Book Chat with You

Hello Campers, In this episode we explore themes of class, loss of autonomy and friendship. Though somehow three of the five stories I really looked at this month were coincidentally Native American themes. It was on purpose, but was kinda cool. So, this month I looked at Wharf Rats by Eric Walrond, Death by Landscape by Margaret Atwood, What We Mean When We Say Phoenix Arizona by Sherman Alexi, I...

Escape from Spiderhead by George Saunders is a short story about prisoners as guinea pigs. Gosh, one would think one would enjoy being a guinea pig in a prison especially with all the casual sex, but it becomes too much for our protagonist, Jeff. Jeff has more than he can bare when he is ordered several times to acknowledge an order of having the females tortured purely for him to comment on it wh...

Indian Camp by Ernest Hemingway is a short story about Nick (a youngster), his dad (a doctor) and his uncle George helping a pregnant Native American woman give birth. After nearly two days she had been in labor for so long that the Indians sought help from Nick's father. Upon arriving they rush to help but there's a callousness to their attitude and perspectives distresses the Indians and Nick's...

Death By Landscape by Margaret Atwood is a short story about a retired woman, who now living alone, spends her time looking at pictures of landscapes thinking about her childhood friend Lucy from camp. Each year Lois and Lucy reunite at camp. Neither of them care for Camp Manitou. In fact Lois finds some of the Indian tropes as quite distasteful even at her age. Yet they both look forward to seein...

Hello Spokane! "What We Mean When We Say Phoenix Arizona" by Sherman Alexie is a short story about friendship. Two friends embark on a journey to Phoenix and back to retrieve one of their father's ashes. The two friends, Victor and Thomas, actually hadn't been friends for a long time. It's actually all Victor's fault, yet when he needed help Thomas insisted on helping without taking no for an answ...

Hello Coco Te, Wharf Rats by Eric Walrond is a short story about a the mischief of a few teenagers in a French colony labor camp near the Panama Canal. Jean Baptiste is a busy man and has many mouths to feed. He cares for those the best under his roof though there are many secrets amongst those even in his house including the fact he is Protestant while his second wife is secretly Catholic. This l...

Letters 1 & 2 from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke has so many great insights for me. Be creative and in doing so you will understand life. Focus on looking within and appreciating art more than focusing on criticism. By finding some solace we can find art within though we needn't look to critique. These are wise words we could all learn from. And of your favorite book you should...

Hello Community, So, so, so many stories this month. Gosh, they all had something great to offer. I'd like to chat with you about most of these stories if you ever have time for to chat and would like to. Not to take away from any of these great authors though a few of these of these stories stuck out to me most of all: Miss Cynthie by Rudolph Fisher really should be anthologized more. It about a...

Hello Lovers, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" by Raymond Carver is a short story about four people sitting around a kitchen table drinking. The conversation goes to what is love and Mel, the cardiologist, takes control of most of the conversation between his musings, his hatred of his ex-wife, his wife's abusive ex-boyfriend, knights on horses, then finally an elderly couples love for...

Welcome Pet Seekers, Puppy by George Saunders is a tale of two mothers. Marie is a well to do mother seeking to buy a puppy for her kids. Callie on the other hand has a lot on her plate and is constantly busy with her son Bo who has behavioral issues. She both mothers had issues growing up, but now one is successful and well to do while Callie has everything disheveled at her house. When Marie goe...

Hello Soldiers, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce is about a most disreputable plantation owner named Peyton Fahrquhar. We Yankees have made clear if anyone interferes with railroad repair efforts whether soldier or civilian will be hung. Though he does not plea, if he did plea to be with his family or imagines escaping he would be ignored because his sentencing is set and just...

Hello Survivors, "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury is about a bleak future a month ago in which all that stands is a single futuristic house with all its gadgets to help us out from irritating clocks constantly reminding us about what to do next, preparing cigars, baths and poetry for us though there is no us left. There is a dog who is shriveled up and thin from starvation...

Hello historians, "Into Silence" by Marlin Barton is a short story about a young woman named Janey, her overbearing mother and a passing photo historian named Mr. Clark who is taking photos of plantations and related places for his work. Janey is deaf and became deaf mysteriously years ago after falling ill. From there she lived at a boarding school for the deaf and blind which she enjoyed very mu...

Hello Gamblers, "Donkey Greedy, Donkey Gets Punched" by Steve Almond is about gambler vs psychoanalyst. Psychoanalyst Dr Raymond Oss has to taken up to gambling in his middle age. It's a pastime that does not consume, though his wife is still critical of it. Later Oss receives a new patient recommended by a colleague. The patient is a professional gambler named Gary Sharpe. Sharpe has a bad temper...

Hello Michiganders, Trigger Warning! "Up in Michigan" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. We have a young man named Jim Gilmore who is a blacksmith from Canada and is adored by Liz Coates. Liz Coates is a waitress for Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Liz constantly goes out of her way to be around Jim. Jim is not so interested her, though she is hopeful. Then after a hunting trip Jim is drinking with some ot...

"Old Man at the Bridge" by Ernest Hemingway is probably the shortest story I will ever cover here unless I decide people on r/shortstories to allow me to discuss their stories here. "Old Man at the Bridge" is about an old man taking a break at a bridge after a long walk. He has been taking care of various animals but he is not a shepherd. The story is told to us by a roaming sentry during civil un...

Hello Alaskans, "China Men" by Maxine Hong Kingston is a fascinating tale of Chinese people living all throughout the US. This novel is somewhat a follow-up to her book "The Woman Warrior" which is full of tales from her mother. These two books are full of history, legend and myths. Honestly, I didn't know what to make of it all. Like Maui, the trickster, trying to trick people, really? Immigratio...

Hello New Yorkers, Today we look at "Miss Cynthie" by Rudolph Fisher. Miss Cynthie is 70 years old and she has never been fifty miles away from her home. She has also never been madam before. She came by invitation of her grandson David though she doesn't know how he is. It turns out he has a surprise for her. She doesn't know that and assumes her grandson may have a decent career like an undertak...

Hello travelers, "Fern" by Jean Toomer comes from chapter 10 of his novel Cane. "Fern" or Fernie May Rosen is a peculiar woman. She is beautiful and seems approachable, but really is not so approachable. The main character tries. He thinks about her quite a bit. He finally takes the leap and goes up to her. Gosh, he had been thinking about her a lot. He traveled from up north, so why not strike up...

Hello Snow Vacationers, "Let it Snow" is a short story by David Sedaris in which he tells of time in which school was cancelled due to snow, then another day, again, and repeated. Finally his mom kicks him and three of his sisters outside. They try to come back inside, they play, they wander, then then mom storms after them to shoo them back inside, but why? This question answered plus more. As al...

Hello listeners,  Today we're looking at the stories I read in August along with Letter 3 from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. A few of these stories will haunt me for a while & Rilke's letter has had a special place in my heart for a long time. What you read matters too and I'd love to hear about what you've read.  Check out the previous podcasts Listen to Letters to a Young Po...

Hello Socialites, This Saturday I want to you invite you to a reading of "Invitations" by Carol Shields. I know, I know, you have tons of other things to do. So does this lovely narrator of this story. Will she go to a gallery of drawing, cocktail party, buffet, fine dining? She hasn't made up her mind and with each passing day there is a new invitation. Will she go? Also, she received a new book...

Hello Voters! "Scapegoat" by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a short story about overcoming corruption, ambition, and a scapegoat who will overcome his rivals. "Scapegoat" is a post Civil War story whose setting is the town of Cadgers. Cadgers is a half White and half Black. Most characters in this story are African American including the main character Mr. Robinson Asbury. Asbury started from humble begi...

Hello Machine Users, Today's entertainment includes a short story titled "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster and presentative by the Machine's Matthew Hernandez. Worry not about first hand ideas here because Matthew is full of ideas and worry not about respirators and motors being abolished. You need not worry about the outside world. The Machine provides all for you and you if you lack anything c...

Hello Awesome Readers, “Helen in Wonderland” is a short story by Brendan P Kelso. In “Helen in Wonderland” Helen is working on a psychology dissertation at Burning Man in Nevada. Then she meets Cactus Dan, a happy inebriated man, who is passing by with his penguin cup and aviators. Then perhaps Cactus Dan is who she wanted all along. Can he help her with her dissertation? Did Helen only go to Burn...