In the Stacks

Michael Cart, ed.

Anyone who frequents a library probably know what the stacks are - shelves and shelves of books waiting for someone to borrow. The stacks are not usually in the public area, but in the basement or on a different floor. This book is a collection of short stories about librarians or libraries. These were all written in the 20th century. The group of writers is diverse and well known.

The authors of the short stories include Isaac Babel, Gina Berriault, Jorge Luis Borges, Anthony Boucher, Ray Bradbury, Walter Brooks, Italo Calvino, John Cheever, Maria Dabrowska, Zona Gale, Joanna Greenberg, M.R. James, Sue Kaufman, Lisa Koger, Ursula K. LeGuin, Lorrie Moore, Alice Munro, Francine Prose, and Saki. The stories include romance, mystery and murder, spectors, and slice of life stories.

A few of the stories grabbed me. Some left me yawning. And some left me wondering what I had just read. I am glad they were collected short stories. With some of the new authors I don't care if I don't read more of their work. With others, I was pulled in to want to see more. In other words, In the Stacks is a normal collection of diverse short stories.