I'm barely over my 2008 short story hangover and already see another major reading binge ahead. BookFox has posted a list of ten 2009 short story collections (which I learned of via Readerville). The list (rearranged in order of publication) includes:Ali Smith, First Person (January)
Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (February)
Carol Windley, Home Schooling (February)
Mary Gaitskill, Don't Cry (March)
Helen Humphreys, The Frozen Thames (March)
J. Robert Lennon, Pieces for the Left Hand (April)
Kazuo Ishiguro, Nocturnes (May)
Chimamanda Adichie, The Thing Around Your Neck (June)
Irvine Welsh, Reheated Cabbage (August)
Raymond Carver, Beginners
Unfortunately, Carver's book won't be eligible for The Story Prize, which only goes to living writers. I'd add to the list:
Louise Erdrich, The Red Convertible (January)
Wells Tower, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned (March)
Joyce Carol Oates, Dear Husband (April)
Robert Boswell, The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards (May)
James Lasdun, It's Begining to Hurt (August).
And I'm sure there are other collections coming out that aren't yet on our radar. One thing that has consistently surprised me has been how consistent the quality of the short story collections have been year in and year out since we started The Story Prize. No rest for the weary reader!