Lately it seems as though I’ve read as many short stories as I have full-length novels. This isn’t a new trend. In high school, I read many short stories by the queen of mystery, Agatha Christie (and let me give a quick shout-out to the fact that this past week marked the 125th anniversary of her birth). Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, and Poirot were as familiar to me, if not more familiar, as my classmates. In law school, I fell in love with Jude Deveraux’s books and would pick up anything written by her, even anthologies featuring one of the Montgomery clan or a Taggert. I’d read all the novellas in the anthology but rarely would reading a story by another author lead me to buy one of her books. Fast forward to now. It seems like there are so many anthologies available right now. If you go online to your favorite book retailer, chances are there will be an anthology in your suggested reading list box. Right now, on my Kindle, I am reading-yes, you guessed it-an anthology. And my paperback? Drum roll, please. An anthology. With all these recent anthologies, I asked myself some questions, and what better place to share three of them than my blog?
Why novellas? The most obvious place to start is the most obvious question. Why am I reading two anthologies comprised of novellas? One answer that jumps out at me actually has four components: Kath, MJ, Cupcake, and Chunk. When I’m on the go, I can read novellas in a hurry. I’m also not as likely to stay up to two in the morning with short stories. (My WH might send some of the authors a thank you note for that). Too often I find myself reading a Sarah MacLean or Jodi Thomas novel, and I can’t put it down. With short stories, I haven’t really had that problem. I’m usually done with one in a relatively small amount of time and can easily wait until the next day to start the next offering.
But another reason isn’t so obvious. They are everywhere right now. So many authors offer a novella free on online book retailers in the hopes of enticing the reader to buy more in their series. It’s easy to download several free stories, and then look for something short to read in the car rider lane.
Am I enjoying them as much as a full-length novel? This was a harder question to answer. Some of the stories blow me away. I was literally on the treadmill at the gym crying as I read His Beloved Bride. (Thank you, Ruth Logan Herne. BTW, if you haven’t read this inspirational author, she’s an author worth reading.) While part of the reason revolved around events in my personal life, Ms. Herne knows how to pack an emotional punch whether in a novella or a full-length book. A while back, I was reading my Kindle while waiting for Kath’s concert recital doors to open. I was laughing my head off at a novella in an anthology. So at times, yes, I am enjoying them.
But the problem is I often like three out of the four offerings. I’ve discussed in my blog before that I’m not the type of person who can put down a book without finishing it. And when it’s a short story, even more so. There’s not a lot of time invested in individual stories, so what if it’s bound to get better? I don’t want to miss the good part. But so often lately, there is always one story in the collection that I’m not enjoying. Enough to start thinking about whether novellas are worth my time. But then I think about the times they have made me laugh or cry, and I usually go ahead and download another novella.
Do I buy any other books as a result of reading a new (to me) author in an anthology? As a writer, I would love the answer to be yes. But as a reader, the answer is (with my head hung low) usually not. The problem is I usually read an anthology because I love one of the contributing authors’ works. I don’t usually pick up an anthology out of the blue. Right now, I have very particular reasons to be reading these two anthologies. One I acquired at RWA2015 in New York City. I love Jodi Thomas’ books. Ask Me Why has a Harmony short story. Free book plus Harmony? I’m there. The other book I downloaded for free with my Amazon Prime membership because I’m going to write my next book in that genre. This book actually led me to write this blog because I loved the first two stories but was only so-so about the third.
Now there was a time last year when reading the prequel novella did confirm to me that a book I wanted to read by that author was going to be worth my time (and I was absolutely right-I’ve loved all three of the Milford series so far. If you haven’t checked out Piper Huguley’s Home to Milford College novella and books, they are wonderful, and the novella is free.)
With the glut of novellas right now, I will probably switch it up and read full-length books for a while. But I applaud those authors who dare to try something new, and team with other authors to try to expand their fan base. And when I read a short story that makes me laugh or cry, it’s like any other book-it goes on my keeper shelf.
What about you? Do you read anthologies? What if you don’t like one of the stories in the anthology? Do you skip it and move on to the next? What was the last anthology you read and would you recommend it? Let me know.