Book cover of Unaccustomed to Grace

Book description

Unaccustomed to Grace is a collection of short stories where the unlikely outcome for irresponsible acts and unfortunate events result in redemption. Bannatyne's mastery of the written word informs these stories of common conflict with a brilliantine magic rarely found in contemporary literature. From the unlikely romance between a zoo…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Unaccustomed to Grace as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I simply love this collection of stories, and I return to it often, including this year. Lesley Bannatyne writes about ordinary things—families reuniting, people forgiving themselves, people finding the person in the world who makes their heart go “ping,” and many other forms of grace.

Bannatyne is a genius with short story craft. For that reason, I’ve probably taught more stories from this collection than stories by any other writer! We emerge as readers feeling that everybody—EVERYBODY!—is living such a delicate, precarious life with the potential for beauty and kindness. 

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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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