Lauren Groff Books In Order

The Monsters of Templeton

‘Lauren Groff’s debut novel, The Monsters of Templeton, is everything a reader might have expected from this gifted writer, and more…
There are monsters, murders, bast*ards, and ne’er do wells almost without number. I was sorry to see this rich and wonderful novel come to an end.’
Stephen King

‘Lauren Groff hits a home run in her first at bat, with a novel that is intriguingly constructed and compulsively readable.’
Denver Post

‘Groff’s multilayered saga both thrills and delights with poignant, breathtaking prose.’
Entertainment Weekly A

‘The Monsters of Templeton, a fascinating first novel by Lauren Groff, is a book with joy in its marrow fabulous.’
San Francisco Chronicle

In the wake of a wildly disastrous affair with her married archaeology professor, Willie Upton arrives on the doorstep of her ancestral home in storybook Templeton, New York, looking to hide in the one place to which she swore she’d never come back. As soon as she arrives, though, a prehistoric monster surfaces in Lake Glimmerglass, changing the very fabric of the town. What’s more, Willie’s hippie turned born again Baptist mother, Vi, tells her a secret she’s been hiding for nearly thirty years: that Willie’s father wasn’t the random man from a free love commune that Vi had led her to imagine, but someone else entirely. Someone from this very town. As Willie puts her archaeological skills to work digging for the truth about her lineage, she discovers that the secrets of her family run deep when past and present blur, dark mysteries come to light, and the shocking truth about more than one monster is revealed.

Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories

Lauren Groff presents nine stories of astonishing insight and variety, each revealing a resonant drama within the life of a twentieth century American woman. In ‘Sir Fleeting,’ a Midwestern farm girl on her honeymoon in Argentina falls into lifelong lust for a French playboy. In ‘Blythe,’ an attorney who has become a stay at home mother takes a night class in poetry and meets another full time mother, one whose charismatic brilliance changes everything. In ‘The Wife of the Dictator,’ that eponymous wife ‘brought back…
from the dictator’s last visit to America’ grows more desperately, menacingly isolated every day. In ‘Delicate Edible Birds,’ a group of war correspondents a lone, high spirited woman among them falls prey to a brutal farmer while fleeing Na*zis in the French countryside. And in ‘Lucky Chow Fun,’ Groff returns to Templeton, the setting of her first book, for revelations about the darkness within even that idyllic small town. In some of these stories, enormous changes happen in an instant. In others, transformations occur across a lifetime or several lifetimes. Throughout the collection, Groff displays particular and vivid preoccupations. Crime is a motif sex crimes, a possible murder, crimes of the heart. Love troubles occur in every story love in alcoholism, in adultery, in a flood, even in the great flu epidemic of 1918. Some of the love has depths that are understood too late; some of the love is shallow and also understood too late. And mastery is a theme Groff’s women swim and twirl batons, become poets, or try and try again to achieve the inner strength to exercise personal freedom. Overall, these stories announce a notable new literary master. Dazzlingly original and confident, Delicate Edible Birds will further Groff’s growing reputation as one of the foremost talents of her generation.

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003 (By:,,Jennifer Egan,David Guterson)

Since its establishment in 1919, the O. Henry Prize stories collection has offered an exciting selection of the best stories published in hundreds of literary magazines every year. Such classic works of American literature as Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers 1927; William Faulkner s Barn Burning 1939; Carson McCuller s A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud 1943; Shirley Jackson s The Lottery 1949; J.D. Salinger s For Esme with Love and Squalor 1963; John Cheever s The Country Husband 1956 ; and Flannery O Conner s Everything that Rises Must Converge 1963 all were O. Henry Prize stories.

An accomplished new series editor novelist and short story writer Laura Furman has read more than a thousand stories to identify the 20 winners, each one a pleasure to read today, each one a potential classic. The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003 also contains brief essays from each of the three distinguished judges on their favorite story, and comments from the prize winning writers on what inspired their stories. There is nothing like the ever rich, surprising, and original O. Henry collection for enjoying the contemporary short story.

The Thing in the Forest A. S. Byatt
The Shell Collector Anthony Doerr
Burn Your Maps Robyn Jay Leff
Lush Bradford Morrow
God s Goodness Marjorie Kemper
Bleed Blue in Indonesia Adam Desnoyers
The Story Edith Pearlman
Swept Away T. Coraghessan Boyle
Meanwhile Ann Harleman
Three Days. A Month. More. Douglas Light
The High Road Joan Silber
Election Eve Evan S. Connell
Irish Girl Tim Johnston
What Went Wrong Tim O Brien
The American Embassy Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Kissing William Kittredge
Sacred Statues William Trevor
Two Words Molly Giles
Fathers Alice Munro
Train Dreams Denis Johnson

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2005 (By:,Richard Russo,Ann Patchett)

Mudlavia
Elizabeth Stuckey French

The Brief History of the Dead
Kevin Brockmeier

The Golden Era of Heartbreak
Michael Parker

The Hurt Man
Wendell Berry

The Tutor
Nell Freudenberger

Fantasy for Eleven Fingers
Ben Fountain

The High Divide
Charles D Ambrosio

Desolation
Gail Jones

A Rich Man
Edward P. Jones

Dues
Dale Peck

Speckle Trout
Ron Rash

Sphinxes
Timothy Crouse

Grace
Paula Fox

Snowbound
Liza Ward

Tea
Nancy Reisman

Christie
Caitlin Macy

Refuge in London
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

The Drowned Woman
Frances De Pontes Peebles

The Card Trick
Tessa Hadley

What You Pawn I Will Redeem
Sherman Alexie

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2006 (By:Colm Tóibín,,Kevin Brockmeier)

A radiant reflection of contemporary fiction at its best, The O. Henry Prize Stories 2006 features stories from locales as diverse as Russia, Zimbabwe, and the rural American South. Series editor Laura Furman considered thousands of stories in hundreds of literary magazines before selecting the winners, which are accompanied here by short essays from each of the three eminent jurors on his or her favorite story, as well as observations from all twenty prize winners on what inspired them. Ranging in tone from arch humor to self deluding obsessiveness to fairy tale ingenuousness, these stories are a treasury of potential classics.

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2007 (By:Ursula K. Le Guin,,,Lily Tuck)

An arresting collection of contemporary fiction at its best, these stories explore a vast range of subjects, from love and deception to war and the insidious power of class distinctions. However clearly spoken, in voices sophisticated, cunning, or na ve, here is fiction that consistently defies our expectations. Selected from thousands of stories in hundreds of literary magazines, the twenty prize winning stories are accompanied by essays from each of the three eminent jurors on which stories they judged the best, and observations from all twenty prizewinners on what inspired them.

The Room
William Trevor

The Scent of Cinnamon
Charles Lambert

Cherubs
Justine Dymond

Galveston Bay, 1826
Eddie Chuculate

The Gift of Years
Vu Tran

The Diarist
Richard McCann

War Buddies
Joan Silber

Djamilla
Tony D Souza

In a Bear’s Eye
Yannick Murphy

Summer, with Twins
Rebecca Curtis

Mudder Tongue
Brian Evenson

Companion
Sana Krasikov

A Stone House
Bay Anapol

The Company of Men
Jan Ellison

City Visit
Adam Haslett

The Duchess of Albany
Christine Schutt

A New Kind of Gravity
Andrew Foster Altschul

Gringos
Ariel Dorfman

El Ojo de Agua
Susan Straight

The View from Castle Rock
Alice Munro

O. Henry Prize Stories 2008 (By:,,Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

An annual collection of the twenty best contemporary short stories selected by series editor Laura Furman from hundreds of literary magazines, The O. Henry Prize Stories 2008 is studded with extraordinary settings and characters: a teenager in survivalist Alaska, the seed keeper of a doomed Chinese village, a young woman trying to save her life in a Ukrainian internet caf . Also included are the winning writers’ comments on what inspired them, a short essay from each of the three eminent jurors, and an extensive resource list of literary magazines.

The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2009 (By:)

A collection of the twenty best contemporary short stories selected by series editor Laura Furman from hundreds of literary magazines, The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2009 features unforgettable tales in settings as diverse as post war Vietnam, a luxurious seaside development in Cape Town, an Egyptian desert village, and a permanently darkened New York City. Also included are essays from the eminent jurors on their favorite stories, observations from the winners on what inspired them, and an extensive resource list of magazines.

PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2010 (By:)

A collection of the twenty best contemporary short stories selected by series editor Laura Furman from hundreds of literary magazines, The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2010 brings to life a dazzling array of subjects: a street orphan in Malaysia, a cowboy and his teenage bride, a Russian nanny in Manhattan, a nineteenth century Nigerian widow, and political prisoners on a Greek island. Also included are essays from the eminent jurors on their favorite stories, observations from the winners on what inspired them, and an extensive resource list of magazines. Them Old Cowboy Songs Annie Proulx Clothed, Female FigureKirstin Allio The Headstrong Historian Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Stand By Me Wendell Berry Sheep May Safely GrazeJess Row Birch Memorial Preeta Samarasan VisitationBrad Watson The Woman of the House William Trevor The Bridge Daniel Alarc n A Spoiled ManDaniyal Mueenuddin Oh, DeathJames Lasdun Fresco, Byzantine Natalie Bakopoulos The End of My Life in New YorkPeter Cameron ObitTed Sanders The Lover Damon Galgut An East Egg Update George Bradley Into the GorgeRon Rash MicrostoriesJohn Edgar Wideman Some Women Alice Munro Making GoodLore Segal For author interviews, photos, and more, go to www. ohenryprizestories. com A portion of the proceeds from this book will go to support the PEN Readers & Writers Literary Outreach Program.

The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2011 (By:,,,Brian Evenson,,,,,,,,,,Lily Tuck)

The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2011 contains twenty unforgettable stories selected from hundreds of literary magazines. The winning tales take place in such far flung locales as Madagascar, Nantucket, a Midwestern meth lab, Antarctica, and a post apocalyptic England, and feature a fascinating array of characters: aging jazzmen, avalanche researchers, a South African wild child, and a mute actor in silent films. Also included are essays from the eminent jurors on their favorite stories, observations from the winners on what inspired them, and an extensive resource list of magazines. Your Fate Hurtles Down at YouJim Shepard Diary of an Interesting YearHelen Simpson MelindaJudy Doenges NightbloomingKenneth Calhoun The Restoration of the Villa Where Tibor K lm n Once LivedTamas Dobozy IceLily Tuck How to Leave HialeahJennine Cap Crucet The JunctionDavid Means Pole, PoleSusan Minot Alamo PlazaBrad Watson The Black Square Chris Adrian Nothing of ConsequenceJane Delury The Rules Are the RulesAdam Foulds The Vanishing AmericanLeslie Parry CrossingMark Slouka Bed DeathLori Ostlund WindeyeBrian Evenson SunshineLynn Freed Never Come BackElizabeth Tallent Something You Can t Live WithoutMatthew Neill Null For author interviews, photos, and more, go to www. ohenryprizestories. com A portion of the proceeds from this book will go to support the PEN Readers & Writers Literary Outreach Program.

Glimmer Train Stories, #70

Literary short stories by established and emerging writers.

Excerpts:

Aria Beth Sloss
Toward a Theory of Blindness
The dirt blows in through the windows, leaving a dusting like pollen across my bed; out along the roads, it paints over the baobabs until the wood’s just a shape, a mess of red fingers grabbing at the sky.

Scott Nadelson
Aftermath
‘Whoa! Larry! Whoa!’
He fell forward against the seatbelt, and its recoil knocked him back again. ‘I got it under control,’ Larry said.
”Whoa.’ What am I, a horse?’

Miriam Novogrodsky
Just Enough Food to Remember
I have never been around a person as old as Lila. Her life is unraveling, like a scarf somebody spent time knitting. I want to capture it before it’s in a heap on the floor, keep the stitches intact, the work not gone to waste.

Lauren Groff
Delicate Edible Birds
Fu*cking Reynaud, handing the city over to the Germans. A real man would stand and fight.

Will Allison
Interview by Andrew Scott
I’ve gotten to the point where I tell myself that I’m not even writing, I m just sketching, dumping raw material on the page. That helps take the pressure off. In the end, it’s really just a big leap of faith, believing that it will all eventually amount to something.

Stephanie Dickinson
A Hole in the Soup
That woman kept looking. It was odd how you could hear a head turning your way and feel someone’s eyes.

David Allan Cates
Rubber Boy
I’d been a child. Then a soldier. Then I sold insurance. Then I went crazy. Then I became a student, a nurse, a husband, a father. Each stage led to the next, but I couldn’t remember the bridges.

Erica Johnson Debeljak
Blind Spots
Whether you do or whether you don’t. Either way there’s a risk that something will go wrong or, more alarming still, that something will go right and who knows what the consequences of that might be? Or hah! that nothing will change at all.

Joshua Canipe
Preacher Stories
Each snake had its own cage, usually two or three strung out across the backseat, which made the interior of the car smell like musk and cucumbers. It was a sweet scent, but sharp, something they only emitted when attacked. When we got out of the car for the church service, the scent clung to my pants and shirt, my clip on tie.

Ed Allen
Krankenhaus
Europe has a different smell, he remembers from previous non academic trips. The pollution level is no worse, but here it is softer, with more complexity to its mix of smoke flavors.