These stories were imaginative, playful and gritty. Her verbs and precise imagery surprised and delighted me. Here is one example: "I sleep on the couch in his front room. The headlights from the trucks scan me in my sleep.”

I also want to hug the last story, "Carry Me Home, Sisters of St. Joseph” because it’s so damn human. This girl is out talking to a bunch of tomatoes, and living with some interesting nuns while she recovers from heartbreak. Overall these stories are sad and happy and weird and I loved them.

I read this book because of this excellent review: http://hungermtn.org/sideways-review-from-reading-to-wonder/ ( )

Surprising, compassionate, funny, and energetically imagined, one of the best story collections I've read in ages. Think red velvet cupcakes and Regina Spektor and Grimm's Fairy Tales. ( )