Flash Fiction
For Sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.
The quintessential flash fiction, perhaps written on a bet by a master of meaningful brevity, Ernest Hemingway. Also known as short-short fiction, sudden fiction and micro-fiction, flash fiction is the telling of a full story in as few words as possible. The extremes, as demonstrated above, are able to convey emotion and move a reader with fewer words than the usual curse-laden, road-rage rant.
I like to think of these stories as the place where poetry melds with prose and where brevity and beauty collide. This type of storytelling has been around for a long time (think Aesop’s fables and Kipling’s Just So Stories) and crosses many cultural boundaries. It has been particularly embraced by Latin American and science fiction/fantasy authors.
The internet has added a new dimension to the writing style. Along with the proliferation of the 'drabble', numerous websites are available for those who want to either read or, perhaps, give writing some short-short fiction a shot. (I would love to read anything anyone reading this comes up with if you do give it a try!) Whether you have two seconds or two minutes, there is literally nothing to lose by getting lost for a while in some beautiful and brief prosetry!
-Danielle, Tech Services
-Danielle, Tech Services
The Baffler
Despite the rhetoric of the impending collapse of print media, I am always finding new and interesting magazines. The Baffler is my most recent discovery. It’s in its second year of continuous printing - the editors aim for three issues per year, but have not come close to that goal in a decade. The streak is now four issues printed on the intended date! Here’s hoping they make it at least five.
Thomas Frank (of Harper’s) is the editor and has a lengthy article attacking John Galt and this issue has articles by David Graeber (who I’ve written about before) and Slavoj Žižek, a piece on silicon valley guru Tim O’Reilly, and Fifty Shades of Grey/Late Capitalism. The Baffler is muckraking at its finest. Hopefully it will last long enough to warrant a subscription. Until then, B&N should have it or you can try your luck with a subscription.
-Mike, Reference
Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites by Kate Christensen
Novelist Kate Christensen's recently released memoir frames her peripatetic life through her love of food. She describes how her mother--a domestic abuse survivor and single parent to three girls--lovingly assembled budget meals that transformed her impoverished Arizona youth into a nurturing pep rally. While working as an au pair in France she discovers that zucchini can be magical and Nutella should be a controlled substance. And as an adult, she evolves from reluctant ramen preparer into some kind of culinary alchemist as she comes into her own as a writer and full-fledged human being.Christensen is frank, funny, and delightfully unpretentious about her lively, sometimes nutty, and occasionally harrowing experiences. Plus, she’s kind enough to share her recipes. Acorn owns this book, and you can request it through SWAN.
-Megan, Reference
Dinner with the Smileys: One Military family, One Year of Heroes,and Lessons for a Lifetime by Sarah Smiley
Sarah Smiley wrote Dinner with the Smileys: One Military Family, One Year of Heroes,and Lessons for a Lifetime (2013). Smiley's husband, Dustin, was deployed to Africa for 1 year and she stayed in Maine with 3 boys, ages 11, 8 and 4. As the family talked about missing a husband and father at the dinner table, they decided that once a week for the whole year they would invite someone to dinner and call this event "dinner with the Smileys." They had a wide range of people over including school teachers, politicians, athletes, authors, artists, friends, neighbors, and even a zookeeper.
This heartwarming story was enjoyable, honest, and gripping. Smiley skillfully weaves in stories of her sons, the guests, her foibles as a temporary single parent, her love and commitment she shared with her husband, and the beauty of the community as they rallied around the Smileys to help and care during this time of separation. I heartily recommend this book!
-Janice, youth services
Side Effects
Emily and Martin are rolling in the dough and are living out their own American dream - that is, until Martin is taken away in cuffs for insider trading. The scenario is all too real for Emily and tries to cope with the subsequent depression by taking antidepressant medication. However, when the newest drug on the market comes with surprise side effects, Emily does something terrible without even knowing it. Or does she? A financially struggling therapist, played by Jude Law, gets caught up in the chain of events and makes discoveries and decisions that will affect everyone involved - and change their lives forever. If you love plot twists, check this film out! It’s available through our new movie shelf or through SWAN.
-Judy, Reference
Dinner with the Smileys: One Military family, One Year of Heroes,and Lessons for a Lifetime by Sarah Smiley
Sarah Smiley wrote Dinner with the Smileys: One Military Family, One Year of Heroes,and Lessons for a Lifetime (2013). Smiley's husband, Dustin, was deployed to Africa for 1 year and she stayed in Maine with 3 boys, ages 11, 8 and 4. As the family talked about missing a husband and father at the dinner table, they decided that once a week for the whole year they would invite someone to dinner and call this event "dinner with the Smileys." They had a wide range of people over including school teachers, politicians, athletes, authors, artists, friends, neighbors, and even a zookeeper.
This heartwarming story was enjoyable, honest, and gripping. Smiley skillfully weaves in stories of her sons, the guests, her foibles as a temporary single parent, her love and commitment she shared with her husband, and the beauty of the community as they rallied around the Smileys to help and care during this time of separation. I heartily recommend this book!
-Janice, youth services
Side Effects
Emily and Martin are rolling in the dough and are living out their own American dream - that is, until Martin is taken away in cuffs for insider trading. The scenario is all too real for Emily and tries to cope with the subsequent depression by taking antidepressant medication. However, when the newest drug on the market comes with surprise side effects, Emily does something terrible without even knowing it. Or does she? A financially struggling therapist, played by Jude Law, gets caught up in the chain of events and makes discoveries and decisions that will affect everyone involved - and change their lives forever. If you love plot twists, check this film out! It’s available through our new movie shelf or through SWAN.
-Judy, Reference
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