There's a rumor that Barnes & Noble will absorb our local Border's, and you know, I hope it's true. I have valiantly tried over the years to support my local bookstores (independent and chain -- they all deserve our patronage), but so many times when I've gone into Border's to pick up a book, they haven't had it. Same was true a few days ago, when I'd hoped to buy the 2008 O. Henry Prize Stories. Nada one on the shelf.
They didn't have the 2008 Best American Short Stories, either, so I picked up the 2007 version, altogether grumpy about the situation and determined not to like anything in it. But guess what? There's a story by William Gay, "Where Will You Go When Your Skin Cannot Contain You?" that I can't wait to read. Gay wrote my favorite short story, "The Paperhanger," which was an O. Henry winner in 2001. (This story is so dog-eared and highlighted, it's falling out of my book.) If you haven't read it and can't find it, zip me an email and I'll send you a copy. I'll warn you, it's dark. But oh so delicious.
