19. Typical: Short Stories by Padgett Powell (207 pages)
I discovered Padgett Powell through Dave Eggers' publication McSweeney's, and for some reason I thought it might be interesting to investigate his work further.
What I found was, well, odd. At first, I really hated the stories. Much of the time I didn't see the point, and I didn't think there was a point to not having a point, either. (Does that make sense? No? Then you know what I mean.)
After about halfway, however, I started to hit a few good stories, and then some excellent ones. And before I knew it, this book had four stars.
I prefer short story collections to be arranged differently - all the bad stories at the front are liable to lose a reader quick. I'm glad I stuck to this set though - it was worth it.
4/5
4,246/15,000 = 28.30% of the pages
19/50 = 38% of the books
28.76% of the way through the year
What I found was, well, odd. At first, I really hated the stories. Much of the time I didn't see the point, and I didn't think there was a point to not having a point, either. (Does that make sense? No? Then you know what I mean.)
After about halfway, however, I started to hit a few good stories, and then some excellent ones. And before I knew it, this book had four stars.
I prefer short story collections to be arranged differently - all the bad stories at the front are liable to lose a reader quick. I'm glad I stuck to this set though - it was worth it.
4/5
4,246/15,000 = 28.30% of the pages
19/50 = 38% of the books
28.76% of the way through the year