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Birds of a Lesser Paradise
Birds of a Lesser Paradise: Stories | Megan Mayhew Bergman
From a prizewinning young writer whose stories have been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories andNew Stories from the South comes a heartwarming andhugely appealingdebut collectionthat explores the wayour choices and relationships are shaped by the menace and beauty of the natural world.Megan Mayhew Bergmans twelve storiescapture the surprising moments when the pull of our biology becomes evident, when love or fearcollidewithgood sense,orwhen ourattachmentto an animal or wild place cant be denied. In Housewifely Arts, a single mother and her son drive hours to track down an African Gray Parrotthatcan mimicher deceased mothers voice. A population control activistfacesthe ultimate conflict between her loyalty to the environment and her maternal desire inYesterdays Whales.And in the title story, a lonely naturalistallows an attractive strangerto leadher and her aging fatheron a hunt for an elusive woodpecker.As intelligent as they aremoving, the stories inBirds of a Lesser Paradisearealive with emotion,wit,and insight into the impressive power that nature has over all of us.
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Mitch
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No usually a short story person - but it‘s all about our relationship with nature which I am interested in - and it‘s one of Emma Straub‘s favourite books of all time. So wiling to forgive it for being short stories! 🤣

AmyG Let us know how this is, please. 3y
Mitch @AmyG 👍🏼 3y
Megabooks She is a fantastic short story writer! Enjoy! 3y
59 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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callielafleur
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1) black, grey, purple.
2) football, the ocean, coffee, narwhals, octopi, Stranger Things, music, podcasts
3) ha! A couple are The Giver, Birds of a Lesser Paradise, The Night Circus
4) I'll read pretty much anything
5) milk chocolate, Jane Austen, medium roast coffee.
6) I bowl in a couple leagues with my husband.
7) I'm callielafleur on Goodreads, a pretty accurate tally of books I've read.
8) I tag you, person reading this.

#bookswapsurvey

bookloo Favorite podcast? :) 7y
callielafleur @bookloo So many random ones! Favorite bookish one is Literary Disco. 7y
bookloo @callielafleur Sounds amazing! I‘ll check it out, thank you. 7y
55 likes3 comments
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TheLibrariansSuggest
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Pickpick

Her short stories will really get you thinking and they make you feel like you're right in the story. If you haven't read anything by Megan Mayhew Bergman, check this out! Or her other book which we enjoyed and discussed for our third episode, Almost Famous Women. #shortstorysunday #shortstories

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Bookishaf
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Her stories are just written so well. I can‘t even describe how her stories make me feel when I‘m reading them. They‘re just that good!

36 likes2 stack adds
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JustinBrouckaert
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Mehso-so

A few charming stories in a collection I found otherwise redundant.

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Dmtlang
Mehso-so

I love reading short story collections because you can put them down and pick them up as needed. However, I always end up feeling so-so about the collection when I'm done. Enjoying some stories (Yesterday's Whales and Night Hunting) and not others. The same is true here.

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Dmtlang

Mothers, I believe, intoxicate us. We idolize them and take them for granted. We hate them and blame them and exalt them more thoroughly than anyone else in our lives. We sift through the evidence of their love, reassure ourselves of their affection and its biological genesis. We can steal and lie and leave and they will love us.

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Curley_Bender
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Pumped for my library's Adult Story Time tomorrow!

BookishMarginalia Such a cool idea! 8y
11 likes1 stack add2 comments
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bookwrm526
Mehso-so

As much as I loved her other collection, and wanted to love this one, it was much more hit and miss for me. All of the stories are beautifully written, but many made me incredibly sad. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this one just now.

16 likes1 stack add
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Megabooks
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My library is so awesome! They got four books in for me today, including some short story collections @Notafraidofwords and @BookishFeminist recommended! (I asked for more, but I feel super lucky for getting three!) EVPL, you rock! 😃😃😃❤️💙💜💚 This also definitely counts as a #blameitonlitsy #somethingforsept

BookishFeminist I hope you like them! 8y
Megabooks @BookishFeminist Thanks! Me too! 8y
BrooklynBook Birds of a lesser paradise is so good! Enjoy :) 8y
See All 8 Comments
Notafraidofwords Awesome 👏🏽 8y
BethFishReads Super list. I got 5 of my holds this weekend too. The library forces are on alignment 8y
Megabooks @BrooklynBook Thanks! I'm looking forward to it! 8y
Megabooks @Notafraidofwords Thank you for the recs! 8y
Megabooks @BethFishReads The library forces are strong right now! ⚡️⚡️ 8y
89 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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balletbookworm

Alert: this is $3.99 on ebook (appears to be all platforms!) I've had this on my list of "stuff I should read sometime" so I snagged it for my nook.

19 likes1 stack add
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BookishFeminist
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Pickpick

#TBT One of my all-time favorite short story collections. Bergman is a gem. The stories all focus on animals in some way. They are full of wonder & awe for the natural world, yet underneath is a deep sense of despair & longing about family, relationships & identity that is familiarly real. 🐦🍃 #ReadWomen

TheLadyHyatt I love this one as well! 8y
BookishFeminist @TheLadyHyatt Isn't it wonderful? Have you read her other collection? I loved that one as well. 8y
TheLadyHyatt It's on my TBR! 😊 8y
61 likes12 stack adds3 comments
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SuziQoregon
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Pickpick

Absolutely lovely writing. Most of these short stories were excellent.

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SuziQoregon
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I have heard so many good things about this collection of stories.