Story Insights

Indian Camp by Ernest Hemingway is a short story about Nick (a youngster), his dad (a doctor) and his uncle George helping a pregnant Native American woman give birth. After nearly two days she had been in labor for so long that the Indians sought help from Nick's father. Upon arriving they rush to help but there's a callousness to their attitude and perspectives distresses the Indians and Nick's father is only vaguely aware of his callousness. 

Read - https://americanliterature.com/author/ernest-hemingway/short-story/indian-camp

Listen - https://youtu.be/P8sgIu5G7LM

Buy - https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780684843322

Let's chat - https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/

Death By Landscape by Margaret Atwood is a short story about a retired woman, who now living alone, spends her time looking at pictures of landscapes thinking about her childhood friend Lucy from camp. Each year Lois and Lucy reunite at camp. Neither of them care for Camp Manitou. In fact Lois finds some of the Indian tropes as quite distasteful even at her age. Yet they both look forward to seeing each other at camp.

The story starts off with Lois now in her condominium by herself since she decided to find a cozier residence after her husband passed away. Though she has several landscape pictures (that she doesn't call landscapes) that she stares at sometimes and thinks about her friend Lucy. From there the story tells us about Camp Manitou up to when they went on a canoe trip. From there something odd happens and Lois cannot be found. What happens? We have Lois's side of it told to us many times, but really happens? I can tell you her side, but that's about it. Then the story transitions again to Lois in her condo looking at her landscape pictures again.

(A mistakenly mixed up the names Lois and Lucy around the end. Lois is the main character telling us about her Lucy from the camp they went to each year. Also I may have said Manitoba instead of Manitou. Sorry about that.)

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780385491112 

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJtHRvongRI 

Read: https://223141929335512656.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/0/9/17093284/deathbylandscape_atwood.pdf 

Let's chat: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Spokane!

"What We Mean When We Say Phoenix Arizona" by Sherman Alexie is a short story about friendship. Two friends embark on a journey to Phoenix and back to retrieve one of their father's ashes. The two friends, Victor and Thomas, actually hadn't been friends for a long time. It's actually all Victor's fault, yet when he needed help Thomas insisted on helping without taking no for an answer from Victor. So, they fly to Phoenix and drive Victor's dad's pickup truck back to their reservation in Washington state.

That's about it from this story, though it's an important story and encapsulates so much of what I am trying to do here. Friendship matters and if someone disagrees with you they may or may not be looking out for your best interest. Friendship is still key in our lives even later in life and believe otherwise.

Read: https://www.enl.auth.gr/files/Sherman_Alexie.pdf 

Listen: https://youtu.be/qTTJjeA1b9M 

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780802121998 

Let's Chat: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Coco Te,

Wharf Rats by Eric Walrond is a short story about a the mischief of a few teenagers in a French colony labor camp near the Panama Canal. Jean Baptiste is a busy man and has many mouths to feed. He cares for those the best under his roof though there are many secrets amongst those even in his house including the fact he is Protestant while his second wife is secretly Catholic. This likely shows the colonial split even amongst the oppressed. Like the English being Protestant and the French being Catholic but that's just my guess. After being introduced to the family the story settles on Philip and Ernest's efforts to get Europeans to toss coins in the water for them to swim after which is a dangerous affair. Also we see their sister Maura vie after someone named San Tie in their village. Of course the story ends circles back to the dangerous sport the brothers are engaged in.

This was one of the harder stories for me to comprehend. Many stories have some form of setting far removed from anything I understand or have ever lived with or near. Still I gave it my best. This was a difficult story to go over. I am unfamiliar with the setting, history etc of this story. The author throws the names of so many things into the story willy-nilly that it is hard to follow but that shows a real authenticity and it is a treat to read a black author featured The Best Short Stories by Black Writers edited by Langston Hughes who isn't American, so we get yet another perspective though it threw me for a loop since it was a bit out of left field. Still this story is quite education in its own right.

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9781734114287 or https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780316380317 

Read: https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/pressbooks/tropicdeath/chapter/the-wharf-rats/ 

Let's Chat: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Letters 1 & 2 from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke has so many great insights for me. Be creative and in doing so you will understand life. Focus on looking within and appreciating art more than focusing on criticism. By finding some solace we can find art within though we needn't look to critique. These are wise words we could all learn from. And of your favorite book you should say "A whole world will envelop you - the joy the wealth, the incomprehensible greatness of a world!"

Listen: https://youtu.be/39D8QS4CtrI 

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9781611806861 

Let's chat: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Community,

So, so, so many stories this month. Gosh, they all had something great to offer. I'd like to chat with you about most of these stories if you ever have time for to chat and would like to. Not to take away from any of these great authors though a few of these of these stories stuck out to me most of all:

Miss Cynthie by Rudolph Fisher really should be anthologized more. It about a singer honoring his grandmother in front of a large audience. This story really should be anthologized more. 

Donkey Greedy, Donkey Gets Punched by Steve Almond is about gambler vs gambler. Who wins the professional or the psychiatrist? A healthy reminder for those in Las Vegas.

There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury seems oddly dystopian now whereas once before it may have simply been a fun tale. Gosh, this story is still so popular today with so many versions and audiobooks of it on YouTube.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver is about putting love into it's proper perspective. What is that perspective and what can we gain to understand it?

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780316380317 

Let's Chat and Stuff: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Lovers,

"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" by Raymond Carver is a short story about four people sitting around a kitchen table drinking. The conversation goes to what is love and Mel, the cardiologist, takes control of most of the conversation between his musings, his hatred of his ex-wife, his wife's abusive ex-boyfriend, knights on horses, then finally an elderly couples love for each other. The others are mostly taken on these rantings, banterings, for hours while enjoying the gin until we get what it is to talk about love.

Read: https://xpressenglish.com/our-stories/talk-about-love/ 

Listen: https://youtu.be/ypUJpBDEGKQ 

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780679723059 

Let's Connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Welcome Pet Seekers,

Puppy by George Saunders is a tale of two mothers. Marie is a well to do mother seeking to buy a puppy for her kids. Callie on the other hand has a lot on her plate and is constantly busy with her son Bo who has behavioral issues. She both mothers had issues growing up, but now one is successful and well to do while Callie has everything disheveled at her house. When Marie goes to her home she is disgusted by everything she sees and wants to leave the home immediately. Callie still has a responsibility to disown the dog. What happens? Well, listen, read etc and find out.

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780812984255 

Read: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/05/28/puppy-2 

Listen: https://youtu.be/a-dOEGbX9y8 

Let's Connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Soldiers,

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce is about a most disreputable plantation owner named Peyton Fahrquhar. We Yankees have made clear if anyone interferes with railroad repair efforts whether soldier or civilian will be hung. Though he does not plea, if he did plea to be with his family or imagines escaping he would be ignored because his sentencing is set and just. He will be punished for his transgressions. 

Listen: https://youtu.be/FCEswEiQyHA 

Read: https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/static/pdf/Bierce_Owl_Creek_Bridge.pdf 

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9780140437560 

Play: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1180020/An_Occurrence_at_Owl_Creek_Bridge/

Let's connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/ 

Hello Survivors,

"August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury is about a bleak future a month ago in which all that stands is a single futuristic house with all its gadgets to help us out from irritating clocks constantly reminding us about what to do next, preparing cigars, baths and poetry for us though there is no us left. There is a dog who is shriveled up and thin from starvation and anything resembling people are the mere silhouettes of people seen outside frozen in ash from whatever is leftover from radiation though one can assume a nuclear bomb. Until this pristine solitary house becomes victim of a fire and the house makes a futile effort to save it.

As always I would love to hear what you think of this story.

Listen: https://youtu.be/bEjZxh_rYXk 

Read: https://users.wpi.edu/~zrbutzke/Docs/BradburyStories(1).pdf 

Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/117636/9781668094853 

Let's Connect: https://bookchatwithyou.podbean.com/p/contact-page/