Sunday, December 27, 2009

Ten Stories

All across blogland people are composing lists of their top novel picks of the year and the decade. I read some great novels this year, most notably "The Liar's Diary" by Patry Francis. This book made me take a look at my own writing and set me in a different direction with some of my own stories by exploring deeper into family ties and the damages people inflict on those closest to them.

As this is a short story blog, I'm not going to list my top ten novels but I am going to post links to ten online short stories that have stuck with me this past year for various reasons. And no this isn't a crime fiction list, though there are quite a few crime stories. They're just stories that struck a cord in me. In no particular order, here you go.

"If Only It Had Rained Cats and Dogs" by John Sharp http://www.friedchickenandcoffee.com/2009/07/if-only-it-had-rained-cats-and-dogs.html

"The Woman on the Sidewalk" by Ben White http://www.sub-lit.com/benwhite.html

"Trashcan Special" by Derek Nikitas http://www.sub-lit.com/nikitas.html

"The Tut" by Paul Brazill http://www.beattoapulp.com/stor/2009/0614_pdb_TheTut.cfm

"Whiskey, Guns and Sin" by Charles Gramlich http://www.beattoapulp.com/stor/2009/0118_cg_WhiskeyGunsAndSin.cfm

"The Tortoise and the Tortoise" by Patti Abbott http://www.pulppusher.com/#/pattiabbot2/4534003741

"Insatiable" by Hilary Davidson http://www.beattoapulp.com/stor/2009/0906_hd_Insatiable.cfm

"The Sacred Cake" by r2 http://deadman-r2.blogspot.com/2009/06/sacred-cake-by-r2.html

"Recalculating" by Cormac Brown http://flashfire500.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html

"Scary Monsters by Stephen D. Rogers http://a-twist-of-noir.blogspot.com/2009/06/twist-of-noir-109-stephen-d-rogers.html

The Internet is filled with wonderful stories and talented writers and this list is just a sample of what's out there. These stories suit my tastes as a reader but every reader has different stories that speak to them, so feel free to post a link to one of your favorites of the year in the comments.

16 comments:

pattinase (abbott) said...

Please include this one:http://www.beattoapulp.com/stor/2009/0830_ss_MidnightShowdown.cfm

David Cranmer said...

I believe Patti meant this one: http://www.beattoapulp.com/stor/2009/0830_ss_
MidnightShowdown.cfm

And I couldn't agree more. Sandra, you have delivered many of the finest short stories of the year. And you have championed the form by spreading the word where writers could find a home for their work.

It has been very much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Great post. Sad to say I've only read a few of those already so this is a brilliant opportunity to catch up. Thanks!

Charles Gramlich said...

I'm so glad you liked "Whiskey, Guns and Sin." This was a great Christmas present for me to make your links here. Thanks!

Paul D Brazill said...

Sandra!! I'm really suprised and pleased to see The Tut there amongst top guns like Patti and Charles! Thanks so much! I've started my own list BTW and a couple of those are on there as is
http://www.pulppusher.com/#/sseamans2/4534952635

The scariest story I've read in a long time.

Kathleen A. Ryan said...

Nice post, Sandra! I'm tweeting this, and will go through the list and catch up on those I haven't had the pleasure to read yet.
Congrats to all the talented writers who appear on Sandra's list!
Best wishes to all for a happy & healthy new year.

Conda Douglas said...

Oooh, fabulous idea, Sandra and one of my favorite top ten lists!

sandra seamans said...

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the list. There were so many more stories that I read this year that it was difficult to narrow it down to ten. Happy reading, everyone!

BTW if anyone else composes a short story list please let me know and I'll post a link. Every short deserves an audience.

Stephen D. Rogers said...

Wow. Thanks, Sandra, for including my story in the list.

Happy holidays!

r2 said...

I feel honored to be included among such great work.
Thanks, Sandra. And thank for being such an advocate of the form.

Randy Rohn (r2)

Brian Lindenmuth said...

Thanks. I like seeing what others like when it comes to choosing the short list for the Spinetingler Awards short story category.

But I would like to say something to the editors of zines and the authors of the stories. If I can't clearly tell when a story was published then I can't include it in my readings for the award. I'm generally very inclusive but this one is just simple since the award is for a specific period of time.

As for my favorites so far? You'll just have to wait and see :)

sandra seamans said...

You're such a tease, Brian!

And you're absolutely right about dates on zines. Many have them in the urls but others like PulpPusher have no dates at all, which does make it confusing. The Derringers require specific dates also to be eligible each year.

Hilary Davidson said...

Sandra, thanks so much for including "Insatiable" on your list. I'm honored to be in such wonderful company. Also, I'm grateful that you've tipped me off to several terrific stories. I knew and loved several of your choices (the stories by Patti Abbott, Paul Brazill, Derek Nikitas and Cormac Brown), but hadn't read the others.

OH said...

Sandra, thank you for reading and enjoying my story. It's seeing a post like this that helps make writing so rewarding.

Cormac Brown said...

Thanks, Sandra! I'm sorry that I don't comment more here, rather than just lurking. I hope also that Flashfire 500 goes back into business.

sandra seamans said...

I'm a regular lurker myself, Cormac. I read a lot of blogs but rarely comment. Some bad experiences early on. I too, hope FlashFire comes back, but sometimes the longer they're off...