Just finished the 2012 edition of “The Best American Short Stories of 2012″ (or to those who are hip “BASS 12”, just so you know, from one who is not hip.) I read BASS every year. I love short stories and there is always quite a variety depending on who the editor is that year. One can sample a bunch of different authors both known and unknown. What is cool is that the authors provide a brief bio and a few sentences about their included stories. Those are almost as interesting as the stories themselves.

Of course in a buffet like this book there are going to be some stories I like and others I don’t. I finished all but one of the stories. The best ones to me was a little sci fi “Beautiful Monsters” by Eric Puchner about genetically raised children who never grow up who encounter a full grown man for the first time (they smell awful!) and “What is Important is Feeling” by Adam Wilson about an almost famous Indie Film hanger on and his frustrated career.

Anyway if you like short stories check this out.