Deal Me in Challenge: 2017 Edition

It's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Jay from Bibliophilopolis is hosting the 7th annual Deal Me in Challenge and I couldn't be more excited. I am more drawn to short-stories and poetry these days and my list of works to read continues to grow exponentially. I completed last year's challenge but still have to finish writing reviews but that is not going to discourage me from taking on even more short-stories! 

What is the goal of the challenge?

To read 52 short stories in 2017 (that’s only one per week – versions with a lesser story requirement are noted below)

What do I need?

1) Access to at least fifty-two short stories (don’t own any short story collections or anthologies? See links to online resources below).
2) A deck of cards.
3) An average of perhaps just thirty minutes of reading time each week.

It's fun and not time consuming so what are you waiting for? Join up! 

I decided to keep two categories from last year ("American Lit" and "Racial Diversity), made a slight variation with "Science Fiction"(female power!) and added a new one that includes recommendations from my friend Teresa. Let's do this!

Spades: American Lit

A - The Cactus by O. Henry

2 - One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts by Shirley Jackson

3 - Rappaccini's Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

4 - The Whole Town's Sleeping by Ray Bradbury

5 - Love Too Long by Barry Hannah

6 - The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte

7 - Was it in His Hand? By Elizabeth Bishop

8 - The Country by Joy Williams

9 - Wunderkind by Carson McCullers

10 - Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff

J - You Can't Tell a Man by the Song He Sings by Philip Roth

Q - Offertory by Amy Hempel

K - The Lovely Troubled Daughters of Our Old Crowd by John Updike

Clubs: Science Fiction - Female Writers
 

A - Baby, You Were Great! by Kate Wilhlem
2 - The Lost Kafloozalum by Pauline Ashwell
3 - Playing with God's Bowling Ball by N.K. Jemisin
4 - Daedalum, the Devil's Wheel by E. Lily Yu
5 - Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor
6 - Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders

7 - The Last of the Winnebagos by Connie Willis

8 - Rachel in Love by Pat Murphy (Big Book of Science Fiction)

9 - If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love by Rachel Swirsky

10 - Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer

J - In the Queue for the Worldship Munawwer by Sara Saab

Q - Speech Sounds by Octavia Butler

K - The Heat Death of the Universe by Pamela Zoline

Diamonds: Racial Diversity 

A - The Comet by W.E.B. Du Bois

2 - The Conversion of Sam by Zora Neale Hurston
3 - Death Constant Beyond Love by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
4 - Hot Air Balloons by Edwidge Danticat
5 - Like a Winding Street by Anne Petry
6 - I Hanging On, Praise God! by Austin Clarke
7 - Rules of the Game by Amy Tan
8 - Sanctuary by Nella Larsen
9 - The First Day by Edward P. Jones
10 - Squatter by Rohinton Mistry
J - A Loaf of Bread by James Alan McPherson
Q - Blossom: Priestess of Oya, Goddess of Winds, Storms and Waterfall by Dionne Brand
K - Seven People Dancing by Langston Hughes

Hearts: Teresa's Recommendations 

A - The Closing Down of Summer by Alistair MacLeod
2 - Bread by Michael Crummey
3 - The Second Strongest Man by David Bezmozgis
4 - The Blue Cross (The Innocence of Father Brown) by G.K. Chesterton
5 - The Peasant Marey by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
6 - The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio by Ernest Hemingway
7 - A Field of Wheat by Sinclair Ross
8 - Pantaloon in Black by William Faulkner
9 - Anna's Whim by Louisa May Alcott
10 - Gustav by Anton Chekhov 
J - The Story of My Dovecote by Isaac Babel
Q - Death by Landscape by Margaret Atwood
K - The Silver Dish by Saul Bellow

A Brief Recap of 2016!

Hiiii-ya!!!

And good riddance! 2016 was a whirlwind of a year for most of us and I am so looking forward to making a fresh start. Despite my busy schedule, one of my new year's resolutions is to read more and actively update my blog. 2016 was a dismal year for me reading-wise and I feel motivated to redeem myself. Even though I failed to reach my goal of reading 15 books for the year (missing the mark by only 3, drat!), I somehow managed to read 52+ short-stories all in the month of December to complete the Deal Me in Challenge. Huzzah. Granted, I was unable to produce a review for each short story as initially planned but might go back and write on them later. Additionally, I read a lot of great poetry this year and contemplating whether or not I should host a Poetry Reading Challenge for 2017. It would function in a similar way to The Deal Me in Challenge where participants would aim to read one poem a week (at their choosing) and post their thoughts on it if they feel so inclined. Poetry continues to be greatly overshadowed by novels and I would love to see more people critically engaged with this wonderful literary form. Perhaps there could be prizes. Sounds fun right? 

Here are a few highlights from my reading adventures in 2016:

Favorite Novel: Jazz by Toni Morrison

You could write a whole textbook on this novel. Toni Morrison's status as one of the finest writers of the 20th century is more than warranted and I can't wait to dive more into her work. Paradise or Tar Baby will be my first novel of 2017.

Least Favorite Novel: The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer

Ugh. I still can't believe this won the Booker Prize. Gordimer chronicles the turbulent years of the Apartheid in South Africa, which one might think would make for an interesting read, but this turns out to be quite the opposite. Dull. Dull. Dull. This crucial period in history and important issues of race and class are obfuscated by her insufferable prose. A huge disappointment.

Favorite Short Story: The Last Question by Isaac Asimov

Mind-blowing. You can read my review here.

Least Favorite Short-Story: Melancholy Elephants by Spider Robinson

Surprisingly, I did not come across any short-story this year that deserved a one-star rating. Melancholy Elephants by Spider Robinson (cool pen name) won the Nebula award so naturally, my expectations were rather high. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a rather tedious story that is more of a discourse on artistic expression rather than an actual narrative that loosely falls into the genre of science-fiction. Robinson explores some interesting ideas here especially in relation to copy-right laws and creative genius, which prevent this story from being a complete dud but it is not enough to sustain an already limp narrative. 2 stars.

Favorite Poet: E.E. Cummings

It was a toss up between William Carlos Williams and E.E. Cummings but the latter wins by a slight margin. I read a lot of wonderful modernist poetry in 2016 but I find Cummings's experimental style to be so refreshing and beautifully poignant. Sparseness, the lack of punctuation, improper syntax and typography has become his trademark and while reading his poetry might seem daunting at first, there is a method to his madness. In fact, I would argue that his poems are deceptively simple and often contain a childlike innocence. His love poems are absolutely stunning! If anyone has seen Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters, you might remember the reference to Cummings's "somewhere i have never traveled, gladly beyond". This is a very famous poem and for good reason but some of my other favorites include "anyone lived in a pretty how town" , In Just-, and Since Feeling is First.

Let's hope that 2017 proves to be a far more productive reading year for me. Thus far, I have decided to take part in only two reading challenges: The Russian Reading Challenge and The Deal Me in Challenge (obviously) but I am still working on finishing on several of other challenges from the past few years such as my Canadian Reading Project (I plan to make a serious dent in this one) or the Classics Clubs Challenge that I have been chipping away at for far too long. Suffice it to say, I have an inordinate amount of reading material to keep me busy and very eager to get started. 

All the best in 2017 and happy reading everyone!

~ Jason 

Deal Me in Challenge: Adventure by Sherwood Anderson (1919)

Card Drawn:

I'm singin' in the rain...just singin' in the rain! What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again!

Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio reminds me a great deal of Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, in which both works contain a series of different short stories (not always interrelated) that are set in a fictional small town at the turn of the 20th century. However, there are some clear differences in their aesthetic approach: Anderson is not so much interested in 'plot' but rather the engendering of powerful emotions that often reflect a wistful poignancy. What we often get in his writing (at least from what I can discern from the handful of stories that I have read from this particular collection) is dark humor and a distorted type of 'realism' that contains more abstraction than verisimilitude. In contrast, Leacock is like the Canadian version of Mark Twain, using irony and satire to poke fun at small-town life. While both authors cogently depict the experiences of ordinary life in a rural town, Anderson is more keen to evoke feelings of loneliness and isolation.

In Adventure, Anderson gives us the sad story of Alice Hindman, a 27-year old woman who works at the dry-goods store and is a spinster. Of course, at the time, women were expected to marry young and have children but Alice is unable to settle down after being spurned by her first love named Ned Curie who promised to marry her after finding work outside of Winesburg, Ohio but he never returned. Years go by and she has the opportunity to fall in love again when another male suitor takes an interest in her but she still cannot get over the emotional trauma of being abandoned by Ned. She is stuck in the past and Alice's loneliness begins to take a toll on her psyche. She yearns for an adventure (hence, the title of the story) but feels trapped--as an unmarried woman with very little education, the opportunities to better herself are limited. Female gender roles, sexuality and patriarchy are key themes here although the ending is ambiguous as to whether or not Alice achieves a sense of autonomy. While many might see her final act of running through the streets naked during a rain storm to be symbolic of re-birth or a pronouncement of sexual liberation, Anderson diminishes the seriousness of this profound moment by injecting humor. She encounters an old man who is deaf and seems surprisingly unperturbed by this naked woman. She is desperate for an form of human contact and emotional connection but the old man's bewildered indifference knocks her out of this trance. Utterly ashamed and embarrassed for her promiscuity, she literally crawls back in defeat to her home. The story ends with Alice resigning to the depressing fact that she will die alone which undermines the significance of her catharsis. She is right back where she started at the beginning of the story, stuck in paralysis and consumed by unrequited love. Anderson's cynical and bleak representation of rural life recurs throughout the entire collection so if you are looking for something a little less depressing, Stephen Leacock's  Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town would be a perfect alternative. 

 

You can read this story HERE.

Deal Me in Challenge: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (1905)

Card Drawn:

So many feels right now.

So is this the guy they named the "Oh Henry" chocolate bar after? 

With Christmas just around the corner, it seems fitting to read a story that takes place during the holidays. Let me just say that I have a soft spot for those heart-warming and sentimental Christmas movies such as It's a Wonderful Life. I have never been able to finish reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens but do enjoy the different movie adaptations, especially the Muppet's version. Michael Caine is Scrooge is brilliant. Anyways, let me get back on track here. The Gift of the Magi is such a famous story that it does not warrant a lengthy plot description. Chances are, you more than likely encountered this story before at some point in your life even if it was just through pop culture references. Oddly enough, it only dawned on me that I had actually read this story during elementary school and completely forgot about it. Nevertheless, reading it again after all of these years proved to be a refreshing and delightful experience as if I was reading this for the first time.

O. Henry is not often taken seriously as a writer because of his populism aesthetics but The Gift of the Magi proves otherwise since he has crafted a timeless Christmas classic. Writing sentimental fiction is no easy task and requires a delicate balance between realism and pathos where it is easy to fall into the trap of sappy melodrama. O. Henry somehow manages to pull it off and his masterful use of irony is perfectly executed that packs an emotional-punch to the gut. O. Henry? More like Oh, Irony!

Excerpt:

When Della arrived home, her mind quieted a little. She began to think more reasonably. She started to try to cover the sad marks of what she had done. Love and large-hearted giving, when added together, can leave deep marks. It is never easy to cover these marks, dear friends—never easy.

You can read this story HERE.

Deal Me in Challenge: Kew Gardens by Virginia Woolf (1919)

Card Drawn:

Hello, my name is Mr. Snail.

A snail's perception of time and reality is juxtaposed with the tumultuous chaos of early 20th century life in Virginia Woolf's Kew Gardens. I can't remember any story in which a snail is featured so prominently. Even during her early phase as a writer, Woolf demonstrates a keen disposition towards various aesthetics of modernism; that is to say, her writing often self-reflexively attempts to represent a fragmented culture and consciousness. In this particular story, she seems on the verge of  discovering her own literary voice but has yet to reach the apex of her creative ambitions. Taking place during one hot day in July, the story revolves around a group of ordinary people walking around the famous botanical gardens in south-west London. Similar to an impressionist painting, Woolf paints this world with vivid colors but we only get various fragmented snapshots of "reality" as it happens in the moment. Perspective is incredibly important in this novel and the different ways of perceiving the world changes from person to person or even mollusc to person. Woolf eschews with a conventional narrative, which will become a common feature of her writing and while she does not employ her trademark stream-of-consciousness here, there is a sense that she is experimenting with this stylistic technique. It comes as no surprise that her prose has a marvelous poetic quality and the lyrical use of language is almost unparalleled but overall, the story lacks a certain level of pathos that I have come to expect from Woolf. The detached objectivism left me cold but there is still plenty to admire here, especially her use of language and metaphor.

Excerpt: 

The snail had now considered every possible method of reaching his goal without going round the dead leaf or climbing over it. Let alone the effort needed for climbing a leaf, he was doubtful whether the thin texture which vibrated with such an alarming crackle when touched even by the tip of his horns would bear his weight; and this determined him finally to creep beneath it, for there was a point where the leaf curved high enough from the ground to admit him. He had just inserted his head in the opening and was taking stock of the high brown roof and was getting used to the cool brown light when two other people came past outside on the turf. 

You can read this story HERE.

Deal Me In Challenge: The Wub by Philip K. Dick (1952)

Card Drawn:

Oink! Oink!

Moral of the story: If you happen to be colonizing a distant planet, try avoid eating the local livestock, especially if the creature can speak and possesses telekinesis. Just sayin.' For anyone who has perused my blog or knows me, Philip K. Dick is one of my favorite novelists but he was also an exceptional short-story writer too. The Wub is one of his earlier works that was first published in Planet Stories and while it is a light and comedic sci-fi romp, consisting almost entirely of dialogue, it is not one of his more memorable works. That is not to say that this particular story is not worth checking out for those who might be looking for a quick introduction to Philip K. Dick or enjoy classic space adventure stories from the 1950's but it pales in comparison to some of his more mature short-fiction that would emerge a decade later. Although The Wub is incredibly short and entertaining, it really doesn't leave a whole lot to chew on afterwards. No pun intended.

Excerpt:  

The slovenly wub might well have said: Many men talk like philosophers and live like fools.

You can read this story HERE.

Deal Me in Challenge: To Build a Fire by Jack London (1902)

 Card Drawn:

 

Burrrrrr....

I can still feel the cold in my bones after reading Jack London's terrifying and suspenseful To Build a Fire, which is surely one of the great pieces of literary naturalism of the 20th century. In contrast to realism, here, the environment and an objective detachment is emphasized rather than a subjective representation of "reality." The natural setting of the Alaskan wilderness is so vividly depicted that it becomes the main character in the story. The author's meticulous attention to detail and absorbing prose effectively places the reader in the dire shoes of the protagonist who finds himself isolated (other than his dog companion) in this harsh winter landscape. This is an unforgettable story about survival and while familiar ideas such as man versus nature or human perseverance might seem a little on the nose, the story loses none of its thematic or emotional impact. To Build a Fire had me on the edge of my seat until the very last sentence. Please excuse me while I get myself a warm cup of hot cocoa and stay warm indoors until winter is over.

Excerpt:  

He worked slowly and carefully, keenly aware of his danger. Gradually, as the flame grew stronger, he increased the size of the twigs with which he fed it. He squatted in the snow, pulling the twigs out from their entanglement in the brush and feeding directly to the flame. He knew there must be no failure.

You can read this story HERE.

Deal Me in Challenge: The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges (1941)

Card Drawn:

Erik Desmazieres' illustration of Borges' Library of Babel December 17, 2010

This Deal Me in Challenge has introduced me to a lot of new authors that I probably would not have otherwise discovered on my own. I have heard of Jorge Luis Borges in passing but never ventured to seek out any of his writing. Not having any expectations whatsoever, The Library of Babel completely floored me. Indeed, this is an unequivocal masterpiece--a complex and mind-altering reading experience that is unlike anything that I have ever encountered in literature before. Borges not only elevates the short-story into a powerful  art-form but somehow manages to transform it into something unique. It truly defies any categorization and cannot be lumped into a single particular genre. Many readers might be inclined to label this story as science-fiction, since Borges' vision of the universe consisting of a library system that stretches for infinity can certainly be seen as dystopian but that would only be one possible interpretation. 

As a highly self-reflexive work full of paradoxes, Borges miraculously packs an exorbitant amount of philosophical and religious discourse in only a few short pages. The tension between epistemology and metaphysics is playfully articulated by Borges in his imaginative conceptualization of the universe. Yet, the inherent irony here is the inadequacy of language to represent the incomprehensible or sublime. Borges also seems to be satirizing human pride and the search for endless knowledge. However, such pride only leads to our downfall (the biblical allusion to 'Babel' reinforces this argument) and ironically, despite having access to the vast resources of human knowledge, we still don't know anything. I have barely scratched the surface and there are so many different ways to approach this story where each subsequent reading will produce another layer of meaning. Just incredible. 

Excerpt:

Everything: the minutely detailed history of the future, the archangels’ autobiographies, the faithful catalogues of the Library, thousands and thousands of false catalogues, the demonstration of the fallacy of those catalogues, the demonstration of the fallacy of the true catalogue, the Gnostic gospel of Basilides, the commentary on that gospel, the commentary on the commentary on that gospel, the true story of your death, the translation of every book in all languages, the interpolations of every book in all books.

You can read this story HERE.

Deal Me in Challenge: All You Zombies by Robert Heinlein (1959)

Card Drawn:

There is something odd about that bartender...

Woah. What the hell did I just read? Seriously. I've read my fair share of time-travel stories but Robert Heinlein's "All You Zombies" completely blew my mind. It took me a second reading to figure out the overlapping timelines and paradoxes but after assembling the different puzzle pieces, Heinlein's master narrative reveals itself. It is completely astounding to me that he was wrote this in 1959! Even though this my first exposure to his work, I can see why many consider him to be one of the founding fathers of science-fiction alongside Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke who were responsible for catapulting the genre into the mainstream. This particular story is accessible enough but does require a certain amount of effort from the reader to deconstruct the perplexing gender-bending and time-travel narrative. 

A bartender notices a certain patron sidling up to the bar and initiates a conversation. What follows next is not your typical bar scene and from there, well...let's just say things start to get a little weird. A further description of the plot is unnecessary since it would totally ruin the fun. However, the title is worth noting, which initially struck me as peculiar. This castigation uttered by the narrator at the end of the story is part of a tirade against humanity and by association, the reader. He asserts his identity as an authentic human being for knowing his origins whereas everyone else is just walking around like zombies or the living-dead. Discovering one's family roots is important in this story but the way Heinlein goes about exploring this theme is done in such a meticulous and unorthodox way. For  anyone who is skeptical towards the science-fiction genre or just looking for something truly original, I implore you to check out this story. Strap yourselves in and prepare yourself for a wild ride.