stories from Phil LaMarche, Lori Ostlund, Arthur Bradford, and Lauren Groff, plus a first attempt at an ongoing, fluid list of the "best" stories of the century so far...
Hi Aaron, I understand falling behind this past month. It's flown by. I like your list. The Groff story is intriguing. I quickly put one together organized by three time periods. Democracy in America and The Frenzy have the two best I read this year. Recency bias and New Yorker bias are real for me.
Recents
Seeing Ershadi - Nicole Krauss
Democracy in America - Allegra Hyde
Arrows - Jamel Brinkley
Confessions of Shinagawa Monkey - Haruki Murakami
Elmhurst - Han Ong
Bears Among the Living - Kevin Moffat
Phenotype - Alexandra Chang
The Wind - Lauren Groff
The Frenzy - JCO
So Late in the Day - Claire Keegan
Mall of America - Suzanne Wang
Classics
Sonny's Blues - James Baldwin
The Swimmer - John Cheever
The Lottery - Shirley Jackson
Perfect Day for a Bananafish - JD Salinger
A Good Man Is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor
Varieties of Exile - Mavis Gallant
Steady Hands at Seattle General - Denis Johnson (all of Jesus Son)
Almost Classics
Kat - Margret Attwood
Found Objects - Jennifer Eagan
The Falls - George Saunders
The Cafeteria in the Evening and the Pool in the Rain - Yoko Ogawa
Hi Aaron, I understand falling behind this past month. It's flown by. I like your list. The Groff story is intriguing. I quickly put one together organized by three time periods. Democracy in America and The Frenzy have the two best I read this year. Recency bias and New Yorker bias are real for me.
Recents
Seeing Ershadi - Nicole Krauss
Democracy in America - Allegra Hyde
Arrows - Jamel Brinkley
Confessions of Shinagawa Monkey - Haruki Murakami
Elmhurst - Han Ong
Bears Among the Living - Kevin Moffat
Phenotype - Alexandra Chang
The Wind - Lauren Groff
The Frenzy - JCO
So Late in the Day - Claire Keegan
Mall of America - Suzanne Wang
Classics
Sonny's Blues - James Baldwin
The Swimmer - John Cheever
The Lottery - Shirley Jackson
Perfect Day for a Bananafish - JD Salinger
A Good Man Is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor
Varieties of Exile - Mavis Gallant
Steady Hands at Seattle General - Denis Johnson (all of Jesus Son)
Almost Classics
Kat - Margret Attwood
Found Objects - Jennifer Eagan
The Falls - George Saunders
The Cafeteria in the Evening and the Pool in the Rain - Yoko Ogawa
Gallatin Canyon - Thomas McGuane