died. She neglected this toddler because it was absorbing her favorite aunt's world and it was a boy, which is important in Judaism, apparently (I'm Episcopalian, so I'm taking the author's word on this). I shall repeat myself: WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK?! I AM supposed to empathize with these people, right?! So why is Maizes making that DAMNED NEAR IMPOSSIBLE?! And I don't want to hear a FUCKING person say, "Oh, but SHE didn't know it was going to climb out the window!" BITCH, HERE'S THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE STORY, "A tragedy. A child who had just learned to walk to say father, tati, that child died. An unnecessary death. A fall. Because someone left a window open and looked away." The main character is the narrator. DOES THAT SOUND REGRETFUL OR MOURNFUL TO YOU? BECAUSE IT SURE AS FUCK DOESN'T TO ME! *Deep breath in, then out. In, then out* Okay, final story.
"Ghost Dogs"-Boring as fuck, I skimmed through most of it because I had APPROXIMATELY zero fucks left and I just wanted to get this collection over with.
In short, I hated this collection, I WOULD NOT recommend it to ANYONE, and it is now officially my least favorite short story collection EVER. Thank you for coming to my rage-fueled rant, have a glorious fucking day.
July 23, 2019
Thank you NetGalley, Publisher Celadon Books and Author R.L. Maizes for the ebook copy of an ARC of this book, We Love Anderson Cooper.
I loved the short stories. I thought they were "MURAKAMIesque" as they were told in such a delightful and witty fashion. I found that through these stories, there were opportunities for deeper understanding and reflection; either to find meaning or an opportunity to relate in some way. The stories were all so different; for example, the first story which is based on the book title, is where a gay teen going through Bar Mitzvah, ended up confessing in public, while being recorded, His story of coming out and outing his friend were posted to YouTube. Another relates the story of the unsuccessful artist who started to use his talent tattooing nipples and beautifying bodies to earn a living.
There are 11 other wonderful stories in the collection, and each one is as wonderful a read as the next. I highly recommend this book by R.L.Maizes, who is a new author to me, but one that I will be watching for in the future. I look forward to her next book/novel. She is quite a talented story teller.
I loved the short stories. I thought they were "MURAKAMIesque" as they were told in such a delightful and witty fashion. I found that through these stories, there were opportunities for deeper understanding and reflection; either to find meaning or an opportunity to relate in some way. The stories were all so different; for example, the first story which is based on the book title, is where a gay teen going through Bar Mitzvah, ended up confessing in public, while being recorded, His story of coming out and outing his friend were posted to YouTube. Another relates the story of the unsuccessful artist who started to use his talent tattooing nipples and beautifying bodies to earn a living.
There are 11 other wonderful stories in the collection, and each one is as wonderful a read as the next. I highly recommend this book by R.L.Maizes, who is a new author to me, but one that I will be watching for in the future. I look forward to her next book/novel. She is quite a talented story teller.
April 9, 2019
This is a wonderful collection of stories all of which deal with overcoming challenges of one type or another. Each story different from each other yet all cohesive in the theme and all very readable and enjoyable.. Couldn't help but root the characters in each story with their quirks and Idiosyncrasies after all , all of us outsiders want to be cheered on and loved, Highly recommend.
May 7, 2019
I thourghly enjoyed reading this . Tattoo blew me away I have to admit . To those who don't have time to read this is perfect and who knows you might slow down a little because these short stories has a lot to offer
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