A review by taralpittman
Why They Run the Way They Do by Susan Perabo
5.0
Only recently have I become a fan of short stories; I don't think I started reading them until after college, when a collection was recommended to me by a friend (by author Alice Munro) and I fell in love with the format. For an avid reader, I think I have a relatively short attention span; this certainly poses a problem when a novel doesn't "grab" me in the beginning, and I often choose novels based on my initial reaction to the description. Short stories might seem to be the optimal solution but, again, it often depends on the subject matter.
I was initially attracted to Why They Run the Way They Do for the title since, as you probably know, I love running; secondarily, I was attracted to the fact that it is a collection of short stories and that Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation, wrote a glowing recommendation. This turned out to be a great decision, in spite of the fact that it has nothing to do with running; this is my first five-star read of 2016.
As I type this, I feel inadequately skilled to "review" this collection; to say that I was moved by these stories would be a monumental understatement. A few days after finishing, I was still thinking about a couple of the stories and I'd really like to go back and reread the entire collection; instead, I've limited myself to about three of the stories and I would love to be in a book club where I could discuss this with many other readers. At 208 pages, you have no excuse NOT to read this one; please, go read it, and then return and tell me what you think.
Read the remainder at runningnreading.com: http://wp.me/p4EAyf-1KX
I was initially attracted to Why They Run the Way They Do for the title since, as you probably know, I love running; secondarily, I was attracted to the fact that it is a collection of short stories and that Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation, wrote a glowing recommendation. This turned out to be a great decision, in spite of the fact that it has nothing to do with running; this is my first five-star read of 2016.
As I type this, I feel inadequately skilled to "review" this collection; to say that I was moved by these stories would be a monumental understatement. A few days after finishing, I was still thinking about a couple of the stories and I'd really like to go back and reread the entire collection; instead, I've limited myself to about three of the stories and I would love to be in a book club where I could discuss this with many other readers. At 208 pages, you have no excuse NOT to read this one; please, go read it, and then return and tell me what you think.
Read the remainder at runningnreading.com: http://wp.me/p4EAyf-1KX