Nothing relaxes and quenches the thirsty mind like a quick read before dozing off at night.  There are plenty of yarns numbering only four and five pages long.  Some pack a wallop and some sooth the soul.  Reading something short just for fun before bedtime is both healthy and habit-forming!

Get addicted quickly by going to the Ohrstrom Library Catalog.  Type in Short Stories, American and hit “Subject”.

Need a specific recommendation?  Begin with 60 Stories by Donald Barthelme (Fiction B28) and turn directly to his short story, The School (pp. 309-312).  It is not only hilarious, but forces the reader to ask, “What’s grammar got to do with it?”  The School is a satirical take on correct thinking in the classroom and will bring back memories!  The structure of Barthelme’s narrative is a “take off” on the constraints of sanctioned grammar and syntactical rules that can inhibit discourse.  Indeed, Barthelme’s weird, loopy syntax enhances his story and renders it more engaging.  While his innovative use of phrases may at times seem disharmonious and goofy, they are also exceptionally effective and energetic.

The prissy grade school narrator tells a story with fragmented syntax that countermands his intended message of stability, rationality, and unity of thought.  Indeed, it serves as an unintentional proxy for his students’ resistance and demand for meaning.  The School rushes along at breakneck speed with one “surprising” event surpassing the next.  From the moment the teacher speaks of  “root systems”, the narrative shifts from one element to another – from orange trees to soil to sticks to snakes to herb gardens to fish, gerbils and then puppies, – all curiously tied to an ascending order up the evolutionary ladder. Barthelme’s writing resembles wild strawberries sprawling in segments across the page the way a root system meanders across the yard making it impossible to identify at times where the thing starts and stops. In the end, the students in The School’s classroom cheer “wildly” and you will too after reading this wonderful tale.

Related posts:

1. Conroy Visitor James McBride
2. Librarians’ Holiday: Recommended Reading from Ohrstrom’s Staff

Are you looking for a great recreational read over the break but have already devoured everything by your favorite author?  Would you like to find books of a similar nature written by different authors?  If so, try searching NoveList through EBSCO and you may discover new favorites.

1) Click HERE to visit Ohrstrom Library’s website and select EBSCO from the database menu.

2) Then select NoveList (over to the right, see below).

This database will allow you to find author “read-alikes” specific to your subject criteria.

3) Conduct a search of your favorite author.

4) Select a title retrieved from your search.  Then, click on “Find Similar Books” (over to the right under the book image).

5)    Select the subject headings that are important to you and then hit the search button.

6) Review your results to find something that sounds like an interesting read. Many of the books listed in NoveList have excerpts from the first chapter available to read online – click the “First Chapter” link at the end of the book listing to test drive your selections.   You can also go back to the search list and make adjustments to your keyword selection to find new results.

7)  Check Ohrstrom’s WebCat to see if the book is in our collection or make a request via Interlibrary Loan.  Enjoy reading your new discoveries!

Related posts:

1. New Embedded Search Box is EBSCO-licious!
2. Reading up on Current Events: Spotlight on CQ Researcher
3. Spotlight On: Biography Resource Center