The KGB Bar Reader

Not only is this book a must-have for all of the lovers of short stories, it's a discovery of some of the finest works out there in the World of Literature. The artful styles and imaginative imagery are only the beginning of this collection, of which I have recommended to everyone inquiring on my favorite reads.

Though individual pieces may seem forbidding, this collection coheres - with story after story giving you the momentum to read on. By the end, you reach short pieces that actually teach you how to live - something stories and memoirs rarely achieve, even for those of us who consider ourselves serious and openhearted readers. Here is an anthology for the long haul.

I bought this after reading a great review in The New Yorker, and found the writing much more exciting than what I've found lately in the annual 'Best of' anthologies that come out every fall. Jacqueline Woodson's opening story "Fire" is stunning, and each piece that follows took me into another writer's world. This is what my friends will be getting this Christmas.

I spent an evening in the bathtub with this book, reading stories and essays at random, and every one I turned to got my interest immediately and kept me turning pages -- this is a collection of compelling, original voices, with dark humor sparking throughout. Lydia Davis's "Old Mother and the Grouch" sneaks up on you and pounces, Matthew Sharpe's "A Car" is hilarious and moving, Helen Schulman's "P.S." had me reading with -- literally -- bated breath, waiting to see what would happen next and loving her writing as I went, and Jennifer Egan's "XO" is a gem. I loved several other stories and essays too -- a fresh, fun, energetic bunch of pieces.

With new work from eveyone from Rick Moody and Kathryn Harrison to people you've never heard of, this anthology of collects a range of talents and topics, with something to please everyone. Likely you'll find a few pieces here are a little uneven, and in some cases a little disgusting, but that's part of the fun.