Tag: deal me in challenge

American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, English Literature, Fiction, Noir, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story

Ken Lui vs. William Roughead: A Deal Me In Short “Story” Challenge

For this, my second round/deck in the Deal Me In Short Story Challenge,  I‘m going to continue my bonus challenge of selecting two stories per draw, reading both, and then trying to come up with a way to connect the two.  This may prove an even more difficult challenge in the long run since I’ve selected so many non-fiction pieces this time around. I’ve been inspired … Continue reading Ken Lui vs. William Roughead: A Deal Me In Short “Story” Challenge

james b chester2 Comments
American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, Fantasy, Fiction, Short Story

Grace Paley vs Alaya Dawn Johnson

The title to this post should be one of those colon titles– Grace Paley vs. Alaya Dawn Johnson: or Grace Paley Wears Out Her Welcome. One pleasant surprise I’ve had while doing this round of the Deal Me In Short Story Challenge is how much I have enjoyed Grace Paley’s short stories.  Her observations, her humor, her humanity, have all been very enjoyable. She deserves … Continue reading Grace Paley vs Alaya Dawn Johnson

james b chester6 Comments
American Fiction, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Short Story

John Hersey vs. Haruki Murakami

For this round of the Deal-Me-In Short Story Challenge I drew John Hersey’s “To the End of the American Dream” and Haruki Murakami’s  “Man-Eating Cats.”  At the risk of making this a Haruki Murakami week I decided to go with what the cards dealt and give him another go, even though I just finished his new book.  Scroll down for the review. The title held out the … Continue reading John Hersey vs. Haruki Murakami

james b chester1 Comment
Fiction, Japanese Literature, Marriage Plot, Nigerian Literature, Short Story

Haruki Murakami vs. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

For the Deal Me In Short Story Challenge this week I drew two of my favorite novelists. Novelists. As far as short stories go, well, one of them is pretty good. The thing is both of the stories I read this time around,  The Arrangers of Marriage by Adichie and The Year of Spaghetti by Murakami both feel like sketches done in preparation for a larger … Continue reading Haruki Murakami vs. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

james b chester5 Comments
American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, English Literature, Fiction, Noir, Non-fiction, Short Story

George Orwell vs. Raymond Chandler

I’ve found two ways to connect the random stories I drew for this round of the Deal Me In Short Story Challenge: theme and style.  While not particularly specific to the two “stories” I drew this time, one thing Orwell and Raymond Chandler have in common is that both seek to expose what’s really going on in the society they observe. With a Chandler short … Continue reading George Orwell vs. Raymond Chandler

james b chester1 Comment
American Fiction, California, Classic, Fiction, Noir, Short Story

Raymond Chandler vs. Grace Paley

This year, I’ve been looking at ways to connect the two stories I draw each time I do the Deal Me In Short Story Challenge.  Sometimes its’ a lot of fun; sometimes it’s difficult work; and sometimes it’s been a stretch.  Quite a stretch, if I’m honest. This time I drew “Come On,  Ye Sons of Art” by Grace Paley and “No Crime in the Mountains” … Continue reading Raymond Chandler vs. Grace Paley

james b chester10 Comments
American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, Fiction, Short Story

Tobias Wolff is Sicker Than Grace Paley: a Deal-Me-In Short Story Challenge

Not as sick as Eudora Welty or Flannery O’Connor, but still. While I enjoyed “The Other Miller” by Tobias Wolff, I will admit that it’s kind of a gimmick story.  It’s a good gimmick, almost as good as the one in Incident at Owl Creek Bridge, hint, hint…. Private Miller is in boot camp, unhappy, regretting everything that led him to join the army. He’s … Continue reading Tobias Wolff is Sicker Than Grace Paley: a Deal-Me-In Short Story Challenge

james b chester4 Comments