I confess I did not read through this entire volume. I will echo what many others have offered: the selection here is very inconsistent. I somewhat enjoyed to loved: Jane Avrich, Aimee Bender (always), Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum, Mary Caponegro, Julia Elliott, Samantha Hunt, Miranda July, Kelly Link, Lydia Millet, Alissa Nutting, Paisley Rekdal, Stacey Richter, Gina Zucker, and the Rick Moody essay on Angela Carter. The rest I found kinda boring or too muddled and glossed over. Still, this was a good read for being holed up with shin splints, and I've got a few more authors to add to the future readings list. ( )

My love for this collection started off strong, but was nearly obliterated 2/3 of the way though with a couple of stories that I just couldn't get through. Still, the stories that worked, worked wonderfully, and my faith in the collection was restored by the last couple of stories. I'm very glad I stuck it out! ( )