All of Amy Hempel's short stories collected into one book.

This was a reread for me, and Amy Hempel is probably my favorite short story writer. There are short stories that I like more than hers, but she is such a master of writing sentences that accomplish so much text and context and tone in so few words that I can't help but be impressed with the craft. The one mark I'll put against reading her stories this way, though, is that many of them are pretty similar in tone and narrative voice, so back to back to back they can feel a little samey and maybe get a tad tiresome. Still. What a writer.

A couple of recommendations, if you can track them down: The Harvest and In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried. The former begins with:

I've always loved that sentence.