Florida

This was an excellent short story collection, there wasn't a dud in the bunch! I thoroughly enjoyed all eleven stories, each of which had ties to Florida in one way or another; whether it was a setting, a hometown, a memory, etc. Florida loomed in the background of these taut tales. From surviving a hurricane while drunk and hallucinating to overcoming a childhood surrounded by snakes and an abusive father to a mother forgetting to prepare for Halloween, these stories are expertly crafted and executed. Each story is a little dark, has some seedy elements, and some very real characters, all in all very Florida-eqsue. A wonderful collection, I would love to read more short stories by Lauren Groff. It takes extreme talent to build characters, setting and plot in a few short pages but she does it exceedingly well!

Gun Love

First off, this cover is amazing, how could you pass up a book that looks this good? Secondly, the concept was pretty unique and made the book impossible to put down. Pearl and her momma have lived in an old mercury since she was born. Her mother thought they would only be there a few months, but fourteen years later they are still living in the same car. Pearl and her momma are two peas in a pod but when Eli moves into the trailer park she knows there is going to be trouble. Her momma is too nice and always trying to fix the strays. Nothing will ever be the same again. Peppered throughout the story are guns, they're almost a secondary character. From the random bulllethole in their car to the drunks shooting at the gators, to the empty casings Pearl finds in the dump, to the gun buyback program that the local pastor is organizing; guns are an integral part of Pearl's childhood. Gun Love is a tale of southern white trash, hope, guns, and the American dream. A great book!