My second short story collection of the year was another AskMe recommendation. You Are Not A Stranger Here by Adam Haslett is a fantastic, fantastic collection of magnificently well-written stories. This author is a fantastic, published writer and a law student at Yale. A major loser :). Each story involves some aspect of sorrow, depression, sadness, disappointment, family, friendship. The stories are simple and elegant. The characters are very relatable and memorable, even in the short space of a little story. I got attached to each and every one of them.

After Kissing in Manhattan and this book, I might have to start reading more short story collections. Either these two are major exceptions, or I am finally beginning to gain the maturity to enjoy short stories. Either way, I am delighted to have discovered Haslett.