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.

This is one of the most delightful collections of short stories I've ever read. Although Ms. Maizes has her own, distinct, voice, her dry wit, clever character development, and sometimes peculiar situations remind me a lot of Jacob M. Appel and David Sedaris (two of my all-time favorite contemporary writers).

The book's title is also the title of the first story; in brief, the story of the angst of a boy preparing to "become a man" at his bar mitzvah.. While you don't have to be Jewish to appreciate it, I think the fact that I am Jewish made this story even more delicious for me. This boy is suffering more than the usual pre-bar mitzvah jitters; his bar mitzvah Torah portion just happens to be from the chapters in Leviticus that admonish that men should not lie with men. While only the Orthodox still believe this to be a prohibition against homosexuality (the Reform Movement has figured a way around this by dismissing this commandment as no longer relevant), it's a tricky subject nonetheless. made even more difficult for this young man because he is gay, and, in fact, has a boyfriend. He refuses to read the speech his mother wrote for him, choosing instead to use his own words, but when the moment arises, he's so flustered that he publicly comes out before the congregation, his friends and family, and all the other guests. By the time this happened, I was laughing so much that tears ran from my eyes and snot from my nose. Well, okay, that's an exaggeration. But it's darn funny. And it doesn't end the way the poor bar mitzvah boy fears.

Ms. Maizes is an absolute delight as a writer. She infuses all her characters (including a couple of cats) with humanity and makes them believable, then adds her twists of fate and wit to make them truly come alive.

All the other stories in this collection measure up to the high standard set by "We Love Anderson Cooper." Ms. Maizes has either published the other pieces in magazines or read them on NPR, but I'd not heard of her before receiving the book as an ARC from NetGalley. I think she is currently writing a book. I'll be first in line to get it.

Loved this! The short stories were all great and really makes one think. I read through this one sitting!

I really enjoyed this anthology of different stories by R.L. Maizes! I can't believe this is a debut author. All of the stories are very well written and thought provoking, and I really can say I enjoyed each and every one of them, and hope for more by this author!

What a strong, involving collection this is. And not a clinker in the bunch. Although I've checked my culture-Jewish and magic realism boxes, not all stories fall into those categories, but enough do to warrant notice. The author's ability to create characters at a crossroads and have their situation play out in ways that are truly original kept me reaching for "one more, just one more," until the book was done. I usually like to stretch collections of short stories out, but each story was so different from its predecessor, I just kept going. Maizes also has a true knack for portraying the affinity between animals and their humans, exhibiting a deep understanding of the heart.

This is a wonderful collection of stories all of which deal with overcoming challenges of one type or another. Each story different from each other yet all cohesive in the theme and all very readable and enjoyable.. Couldn't help but root the characters in each story with their quirks and Idiosyncrasies after all , all of us outsiders want to be cheered on and loved, Highly recommend.