One of the funniest, most touching and enjoyable collections of short stories I've ever read. The title itself makes me laugh, just remembering the context in which the line was used in one of the stories.

5 stars and a big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. A full review will be posted on Amazon and Goodreads

What a fun read! Loved this collection of stories. Well written and thought out. He's a gem across the board

I have been talking A LOT lately about R. L. Maize’s dazzling collection of short stories, “We Love Anderson Cooper,” and I can’t help but begin by explaining the quirky title.

Do you think you can know from a title that you are going to love what’s inside?

I think so.

I adored the 11 stories in this collection. The characters are relatable and real in their imperfections, outsiders knowing they don’t quite fit in, unsure of their place. The humanity of these stories is what ties them together.

OK, so the title. Twelve year-old Markus is preparing for his Bat Mitzvah, the sacred rite of passage in the Jewish faith when a boy becomes a man. He is horrified that the reading from Leviticus on his Bar Mitzvah date, words that he is obliged to chant, is anti-homosexual. Being gay himself, he decides he in no way can recite these words.

He confides to his teenage boyfriend that he has another plan in mind, to come out on his Bar Mitzvah in front of family and friends, a move that will garner wide attention through social media and might lead to Internet fame and possibly an invitation to appear on The Ellen Show.

The big day arrives, and he believes he is ready. But … the outcome is not exactly as he had planned.

Afterwards, his liberal but nonplused parents press him to explain why he kept his sexual identity a secret from them.

Why didn’t you talk to us first? We would have understood. We love Anderson Cooper.”

I love that.

In “The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee,” insurance manager Barry struggles with being Jewish at Christmas time, fearing “… he would always be an outsider in America.” His non-Jewish girlfriend wants to show him she is supportive of Hanukkah.

For dinner, Anette served warm, creamy blintzes with sour cream and applesauce. Barry sat back and admired the golden crepes. “Like the kind my mother used to buy,” he said.

Mixed in with the humor is a touch of edginess, in stories like “A Cat Called Grievous,” in which a mother is obsessed with a feral cat at the expense of her child’s safety. In “Yiddish Lessons,” the strictures of the Orthodox community cause a teenage girl to feel unworthy and isolated, resulting in a tragedy.

There’s also the element of fantasy. In “Ghost Dogs,” Paula is haunted by the sounds of her dogs coming in and out of the house, even though she knows they both died suddenly due to a terrible mistake she made. In “Tattoo,” a tattoo artist becomes famous for his work with breast cancer patients, and ultimately is able to use three dimensional tattoos to transforms flawed body parts into impossible perfection.

Because I love animals so, I was charmed that they — cats, dog, even birds — figure prominently into many of the stories.

My anticipation for reading this collection was surpassed only by the thrill it was to consume it, a delicious feast of exceptional writing. I have been a fan of the talented R.L. Maizes for a long time, having read her pieces in The New York Times and other places. She always writes with eloquence, compassion, and wit. Her pieces have been awarded prizes and many accolades, and she is a Pushcart Prize nominee. Many of the stories in this collection have appeared in prominent literary magazines.

Good news: Ms. Maizes has a novel coming out soon.

I. Can’t. Wait.

Coming out, loss, loneliness, religion, betrayal and jealousy can all be found within the pages of this short but powerful collection. Compelling and engaging, We Love Anderson Cooper will stay on your mind long after you leave it’s pages.

We love Anderson Cooper

Short story collections are hard because unless you know the author or have read a story by them you are coming into this blind. That was the case with We Love Anderson Cooper, I did not know the author but had heard some early praises so I decided to give the book a go. All of the short stories are well written. The characters and the scenes jump off the page and there is a level of description that makes it all very real, it takes very little imagination. I connected with two of the stories the title story (where a 12 year old boy comes out of the closet during his Bar Mitzvah and also in the process outs his in the closet popular boyfriend) and The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee (my favorite of the stories where a Jewish man of a certain age tries to grapple with the fact that his Christian girlfriend still wants to have her Christian traditions and feels as though his Jewish traditions are being put to the wayside. That is of course not true). All in all I would say my only criticism of the stories is that I feel as though they all just ended and they were not wrapped up. If you only get a few precious moments with these characters I think that there should be an ending that ties it all together.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and chose to write my opinions in a review.

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher Celadon Books and Author R.L. Maizes for the ebook copy of an ARC of this book, We Love Anderson Cooper.

I loved the short stories. I thought they were "MURAKAMIesque" as they were told in such a delightful and witty fashion. I found that through these stories, there were opportunities for deeper understanding and reflection; either to find meaning or an opportunity to relate in some way. The stories were all so different; for example, the first story which is based on the book title, is where a gay teen going through Bar Mitzvah, ended up confessing in public, while being recorded, His story of coming out and outing his friend were posted to YouTube. Another relates the story of the unsuccessful artist who started to use his talent tattooing nipples and beautifying bodies to earn a living.

There are 11 other wonderful stories in the collection, and each one is as wonderful a read as the next. I highly recommend this book by R.L.Maizes, who is a new author to me, but one that I will be watching for in the future. I look forward to her next book/novel. She is quite a talented story teller.

*ARC was provided by Celadon Books through NetGalley.

I’m going to be honest and say that I requested this without really looking into the subject, so while I do still like the title, the collection was way more disappointing than I was expecting. Many of the stories share themes in pets, unhappy relationships, Judaism and jealousy/huge egos. I didn’t find any of the stories that fulfilling and hated most of them.

We Love Anderson Cooper, 1 star: I still like the title and how it was used in the story (it reminded me of the Obama line in Get Out ), but not any of the rest of it. How the story tries to interweave fame and homophobia doesn't click, and it definitely doesn't feel like a modern voice, given that the protagonist is having his bar mitzvah. I was so frustrated by the end of the story, especially because it utilizes a lot of overdone homophobic tropes (i.e. forcibly outing someone).

Collections, 2 stars: I wish this story had been longer, because what it alluded to really wasn't enough for all the build-up. This story has one of the examples where someone does something self-righteous and big, but it really doesn't feel like anything. It's hard to write a lot about this story because it was so bland.

Tattoo, 2 stars: This would probably be the story I liked the most out of the collection - I was definitely interested in the concept of using tattoos as plastic surgery, and I liked how it delved into the medical/more emotional aspects of the experience. In the end, this was another story about a would-be savior and their tragic fall, which isn't super intriguing.

The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee, 1 star: This is one of two stories in the collection that deal with cats and the narrator's near-obsessive love with them. So much of this story is just mental narration, and it's exhausting to read. I was so sick of this man and his partner and how he was obsessed with his part in the picture. It kind of felt like it was almost going somewhere when it talked about their differing religions (his Judaism to her Christianity), but that was totally eclipsed.

No Shortage of Birds, 2 stars: I was frustrated with this story, but I thought it was for good reason. This tackles grief and recovery in a very YA tone, and things come together in the end. I really disliked the narrator, but it was at least a comprehensive story.

L’Chaim, 2 stars: This was like two pages long so there isn't a ton to say. It was ok, but it was way too short to make an impact.

A Cat Called Grievous, 1 star: This is the second cat story, and though it's a close tie, I disliked this one more. I don't know if the style just isn't to my taste, but when it came to this cat that practically tears a family apart, I wasn't into it at all. I wish it had taken on a different tone, or made the reader fall for the cat too: as it is, you see this woman obsessed with a cat, loving it more than her child or husband. You never really get inside to empathize with her.

Better Homes and Gardens, 1 star: This might've been my least favorite story. I know you don't always have to empathize with the protagonist, but in this story where a man almost kills his daughter in a car crash and then leaves the family, I felt absolutely nothing but anger. I think I had so many problems with these stories because too often the narrators have their egos fulfilled, and then the story just ends. There isn't really anything other than indulgence, and not that which extends to the reader.

Couch, 2 stars: This could've been a good magical realism piece, but some of the details totally pulled me out of it. The themes seemed like they were all over the place and while it ended on a settled note, the story didn't really feel finished or even paused.

Yiddish Lessons, 1 star: This story is completely about ego, and takes it to extremes that I'm just not personally comfortable with. There's some prominent fatphobia and while the main part of the story is about obsession, it felt like it never went anywhere. I know the stories are short, but I want to take away more than just one scene over many years.

Ghost Dogs, 1.5 stars: I think this is the only story to get a half star because I was so mixed about it. It's very similar to some other stories in the collection and frustrating in the same ways, but it did approach things with a new premise. I think this had potential but went the same route as the others.

Overall, I really didn't like this. I hated more of the stories than those I didn't mind and I think that at least part of that is because finishing the book, I felt like I was drowning. I started to suffocate under all of these selfish protagonists and how they'll do anything to get what they want - not that we really get a chance to see them as a developed character, because each story is only a few pages long. This book weighed down on me and were it not so short (and I received an ARC), I might've DNFed it. I haven't not-recommended a book this hard in a long time.

We Love Anderson Cooper is an unconventional collection of short stories that focuses on characters that feel like outsiders in one way or another, allowing for a sense of camaraderie with the cast. R.L. Maizes is undoubtedly a clever author, crafting gratifying stories that feel complete, despite their length. I never found myself wanting to read more about the situations she presented, in part because several of the story lines were quite doleful, but also because she is a gifted writer. Many of the tales included Jewish people which allowed me to learn more about their culture and traditions, and also included cherished pets which made me smile. All in all, Ms. Maizes has an uncomplicated style of writing that lends itself well to short stories, and this collection was a breeze to read. However, I would speak amiss if I didn't mention that readers should be prepared to feel a sense of loss at the end of several of the stories.

Many thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for gifting me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on July 23, 2019.

https://mamasgottaread.blogspot.com/

This is a wonderful collection of eleven quirky stories that sometimes have humor, sadness, strange take on the ordinary or an ordinary take on what is supposedly strange. All the characters in each story seem to have a choice to make, but then they are frequently stuck with unforeseen consequences. They think they are in charge….but it often does not work out that way.

Favorite stories are:

No Shortage of Birds - young Charlotte copes with her father’s death, her mother’s reaction to it and what to do about it;
Collections - Maya copes with the death of her elderly deceased lover, who was the source of all her worldly possessions, now claimed by his family. So she is bereft and more to the point destitute in her own eyes….how to proceed?
Couch - when a therapist needs to replace an office couch inherited from her grandmother, she finds a couch that changes her clients. her practice and herself.
We Love Anderson Cooper - a struggling bar mitzvah boy decides the occasion is the right time to come about his sexuality.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this review copy. Looking forward to more by this author.

I really enjoyed this quirky book of stories. I'm not usually a huge fan of the short story, but these were well crafted stories and not a dud in the bunch. I think the title story, Tattoo and Couch were the strongest and most memorable for me.

📚#partner| Thank you to Celadon Books, NetGalley & R.L. Maizes for the free advanced digital copy! This book is available July 23, 2019!|
.
.
🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟
.
.
▪️MY THOUGHTS
✔️I enjoyed this wonderful collection of stories. As with any collection there were some stories I preferred more over others. Some of the characters were quirky, which I loved. Each of them were dealing with something in their life/relationships. Whether it was coming out to their family, paranoia, jealousy or finding love - the characters were all just trying to find their place.
.
.
▪️OVERALL RUNDOWN
✔️I enjoyed this collection overall. I’ve really been enjoying short stories and this one although strange at times did not disappoint. If you’re looking for stories that are different about people trying to find their way in this crazy place we call life - this book may be for you!
.
.
▪️TITLE RUNDOWN
Weird
Enjoyable
Love
Odd
Vulnerable
Entertaining
Anger
Nice
Death
Ego
Relationships
Sorry
Open
Neglect
Cat
Old
Opportunity
People
Envy
Rabbi
.
.
▪️RATING
✔️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Each of these stories focused on a character who was an "outsider." I felt that each story was somewhat unfinished. I had hoped for a moral or a lesson or, even, a punch line that would help the reader connect with the feelings or actions of the main character. Unfortunately, each story just seemed to stop.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
This collection of short stories is striking in the evenness of quality combined with a wide variety of people and situations.
All of the characters are quirky and weird and out of the ordinary. While I am not a huge fan of short stories because they
often give you a taste but not enough to satisfy, each story in this book felt complete. My biggest problem was wanting
to hurry on to the next story without taking time to digest the one I just read.

I received a e-galley of this title from Netgalley and leave my honest thoughts about it below.


Humor and sadness combine in this slim but enlightening collection of 11 short stories by R.L. Maizes. Besides the title story, in which a young boy growing into his sexuality finds that fame and freedom aren’t all that you need, Maizes includes stories dealing with the magical power of couches, the role of a cat within family relationships, and in both the shortest and yet in my opinion, the most powerful of stories, L’Chaim, how tragedy and humor can mix together to devastating effect.

There is much here to find that is both interesting and delightful. Infidelity and secrets are dealt with both tragically and in “A Cat Called Grievous” humorously, albeit with a bitter blackened edge. “Better Homes and Gardens” talks of the divides that occur when financial circumstances turn and priorities amongst family members turn against each other. And “Yiddish Lessons” speaks of the eternal battle between traditional and modern priorities.

Some may look down at short stories collections as secondary works for authors, preferring to see the skill involved in weaving one longer tale as the better talent. But what keeps me coming back to strong collections like this is in getting to peak behind the mask of an author, where each story illuminates the priorities and concerns the author sees around them. In reading these stories, you get to see a more complete picture of what they have to say, and in the case of R.L. Maizes, she has a great deal to tell us. I for one, am looking forward to reading more of it.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of We Love Anderson Cooper written by R.L. Maizes.


This was a pretty even short story collection. While there were some standouts, none of the included stories were bad or particularly weak with one exception that I will explain below. They all shared a very subtle style and they all touched on different elements of humanity.

The standouts, to me, stood out in a big way. "We Love Anderson Cooper," the story of a soon to be Bar
Mitzvahed young man who was struggling with his sexuality, was both heartbreaking and hilarious. It was particularly strong because the plot of the story never overshadowed the authenticity of what I saw as the real struggle: figuring out that becoming an adult means balancing your own needs with the way your actions affect others.

Another really strong story was "Tattoo," which I read twice and would like to revisit a third time. Of all the stories in the collection, this was the one that most sucked me in because there was something happening below the surface that I wanted to figure out. I'm not sure I have. don't misunderstand me: this isn't some confusing, dark and twisty story. While there is definitely magical realism at work in this one, the plot itself is very straight forward. There's just a lot of social commentary that I want to fully think through. This story was my favorite of the bunch.

As I mentioned above, only one story in the collection really missed the mark for me and that was "Collections." It's not that I didn't enjoy the story. It was fine. It's just that it didn't reach the quality that the other stories had and, frankly, when I was thinking about writing this review and revisited the Table of Contents, I couldn't remember reading it. It was just a very bland story and I think that being mediocre made it stand out because the rest were so strong.

The rest of the stories cover some of the uglier elements of humanity: infidelity, bitterness, becoming a cat. they are solidly good, steady reads. I'll say this: if you like character driven stories over plot heavy writing, these stories are for you. They are like a tooth with an exposed nerve; they show the things about human nature that we'd probably rather avoid. This, to me, is a must-read.

https://bibwithblog.blogspot.com/2019/05/an-even-and-rewarding-short-story.html

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

This collection of short stories packs a punch of memorable characters told in dark tones that teeter on the edge of bleak. Each story includes a main character that is marginalized mostly because of religion or sexual identity and several end on an unexpected note. Dark humor, healing, and affection all play their role here. Great, strange collection.

A collection of eleven short stories by R.L. Maizes, another new author for me.

The first of these short stories is the one the title of the book is based on - “We Love Anderson Cooper.” This story begins with young Markus who is reluctantly listening to his Rabbi’s recording of Leviticus 20:13 ”If a man lies with a man…both have committed an abomination…” ”In less than a month, he was supposed to chant those words from memory” in the temple, but laying on his bed with these words pouring into his brain through a single earbud, all he can think of is having sex with Gavin, and his plans of announcing that he’s gay during the bar mitzvah speech, hoping the YouTube video will catch Ellen DeGeneres’ attention and bring him instant fame. 4 stars

“Collections,” the second story, is about a woman whose partner died, after they’d lived together for fourteen years, leaving her nothing. 2. 5 stars

The third story is “Tattoo” and follows an artist-painter who gives up his painting and uses his art afterward to focus on tattoo art, becoming more and more convinced of the life-altering nature of his new art. 4 stars

Fourth is “The Infidelity of Judah Maccabee” which was probably had the lightest feeling to it, without really being light. A love story between to actuaries: Barry -a male Jewish cat owner sharing his life with Mac (the cat), and Annette – a Christmas-decorating-loving woman who slowly comes to be Mac’s person. 2.5 stars

Fifth “No Shortage of Birds” is a sad and disturbing story of a mother and teenage daughter coming to terms with life during the aftermath of the husband / father’s death. The mother brings home a parakeet a month after his death as a gift, which the daughter doesn’t want, and tells her to take it back. 2.5 stars

Sixth – “L’Chaim” is perhaps the shortest, and is a tenderly moving story of a woman whose wedding has just been cancelled, looking over the venue. 4 stars

Seventh – “A Cat Called Grievous.” A man and his wife, after seven non-child-bearing years, find a cat, ”curled up inside a fleece-lined boot” on their porch. The wife chooses to use the unused nursery as a room for the cat. 4 stars

Eighth – “Better Homes and Gardens.” A man loses his suffocating and boring job with excellent pay during the economic crisis, and takes a job delivering pizza, much to the chagrin of his wife and his two entitled teen daughters. 3 stars

Ninth – “Couch.” Penelope is a therapist, whose office couch had once belonged to her grandmother, and it was free so it began as her office couch out of economic sense. “ Without quite realizing it, Penelope had come to believe the couch was responsible for her success.” 4 stars

Tenth – “Yiddish Lessons” concerns a young teen girl trying to come to terms with the things she is prevented from pursuing since she is a girl. 4 stars

Eleventh – “Ghost Dogs” - this is a sad story – most of these stories have some ‘tinge’ of sadness to them, but this was sadness upon sadness upon sadness. ”Thwap. Thwap.” 4 stars

As with any collection of short stories, I enjoyed some more than others, and I’m sure that other readers might enjoy some more than I did, and others will enjoy some less. I found all of these interesting and worth reading, and I found the author’s style and viewpoint were creative and refreshingly unique.



Pub Date: 23 Jul 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Celadon Books

Nothing like a collection of short stories to check out a new author. Especially when it’s such a slim volume, limited commitment and all that. This one seems quirky enough to be interesting. Offbeat is usually the right beat to tell tales of outsiders, weirdos and oddballs. This collection has a lot of those. These are essentially slice of life stories, but every so often they veer into magic realism territory. The characters here often find themselves not fitting in the world around them whether it is based on their sexuality, beliefs or race. They often find themselves in a crisis of some sort, which can be as real as death of a loved one or as imaginary as jealousy over a pet. Depending on the relatability of these situations, the stories engage accordingly. The narrative style is very matter of fact, at times almost too deliberately simplistic. The first story was about a teenage boy and read practically YA. But the rest of the stories featured mature characters and the style matured proportionately. Once you get used to the simplicity as a stylistic choice it’s actually quite nice and makes for a very easy and quick read. I enjoyed these stories and recognized their charm, but…not in love. Just didn’t connect emotionally on that level. Nevertheless, a perfectly nice collection of short stories to pass the afternoon. Thanks Netgalley.