My Becoming-a-Genius Project, Part 18!

The background: I have decided to become a genius. To achieve this, I'm working through the collected stories of various authors, reading and reviewing one story each day until I get bored, lose all my followers, or am struck down by a vengeful deity. I was feeling the need for a break from this project, so instead, I picked up a 700-page tome and signed up for a month-long installment. I may be aiming to become a genius, but I never claimed to be smart.

Project 1: THE COMPLETE STORIES BY FLANNERY O'CONNOR
Project 2: HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES BY CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
Project 3: 18 BEST STORIES BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
Project 4: THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES BY SHIRLEY JACKSON
Project 5: HOW LONG 'TIL BLACK FUTURE MONTH? BY N.K. JEMISIN
Project 6: THE SHORT STORIES OF OSCAR WILDE BY OSCAR WILDE
Project 7: THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK BY ANDREW LANG
Project 8: GRAND UNION: STORIES BY ZADIE SMITH
Project 9: THE BEST OF ROALD DAHL BY ROALD DAHL
Project 10: LOVE AND FREINDSHIP BY JANE AUSTEN
Project 11: HOMESICK FOR ANOTHER WORLD BY OTTESSA MOSHFEGH
Project 12: BAD FEMINIST BY ROXANE GAY
Project 12.5: DIFFICULT WOMEN BY ROXANE GAY
Project 13: THE SHORT NOVELS OF JOHN STEINBECK
Project 14: FIRST PERSON SINGULAR BY HARUKI MURAKAMI
Project 15: THE ORIGINAL FOLK AND FAIRY TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Project 16: A MANUAL FOR CLEANING WOMEN BY LUCIA BERLIN
Project 17: SELECTED STORIES OF PHILIP K. DICK
Project 18: HIGH LONESOME: SELECTED STORIES BY JOYCE CAROL OATES

Day 1: SPIDER BOY
Immediately, I picture a dollar-store superhero knockoff of Tobey Maguire, so this is off to a good start. I'm not out of my reading slump, but I am out of my much longer and far worse analytical slump, in which looking below the surface of any book took a ton of effort. What a relief to notice themes and motifs and double meanings again!!! The ending was a bit lame, but overall, I'm happy my slump ended here. Rating: 4

Day 2: THE FISH FACTORY
Another funny title that will probably once again give way to a very somber story. This was a correct premonition (immediately, this is about a child's murder). OR WAS IT? Rating: 3.75

Day 3: THE COUSINS
I was hungover (emotionally, because I'd been to a Phoebe Bridgers concert the night before, and physically, because even though I didn't drink much and I did eat dinner and I did drink water, the world hates me) yesterday, and when I'm hungover, I forget how to read. I'm playing catch-up on a Friday after completing only 2 days. This bodes well. I liked this anyway. Rating: 4

Day 4: SOFT-CORE
I don't have patience for women who don't love their sisters. And as the eldest, I DEFINITELY don't have patience for younger siblings who are haters. Rating:

Day 5: THE GATHERING SQUALL
The title could be the overall Bad Vibe and foreshadowing of destruction to come re: this project! Because today is Monday, and I did not pick this up on Saturday OR Sunday. It's a three-story day, but at least none of us can say we weren't warned by past me when I started this book. I almost never like the way sexual assault is written about, and this is no exception. Rating: 2

Day 6: THE LOST BROTHER
There is a sibling preoccupation happening here. Rating: 2.5

Day 7: IN HOT MAY
A good/sad one to round out the bad/sad ones. Rating: 3.5

Day 8: HIGH LONESOME
Title story title story title story! I'm launching my high expectations like it's a spaceship in a sci-fi movie. Flashing to establishing shots of the HQ at Houston, people pushing up levels and typing on sciency-looking computers and talking into headsets. You get it. Empathy is a real b*tch to have, and also, there are some goddamn gruesome images in this. Rating: 3.75

Day 9: *BD*11 1 87
This story is already testing me with this complicated f*cking title. I should look at a title once to type it. ONE TIME ONLY. Well, this one was out of the typical Oates wheelhouse. Rating: 3.5

Day 10: FAT MAN MY LOVE
I don't know how many days behind I am - 3? 4? 1000? Either way, it's insurmountable on this day, and I'll deal with it later. It seems like today's order of business is A Reminder Of How Far We Have Come Fatphobia-Wise In The Last 15+ Years. I promise I do not make this claim lightly when I say stories like these are why people hate literary fiction. Rating: 1

Day 11: OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR
Same day, because this is a teeny story, and I can actually play a bit of catch-up!!! I liked the ending of this. Also, the title. Rating: 3.5

Day 12: UPON THE SWEEPING FLOOD
We have suddenly moved to The 1960s from The New Stories, which seems like an odd construction but O.K. We have also done some math and determined that after this story, I will be just one behind. Look at us go. A fun fact about me is that I find natural disaster stories very boring, which will surely prove to be my entertainment demise as the effects of climate change come for us all. Rating: 3

Day 13: AT THE SEMINARY
I have to read two stories to catch up today. I feel about as good about my chances of doing that as I do about my chances of cooking a healthy dinner: it's possible, but not likely. True to expectation, I read one story and I'm eating chips for dinner. 1960s Joyce Carol Oates was a different breed. Rating: 4

Day 14: IN THE REGION OF ICE
I kind of can't stress enough how much more interesting 1960s-Oates' way of writing is than the dreaded 2000s. Rating: 3.75

Day 15: WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN
I am both excited and scared to read this story because I wrote one of the best papers of my life during one of my favorite times of my life on it a few years ago, and I loved it, but at the same time, a bout of nostalgia can take me down for 2 - 4 business days, and I'm busy. Excited and scared was a good combo. Rating: 5

Day 16: HOW I CONTEMPLATED THE WORLD FROM THE DETROIT HOUSE OF CORRECTIONS, AND BEGAN MY LIFE OVER AGAIN
Again with the title I have to read more than once in order to write it down. Joyce, we talked about this........ I love when I read a story and it piques my interest from the first word and never lets me down. Rating: 4.25

Day 17: FOUR SUMMERS
It's giving me sisterhood of the traveling pants. Okay........a bit more going on thematically than the sisterhood of the traveling pants, I'll admit. Rating: 4.25

Day 18: SMALL AVALANCHES
It's the 70s, baby! Groovy. We are too busy listening to disco and...wearing flared pants? To be sad at bidding 60s Oates adieu. If there's a subgenre of badass girls f*cking over creepy weird men, I'd sure like to know. Rating: 4

Day 19: CONCERNING THE CASE OF BOBBY T.
AAAAAAAND I'm 4 days behind again. I have become so fully weekend-illiterate. I'll count it as a win if I read even one story today. Catching up seems an impossible task, my dear boy! This story is so ahead of its time it boggles the mind. Rating: 4

Day 20: THE TRYST
Still 4 days behind today. Just going to...see what happens, I guess. I love when a story written by a woman really seems to nail the male perspective. I read so many optimistic romance novels, it always surprises me. Rating: 4

Day 21: THE LADY WITH THE PET DOG
Yeesh. Two affair stories in a row. Rating: 3

Day 22: THE DEAD
James Joyce moment! I hope it is alike it only in name. It wasn't. That's enough for today. Rating: 3.5

Day 23: LAST DAYS
It's the 1980s, baby! Call it the last few days of my AP US history class in high school because we are just flying through these decades! I did...not fly through this story, though. Mental breakdowns are like dreams - only your own are really interesting. Rating: 3

Day 24: MY WARSZAWA: 1980
I desperately want to quit for the day after that last one, but then I wouldn't be able to cross "catch up on Oates" on my to-do list, and we can't have that. Of course, that would also mean the longest story yet is the next one. Mental breakdowns are slightly more interesting when women have them, but the effect is reduced when the page count is doubled. Rating: 3

Day 25: OUR WALL
Really upping my weekend-off habit by taking Thursday and Friday off, too. If I have my sh*t together, this will be a four-story day. Thank you to Ms. Oates for making this one mercifully short. This is, no joke, like the maze runner. And I know that the maze runner was written decades after this, but that doesn't change that I hate stories like it. Rating: 2.5

Day 26: RAVEN'S WING
Another short one! Everything's coming up Emma. I have to say, I don't get horse obsessions as a rule. I'm the anti-horse girl. I exist to balance them out in the universe. Rating: 3

Day 27: GOLDEN GLOVES
There is nothing scarier on God's great green earth to me than boxing. Rating: 3.5

Day 28: MANSLAUGHTER
Okay, fun title alert!!! This one spooked me out, and I have no idea why. Rating: 3.5

Day 29: NAIROBI
My main associations with Nairobi to this point are from the classic children's internet game Poptropica. I hope this is even a quarter as fun and educational as Poptropica is. I have no idea what this was about, but there were certainly no puzzles OR mini-games. Rating: 3.5

Day 30: HEAT
Time to retire this as a title. Like when good athletes have their numbers retired. Welcome to the 1990s, baby! The end is near, both of the book and of civilization as we know it! I love when literary fiction writers write about genre fiction subjects. Double interesting. Rating: 3.5

Day 31: THE KNIFE
Took a catastrophic 5 days off this project with just 6 stories to go. If I don't finish today or tomorrow, I won't catch up ever. What a situation I have created! It's now 9 pm, and I just finished my first story. For context, I do almost all of my reading for the day before 6 pm. And it was a goddamn doozy. Rating: none

Day 32: THE HAIR
The ending of this was so fun. The best thing for a story to be great at is an ending because it always kinda gaslights me into thinking I liked the whole thing. Rating: 3.5

Day 33: THE SWIMMERS
Gotta admire the title consistency. Oh, I did like this one. Admirable for a story to make you feel nostalgic for an experience you didn't live. Rating: 4

Day 34: WILL YOU ALWAYS LOVE ME?
Well, folks, if we can make today a three-story day, we'll finish this project up on time. Somehow. Crazier things have happened, I suppose, but not

I purchased this book through Barnes & Noble.com during the sale. I have a great affection for both "We Were The Mulvaneys" and "Where Are You Going Where Have You Been". I am extremely eager to start reading this one!

On August 4th, 2008, I just began reading this book while on vacation. It contains a wonderful collection of short stories! Each story has its own unique charm and吸引力. The author's writing style is engaging and captivating, making it difficult to put the book down. I am thoroughly enjoying this reading experience and look forward to seeing what other精彩的 stories are in store.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves short stories or is a fan of the author's previous works. It is definitely worth the read!

This should be the first work of Oates that newbies read.

It offers a great introduction to her unique writing style and the themes she explores.

For those who are already Oates fans, it's truly the best of the best.

It contains all the elements that make her work so captivating and engaging.

The story is filled with complex characters, rich descriptions, and a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Oates has a way of making you feel as if you are right there in the story, experiencing everything along with the characters.

Whether you're new to her work or a long-time fan, this is a must-read.

It will leave you with a deeper appreciation for Oates as a writer and a desire to read more of her work.

So, pick up this book and prepare to be amazed.

You won't be disappointed.

A story in this book is a truly creepy meld of a Joyce Carol Oates short story and The Birds (one of my all-time favorite movies). Joyce Carol Oates is a master of creating a sense of unease and dread in her short stories. The way she weaves her tales, the vivid descriptions, and the complex characters all contribute to that spine-tingling feeling. And when combined with the elements from The Birds, it becomes an even more intense and hair-raising experience. I have always been drawn to her short stories, as they have the power to make my heart race and my mind fill with all kinds of disturbing thoughts. It's that unique ability of hers to tap into our deepest fears and bring them to life on the page that keeps me coming back for more.

This particular story in the book takes that sense of dread to a whole new level. It combines the psychological horror of Oates' writing with the terrifying imagery of The Birds. As I read, I could almost feel the birds gathering outside, ready to attack. The tension builds steadily, and before I know it, I'm completely on the edge of my seat, unable to put the book down. It's a thrilling and unforgettable read that will stay with me for a long time.

\\n  

You take the blow then get on with living isn't that the history of the world?

\\n
This thought-provoking quotation from the first-person narrator of 'Golden Gloves' is quite interesting. It's from a story about a boxer, and it reminds us to look into Joyce Carol Oates' On Boxing. The collection doesn't fully support this axiom, which showcases Oates' remarkable skill and imagination in crafting narrative voices. In these tales, we often see people who are hit hard, both physically and metaphorically. Although some may survive, they are left as the walking wounded, often passing on their trauma.

This collection is handpicked by Oates herself. She excludes her gothic-horror stories, yet there's plenty that's terrifying in a very human way. It begins with a set of new stories and then goes back in chronology from the 1960s to the 1990s, offering a career-spanning selection. Almost all of the stories are superb, and one of the most striking things is the consistent quality of Oates' writing. The short story form suits her well, reining in her slight tendency to overindulge that we sometimes see in her novels. These pieces are long enough to be immersive and expansive, but they don't outstay their welcome, leaving us to think deeply about them after we finish.

Stylistically, Oates is a maverick. She easily switches from traditional third person to close third person interiority, to first person, and even slips into second person. Her writing seems realistic on the surface, but it's important to pay attention to her figurative use of language. Her imagery enriches the emotional and submerged aspects of her texts. The word placement is precise, but there's a lot beneath the surface that's worth exploring. These aren't traditional 'beginning-middle-end' stories. There are in media res starts, fractured and circular timeframes, and abrupt stops. However, the craft is meticulous and requires the active involvement of the reader.

It's nearly impossible to discuss Oates without bringing up the topic of violence. It's a thread that ties all these stories together, whether it's physical or psychological. Her main theme is modern America, and she refuses to turn away from what is savage, brutal, and frightening. A key concern is gendered violence against girls and women, and how female adolescence is a process of realizing and acknowledging that being female in the world is dangerous. It's both poignant and enraging to see bold girls testing their newfound sexuality and then discovering fear.

But these stories aren't one-note. They also deal with issues of families, mental breakdowns, and love affairs. I think it's worth taking your time with this collection as it's rich, dense, and deserving of careful thought. A few of my favorite stories, which might not fit the 'typical' mold (if we can even define what's typical for such a flexible writer as Oates!), are 'The Cousins', 'How I Contemplated the World From the Detroit House of Corrections, and Began My Life Over Again', and 'My Warszawa: 1980'.

Overall, this is a spectacular collection from Oates that solidifies her as one of my favorite writers. It's amazing to think that her prolific, almost obsessive, approach to writing doesn't lead to a decline in quality. It's truly stunning.

Not bad.

I had stayed away from Oates for a while.

This was because I hadn't really found anything inspiring since "We Were the Mulnavey's".

However, this particular collection proved to be a good one.

The stories within it had a certain charm and depth that managed to draw me in.

Oates has always been a talented writer, and this collection shows that she still has the ability to create engaging and thought-provoking works.

Each story offered a unique perspective and took me on a different journey.

Some were emotional, while others were more mysterious.

Overall, I'm glad I gave this collection a chance and look forward to seeing what else Oates has in store for us in the future.

A collection of the most significant Oates stories spanning from 1966 to 2006 has been assembled.

These stories are truly astonishing, captivating readers with their unique and often complex narratives.

They are not easy to understand, requiring careful consideration and analysis.

However, this is precisely what one would expect from the talented and renowned author, Joyce Carol Oates.

Her works have always pushed the boundaries of literature, challenging readers to think deeply and explore new ideas.

This collection is no exception, offering a diverse range of stories that showcase Oates' remarkable writing skills and her ability to create vivid and unforgettable characters.

Whether you are a long-time fan of Oates or new to her work, this collection is sure to leave a lasting impression.

It is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary literature and the power of the written word.

Joyce Carol Oates has a truly remarkable and striking style of writing.

Her stories are richly filled with direct characterization, which allows the readers to vividly envision the characters and their complex natures.

The themes explored in her works predominantly deal with the dark and often overlooked sides of humanity. Common topics such as rape, abuse, addiction, broken relationships, murder, and mental illness are delved into with great depth and authenticity.

In almost all of her stories, there is a presence of death, whether it is a literal end of a life or a more figurative death of a character's spirit or identity.

Often, by the end of the stories, the characters lose their distinct personalities or the passion that once drove them. This, interestingly, seems to be a reflection of Oates herself, as she mentioned in a video that she does not feel she has a personality.

It is a common trait for Oates to construct a story around one specific event or object. The main character becomes fixated on this particular thing, and the entire narrative builds and unfolds around it.

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this collection of short stories. The stories, on average, are about fifteen pages long, and each one offers a unique and engaging experience. They have the power to leave the reader with a lingering question or a puzzling thought, making them perfect for those who do not want to commit to a long novel but still have a desire to explore the world of literature through reading.

Joyce Carol Oates is a highly regarded author, known for her intricate and compelling novels. However, her short stories may sometimes be unjustly overshadowed by her longer works. In "High Lonesome," the prose is just as engaging as that in her novels. But when turning the page and finding another story instead of a new chapter, it can be a source of profound disappointment. Good short stories typically leave the reader desiring more, but with Oates' short stories, there is a sense of being cheated out of what could have been a series of amazing imaginary novels.

It's not that the short stories are bad; in fact, they are liked. But they don't quite reach the level of love that her novels often inspire. There is a certain magic and depth in her novels that may be harder to achieve in the shorter format. Perhaps it's the ability to fully develop characters and explore complex themes over a longer period.

Overall, while Oates' short stories have their merits, they may not have the same impact as her novels. They leave the reader with a sense of what could have been, rather than a complete and satisfying experience.

In today's rapidly evolving world, the need to embrace and explore new technology has become more crucial than ever.

New technologies are constantly emerging, offering innovative solutions and opening up new possibilities in various fields. Whether it's in the realm of communication, healthcare, transportation, or entertainment, trying out new technology can bring about significant improvements and advancements.

By being open to new technology, we can enhance our productivity, efficiency, and quality of life. It allows us to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the changing demands of the modern era.

Moreover, experimenting with new technology can also spark creativity and innovation. It encourages us to think outside the box and come up with novel ideas and approaches.

So, don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and give new technology a try. Who knows what amazing opportunities and experiences it might bring?

Perfection!

While I haven't loved all of JCO's novels, I've always had a special affection for her short fiction. This compilation was an absolute joy to read.

Some of the stories within it, I had already come across and read before. However, the re-read was just as enjoyable as the first time. It was like revisiting old friends and experiencing their tales anew.

This collection is an absolute MUST for JCO fans. It truly showcases the breadth and depth of her talent in the short story format.

But if you're not already a mega-fan of JCO, I wouldn't necessarily recommend starting out with this supersized anthology. It might be a bit overwhelming for those who are new to her work. Instead, it could be better to begin with some of her individual short story collections or perhaps one of her more accessible novels to get a feel for her writing style and themes before delving into this comprehensive compilation.

I could only take a little bit of this at a time. It was truly stunning. The beauty and grandeur of the scene before me were almost overwhelming. Every detail seemed to be carefully crafted, as if by some divine hand. The colors were so vivid and intense, it was like looking at a painting that had come to life. I stood there, in awe, trying to soak in as much as I could. But it was just too much to take in all at once. I had to pace myself, take it one small step at a time. With each passing moment, I discovered something new and wonderful. It was an experience that I will never forget.