An Infinite Thread by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff (reviewed by Amethyst Collins)

The genre of short stories is one that I think is very overlooked. (I myself am guilty of this.) However, the stories, or perhaps I should say scenes, in An Infinite Thread are proof of how short stories could be making a larger appearance in public reading.

This book was put together as a collection of writing exercises by the three authors, who call themselves the Merry Sisters of Fate. This means that they often leave the reader in suspense, wondering what happens next. Many times they start right in the middle of an important moment, and only by reading on can the reader get an idea of what is happening. (Isn’t that the point of a story? To get someone to read it?) I think they are good because they have realistic descriptions and even the tensest moments often have humor. Example: Your best friend is deadly vampire staring at you silently, about to bite you, and the author makes a subtle diss on Twilight. Perfect.

I like short stories because they give me a good stopping point. If I have homework or chores to do, but I really want to read, I can pick up a short story book and read a story in ten minutes, do some of my work, read another story, do more work, read another story… And it’s also nice in school, because when I finish my work early I can take it out, read a story and be at a stopping place before I have to pay attention again.

Each of the Sisters has their own unique style of writing, and every reader I’ve talked with has their favorite. The Sisters also have a website, so after reading the book you can go there and read more by your favorite author. Also, they self-published An Infinite Thread, so I give them major kudos. Recommended? Yes.

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Our FIRST review of a short story collection, woot!

Amethyst reviewed a book that wasn't yet added to the library's collection to let us know if she thought it was worth adding to the shelves. Do YOU think you could give your opinion on if the library/other people should buy or add books? If so, you can ask at youth services or send us an e-mail for more information on how you can get a chance to be a pre-reviewer for certain titles! (and yes, we're definitely adding this title, so keep your eyes on the shelves for your chance to check it out!)

We used this book for prompts and discussion in our library's teen writing group and we all loved it so much! We loved it SO MUCH we asked Brenna Yovanoff to be our next featured author in our Best!Book!Ever! book club and she agreed! She'll be live-chatting with us about her book The Replacement on MARCH 1, 2011! Starting reading today to join the conversation! Maybe we can ask her questions about stories from An Infinite Thread too!

Click here to check our catalog to see if Brenna's The Replacement is on our shelves. Interested in some of the amazing Maggie's books? Click here to check out catalog to see if any of Maggie Stiefvater's books are on our shelves. And, of course, keep an eye out for Tessa's debut novel Blood Magic, due out this April. (Why, I might even have an ARC of Blood Magic just waiting to be reviewed ...)