Let's Get To Know Each Other: Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

This week The Broke and The Bookish want to know who we think are the Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition.  I did this topic way back in March 2011; I won't repeat authors.  I didn't even make it to ten last time. Can I 2+ years later?  I'm going to include along with the author's name, something they've written that I've enjoyed.  In no particular order.

1. Lauren DeStefano - The Chemical Garden Trilogy

2. Miriam Toews - A Complicated Kindness

3. Morgan Rhodes - Falling Kingdoms

4. Colleen McCullough - The Thorn Birds

5. Katherine Mansfield - The Garden Party

6. Zora Neale Hurston - Their Eyes Were Watching God

7. Khaled Hoseinni - And The Mountains Echoed

8. Richard Ford - Canada

9. Octavia Butler - Kindred

10. Donna Morrissey - The Deception of Livvy Higgs

I reached ten!  I know some of these authors have won awards and have multiple books under their belt, but a lot of them I don't see on other blogs.  I don't read about them in newspapers and magazines.  I try to talk about them in real life with people and they don't know who they are!  For some of these authors, if it wasn't for Goodreads or my attraction to pretty/interesting book covers, I might not even know about them.  Some are "classic" authors that have been forgotten when others are constantly discussed.  Each of those ten books I loved, for different reasons, and I would recommend them.

Who do you think deserves more recognition?

It Was Nice Meeting You: Top Ten New-To-Me Authors of 2012

This is a great question from The Broke and The Bookish.  I think it not only allows us to share authors who perhaps need more exposure, but it is combined with the end-of-year theme.  December often seems to be a time of reflection.  So let me share with you my new-to-me authors of 2012, in no particular order:

1. Susan Tsui (Identities)

2. Kevin David Anderson & Sam Stall (Night of the Living Trekkies)

3. Caitlin Moran (How To Be A Woman)

4. Max Brooks (World War Z)

5. Katherine Mansfield (The Garden Party and Other Stories)

6. Derek Hayes (The Maladjusted)

7. Richard Ford (Canada)

8. Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments series)

9. Veronica Roth (Divergent series)

10. Rayne Hall (Scylla and the Pepper Pirates)

I read quite a few new authors this year.  I didn’t even realize.  I thought I’d have a difficult time getting to ten, but I actually had to remove a few people.  I read some great new authors this year.  How about you?

*Clicking on the author name will take you to their website.  Clicking on the book title will take you to my post.

The Garden Party and Other Stories

The Garden Party and Other Stories is Katherine Mansfield’s most famous work.  I had heard so many good things about these stories that once I had a copy of the collection, I really had to read them (thank you Project Gutenberg, though the book nerd in me still wants a hard copy).  In general, I thought these were great stories.  I found the characters very believeable.  I wrote a few sentences (or more) on each story.

At The Bay

At The Bay is a good story, but I didn’t see the point.  It was well written and there were definite parts I found interesting, but I didn't feel any real connection to the characters.  I also felt it was very long.
See the full review I wrote for Short Story Monday.

The Garden Party

The Garden Party immediately reminded me of Mrs. Dalloway, though it's been so long since I read that book, I wonder why.

The Garden Party is a great story and deserving of being the title of the collection.  It was easily my favourite. I expected some kind of high society tale. I expected the characters to be more shallow, which many of them were. Laura was different.  Though in the story only for a couple moments, I found her brother Laurie to be different too. They had other dimensions, other facets besides society life. I really enjoyed how Laura grows. She goes from naive girl to a young woman with some new life experience. The end was so unexpected. The entire story was fantastic. 

The Daughters of the Late Colonel

They are the forgotten sisters. It was a well written story, with a pair of very interesting characters, but it was so sad. I didn’t want to end my reading for the day here. I hope Josephine and Constantia find happiness now that they are out from under their oppressive father.

Mr. and Mrs. Dove

This is another sad story, but not in the same way. It's like the opposite of the underdog love story. The poor-ish young man goes to ask the beautiful, wealthy woman to marry him and she says, no. However, she still wants him to be happy. She wants him not to be upset by her answer. She doesn't want them to be like the doves. Then, why does she call him back as he tries to walk away, with what I think is with a last shred of dignity. Why does she call him Mr. Dove? Why does he go back to her when called? Has she changed her mind? I don't know. This is another great story in the collection.

The Young Girl

She's a snobby teenager, who finally gets a moment to be herself. She spends the rest of the time putting on airs.  

See the full review I wrote for Short Story Monday.

Life of Ma Parker

Life of Ma Parker is an utterly depressing story. Mansfield wrote about the saddest life she could conceive of, I think. At least the rain came so she could have her cry.

Marriage a la Mode

Is it terrible that I've read this story and what I'm thinking is: why can't she be a better wife?

The Voyage

A good story, but I'm not sure what to make of it. It's like a life lesson for Fenella. She learns her grandma is more than what she thought. It's also seems to be a glimpse of her traveling, from an old life to a new one.

Miss Brill

She's treating her fur like a pet! She is a weird lady.  The young couple is so mean!  They make fun of the woman and her fur. She puts the fur away, and she continues to talk to and about it like a pet.  She thinks she hears it crying. Another well-written, though also depressing story.

Her First Ball

Are these the same characters from The Garden Party?

This story was only depressing for a moment, when "the fat man" took her for a dance. Really, Leila's first ball is full of hope and nerves and fun. I hope she gets many more.

The Singing Lesson

It's a miracle she's engaged at thirty! Hahaha! Definitely written a long time ago. Though women today are still so affected by men's changes in emotions, but I suppose it is natural when it's the person you love.  Though after her fiancé’s behaviour, I’d have second thoughts about marrying him, even if I was thirty.

The Stranger

Another poor, sad, depressing story. He just wants his wife to be as happy as he is that they are together after her long trip. She can't be. Now he feels like she'll be a stranger forever. Why not a happy reunion? Come on, Katherine Mansfield! Give me a happy (or at least somewhat positive) ending!  It was such a good story, why couldn’t their reunion bring her back to the woman she was?

Bank Holiday

Not a totally depressing story. It's a fun and exciting day outdoors. There is music and all sorts of people. But what's the point? And that's just what Mansfield asks at the end.

An Ideal Family

Another man unsure of his wife... and family. He worked so hard for them, do they take advantage of him? Do they appreciate what he's done? Is it his own fault his son isn't more reliable? I wish this family could have a happy ending too.

The Lady's Maid

Is the lady's maid crazy? How could she give up a happy marriage to stay, no matter how she cared for her lady? It's such a sad story. I wish I could know what was wrong with her.

In conclusion...

The Garden Party is the best story of whole collection. It is the least sad.  I found it very vibrant, especially compared to the rest of the collection.  I really enjoyed The Young Girl and Her First Ball too.  I found most of the other stories depressing.  Well written and engaging, just sad.  They give us a really good look at life at the time.  There are just not a lot of "happily-ever-afters".  Katherine Mansfield tells the stories of many different types of people. Men and women, young and old.  After Mansfield's death, Virginia Woolf wrote in her diary that the only writer she was ever jealous of was Katherine Mansfield.  I can see why.  While maybe not as famous as Woolf, her writing is very readable, even ninety years later.

I know I complained a lot about the depressing and sad feelings prevalent in a lot of the stories, but don't let that be a deterrent.  The Garden Party and Other Stories is an excellent collection.  I think it has more to do with my own reading choices of late.  I need to find a story that I think will have a happy ending....  If you’re a fan of Woolf or of good narratives, The Garden Party and Other Stories is for you.

At The Bay, by Katherine Mansfield

At The Bay is a good story, but I didn’t see the point.  It was well written and there were definitely parts I found interesting, but I didn't feel any real connection to the characters.  I also felt it was very long.

I could do an analysis of the duality of the characters.  The women and children are one person when the man of the house is home and another when he leaves. Even he has his own duality.  I could comment on family life at the time Katherine Mansfield wrote this.  I could discuss gender differences.  I could even talk about the possibility of the mother having post-partum depression and that here is a glimmer of hope of her coming out of it.  All these interesting topics are present within the story. But I don't feel like talking about them.

Does At The Bay have more of a point than the first Mansfield story I read, The Young Girl?  No, I don't think so.  Maybe then, it's the length plus the enigmatic characters. I don't know.  It just left me feeling a bit meh...


Short Story Monday is hosted by The Book Mine Set.

The Young Girl, by Katherine Mansfield

I know it has been a long time since I participated in Short Story Monday.  Now that my baby is older, I’m getting back some of my life, my usual habits and that means I want to read more and Short Story Monday encourages reading.  I'd like to read a new short story every week, but realistically, I'm going to aim for every other week.  So for my first Short Story Monday since my son was born, I thought I'd read an author I've never read before, but have been wanting to for a while.

Katherine Mansfield's, The Young Girl is a curious little story.  Were young socialites really like that back then?  Of course, after I think about it, is she acting any different than someone like Paris Hilton or Heidi Montag or any of those young famous girls that are famous for being famous? (I don't pay a lot of attention to the new batch of famous for nothing people.  Who's the new Paris Hilton?). Also, I thought it was interesting that The Young Girl's mother seems to have a gambling addiction.

I found some of the story a little vague.  I didn't know how young two of the characters were until far into the story.  I had a couple other confusing moments, but I found they didn't really matter.  I enjoyed the story.  It was a "slice of life" that I enjoyed reading about.  I liked the Girl's reaction at the end.  It showed that she wasn’t two-dimensional.  It was a good story and I'm looking forward to reading more stories by Mansfield.