The Best American Short Stories Edited by Alice Sebold

The Best American Short Stories Edited by Alice Sebold

Books roundup: Writing collections

By Bob Minzesheimer, Carol Memmot, Jerry Shriver and Dan Vergano, USA TODAY

Four outstanding collections of great writing across diverse fields of interest should keep readers' attention this fall.

The Best American Short Stories

Edited by Alice Sebold

Mariner, 347 pp., $14, paperback

Short stories are alive and well, even if they have disappeared from most magazines. One exception: The New Yorker, which published four of the 20 stories selected by Alice Sebold. One of them is among my favorites: Them Old Country Songs, Annie Proulx’s heartbreaker about a young homesteading couple in 1885: "She seemed unaware she lived in a time when love killed women." In One Dog Year, Kevin Moffett vividly imagines John D. Rockfeller at 86, "regarding time with the same stubborn miserly purpose with which he regarded money."— Bob Minzesheimer

The Best American Mystery Stories 2009
Guest editor Jeffery Deaver, series editor Otto Penzler
Mariner, 381 pp., $14, paperback

Otto Penzler defines these stories as "any work of fiction in which a crime, or the threat of a crime, is central to the theme or the plot." Jeffery Deaver (The Bone Collector), citing the unlimited subgenres of mystery writing, says the only thing these stories have in common is that they are short. They're also fabulously written. From N.J. Ayers' Rust, about the death of a Pennsylvania state trooper, to Jpyce Carol Oates’ Dear Husband, which is reminiscent of an infamous 2001 Houston murder case, these stories are masterfully told and wonderfully creepy.— Carol Memmott

Best Music Writing 2009
Guest editor Greil Marcus
Da Capo, 365 pp., $15.95, paperback

Record reviewing gets short shrift here— the best examples of that dying art are Paul Ford's devastatingly effective six-word critiques and Aidin Vaziri's tart, one-sentence musings. The best of the 35 pieces examine the music world in a social context, which makes for a challenging, and engaging, read. Teacher David Ramsey's diary entries on what Lil Wayne’s music means to him and his students illuminates the inner-city New Orleans mind-set; Vanessa Grigoriadis’ harrowing take on Britney Spears’ breakdown is an indictment of America's values. — Jerry Shriver

The Best American Science Writing 2009
Guest editor Natalie Angier
Ecco, 368 pp., $14.99, paperback

"There is something fascinating about science," Mark Twain said. "One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact." The best in Twain's observation, and some of the excesses, can be seen here. The writers in this year's volume tackle hard topics such as abortion, autism, violence and torture. They, well, fascinate with brisk writing. A trifle from The Onion, "Evolutionists Flock to Darwin-Shaped Stain," wins my vote as tops in the collection, which is sure to hold something delectable for any science lover. — Dan Vergano

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