One can't have it both ways (Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Meloy)

Love. Loss. Innocence. Guilt. Desire. Maile Meloy's short stories in this collection (Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It) encompass all of these themes. Bound together by snow and ice, by love and infidelity, the eleven stories are all richly drawn and some of the best I've ever read. They're haunting and lovely, and short enough to leave a reader wanting more.

Meloy's style is lyrical and poetic, reminiscent of Capote. The stories themselves are all snapshots of life; they depict moments in life that one can imagine happen everyday all over the country. One of my favorites is "O Tannenbaum," the final story in the collection. It leaves the reader with a sweet taste and certainly wanting more.

I'm definitely adding Meloy's other works to my list!

And here's a new list- my favorite short stories:

1. Truman Capote (anything.)

2. "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

3. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor

4. The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst

5. Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha stories (his short stories are so much more readable than his novels)

So I finished two books today...I really should get a life. I'll have another post soon, hopefully. And until we meet again, Happy Reading!