Short Story Discussion

[Heidi M Simone]

June has started, and it's time to begin our discussion for this month. Short stories (<100 pages) was chosen for this month!

Let's share:

• What did you read?
• How many pages was it?
• Was the book well-organized?
• What genre(s) did you notice in the short story you read?
• Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?
• Would you recommend it? Why or why not?

Feel free to share more about the book(s) you read! As always, let's have fun!

[Heidi M Simone]

I recently read a couple of short books. One was Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling. It was a commencement speech, so it was definitely short! The speech was 80 pages long, but it had drawings/illustrations included. I felt the speech was well-organized. Since it was a speech, it was automatically a non-fiction text, but it was also a motivational/inspirational read. For the most part, I enjoyed reading this. There wasn't much new information as far as an inspirational text is concerned, but what she was stating seems appropriate for the occasion. I would probably recommend this to those recently graduated from high school and/or college.

[Dael Reader]

I recently read A Second, Less Capable, Head and Other Rogue Tales by James Hanna. You can read my review at viewtopic.php?f=114&t=72283

[jenjayfromSA]

I tend to avoid short stories, simply because I prefer to dive in rather than get my feet wet. It is, I've discovered, much harder to write a short story. It needs to be very carefully plotted - catchy start, enough exposition to establish who and what, a confrontation of some kind, resolution. I do read novellas and short stories by authors I like, usually those that link or expand on sub-plots in novels I enjoyed. Recently I've been rereading some of Andre Norton's fantasy short stories, and she was a master, establishing a gripping scenario very quickly. She could easily have expanded some of them into full-length novels. In fact, you get quite annoyed at leaving the characters in limbo. I think it takes more skill than rambling over a trilogy.

[Namaste23]

I read The Watchmaker's Doctor and I believe it was under 100 pages. It was a sci-fi story with time travel in it. It was well organized, but it did have a lot of potential to expand. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.