Sticky Notes by Matthew Eicheldinger

STICKY NOTES is from Matthew Eicheldinger, a middle school teacher and gifted storyteller. He subtitles his collection: “Memorable Lessons from Ordinary Moments.” And he offers insights for all of us, not just educators, although I did feel that he validated and evoked many of the varied feelings I had as a teacher. Eicheldinger’s short vignettes reminded me that we often have an impact on others that we may never realize.  A favorite was called “A Dance” about a young boy who is quite excited when his invitation is accepted, but young love runs its course and, saddened, he simply seeks quiet time and acceptance in Mr. Eicheldinger’s classroom during a free period. There are so many more that will inspire readers and touch their hearts. Eicheldinger has collated other stories online at Instagram and TikTok. He says, “empathy and compassion are what keep us grounded and connected” – so true.

Bell Hammers, Audiobooks and AI

BELL HAMMERS by Lancelot Schaubert was published a few years ago, but the audiobook was just made available on NetGalley. The cover is quite memorable and I had been intrigued by this collection of tales involving Southern Illinois. Schaubert relates decade long adventures involving Wilson Remus, aka Remmy, a caring, mischievous soul if there ever was one. An early example is his decision to pee publicly into the mop bucket of his one room school house in order to distract his classmates from the horrific radio news about Pearl Harbor. Often compared to the writings of Mark Twain and described as “a hoot” by Publishers Weekly, BELL HAMMERS spans seventy years. Although I did not find the short essays to be that engaging or consistently humorous, this work is clearly a passion for the author/narrator and describes an oft-forgotten piece of Americana.

It is interesting to note the changes that are occurring in the audiobook field. Just recently, The Wall Street Journal posted an article titled, “He’s Been Dead for Nearly 10 Years. Now He’s Narrating Your Audiobook” in which they describe how new AI technology is being applied. They profile a variety of newer companies like DeepZen, a London based start-up, and Speechki from Austin and include comments from a number of established publishers. Fascinating to see (and hear!) how this technology is developing! 

You are Here: Connecting Flights

I do not often write about books for late elementary and middle school, but this one is so exceptional it deserves the effort: YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS edited by Ellen Oh. In this collection, twelve authors (including award winners like Traci Chee, Linda Sue Park, and Randy Ribay to name a few) have crafted an interconnected set of short stories. They take place at fictional Chicago Gateway International Airport during a storm that results in numerous delays. The young characters are all Asian American, with travel plans and family backgrounds related to a variety of countries (China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam). Each child or teen faces some sort of discrimination and/or rude comments from other passengers or airport employees, BUT each grows and steps up to confront the racist situation. That repetition felt potentially triggering for young readers, although it clearly was empowering, too. I think it would be fascinating to know more about the Zoom planning sessions between these very talented authors – many of the stories occur simultaneously and refer to a central character of another story which is intriguing and could be a fun puzzle for student readers to display graphically. In addition to their geographic cultural heritage, the characters are diverse in terms of religion, learning differences like autism or musical ability, and family situation (e.g., two dads, grandparents, only child, sibling responsibilities, etc.) – reflecting the life circumstances of the intended audience as well as a theme of belonging and connection. YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS received starred reviews from Booklist (“consistently engaging and rewarding”), Kirkus (“compelling and nuanced”), and Publishers Weekly (“artfully conceived and executed”).

The Faraway World by Patricia Engel

THE FARAWAY WORLD by Patricia Engel is a short story collection that will enthrall readers much like Engel’s earlier award-winning novel, Infinite Country, which itself is a must read. These stories tend to be rather quiet, almost intimate, and reflective. Engel changes voice, too, sometimes writing directly to another character, such as “Libélula” where an employee speaks silently to her employer, saying, “You wanted a ghost, a shadow to move about your home anticipating your every need. A double as loyal as an imaginary friend to accompany you…” I was also surprised by the ending of “Fausto” after he and his girlfriend, Paz, succumb to the temptation of what they believe will be easy money for running drugs. And, I especially liked “Aguacero” about two troubled Columbians who meet in New York and attempt to share life stories; it had previously been selected in 2019 for both The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Best American Short Stories. Containing ten tales in all, THE FARAWAY WORLD received a starred review from Kirkus.

Short Story Collections

THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY 2022 edited by John Joseph Adams and Rebecca Roanhorse (Black Sun) offers their choice of twenty outstanding science fiction and fantasy stories for the year. I was excited to sample several authors who were new to me and also to note the number of female authors who were included, like Elizabeth Bear, Meg Elison, Peng Shepherd (The Cartographers), and Maria Dong (whose forthcoming book titled Liar, Dreamer, Thief is already getting much buzz). The stories, like “I was a Teenage Space Jockey” or “The Cloud Lake Unicorn” or “Let All the Children Boogie” were entertaining and imaginative and often rather literary. If you like the science fiction genre, be sure to also look for past collections gathered by Gardner Dozois annually since the mid-1980s.  

THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE 2022 edited by Jess Walter (Beautiful Ruins) and Steph Cha contains twenty short stories published the previous year which they consider the best examples of mystery and suspense. Topics range from a girl detective to a serial killer sociopath to crime/time travel. Authors include Chicago native Tracy Clark, S.A. Cosby, Lauren Groff and many others. The tales I sampled were a bit dark relative to the cozier mysteries which I usually read, but they had me guessing and engaged. A long list of Honorable Mentions as well as some descriptive Contributor Notes are included. Either of these collections is worth perusing, particularly if you are someone who is looking for a well-written, but short, contribution to a favorite genre. As Cha notes in his introduction, “we read to get educated and feel connected as well as to escape and forget.”

Short Stories ...

THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP PRESENTS THE BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR 2022 edited by Sara Paretsky (author of the bestselling V.I. Warshawski series) contains roughly five hundred pages with selections by renowned authors Including Michael Connelly, Jo Nesbo, Joyce Carol Oates, and Colson Whitehead. Similar collections are published annually, but I felt as though these selections were more stories than mysteries. Yes, they were very well-written and there were surprises and twists, but the focus seemed more psychological than action adventure. The first story, “Kiss of Life” (by Doug Allyn) lasts for over forty pages and essentially circles back to its beginning. “White Chocolate” (by Jerome Charyn) and “Sleigh Bells for the Hayride” (by Keith Lee Morris) both sound appealing, but the characters (including a woman who kidnaps her own grandchild) were not. There are notes at the beginning and end of each story about the author’s background and creative process, but (in the preview at least) they blend together and that distracts from the reading enjoyment. Again, certainly well-written contributions, but overall not as diverting or entertaining as I had expected.