Being Tori

Welcome to another late entry.

We credit the sport of golf with a lot: wearing multiple, differing prints at once; our first summer jobs shilling drinks to thirsty golfers; and driving in tiny cars instead of walking. We’ll also give it the hole-in-one, a thing that almost never happens in real golf (we think?) but nonetheless symbolizes doing something amazing on your first try. Give us a mulligan on our deplorable golf knowledge and check out these incredible collections of short fiction that have all been recognized … for some hole-in-one storytelling. —All Lit Up

I have never been much of a reader of short stories. Not because I don’t like them, but because I never thought to read them. It wasn’t until I started working at B&G and read the work of the wonderful Julie Paul that I understood the pull of the short story. Now I get it. Since that first time I’ve read two more collections and I eagerly await my monthly newsletter from Little Fiction (if you haven’t visited before, you definitely should).

So, without further ado, the three short story collections I’ve read (all of which have been hole-in-one, as you can see by their astounding reviews):

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The Pull of the Moon by Julie Paul

“Thoroughly good.” —The Globe and Mail

“This collection of twelve stories doesn’t disappoint.” —The Toronto Star

“The pull of Julie Paul is powerful.” —Rover magazine

“Masterful and sexy.” —Kathleen Winter, author of Annabel

“Julie Paul’s Pull Of The Moon consistently succeeds.” —The Winnipeg Review

“Fresh and contemporary.” —Lee Henderson, author of The Man Game

“Wistful, charming stories.” —Shaena Lambert, author of Oh, My Darling

•

One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak

“Hugely pleasurable…droll and smart in spades, but often humane and vulnerable, too.” —The New York Times

“Nearly every story brings a deliciously wry jolt of the unexpected.” —The Washington Post

“Novak meets—no, exceeds—expectations in “One More Thing”, firmly establishing him as one of the best humor writers around.” —The Hollywood Reporter

“The kind of funny that makes writers jealous of his humor, pace and wit if they, like you, weren’t busy laughing.” —The Atlantic

“High-concept, hilarious, and disarmingly commiserative fiction.” —Booklist

•

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

“A remarkably skilled storyteller and savvy essayist….And, based on this latest collection, he’s getting only better.” —Los Angeles Times

“The funniest writer in America….Sedaris is thoughtful and sweet in addition to being slyly hilarious.” —O, the Oprah Magazine

“Artfully milked embarrassing personal incidents for literary laughs.” —Entertainment Weekly 

“David Sedaris has become a signifier of taste and intelligence.” —Esquire

“David Sedaris still talks pretty.” —New York Magazine. 

“Sedaris makes the mundane hilarious.” —People

•

Now for a personal anecdote by Tori

I totally get what All Lit Up is saying when they credit golf with wearing multiple, differing prints at once. Behold:

I know, I know, you’re thinking, “Tori, this is bad. It’s so bad that we’re happy it’s blurry, so we can’t see just how bad it really is.” But you know what? Shut it. This was Halloween and I was nineteen and fully clothed, so that’s a win. And I think this is a fairly inspired Ugly Betty costume. Those are red and white polka-dot shoes. That dress (what up, Value Village?!) was super comfy and looked like the outer ring on my grandma’s Corelle dishes. I still have that yellow shirt. It’s [kinda] cute on its own. The vest (super thrifty thrift shop find) was hot pink with gold buttons that were as big as drawer pulls. And then I topped it all off with dangly silver earrings pinned to my lapels, zebra print earrings, and a black and white striped headband. Like I said: win.

Thank you for snickering.