Linda Brawley Takes a Hike down Memory Lane and Recommends JCO | Listen to This

TL;DR

Linda, a humanities librarian, chose "The Mastiff" for its emotional ties and Joyce Carol Oates' ability to convey meaning with few words.

Transcript

hi everyone welcome to listen to this for library tuesdays my name is renee brawley and i work here at the central library with me today is linda brawley who is a humanities librarian here at central today we're going to be talking about linda's short story choice which is the mastiff by joyce carol oates so tell us linda what made you choose this ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🔑 "The Mastiff" was chosen for its personal significance and Joyce Carol Oates' ability to convey profound meanings with minimal words.
• 🍰 Linda also recommends "The 10th of December" by George Saunders for its excellent collection of short stories.
• 💦 Readers can find more works by Joyce Carol Oates at the library through the catalog search or by exploring the New Yorker Fiction Podcast featuring her stories.

Questions & Answers

Q: What drew Linda to choose "The Mastiff" as her short story choice?

Linda chose "The Mastiff" because of its emotional ties to her memories of people hiking on a mountain. She also admired Joyce Carol Oates' ability to convey meaning with few words in her writing.

Q: Did Linda consider other options before choosing "The Mastiff"?

While Linda initially chose "The Mastiff" due to its personal significance, she also highly recommends "The 10th of December" by George Saunders. It was described as the best book to read in a particular year, and Linda found it to be an excellent collection of short stories.

Q: Where can readers find more works by Joyce Carol Oates?

Readers can find more works by Joyce Carol Oates at the library. She is a prolific writer with approximately 150 books to her name. The library catalog is a great resource for discovering her works. Additionally, Oates has been featured on NPR's New Yorker Fiction Podcast, narrated by Louise Erdick.

Q: Are there any other authors or books similar to Joyce Carol Oates that Linda recommends?

Linda suggests exploring the works of Flannery O'Connor, who emphasizes the reality and presence of evil in her stories. A study compared Oates to O'Connor, highlighting their different approaches to the concept of evil in the world.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Linda chose "The Mastiff" for personal reasons, as it reminded her of watching people on a mountain and how something can go wrong in an instant.

• Joyce Carol Oates' writing style captivated Linda, especially the way she portrays intimate relationships while keeping the characters' identities ambiguous.

• Linda also considered recommending "The 10th of December" by George Saunders, which she found to be a challenging yet enjoyable collection of short stories.