Not going to lie… my reading has been suffering some. Between buying a house, moving into said house, and running a half marathon, my focus has been on other things. Reading a book of short stories helped some – more stop and go then others.

Book Read: You Think It, I’ll Say It
Author: Curtis Sittenfield
Number of Books Read: 23

I’ve read a couple of Sittenfield’s books previously (Prep, Eligible) so when I was wandering the library (after work this time, not a lunch) and saw this one, I figured she wouldn’t lead me astray. Overall, she didn’t.

Some of these short stories were entertaining, some just dragged and were quite odd. But, I guess that’s what happens in a collection of short stories. If there are 10 short stories and you enjoy half of them, I’d say that’s a win.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• The Prairie Wife – Kirsten follows another woman she went to camp with religiously on Twitter, secretly hoping for her downfall. When her fellow camp counselor opens up about a secret, she’s not sure if she should be grateful or feel bad about herself. (Turns out Twitter stalking is a thing at any age).
• Bad Latch – a woman encounters a fellow mom, Gretchen, multiple times. They experience prenatal yoga, a breast-feeding support group, and then daycare together. While at first Gretchen seems to have it all, at the chance meeting at daycare drop-off, that’s no longer the case. But lifelong friendships can be formed anywhere.
• Off the Record – a freelance writer, Nina, is hand-picked to interview the next big thing. When secrets are revealed and comments are made, Nina realizes writing may not be for her or her daughter.

Sittenfield’s writing is sharp. She writes of iffy decisions, ones that turned out great, and coincidences that can chance a life. The stories move well and you can get through one pretty quickly. The perk of a collection of short stories is starting and stopping, and this one allows that. But when you stop and put it down, you’ll want to pick it back up and read the next one.

My history of short story collections this year hasn’t been so great (remember how I felt about Tom Hanks?), but overall this book passed the time and the bus rides. If you enjoy a light, time-passer, this one is for you! Me? I’m already on to the next one.

Next Read: Promise Me, Dad by Joe Biden