Recently in Short stories Category

The Paul Smith Library of Southern York County will collect new and used paperback books during November for shipment to American troops overseas.

The library is one of several collection points for the Sertoma Club's book drive for Operation Paperback, a Pennsylvania non-profit that has shipped nearly one million books to troops over the last decade. Other local drop-off sites include the YMCA Southern Branch and the Mason-Dixon Public Library.

Donations should be marked for Operation Paperback and dropped off during normal library hours.

The Paul Smith Library is at 80 Constitution Ave. in Shrewsbury.

From the Associated Press:

STOCKHOLM -- Romanian-born German writer Herta Mueller won the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature Thursday, honored for work that "with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed."

The 56-year-old author, who emigrated to Germany from then-communist Romania in 1987, made her debut in 1982 with a collection of short stories titled "Niederungen," which was promptly censored by the Romanian government. In 1984 an uncensored version was published in Germany and her work depicting life in a small, German-speaking village in Romania was devoured by readers.

That work was followed by "Oppresive Tango" in Romania.

Because of her vocal criticism of Romania's government, and its feared secret police, she and her husband left the country.

The prize includes a 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) prize and will be handed out Dec. 10 in the Swedish capital.

From the Associated Press:

CHICAGO -- Oprah Winfrey says her latest book club selection is an exception in more ways than one.

The latest pick from publishing's surest hitmaker is Uwem Akpan's debut short story collection "Say You're One Of Them."

Hanover YWCA is accepting used books for its annual used book sale Nov. 6, 7 and 8. Books can be brought to the YW at 23 W. Chestnut St. and placed in the "book box" located in front of the building. Please no encyclopedias, Readers Digest condensed books or magazines. Books should be in good condition and placed in bags or boxes.

Alice Munro, the revered Canadian short story writer, has won the Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement, according to the Associated Press.

The award, announced Tuesday, is worth around $95,000.

Munro, 77, is known for such collections as "Friend of My Youth" and "The View from Castle Rock." Her short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" was adapted into the acclaimed film "Away from Her," starring Julie Christie.

If you aren't familiar with Munro's work, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her short story collections at the library or bookstore. I'm not a big short story fan, but I love Munro.

Just in from the Associated Press:

A posthumous collection of short stories by Kurt Vonnegut will be released this November.

and that definitely applies to book lovers.

The following Web sites offer used books for purchase or exchange, some for as little as the postage to ship them.

Check them out, and if you know of any others, please let us know.

www.bookmooch.com

www.bookins.com

www.swaptree.com

www.paperbackswap.com

Tobias Wolff, best known for his memoir "This Boy's Life," has been awarded a $20,000 prize for excellence in short story writing.

Wolff won the Story Prize on Wednesday for the collection "Our Story Begins." The finalists -- Jhumpa Lahiri, for "Unaccustomed Earth," and Joe Meno for "Demons in the Spring" -- each received $5,000.

The Story Prize was founded in 2004; previous winners include Mary Gordon and Edwidge Danticat.

From the Associated Press

Jhumpa Lahiri, Tobias Wolff and Joe Meno are the finalists for the fifth annual Story Prize for outstanding short fiction.

Jen Hetzer of New Freedom reads Clement Moore's classic poem, 'The Night Before Christmas,' to her 2-year-old son Andrew at the Paul Smith Library of Southern York County.

Deborah Sullivan
York County Library System community relations director

We brought my son, Michael, home from the hospital on Christmas Day in a huge red stocking with furry white trim. Each year, we would root that stocking out, he would climb in, and we would take his picture -- always amazed at how much he had grown.

Around pre-school age, we started sprinkling "reindeer food" on the lawn to help guide Santa's sleigh to our house, and of course we set out a plate of cookies for our jolly visitor to eat!

Snuggling up to read Christmas tales, singing carols and driving around to see lights have all weaved their way in and out of our celebrations over the years, creating what I hope will become cherished memories.

that books make great gifts, but now we can listen to famous authors tell us why.

Last year, Christopher Hivner of Dallastown published a collection of his horror stories as an ebook. That book, "The Spaces Between Your Screams," is now also available as a paperback from www.etreasurespublishing.com and from Amazon.com as a paperback or for the Kindle.

Novelist/essayist David Foster Wallace, 46, was found dead in his California home after apparently hanging himself Friday.

He had been teaching English and creative writing at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. His best known work is probably the inventive "Infinite Jest" (1996), which he once told Salon magazine was an effort to describe America as it approached the millennium.

"There's something particularly sad about it," he said, in a comment that might be viewed as a clue to the circumstances of his death. But he also cited fiction as a way of overcoming what he called "this existential lostness in the real world," the Washington Post reports.

By BETH VRABEL
For the York Sunday News

What do a literature professor, a bookstore owner and a former librarian have in common? In addition to knowing a thing or two about books, they are often asked for recommendations from other readers.

Here are some favorite titles, recommended by those who've made a career out of knowing what constitutes good reading.

Our readers are: Colbey Emmerson Reid, York College assistant professor of modern
literature; Irene Ritson, owner of Recycled Reader Used Bookstore in York; and Suzy Hershey, former Village Library librarian and member of two local book clubs.

From short stories to fill up a free afternoon to fine literature to come back to again and again, here are some titles to add to your collection, and a few gift ideas for other readers in your life. Their picks:

Barnes&Noble.com has added three new features to its Barnes & Noble Studio multimedia site that are well worth a look.

In Guest Books, found out what writers read as authors talk about their top three favorite books. David Sedaris is featured this week.

5 Books selects five titles that will help readers sharpen their skills on a particular topic. Read all about wine.

The Book Files tells the story behind the book. This week’s featured book is James Joyce’s “The Dubliners.” Upcoming are Jerzy Kosinski’s “The Steps” and Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham.”

Visit http://www.barnesandnoble.com/bn-studio/videos-podcasts/index.asp?.

As a woman of a certain age, and struggling to keep fitting into the clothes I own, the title of the collection of short stories by Elizabeth Berg caught my eye. "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted, And Other Small Acts of Liberation" just says it all to me.