First book of short stories

"There's Something I want You to Do" by Charles Baxter

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Today's review is a first for me! I have never read a collection of short stories before this. I saw this book showcased on one of the multiple book publishing emails i receive daily and was intrigued based upon the short article about the book. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least! I gave the book a 3 out of 5 on my Goodreads page. Here's what I thought:

First off, like I said before, I have never read a collection of short stories and therefore have nothing to compare it to. While the book itself is 10 different stories, and while each story has it's own characters and plot line, some characters who had a smaller role in one story pop up as main characters in another story. Since I have never read other short story collections, I am not sure if this is common the way the characters are shared throughout them but this was one of my favorite aspects of the book. There is at least one story that every reader can relate to in some way. Stories range from love and loss to having a sick child and questioning your beliefs in humanity. Bravery, guilt, and vanity are not only titles for stories but are also common themes throughout the whole collection.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it has inspired me to read other short story collections! Feel free to share any suggestions! I appreciate any comments, opinions, and recommendations!

Side note: I had previously mentioned that I am reading The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. I am still reading this book but it is not as enjoyable as I originally thought and is taking longer to get through. I promise to have it completed at some point but will continue to read others as well. I am one of those readers who has at least two, if not three, books always going at once!

Happy reading fools :)