How to Write a Dirty Book and Other Stories

As with a collection of short stories, whether it by a single author or a bevy of authors, you are going to like more stories than others. In this first collection of short stories by Bruce Kimmel this is the case. The good news is that I enjoyed reading all the stories and some stood out more than others. My favorite story was Opening Out Of Town. This is the most comical of the seven stories in this collection. I was also able to visualize the events as they unfolded. The title story, How To Write a Dirty Book, The Book Scout and Adventures With My Father also have a similar theme with Opening Out of Town; show business. The first two were fun and satisfying reads. The third story: Adventures With My Father was more surprising to me. Although it is quite somber, "Adventures" is Kimmel's best written story in this collection. It is also his most personal story. Even more so than his other Benjamin Kritzer novels. Benjamin Kritzer may have been a "Lollypops and Cotton Candy" look back, this story is more serious. The story held my interest and of all the stories in this collection this one holds the possibility of being expanded into a novel. The stories that bothered me were not the writing quality which were very good, but their subject matter. I See You In My Dreams and Maddie both deal with suicidal people and often hit too close to home for me as I knew people like that. I See You In My Dreams had a Twilight Zone feel to it but its ultimate conclusion was already pre-ordained for me. Maddie, which seemed like part four of the Benjamin Kritzer novels if they had continued was a nostalgic look back at a more innocent time. This is a real story of coming of age and an "older woman". The highs and lows of the story follow the highs and lows of the title character. A wonderful story. Finally there is Your Worst Nightmare. At first I did not like it for a couple of reasons. The language and subject bothered me. Anything to do with racial hatred and prejudice is very difficult for me to read or watch as a film or play. Ultimately I felt that this story was too fantastic to be true and the language and subject matter was there for shock value. BUT I did speak with the author Bruce Kimmel about my feelings about the story. He sent me to the website to see the postings and situations that the story was based on. I was shocked to see how much more hateful this person really was. Once I knew this about the story's true background. It became one of my favorites in the collection. My overall opinion?: A very enjoyable read. I recommend it.

I am a fan of short stories. I never seem to have large windows of time to delve into lengthy tomes, but I love to have a nice short story to settle down with before I go to sleep. These stories fit the bill perfectly, and are thought-provoking enough to influence your dreams, once you get to dreamland. The stories have already been individually reviewed nicely, so I will add that these stories are on par with other short story writers I like: HH Munro, EM Forster and O Henry. (What's with all these initials? Short names to go with the short stories?) They are unpredictable and once you start a story you don't want to put the book down until you finish the story. Anyone who has participated in an internet discussion group will find "Your Worst Nightmare" particularly resonant, since even the most genteel community can attract abusive trolls who ruin it for the rest of the group. This story brings that scenario to a very satisfying conclusion! "Opening Out Of Town" is another wonderful piece of speculative fiction, and would make a great short film. Of course, since Mr. Kimmel is also a renown singer/songwriter in the Johnny Mercer/Broadway tradition, it's no wonder that you can almost hear these songs when you read the lyrics. If this ever becomes a book on tape, maybe the songs could be produced for that. If so, I would buy it again! The rest of the stories are funny, sad, poignant and ... sexy. With a title like "How to Write A Dirty Book", they'd have to be, right? But the title story is funny-sexy, reminiscent of Nicholson Baker's "The Fermata". The dialogue is witty, and some of the lines made me laugh out loud. This is the first book I've read by Mr. Kimmel, but I enjoyed it enough to order the whole Kritzer trilogy. My medical advice to cure your reading malaise: take one story and go to bed!

How to Write a Dirty Book and Other Short Stories! is a pure pleasure. Each story is structured by Bruce Kimmel to keep its reader turning the page. From fun and clever delights such as Opening Out of Town, The Book Scout, and How to Write a Dirty Book to the darker and poignant tales Maddie, I'll See You in My Dreams, and Adventures with My Father, this collection is an emotional roller coaster of a read. Here are my favorites (hard to choose!) I'll See You in My Dreams; the story of a man's downward spiral into his own world of fantasy and love. How to Write a Dirty Book; follows the life of an out of work screen writer forced to resort to writing dirty books to make money and the effect it has on his life. The Book Scout; about a book collector and the price he pays for being a little too greedy. Adventures with My father; explores the relationship between a young girl and her father and the importance of keeping in touch with those you love. Each of the seven short stories in this book serves as a nice way to begin or end any day. Also recommended are Bruce Kimmel's other books; The Kritzer trilogy and his two mystery thrillers' Rewind and Writer's Block.

I am not a short-story lover--I usually prefer a novel--but I loved this book! The seven stories are a diverse mix and all are well-written, interesting, and enjoyable--yet each in a different way. Sad, whimsical, tender, and just plain fun. Each story grabbed my attention right from the start and held it so well that I couldn't put the book down. I was sorry to see it end. This is Mr Kimmel's sixth book and one of his best. His voice is strong, witty, clever, and astute. I look forward to his next work.

Back in the days when literature was literate, the short story was a respected form of expression. Nowadays, blogs have taken the place of the well-crafted short story. If you long for those short tales that left you breathless, made you think, or made you FEEL something - then Bruce Kimmel's "How to Write a Dirty Book and other stories!" is for you. There is much to praise here. The seven tales take you on little journeys into the lives of some very different people. But whoever you are, you are in at least ONE of the stories. Laughter and tears share the same page in a couple of the stories. They are all written with the jaunty personal style that Kimmel brought to his Kritzer Trilogy and his two mystery novels. But don't let the ease with which these stories are read mislead you into thinking they are carelessly written. Each word, each paragraph, probably even each punctuation mark was chosen with craft and care. With a nod to O'Henry, Rod Serling, and Ray Bradbury, "How to...." will delight you. As soon as I reached the end of each story, I thought "That's my favorite" - until I finished the next one. "I'll See You in My Dreams" story number one takes you into that strange world we all live in at one time or another, and the exit of its protaganist from his situation propels us in an unexpected direction. The title story is next - a clever homage to the lurid paperbacks that used to populate the back of the drugstore. Funny and perfectly set in the near past. Story number three is named after one of its characters, "Maddie" - but the heartstrings flutter and the tears fall as life goes on, almost. "Opening Out of Town" was the story I liked least, but that was only because it needs to have a CD to play along as you read. You'll see what I mean when you get there - make sure your gas tank is filled. Story number five could only take place in the current 21st century. One wonders what Serling and Bradbury would have made of the reality of our time. They couldn't improve on what Kimmel has done. Anyone who has spent any time on the computer will empathize. If only it could be done this way! "The Book Scout" is a Serling-esque/EC Comics type of yarn that will please and mystify. I thought I knew where it was going, but I was wrong. Then suddenly for story number seven "Adventures With My Father", Kimmel changes voices. And what a sweetheart of a story it is. We come full circle at the end - we are all connected, life is funny that way. I will put this book near my copy of Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" - my ALL TIME favorite collection of short stories. It deserves its place there. Thanks, Mr Kimmel, for seven adventures into your mind. It was fun to spend some time there.