Very enjoyable collection of Australian short-fiction. ( )

I especially liked Dress Medium, The Evolution of Sadie Smith and The Amber Amulet. Will have to follow up the authors other works. ( )

A pretty good collection of short stories, some better than others but overall an okay book. I liked 2 stories very much and the others were okay.
3 stars for the overall book. ( )

This is the first time I have ever read a collection of short stories. I've always shied away from them, thinking that I wouldn't like them because I'd feel cheated by their very shortness. Well I'm happy to say I've been proved wrong, and three of these were terrific, and I would have liked them to have been lengthier, but still thoroughly enjoyed them as a Short Story. My eyes have ben opened, and I will be looking for more collections. ( )

This book was produced for the 2010 Get Reading! Programme, which is designed to encourage Australians to read. Each year, the committee selects books (either by Australian or foreign authors) to be part of the programme. There is also an incentive (a free book, although it used to be a second book for $5) to encourage readers to read more widely.

This year’s offering, 10 Short Stories You Must Read in 2010, is similar to last year’s formet, ie. 10 short stories from Australian authors. This year’s collection features stories from Maggie Alderson, Georgia Blain, Mark Dapin, Nick Earls, Alex Miller, Judy Nunn, Malla Nunn, Craig Silvey, Rachael Treasure and Christos Tsiolkas.

I enjoyed reading most of the short stories, but I found that I’m not really a short story fan. Everything is over too quickly without getting a handle on the characters. I enjoyed Maggie Alderson’s story about a vintage clothes shop and its customers the most, but I have read all her previous books so I’m very familiar with her writing style. I couldn’t get into Alex Miller’s story and ended up skipping it. Judy Nunn’s story was very different to her books- I see a future in crime fiction. Mark Dapin, a new author for me, produced a different, thought-provoking story.

While I enjoyed the opportunity to read a free book, I don’t think I found any more new authors with the exception of Mark Dapin. This was a very fast and light read. ( )