CanadianContent discussion

Thanks @Louise for suggesting a topic of Short Stories!! For me, this is an untapped genre so I look forward to some suggestions.

Thank you for starting this thread as I think we have so many GREAT short story collections written by Canadians other than the great three: Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood and Mavis Gallant.

My most recent SS collection I read is from a new Canadian writer and this one has a very bright career ahead of her. Floating Like the Dead: Stories. Gritty stories about alienation and belonging (or not belonging).

A SS collection that every Canadian should read IMO is Island: Collected Stories which includes all 16 short stories that Alistair MacLeod has ever written. Each story really conjures the time and place (Cape Breton). I am reading these very slowly as I want to savour each one.

His son Alexander MacLeod has also written a wonderful (and very different from his father) collection of short stories called Light Lifting. These are more contemporary but just as fantastic at conjuring time and place; just happens to be a different time and different places.

I have always been a fan of Lauren B Davis and her short stories. She really gets into the nitty gritty of human behaviour (both good and bad). Her two collections are Rat Medicine & Other Unlikely Curatives (isn't that an awesome title?) and An Unrehearsed Desire. I really hope she comes out with new stories soon.

Also dark and haunting are the stories by Russell Wangersky in Whirl Away: Stories

I cannot forget my favorite Emma Donoghue book which just happens to be a collection of short stories too, these taken by various snippets she found in the news (some very old) and invented wonderful stories around them. Sheer brilliance and a show of her amazing imagination. Astray.

Runner-ups (definitely worth reading) are:

Natasha and Other Stories
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures
Hellgoing: Stories

Thanks for starting us off Louise with some great suggestions. My husband came home with a very good condition copy of The Island a couple of weeks ago and I am looking forward to it. I also have a box set of Alice Munroe to work through.

I just finished a book of short stories last week. It was Margaret Atwood's book, Moral Disorder and Other Stories. I really enjoyed the stories, which were vignettes of the narrator's life through the decades and each one was well done. I haven't read Atwood in years and this reminded me of how great her writing is.

I also enjoyed To Build a Fire and Other Stories by Jack London. He portrays the North really well (says I, who has never been way up North :D).

Off hand, these are the only 2 books I can recall right now.

Louise, I have added Island: Collected Stories and have Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures sitting on my bookshelf. '
You've read a lot of interesting short stories. Thanks for the list.

Petra wrote: "I just finished a book of short stories last week. It was Margaret Atwood's book, Moral Disorder and Other Stories. I really enjoyed the stories, which were vignettes of the narrator's..."

Can't go wrong with Atwood that's for sure. Stone Mattress: Nine Tales is also very good. I love her wit.

I do need to add Jack London to my TBR pile. Thanks Petra!

If I may make a suggestion to those who struggle a bit with short stories. Don't read them all at once. I will quote Mavis Gallant here:

“Stories are not chapters of novels. They should not be read one after another, as if they were meant to follow along. Read one. Shut the book. Read something else. Come back later. Stories can wait.”

Love this quote @ Petra and think that this might be my new approach, to read a novel and then enjoy a short story in between!! Thx for some other suggestions.

Have either of you read the Vinyl Cafe stories by CBCs Stuart McLean? they are funny and heartwarming (or you can listen to him tell them on CBC).

Susan wrote: "Have either of you read the Vinyl Cafe stories by CBCs Stuart McLean? they are funny and heartwarming (or you can listen to him tell them on CBC). ."

I wonder if I can get them as a podcast. I will look into it. But now the sun is finally out so I'm heading outside with my book and iced tea.

One of my favourite short story collections is The Best Thing for You. OH wait, they're classified as novellas, but still....
In the past short stories really weren't my thing but I'm really starting to appreciate them.
Also, Stone Mattress: Nine Tales is the best short story collection I've read in the past year.

Timely suggestion Louise - I did not know it was short story month. Check out this link with some short story suggestions: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/s...

Megan wrote: "One of my favourite short story collections is The Best Thing for You. OH wait, they're classified as novellas, but still......."

I've never read any Annabel Lyon and these novellas sound really interesting. Thanks for the tip Megan; I will check them out.

Susan wrote: "Timely suggestion Louise - I did not know it was short story month. Check out this link with some short story suggestions: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/s......"

Interesting list Susan. I have not read a single one of these! Wow, good to know that May was short story month. Of course we'll never see a short story collection as a monthly read on the CBC group because Jennifer doesn't like short stories...

Some great options for reading - just wish that I had more time!!!

Isn't that always the dilemma ....

Why can't I be paid to read what I want whenever I want?? ;)

Louise wrote: "Megan wrote: "One of my favourite short story collections is The Best Thing for You. OH wait, they're classified as novellas, but still......."

I've never read any Annabel Ly..."</i>

I really loved [book:The Best Thing for You but was less impressed with The Golden Mean. Lots of people rave about it, but I just couldn't get into it.

@Megan - it sure would be nice to have reading as a profession!!

I am currently reading Alistair MacLeod's THE LOST SALT GIFT OF BLOOD. I'm reading a story here and there instead of plowing through it, and quite enjoying it too! I love short stories but often "forget" when I'm constantly engrossed in novels.

Short stories is one of my favourite genres!

Some authors I recommend are Ivan E. Coyote and Rae Spoon. A lot of people in this group have seemed to read Gender Failure and loved it, so I highly recommend checking out their other work.

Ladykiller: Stories by Charlotte Gill is also a phenomenal read that I highly recommend.

I didn't see Chez l'arabe: Stories by Mireille Silcoff recommended here. I haven't read it yet but it's part of my bingo challenge and I'm really looking forward to it.

And for the fantasy fans I recommend A Prayer for Dead Kings and Other Tales by Scott Fitzgerald Gray which is a great short story collection that also includes a novella.

♊ Allison wrote: "I am currently reading Alistair MacLeod's THE LOST SALT GIFT OF BLOOD. I'm reading a story here and there instead of plowing through it, and quite enjoying it too! I love short stories but often "f..."

I know EXACTLY what you mean Allison! I am reading his entire short story collection (of which there are only 16 unfortunately) in a compilation called Island: The Complete Stories, and I am only reading one story at a time, then savoring it, because I know I will be very sad once I've read them all. What a FABULOUS writer!

@Shvaugn, we are on the same wavelength- I posted earlier today about Chez l'arabe: Stories on the
Quebec thread! Also enjoyed Close to Spider Man by Ivan E. Coyote.

@Louise - I finally got to the first story, The Boat, of Island: The Complete Stories and think that I will slowly savour them as well.

❀ Susan wrote: "@Louise - I finally got to the first story, The Boat, of Island: The Complete Stories and think that I will slowly savour them as well."

Enjoy the journey :-)

or perhaps we should say "enjoy the voyage"....

Short stories really don't connect much with me though I've read a small number of compilations. I read Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler for the Bingo Square but didn't care much for them. I like stories that have a little twist but those ones just seemed to be little slices of life with no real climax or twist, or in some cases, no real ending, for the most part.

the roaring girl is fabulous collection and right now very impressed with Alix Ohlin, signs and wonders.
great quote here from Mavis Gallant

To date, I haven't been a big fan of short stories either. For BINGO, I've tried a Mavis Gallant selection, then gave up. Then a Joyce Carol Oates selection, then gave up. Then I tried Shirley Jackson, as I really enjoyed one of her novels, but I was so put off by the violence of the first story that I couldn't go any further. I also tried a DH Lawrence selection and similarly was put off by the gratuitous violence.

Then, this weekend, I started Timothy Findley's little-known collection of short stories called "Dust to Dust." I have a signed copy from when I worked with him at a bookstore for one day twenty years ago! Anyway, because of BINGO, I've finally cracked the spine, and I really enjoyed the first story! Gorgeous writing, and thought-provoking tale. I'm looking forward to peppering the stories between novels over the rest of the summer (and finally completing that square!)

So many good suggestions in this thread. I read it ages ago, but I really liked Dead Girls by Nancy Lee.

While at the library today I was happy to pick up Whirl Away. I enjoyed one of his full length books and loved his style.

Wanda wrote: "While at the library today I was happy to pick up Whirl Away. I enjoyed one of his full length books and loved his style."


I LOVED Whirlaway, much better than his two novels that I read.

Just noticed that Chapters still has the Alice Munro boxed set which I bought for $10 which is an amazing deal for 5 books.

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/...

Awesome @Susan. Still making slow progress on "Alice Munro's "My Best Stories", which is wonderful. Her short stories haven't received the personal attention that they deserve from me. But between her and "Flesh and Blood: Stories" I believe I will have made a good first dent into the genre. And the upside is, there will always be more to discover. Our Canadian authors have treated this genre really well and we're spoiled for fantastic content.

I decided to pick up Heather O'Neill's newer collection of short stories, Daydreams of Angels. I'm halfway through it and aside from one that wasn't to my taste, I really like it. They're all a little bit dark which I like. She's very good, isn't she?

HON is wonderful, may she live long and write more

Check this out: http://theseasonofstories.com/?ref=PR...

serial short stories to your inbox for free!

@Susan I should've looked here first, I posted a similar comment about the Season of Stories in the general discussion thread. Oops.. I read the first installment today and I think I'm hooked! Fun way to read free short stories.

no worries - this just means that more people will likley see it. i signed up too but have not read anything yet. :)

General question arising from a conversation I'm currently having - Do people have a rule of thumb for defining the length of a short story versus a novella? Are they the same thing?

@Natasha - Here is what i found on wikipedia (I struggle to use this as a source after years of school...):

Classification Word count
Novel over 40,000 words
Novella 17,500 to 40,000 words
Novelette 7,500 to 17,500 words
Short story under 7,500 words

Thanks @Susan

three more:
mothers and sons by colm toibin and
honeydew by Edith P.earlman. and the very quirky Cover before Striking by Priscilla Uppal

Short fiction is by far my most favour genre....I love short stories
and try and devour as many as I can. I have two life-long projects
that I am trying to get off the ground. I want to read all of Alice
Munro from the beginning to her last collection. I've read her work
here and there but she becomes so sophisticated in her narrative
later on that I wanted to follow how she does this. I am also trying
to read all of Mavis Gallant in succession.
Currently I am reading The Best American Short Stories 2016.
The first story was good/fine by the Nigerian/American writer
Aichie (can't remember her first name), now I am reading a story
by someone more obscure who is from Ghana. So far it's good.
But the collection is long and I can only keep it out of the library for so long so......
If anyone wants to read a good survey of Canadian short stories
there is the Journey Prize anthology which appears every year.
Many of the writers of past years go onto become well known
writers.

Alan wrote: "Short fiction is by far my most favour genre....I love short stories
and try and devour as many as I can. I have two life-long projects
that I am trying to get off the ground. I want to read all of..."

I love short stories! I have read all of Munro's and some of Mavis Gallant. Another powerhouse Canadian short story writer is Alistair MacLeod. His writing is pure perfection. I really like Lauren B. Davis's short stories too.

Are you referring to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie? She was written a fantastic set of short stories in The Thing Around Your Neck. I wonder if the Ghana writer you are referring to is Ama Ata Aidoo? I LOVE her short stories.

If you like African short stories The Caine Prize for African Writing puts out an anthology of short stories every year. You can find many of their stories on their website: http://caineprize.com/2016-shortlist/

As with The Commonwealth Short Story Prize:
http://www.commonwealthwriters.org/ca...

Yes I was referring to Chimamanda--, her story is the first in the latest volume of Best American Short Stories. The other Ghanian
writer isn't the one you mentioned, this is a man. I don't have the book with me right now. I have wanted to read The Thing Around
Your Neck for the longest time. I also am crazy about Alistair's son Alexander. Apparently he has a new story which is sensational in a brand new anthology of Canadian short stories,
I don't remember the title of the anthology but the critic said his
story was the best of the bunch. He's obviously not a very fast
writer because Light Lifting came out several years ago, but it is one of my favourite collections of all time. I am aware of the Caine prize but I don't tend to follow it. Thanks for the link though. There is also the Granta Book of the African Short Story
which I have. That collection also opens with a story by Chimamande Ngozi Adichie and it is excellent. I hope to read all of her work one day soon.

re: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie YES The Thing Around Your Neck, is a fantastic set of short stories .

Heres another exquisite volume reading now
Music for Wartime: Stories by Rebecca Makkai

There is a new voice in Canadian short stories and this collection is getting a lot of praise. Teardown

@Louise Ooo, that looks interesting. Thanks for posting. (into the tbr you go)

@ Louise, does look interesting, this Teardown. finished Music for Wartime and it was a sensational collection.
the next one, just started, promises another: the pier falls by mark haddon, author of the Curious incident of the Dog etc

I have to admit that I am not very good at reading short stories... i signed up for the short stories being sent to me daily and have yet to read one. I love the idea of the advent stories but I get so wrapped up in the books that I am reading. Here is a fun info graphic with 6 reasons to read short stories;
https://electricliterature.com/infogr...

Today is Margaret Atwood's birthday and to celebrate, her short story ‘Isis in Darkness’ is available online for free all of today.

The story was published back in 1990 for Granta 31: The General.

https://granta.com/isis-in-darkness/

One of my reading goals for 2017 is to read one short story per day. I keep several collections going at once so if time is an issue I can choose a shorter story. I try to mix them up but sometimes if a book is on loan and the return date is looming, I have to mostly read stories from that book. Here are the stories I read in January.

Jan. 1: Peace Shall Destroy Many by Miriam Toews – Granta Magazine 137
Jan. 2: Simple Recipes by Madeleine Thien – Simple Recipes
Jan. 3: indinawemaaganidog/all of my relatives by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 4: A Culturally Inappropriate Armageddon by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 5: The Arrangers of Marriage by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – The Granta Book of the African Short Story
Jan. 6: I Am... Am I by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 7: Lost in Space by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 8: Dreams of Doom by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 9: Mr. Gizmo by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 10: Petropaths by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 11: Stars by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 12: Superdisappointed by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 13: Take Us to Your Chief by Drew Hayden Taylor - Take Us to Your Chief
Jan. 14: Timothy’s Birthday by William Trevor – After Rain
Jan. 15: she hid him in her bones by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 16: Couldn’t Keep It to Ourselves by Wally Lamb – Couldn’t Keep it to Myself
Jan. 17: binesiwag by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 18: leaks by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 19: waaseyaaban by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 20: Child’s Play by William Trevor – After Rain
Jan. 21: giiwedinong by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 22: smallpox, anyone by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 23: A Bit of Business by William Trevor – After Rain
Jan. 24: Four Days From Oregon by Madeleine Thien – Simple Recipes
Jan. 25: The True Face of Earth by Nancy Whiteley - Couldn’t Keep it to Myself
Jan. 26: Orbiting Izzy by Nancy Whiteley - Couldn’t Keep it to Myself
Jan. 27: this beautiful disaster by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 28: Thefts by Carolyn Ann Adams - Couldn’t Keep it to Myself
Jan. 29: Hair Chronicles by Tabatha Rowley - Couldn’t Keep it to Myself
Jan. 30: treaties by Leanne Simpson – Islands of Decolonial Love
Jan. 31: Alchemy by Madeleine Thien – Simple Recipes