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Amy Hempel has a talent for evoking so much in very few words. Her writing is very powerful and minimalist; I‘ve never read another author quite like Hempel and should be reading more of her work.

Short stories, some very short. Some very weird. The last, perhaps my favorite. A good escape from the actual weird. 😀

I picked this up at a library sale somewhere, sometime, and now seems like a good time to read it. Short, well written stories that give me food for thought without overwhelming. And my sister may have studied with her at Bennington.

This is the first time I‘ve stories by Hempel but it will not be my last. Her writing is raw and audacious, which is what makes this collection of stories so intriguing. She has a wicked wit and an unabashed ability to describe the best, and worst, parts of people. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

stuck in my head all week

Short stories featuring people who are sad—an animal shelter volunteer, someone missing their deceased dog, a woman who gave a baby up for adoption decades earlier. “Cloudland” is the standout, is half the book, and is one of only two stories not previously published. #shortstories

I think you are either a Hempel fan or you aren‘t. This is not the collection I would suggest for a neophyte (Reasons To Live or At The Gates of The Animal Kingdom are better places to start) but this one has some gems, too.

🤣🤣🤣

Overall a good collection of short stories.

Full Service Shelter was hard to read. Ode to all the hard work shelter volunteers put in and a warm hug to pit bulls and similar dogs who are hard to place, if policy even allows.

#amyhempel #shortstories

I love short stories! Some of the stories can be cryptic, but I enjoy a well written challenge.

“Full Service Shelter” is a must read for anyone who has worked in rescue or loves pit-bull type dogs. 💔🐾

In “Greed” a young wife spies on her husband being seduced by an older woman, a neighbour. 🍏🍏🍏
Read this book in a few hours and really liked it!

This was The Book I was most looking forward to this year, and I would gleefully read the writer‘s grocery lists. I pre-ordered the audiobook and periodically checked the internet until I found a book event near me (she was delightful). My opinion is more than a bit biased. Hempel‘s sentences stick with me for a long, long time, which is why I love her so much. I waited a years for her to publish a new book, and I was not disappointed.

I read Hempel's work for the first time about 20 years ago after seeing a recommendation from Chuck Palahniuk.
I'm not a huge fan of short stories but my confidence in Hempel is still solid after all these years!

My review is on Roots & Reads:
https://rootsandreads.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/review-sing-to-it/

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an ARC.

Amy Hempel's latest short story collection varies in topic and length. I adore super-short fiction and those pieces, so carefully honed, were my favorites of the collection. However, overall, I felt that the group lacked cohesion and I, personally, liked some, didn't like others. So, mixed bag. #netgalley