It’s December 21st, the SHORTest day of the year. What better date to take the plunge and sign up for a short story challenge? So, without further ado…
Welcome to the Short Story Reading Challenge, Deal Me In 2015!
Yes, I know you’re being bombarded with news about all sorts of reading challenges, and they all sound like a lot of fun. But here’s a unique challenge where your reading burden is relatively light AND where you still can experience a lot of different authors and genres.
What is the goal of the project?
To read 52 short stories in 2015 (that’s only one per week)
What do I need?
1) Access to at least fifty-two short stories (don’t own any short story collections or anthologies? See links to online resources below)
2) A deck of cards
3) An average of perhaps just thirty minutes of reading time each week
Where do I post* about my stories?
(*You don’t have to post about every single story, of course, but if you have something to say about the story you read any given week, your fellow participants would love to hear it.)
1) On your own blog or website if you have one (I will link to your post at the bottom of my weekly post. I currently plan to do my weekly post on Sundays)
2) if you don’t have a blog or website you may comment on my weekly post, sharing thoughts on your own story – or start one at WordPress or blogspot – it’s easy and free to create a basic blog.
How do I pick which stories to read?
(The 52 stories themselves are totally up to you.) Before you get start reading, come up with a roster of fifty-two stories (you can use any source) and assign each one to a playing card in a standard deck of cards. It can be fun to use different suits for different types of stories, but that is optional. Each “week,” (if you’re like me, you may occasionally fall a story or two behind) you draw a card at random from your deck and that is the story you will read. There are links to last year’s participants’ rosters here if you want to see some examples.
What if I don’t have time to read a story every single week?
Try one of the challenge variations noted below, the Fortnight (or “payday” if you prefer) version is one story every two weeks or the “Full Moon Fever” version with just thirteen stories read or selected on seeing each full moon…
How do I sign up?
Leave a comment below with your URL and I will link you. My first wrap-up post of the year (I post weekly, usually Sunday night or Monday morning) will include links to any new Deal Me In posts and a list of the participants with links to their roster of stories.
What is the purpose?
To have FUN and to be exposed to new authors and stories and maybe get in the habit of reading a short story a week. Isn’t that enough? 🙂
Some short story resources:
Links:
Classic Horror Stories:
AmericanLiterature.com short story of the day
EastoftheWeb’s short story of the day:
The Library of America’s short story of the week archive:
Looking for some really short stories? Try here
Deal Me In Variations:
The Deal Me In “Fortnight Version” – just use two suits from your deck and assign a story to each card, drawing a card every two weeks. If you get paid bi-weekly, you can use that as a reminder to draw a new card (I guess this makes the fortnight variation a.k.a. The “payday version.” 🙂 If you work for “one of those companies” where you only get paid twice a month on the 15th and 30th, e.g., drop two cards or better yet, use a euchre deck!
The Deal Me In “Full Moon Fever Version” – this would be the baby steps way to ease into the Deal Me In routine, basically reading just one story a month (who doesn’t have time for that?). Just use one suit or face cards only and you’re set. Seeing the full moon in the sky can also serve as a reminder – “hey, I need to read my next short story!”
Dates of the full moons in 2015: 1/5, 2/3, 3/5, 4/4, 5/4, 6/2, 7/2, 7/31, 8/29, 9/28, 10/27, 11/25, and 12/25.
Full moon bother you? You can try the using the new moons, but there are only 12 of them in 2015. 🙂
Other participants in the past have added their own wrinkles: Reading a story a week for only half the year, reading two at a time and trying to find a “connection” between them, reading essays or famous speeches. No one’s done it yet, but at breakfast yesterday a friend asked me, can you read poems? That’s another great idea. Wish I’d thought of that. Maybe for DMI 2016…
Last of all, please help spread the word about Deal Me In. It’s been so much more fun the past couple years with others playing along. 🙂
Katherine Nabity said,
December 21, 2014 at 1:07 pm
I’m in! I might have even stopped tinkering with my list. 😉
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Jay said,
December 22, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Glad you’ll be joining us again this year!
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Jay said,
December 21, 2014 at 5:25 pm
I posted my own roster a few days ago: https://bibliophilica.wordpress.com/2014/12/16/my-deal-me-in-2015-roster/. Happy reading to all!
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Cedar Station said,
December 21, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Can’t wait!
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Randall said,
December 21, 2014 at 11:45 pm
I’m in! My list is not finalized yet, because I’ve put a twist (of course) into the planning process. But there IS a giveaway involved.
http://timeenuf.blogspot.com/2014/12/plans-for-deal-me-in-2015-and-giveaway.html
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Jay said,
December 22, 2014 at 1:03 pm
I love your twist and wish I’d thought of it first. 🙂
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james b chester said,
December 22, 2014 at 9:16 am
I”m in. I’ll be looking for connections again this round and probably posting at the fortnight rate rather than the weekly rate.
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Jay said,
December 22, 2014 at 1:05 pm
I look forward to following along with your story pairs again this year, James. Thanks for signing up again!
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jenvolk5 said,
December 22, 2014 at 9:24 am
I’m in for 2015! http://wisepursuits.wordpress.com
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Jay said,
December 22, 2014 at 12:59 pm
Glad you will be joining us this year! Hope you enjoy DMI as much as I do. 🙂
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Saari said,
December 22, 2014 at 12:51 pm
I was going to see if I could tweak it a bit since I know I can’t read a short story a week. But you’ve got some options up for 2015 and I like ’em! I’ll most likely go for the fortnightly option. Just need to pick out the stories!
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Jay said,
December 22, 2014 at 1:02 pm
Happy to have you with us! I will look forward to seeing your roster of stories. 🙂
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Saari said,
December 22, 2014 at 3:24 pm
Here’s my list! I’m going for the fortnight. 😀
http://mangoesandcherryblossoms.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/deal-me-in-a-short-story/
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Dale said,
December 22, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Here’s mine! http://mirrorwithclouds.wordpress.com/short-stories-deal-me-in/2015-2/
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Jay said,
December 23, 2014 at 8:18 am
Glad you’re throwing your hat into the ring again, Dale. I think you and Katherine deserve some special recognition for posting about every single story (if I’m not mistaken) in 2014. I missed a few myself, but posted about a higher percentage than ever before.
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Candiss said,
December 22, 2014 at 6:03 pm
Count me in! Here’s my sign-up and roster: http://readthegamut.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/deal-me-in-challenge-2015-edition-sign-up-and-story-roster/
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Jay said,
December 23, 2014 at 8:17 am
Glad to have you with us!
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Christine said,
December 23, 2014 at 1:02 am
I’m in! My sign up/roster is here: http://thedwsblog.com/2014/12/17/deal-fantastic-tales-edition/
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Jay said,
December 23, 2014 at 8:27 am
Glad you’re joining us, and thanks from bringing some added variety with your fantastical tales focus. I look forward to reading about them. 🙂
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kentuckygal50 said,
December 25, 2014 at 4:24 pm
Deal me in, Jay! :O)
http://backporchervations.blogspot.com/2014/12/2015-deal-me-in-short-stories-reading.html
I’ve got 39 titles plus a catch all category (using the American Lit short story of the day). This one took some thought, but I like it! :O)
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Jay said,
December 26, 2014 at 8:15 am
Welcome to Deal Me In 2015! I’m happy that you are joining us this year and am off to check out your story roster now… 🙂
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Becky said,
December 26, 2014 at 2:40 pm
I’m joining in the fun! Here’s my list of choices.
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Jay said,
December 26, 2014 at 9:55 pm
Happy to have you in the challenge, Becky!
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tracybham said,
December 26, 2014 at 7:54 pm
I am interested, one of my goals in 2015 is to read more short stories. But I am a little worried about the time it will take me to come up with a list and write it all up. Is there a “too late to join” date?
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Jay said,
December 26, 2014 at 10:00 pm
Hi Tracy,
Nope, there’s no real deadline (we had several late-joiners last year) and the “rules” for this challenge are pretty informal. 🙂 So, take your time and come up with a good list of wherever size option you choose. Good luck!
-Jay
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tracybham said,
December 27, 2014 at 2:05 am
Thanks so much for responding, Jay. I will definitely join in, and it probably won’t take me too long to decide on a strategy. And I love the informal approach.
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Robyn Leatherman said,
December 27, 2014 at 12:50 am
I’ll post my 52 story choices on January 1st & look forward to participating!
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Jay said,
December 27, 2014 at 6:30 am
Happy you’ll be joining us! I hope you will enjoy doing the challenge as much as I do.
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John-Paul said,
December 28, 2014 at 4:56 am
Thanks to James Reads Books I will be doing this challenge too, but with essays and journalism rather than short stories. My success rate is very low with reading challenges, but I am always ready to fail again (that’s the spirit). I have my list up at readerregards.blogspot.co.nz
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Jay said,
December 28, 2014 at 12:01 pm
Hi John-Paul,
Essays & journalism? I’ve got no problem with that. 🙂
I struggle sometimes to complete challenges as well – maybe that’s why I don’t do many any more, except this one.
Good luck with your selections and happy reading!
-Jay
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Jim Black said,
December 29, 2014 at 12:29 pm
Count me in. I am working on my roster of stories and hope to have it posted soon.
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Jay said,
December 29, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Welcome, Jim! I look forward to seeing your story roster.
-Jay
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Marianne said,
December 30, 2014 at 2:02 pm
I gently listed some poetry & stories inspired by this challenge over at my place today, but I don’t think I’ll have time to actually participate. I want to read them but likely won’t have time to journal about them. I just wanted to thank you for inspiring/reminding me to make time for shorter works. I like the draw a card approach. I’ve got mine split into lists of poetry & short stories. Cheers! 🙂
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Jay said,
December 31, 2014 at 8:15 am
Thanks for commenting Marianne. I’m glad Deal Me In served as a reminder for you to read shorter works. It’s become such a habit for me now to read one story a week, I’ll probably keep it up the rest of my life.
PS I didnt realize until I visited your site that I “know” you from the early days of my blogging. Glad to connect again and I will bookmark your new location. 🙂
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Marianne said,
December 31, 2014 at 8:52 am
I was wondering if you’d remember me. 🙂 It’s good to “see” you! Happy New Year. 🙂
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Jim Black said,
December 31, 2014 at 12:40 am
Sign me up. My list is located at http://sciencefictiontimes.blogspot.com/2014/12/deal-me-in-short-story-challenge.html
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Jay said,
December 31, 2014 at 8:13 am
Welcome aboard! Enjoy the challenge!
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Cleo @ Classical Carousel said,
December 31, 2014 at 8:34 pm
I’m happy to be taking on this challenge this year; it looks like so much fun! I’ve adjusted it a little and added poems, essays and children’s classics to the short story format, so hopefully that’s okay.
Here’s my post: http://cleoclassical.blogspot.ca/2014/12/deal-me-in-challenge-2015.html and I’ll get my list up in the next couple of days.
Thanks for hosting, Jay!
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Jay said,
January 1, 2015 at 9:28 am
Glad you’ll be joining us, Cleo! I will look forward to seeing your roster of stories when you have it up. Good luck with the challenge!
-Jay
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Alex said,
January 2, 2015 at 6:10 am
I have think I have enough short-story books in my TBR to pull this off! I think what I’ll do is read them bit by bit (as luck guides me) throughout the year. By end-2015 I should have read several complete books.
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Jay said,
January 2, 2015 at 8:01 am
I’m up to maybe two shelves of just short story collections – both one author and anthologies – that I’ve proabbly only read about 30% of the stories in. “Deal Me In” became a good habit-forming challenge for me. 🙂
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2015 Reading Challenges | Space Cadet said,
January 2, 2015 at 10:33 am
[…] The Deal Me In Short Story Challenge – For this challenge, you pick 52 short stories and assign each to a playing card in a regular deck of cards. Then once a week you randomly draw a card and that is the story you read! […]
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Challenges for 2015 | Gobetween Flames said,
January 2, 2015 at 11:00 am
[…] https://bibliophilica.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/its-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year-deal-me-in-20… […]
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Kay (@dbookdarling) said,
January 2, 2015 at 1:15 pm
I am REALLY excited to be participating this year. I spotted the 2014 sign up post mid-year and knew I had to take part in 2015! Here’s my sign up post – http://deadbookdarling.com/2015/01/novel-challenges-of-2015.html – and list of stories here – http://deadbookdarling.com/deal-me-in-2015
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Jay said,
January 2, 2015 at 1:22 pm
Happy to have you join us, Kay! I hope you enjoy the Deal Me In challenge as much as I have come to. 🙂
-Jay
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Lana B said,
January 2, 2015 at 2:09 pm
I’m going for the full moon fever version and plan to read 12 short stories from “The Weird”. Thanks!
Lana
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Jay said,
January 2, 2015 at 2:13 pm
Hoorah! Lana’s in! Can Jane be far behind….? 🙂 “The Weird” is a great anthology! I think one could do two full years of deal me in with all the stories in there.
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fingermonkey said,
January 3, 2015 at 11:59 am
Hereis my list. All the stories come from The Best American Short Stories of the Century. http://booksareportablemagic.blogspot.com/p/2015-deal-me-in-reading-challenge.html
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Jay said,
January 3, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Thanks for joining us. That collection is a great source of great stories. Hope you enjoy the challenge!
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1066jq said,
January 3, 2015 at 12:23 pm
Count me in. I read a LOT, but have never been a big reader of short stories, so this will be a challenge to me.
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Jay said,
January 3, 2015 at 3:57 pm
Welcome to the Deal Me In challenge, 1066jq! Do you have a website?
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tracybham said,
January 3, 2015 at 9:27 pm
I have a post listing my short stories now. Sign me up!
http://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.com/2015/01/deal-me-in-short-story-challenge-2015.html
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Marian said,
January 4, 2015 at 12:38 am
This is the only challenge I’m signing up for this year – I just love short stories, and it’s an easy commitment. 🙂 Here is my list (includes some essays): http://tangle-wood.blogspot.com/2015/01/reading-challenge-deal-me-in.html
Thanks for hosting this!
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Jay said,
January 4, 2015 at 8:33 am
Happy to have another short story lover join us, Marian! Off to check out your list of stories now… 🙂
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Teresa said,
January 4, 2015 at 3:56 pm
After reading James’s posts all year, I realized that I have an essay collection I’ve been longing to spend more time with, and it includes exactly 51 essayists! If I split one essayist into two cards, that’ll give me a full deck, so I’m in. I’m going to try to read one a week but will probably post less often. My list should be up later this week!
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Jay said,
January 5, 2015 at 8:36 pm
Happy to have you in the challenge, Teresa!
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mannomoi said,
January 5, 2015 at 2:37 pm
Hey! I know I didn’t do too well last year but I want to give it another shot this year! I have a question though, are podcasts of short stories acceptable? Because I’ve found a set of New Yorker podcasts of short stories and they seem very interesting.
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Jay said,
January 5, 2015 at 8:38 pm
Hello! Nice to hear from you. 🙂 yes, absolutely, podcasts are acceptable. A lot of participants are customizing the challenge to fit their interests or available reading material. I say go for it! 🙂
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2015 Reading Goals and Challenges | Dilettante Artiste said,
January 5, 2015 at 5:01 pm
[…] categories of the reading challenge I’d signed up for. I really tried to make things work for the Deal Me In challenge, but I failed due to my inconsistency issues. I will give it a chance this year though since I do […]
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Elaine said,
January 5, 2015 at 5:05 pm
Slighty tardy, but excited to join…http://series-ouslyaddicted.blogspot.com/2015/01/2015-short-stories-deal-me-in-challenge.html
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Jay said,
January 5, 2015 at 8:39 pm
No worries! We had people join up “throughout the year” in 2014. Welcome to Deal Me In! Off to check out your list now. 🙂
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Darcie said,
January 10, 2015 at 9:05 pm
I would love to join! Here is mt post
http://readingderby.blogspot.com/2015/01/deal-me-in-short-stories.html
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Jay said,
January 10, 2015 at 10:13 pm
Welcome, Darcie!
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DebraB said,
January 14, 2015 at 11:43 pm
I just found your blog and this challenge. I’m a little late to the starting line, but I’d like to participate. I’ll get back to you when I have my list ready. 🙂
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DebraB said,
January 15, 2015 at 12:57 am
Here is my list!
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Jay said,
January 15, 2015 at 9:49 am
Glad to have you with us, Debra B. I hope you enjoy the challenge as much as I do! 🙂
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DebraB said,
January 15, 2015 at 11:01 pm
I’m looking forward to the stories AND the blogging community.
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DebraB said,
February 18, 2015 at 11:52 am
Here is my post on George saunders. Not sure if I should be linking it to you blog here?
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Jay said,
February 18, 2015 at 12:29 pm
Hi Debra,
As long as you link back to this, the sign-up page, in your post (which you did) I will see the pingback & know you have published a new Deal Me In-related post and will include it in my next weekly wrap up post (usually on mondays) where I link to all the new posts I’m aware of. Eventually, I hope to have a weekly “linky-thing” that participants can just add a link to each week, but I’m not there, technologically, yet. 🙂
Great post on Saunders. He’s impressed me with what I’ve read so far, which includes the title story from Tenth of December.
-Jay
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Jason said,
February 23, 2015 at 5:17 pm
Hello, I only recently discovered this challenge. Would it be too late to join?
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Jay said,
February 23, 2015 at 6:30 pm
Not at all! We’d be happy to have you join us. (people joined last year half-way through the challenge) You can comment again here on this post when you come up with a ‘roster’ of stories and then I’ll include a link to your roster and/or any posts you write between now and then in the next weekly wrap-up on Monday.
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Jason said,
February 27, 2015 at 12:25 am
Awesome, appreciate it. Here is my reading list for the challenge: http://literaturefrenzy.blogspot.ca/2015/02/deal-me-in-challenge-2015.html
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2015 in review and 2016 plans | The Sleepless Reader said,
January 12, 2016 at 5:42 pm
[…] Jay’s Deal Me In Challenge – one short-story per week the whole year. Also a good challenge, although I didn’t blog much about it. Two quick thoughts: 1) German classic short-stories are great and want to read more of them and 2) modern short-stories are obsessed with infidelity! […]
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