100 Shots of Short – Arthur Conan Doyle, Craig Raine, Colm Toibin, Robert Harris, and Melissa Bank

I recently read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes through DailyLit.com, a service which sends public domain books to your e-mail for free. You can choose the length of the installments, and to have them sent daily or only on weekdays or weekends. I have never read any Sherlock Holmes before, but have always meant to. My recent addiction to Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery series (the first of which is The Beekeeper’s Apprentice) made me curious to try the original – and I wasn’t disappointed. This collection contained a dozen short stories, making up numbers 34 through 45 for my 100 Shots of Short Challenge.

Story number 46 is Julia and Byron by Craig Raine. (Clicking on the link will take you to The New Yorker where you can read the story online.) This very short story deals with the loss of a marriage partner, and the question of whether or not grief changes a person. It was just okay. 2 out of 5 stars.

Story number 47 is The Color of Shadows by Colm Toibin. I have had Toibon on my to-read list for a while, but this was the first time I’ve actually read any of his work. This story about a man who is caring for his aunt during her final days is poignant and well-written. 4 out of 5 stars.

I picked up the short story collection Speaking with the Angel at the library, primarily because this collection is edited by Nick Hornby, whom I love, and because it includes a short story by Mr. Darcy, aka Colin Firth.

Stories number 48 and 49 are the first two in this collection. “PMQ” by Robert Harris is laugh-out-loud funny. The story is written in the form of a statement given by the Prime Minister of England to the Parliament about his activities on a particular evening, events that involved him escaping from his security detail, driving around with an under-age girl, and tussling with a journalist. This story alone made me very happy I picked up this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

“The Wonder Spot” by Melissa Bank is the story of a woman and her 10-years-younger boyfriend attending a party in Brooklyn. It’s a simple story, with not much overt action, but a lot happens in the relationship between the two characters. I liked it. 4 out of 5 stars.