In 2014, I made a deliberate effort to read more nonfiction. Thinking I did not enjoy nonfiction, I wanted to see if I could prove myself wrong. Well, I did a great job reading a selection of nonfiction from self-help to comedy to memoirs, and the verdict: it's not my favorite. However, I did find a few books that I enjoyed, and I could appreciate different aspects of nonfiction.
In 2015, I want to revisit a genre I do enjoy but don't read enough - short stories! I love a good short story. In 2014, I read a selection of short stories by J.D. Salinger, one of my favorite authors of all time. I absolutely loved "A Perfect Day for Bananafish". Of the nine, that was my favorite.
Short stories include all the elements of fiction that I enjoy, but concentrate around one specific element like the characters, setting, or plot twist. In fact, "A Perfect day for Banafish" ends with the climax (in my opinion), leaving the reader to wonder about what became of the characters in the end. It is rumored that Salinger has answered all of these questions in a series of novels to be released many, many years from now...we will see! Three of my favorite short stories are "Behind the Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway, and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber.
I have already started 2015 with a bang and picked up The Best American Short Stories 2014 edited by Jennifer Egan to kick start this goal. I read the first short story in the volume last night and really enjoyed it!
I also like that short stories are, well, so short! I don't feel like they take a long time to get through, and I do not need to be in a rush. I can carry my selection of them in my purse and can get through a short story in a day. Or, I can read an entire short story before bed. I think I will really enjoy adding these short pieces to my weekly readings!
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