'God' Book Caters to Short Attention Spans

Perhaps it's been the beautiful weather. Or the hummingbirds zipping in and out from the feeder by the window of my home office. Or the many projects I've been working on. Whatever it is, my distraction level has been higher than usual and I've only been able to enjoy short stories in my leisure reading.

First, I picked up Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning Interpreter of Maladies, which dissects moments in the emotional lives of a variety of Indian-Americans. (A book I highly recommend.) Then I moved on to Salman Rushdie's edition of The Best American Short Stories 2008, a mish-mash of internationally themed pieces that were very New Yorker-ish in terms of sophistication. I also savored the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2009, which seemed much more American than the international flavor of the afore-mentioned book, and which lives up to its namesake O. Henry in delivering a punch at the end of each story.

Now, I am reading a collection called God: Stories that culls the best of the best of stories by well-known American short story writers, selected for their themes on spirituality, religion, faith and/or the loss or lack of all three. You can't beat the variety of voices here -- from James Baldwin to Flannery O'Connor to Louise Erdrich to John Updike and even Philip Roth. Some are familiar stories, like O'Connor's "Parker's Back," which is included in most scholarly collections of short stories. Others are more obscure, but incredible gems that are unforgettable in their descriptive flair.

If you find yourself unable to wade through an epic novel, yet you aren't in the mood to devour a brainless thriller or supermarket bestseller, then this will cure what ails your spirit.