10 Short Stories You Must Read in 2010

by Maggie Alderson, Georgia Blain, Mark Dapin

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Australia

285 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Maggie Alderson is a British-Australian author (that’s how I’m supposed to write it, but I’m not very good at talking about myself in the third person, so I’m going to can it).

I was born in London, brought up in rural Staffordshire, and educated at the University of St Andrews - and then at the University of Life, Sydney campus.

I spent many years covering the fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London etc which is the best people watching ever (I had to remind myself to look at the models…).

An obsessed bookworm since childhood, all I wanted to do from the age of six was write books. I also hoovered up every magazine and newspaper I could lay my hands on and by the time I was a teenager was determined to edit a magazine and be a newspaper columnist.

I have edited five magazines (including British ELLE) and my Style Notes column ran in the Good Weekend colour supplement for twelve years, as well as being syndicated to The Times.

My first novel Pants on Fire was published in 2000 and was a bestseller in the UK and Australia. I’ve written eight more novels since, which have been translated into many languages.

I’ve also published four collections of my columns and a children’s book called Evangeline, the Wish Keeper’s Helper, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Award in Australia.

My latest novel is called The Scent of You and is the story of perfume blogger Polly, facing up to a crisis in her marriage – and her sense of who she is - told through a filter of her obsession with perfumes (and also featuring very well dressed, seriously damaged, red-hot men, which are my speciality).

The book was inspired by attending perfume events in London and realising just how many fascinating people there are in that world (and a fair few brilliant nutters).

You can read my heroine's blog fragrantcloud.net

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This eclectic collection of short stories by 10 Australian authors was published to celebrate Get Reading!, an initiative supported by the Australian government to encourage people to read. It is a diverse collection of stories ranging from popular womens’ fiction to more literary works. It is unlikely that any one reader will enjoy all 10 stories, but there is probably something here to appeal to most people.
5 stars for Craig Silvey’s story THE AMBER AMULET.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a real weakness for short stories and love to pick them up and put them down. Some of these were good (don't ask me which, I'll never remember), but some seemed very lightweight - the sort of thing you'd find in a magazine to tick the "short story here" box. I still recommend reading short stories because it's such a challenging format for making an impression without a lot of filler.

[Jodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is not a lot to say about this collection of stories. There were only 2 that I really liked -- Dress, Medium and The Amber Amulet, the rest are forgettable.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few absolute little gems in this book, certainly enough to whet the appetite for some of these writers whose work I had never read before. A perfect book for reading on the train to work.

[Chris Waterford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good selection of short stories from some of our best Australian authors. I particularly liked the stories by Christos Tsiolkas , Alex Miller and Rachel Treasure.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was produced for the 2010 Get Reading! Programme, which is designed to encourage Australians to read. Each year, the committee selects books (either by Australian or foreign authors) to be part of the programme. There is also an incentive (a free book, although it used to be a second book for $5) to encourage readers to read more widely.

This year’s offering, 10 Short Stories You Must Read in 2010, is similar to last year’s formet, ie. 10 short stories from Australian authors. This year’s collection features stories from Maggie Alderson, Georgia Blain, Mark Dapin, Nick Earls, Alex Miller, Judy Nunn, Malla Nunn, Craig Silvey, Rachael Treasure and Christos Tsiolkas.

I enjoyed reading most of the short stories, but I found that I’m not really a short story fan. Everything is over too quickly without getting a handle on the characters. I enjoyed Maggie Alderson’s story about a vintage clothes shop and its customers the most, but I have read all her previous books so I’m very familiar with her writing style. I couldn’t get into Alex Miller’s story and ended up skipping it. Judy Nunn’s story was very different to her books- I see a future in crime fiction. Mark Dapin, a new author for me, produced a different, thought-provoking story.

While I enjoyed the opportunity to read a free book, I don’t think I found any more new authors with the exception of Mark Dapin. This was a very fast and light read.

[Nadia King · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all anthologies, readers will have their favorite stories. In this volume, I particularly enjoyed Maggie Alderson's Dress, Medium set in a vintage clothing store. Other favorites were Malla Nunn's Confession set in an African orphanage; Alex Miller's Manuka based on a prisoner's true story; and Rachael Treasure's delightful The Evolution of Sadie Smith. If you can get your hands on a copy of this volume which was originally distributed in 2010 at no cost to readers through the Australian Government's Get Reading! programme, do so. A diverse and entertaining collection of short stories from some of Australia's best writers.

[Chelsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard rating this book, because some of the stories I would give 4/5 and others a 1/5. This book was great in the sense of introducing me to new authors - I'll definitely be looking for more of the work of Craig Silvey (The Amber Amulet), Maggie Alderson (Dress, Medium), and a few others. Most of the stories would have been a 1-3, but a few would have been a 3-4, so I'll give it a 3/5.

[Ita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't normally read short stories but had to read it so I could cross it off my book bingo and I was pleasantly surprised. It has short stories written by 10 authors, some I have read before and some were new to me. I am glad I discovered Malla Nunn and Craig Silvey, I will definitely look for their books to read.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a good variety of stories in this book, most of them were enjoyable. It's hard to give it a rating because some stories were a 4 and a couple of them were a 2 so I've gone with the average. Worth reading.

[Andy Smerdon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should have been titled '3 good short stories to read when you get around to it'. I loved - 'The Evolution of Sadie Smith'by Rachael Treasure, 'The Amber Amulet'by Craig Silvey and 'Dress, Medium'by Maggie Alderson.

[Heather Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories, some average, only a couple that will stick with me. Mostly, it made me think about writing short stories in general, what is needed to make them really compelling; giving me some inspiration for my own writing.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these I enjoyed, some I didn't. Probably three stand-outs in my mind (both positive and negative): I won't read Rachael Treasure again; I will read Christos Tsiolkas again; The Amber Amulet is not my usual kind of read, but it was a lot of fun.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these stories were fabulous! I loved Dress, Medium and confession. Madura and the Amber amulet and the house on hill street were intriguing. Well worth the read :)

[Ulrike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good, some bad, as you'd expect from a compilation.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars overall. I like the idea of the collection to get more people reading. Learnt some authors that I might look into, and some I might avoid.

1. Didn't really get it, felt like how a man thinks that a woman would feel rather than reality. 2 stars

2. Interesting story told quite well. I enjoyed this one. 3.5 stars

3. Didn't get this one, was a bit too 'meta' for me 2 stars

4. This was cute and quirky. Best one yet I felt like it told and finished a good story. 4 stars

5. I found this interesting, but likely because I was recently in India and the first chunk of the story was very relatable to that. 3.5 stars

6. I didn't realise this was based on a true story and honestly the explainer at the end was a little heart breaking. The story itself was over written a bit, I'd almost want to read it a second time to pick all the things up. 3 stars

7. This was so wholesome and such a good read. I would read a whole book of short stories by Craig silvey. 5 stars

8. This was decent, I like this author. Good little short story even if it was a bit weird. 4 stars

9. This one had me enthralled. Two stories in a row based in Tassie! Didn't realise it was based in truth until the authors note. 4 stars

10. This one was a quick and simple read. 4 stars

[Jesse Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this as it's a collection of short stories with some I really loved and others I had to skip because they were genuinely horrific. The stand outs for me was Dress, Medium by Maggie Alderson and The Evolution of Sadie Smith by Rachael Treasure. On the other hand Alex Miller and Mark Dapin seriously need to go therapy and stop writing. The racism, abuse, romanticising of murder etc. made me move on to the next story in the collection. The fact that their stories were chosen by the Australian Council of the Arts is terrifying. I think that in the future, I'm not going to rely on street library finds for short story collections but find an editor I trust and go from there.

[Emily Svensson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of short stories. I enjoyed dress, medium, Manuka, the amber amulet, and the evolution of Sadie smith in particular. I wasn’t a fan of sticks, stones, merlo girls, and the shedding planner- which I found quite mean-spirited and not very pleasant.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I read this in 2017.

Favourite story: The Amber Amulet by Craig Silvey.

[SteveMcI · Rating 3 out of 5]

I especially liked Dress Medium, The Evolution of Sadie Smith and The Amber Amulet. Will have to follow up the authors other works.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of these stories although some more than others.

[Kaitlyn Jackson (Masters) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found 2 new authors I want to check out, so that's a positive.

The house on Hill Street and Dress, Medium had to be my favourite stories.

[Sharon Gamble · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Amber Amulet by Craig Silvey is a must read

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Naomi Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 - I could read more from this authour. So much said in so few words. bit hectic though. 3 stars.
#2 - didn't do it for me that much, good twist. 2 stars
#3 - eh, men. 1 star
#4 - cool concept, I could have read more. 4 stars
#5 - not satistyfing, felt like jumping into a story already going, and out before it finished. 1.5 stars
#6 - oh my gosh, there were a lot of details that painted quite a picture... i don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. 3.5 stars
#7 - nice story with a lot of good meaning. 4 stars
#8 - hated the negativity to start with, but actually turned out well. Decent story. 2.5 stars
#9 - good thriller, I feel like I could read more of their stuff. 4 stars
#10 - not my favourite style of writing, just felt too chaotic. 1.5 stars

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre) · Rating 2 out of 5]

All in all, pretty dull. Nothing really stood out, though I guess I managed to read all the short stories, which isn't always the case with anthologies.

None of them made me want to search for more books by the author though. I really don't see this as a 'must read' collection in the slightest.

[Anne_MB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good collection of new Australian short fiction. I was happy to find that included in this book are several authors I hadn't previously read.

[Alethea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting read, if you want to discover some new authors but some of the stories weren't really my thing.

[Angela Maher · Rating 3 out of 5]

BookCrossing ID 932-10061627

[Nerissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good easy read.