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Mouthful of Birds
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
A powerful, eerily unsettling story collection from a major international literary star. Unearthly and unexpected, the stories in Mouthful of Birds burrow their way into your psyche and don't let go. Samanta Schweblin haunts and mesmerizes in this extraordinary, masterful collection. Schweblin's stories have the feel of a sleepless night, where every shadow and bump in the dark take on huge implications, leaving your pulse racing, and the line between the real and the strange blur.
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vivastory
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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#SinisterArt Day 9
In general I find Magritte to be whimsical & gently surreal, but of course there are noteworthy exceptions. The title story in Schweblin's collection immediately called to mind Young Girl Eating a Bird.

Addison_Reads I have never seen this before but it fits that story so well. Creepy vibes for sure. 1y
vivastory @Addison_Reads It also makes me think of Du Maurier's Birds 1y
BarbaraBB Fantastic 🖤🖤🖤 1y
See All 8 Comments
Gissy I love Magritte paintings🖤🧡🖤🍁🍂 1y
sarahbarnes Omg 😱 1y
Megabooks Yes!! Also agree with your like to The Birds, too! 1y
Megabooks Also, if I‘m remembering correctly, it reminds me of a scene in 1y
vivastory @Megabooks That one is still on my TBR. Keep meaning to read it 1y
49 likes1 stack add8 comments
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peacegypsy
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Been excited to start this for several months. My Christmas night reading!

Mccall0113 Super interesting stories Enjoy 2y
32 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Addison_Reads
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Weird and enjoyable.

This collection of stories is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of stories I loved. Overall, it's a pick for me, but I feel the first part few stories are probably the best in the collection.

I love how Schwelin pushes the boundaries and ventures into strange, unusual, and slightly uncomfortable topics with these stories though.

50 likes2 stack adds
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vivastory
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

I started this a couple of weeks ago & for some reason became sidetracked, despite greatly enjoying it. Granted, not every story is a gem. As is the case with Santa Claus Sleeps at Our House & The Merman. Luckily the duds are in the minority & there are several works in here that are tremendously mysterious & unsettling, hearkening back to Fever Dream territory (the title story & other works such as Toward Happy Civilization, The Digger,👇

vivastory On the Steppe). Schweblin, an Argentine writer, addresses the disappeared with a speculative twist. IMO she does so more effectively in this collection than Mariana Enriquez managed in her lauded collection “Dangers of Smoking in Bed.“ I checked this collection out from the library, but I will be buying one for my personal library. There were several stories that I immediately reread as soon as I finished & will want to return to in the future. 3y
vivastory A few days ago I was looking at Odd Nerdrum paintings online. NYRB used a Nerdrum for the cover of Malaparte's “Kaputt.“ These paintings came to mind when thinking of Schweblin's stories. (edited) 3y
Reggie Those paintings are striking. 3y
See All 10 Comments
vivastory @Reggie Aren't they? Have a bit of a nightmarish quality I think 3y
Reggie They remind me of scenes from that old JLo movie, The Cell where they‘re lost in the mind of the crazy guy. 3y
Reggie Lololol aye!!!!!!! 3y
batsy Great review and paintings! This is still high on my TBR. 3y
RohitSawant Terrific review! Wasn't aware of this one. And love the paintings. 3y
vivastory @batsy @rohit-sawant Thanks! I think you'd both like it 3y
72 likes1 stack add10 comments
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vivastory
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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I loved Schweblin's Fever Dream but was disappointed by Little Eyes. Just read the first 60 pages of the tagged & am greatly enjoying it. Several stories have the same sinister undercurrent & mysterious atmosphere of Fever Dream. Also, what a cover!

Megabooks I have this stacked but had forgotten about it. Looking forward to your review. I enjoyed 3y
Megabooks Somehow I missed the sentence that you did not enjoy LE. I wonder how they compare. 3y
BarbaraBB Looking forward to your review. I only read Fever Dreams and enjoyed that one a lot. 3y
See All 11 Comments
vivastory @Megabooks I hope to finish it tomorrow. It's a pretty quick read. 3y
vivastory @BarbaraBB I'm hopeful that it will turn out well. I was motivated to pick it up after we discussed Faber's book of stories earlier 3y
monalyisha If all goes according to plan, I‘m reading this with my (very flaky) short stories book club later this year! 3y
Liz_M It is a beautiful cover, but I do have to wonder why it looks like butterflies and not birds...🧐 3y
DivineDiana @Liz_M Good Point! 3y
sarahbarnes I really liked most of the stories in this collection, too. I loved Fever Dream and haven‘t read Little Eyes yet. 3y
vivastory @Liz_M @DivineDiana It makes sense once you read the book 3y
vivastory @sarahbarnes You might like Little Eyes more than I did. I just felt that a lot of the themes had already been explored by previous authors years ago 3y
81 likes2 stack adds11 comments
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Gillyreads
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Had some wild vivid dreams after reading this collection. Also woke up in the middle of the night and thought of the perfect way to describe how reading made me feel, which obviously I now cannot the remember. The best I‘ve got is: unsettled, a little confused and in awe.

I read this book for both Reading Women and The Story Graph Translation Challenge for book by a South American Author in Translation.

17 likes1 stack add
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Gillyreads
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

February wrap up. Had really great reads this month, highly rate all of these (except the Bridgerton ones - they‘re very average)

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Nitpickyabouttrains
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

Short stories. Translated.

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sarahbarnes
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

These stories are so strange, and most of them creepy in the way I love - vague, psychological, things left unsaid. There were some I liked better than others, but overall this was a pick.

KVanRead That cover!! 3y
sarahbarnes @KVanRead I know! I feel like her books have great covers. 3y
18 likes2 comments
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Schlinkles
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
Mehso-so

I‘m torn, some of these were great and they were all super weird, but there was one with some gratuitous violence towards a dog. That does not sit well with me at all.

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Schlinkles
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Just having a lazy book reading weekend and continuing to work my way through my #bookspinbingo card. No bingos yet, but 5 books down.

Prairiegirl_reading What a gorgeous cover! 4y
59 likes1 comment
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elizabethlk
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

We're wrapping up our Lite Reads selection Toward Happy Civilization by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell! Link below for the full review. I personally really enjoyed this story, nearly as much as I've enjoyed reading Fever Dream. It perfectly encompasses terror rather than horror & has a fantastic atmosphere. Let me know in the comments what you thought of this one!

https://wp.me/p9KSXu-Ba

#womenintranslationmonth

Lola One of my favorites in the collection. Can‘t wait to start her newest novel 4y
elizabethlk @Lola I'm really excited for it too. I absolutely loved Fever Dream. 4y
18 likes2 comments
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elizabethlk
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Our new #LiteReads selection is Toward Happy Civilization by Samanta Schweblin, and translated from Spanish to English by Megan McDowell. This creepy story was chosen with Women in Translation Month in mind, and you can find links to read it (visual and audio) in my full intro post, linked below. Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think of it!

https://wp.me/p9KSXu-Av

#womenintranslationmonth

Lola I just finished the whole collection of stories and especially liked this one. Thank you for the head-up on LB reading it his podcast-going to listen now. 4y
elizabethlk @Lola yeah, I love hearing LB reading stuff, it brings me back a lot. I really enjoyed this short story, although I haven't had the chance to read the full collection yet. 4y
Lola His reading was great. Thanks again for the info. I am now reading 4y
21 likes3 comments
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erank58
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

Using this for the for my #readyoursign spirit color prompt ♋ My color (violet) is actually on the naked spine...but I had to show off this cover!

Some of these stories were just plain odd (actually, who am I kidding... all of them were), but I will admit there was a small handful of stories during which I found myself saying, "Wow.... I ''get' it." Just for those few that spoke loudly to me, this was worth it.

@Clwojick @Meaw_catlady

Clwojick stunning cover! 4y
54 likes1 comment
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RiaWritten
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Flipping through an old magazine and found a short story by a favorite author. This makes me want to revisit that book. But I have no time right now.

16 likes1 stack add
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Mccall0113
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Bizarre book of short stories. I did enjoy this quote. It hit home as my son is graduating high school this year.

Copwithabook How‘s your son holding up with so many events getting cancelled on him? I hate it for our seniors 4y
Mccall0113 @Copwithabook thank you for asking. My son is on the spectrum and had planned on not attending his home school large graduation. He attends a small school for kids with emotional issues and the don‘t even have a prom. So, he‘s very content to be at home. I do understand what a significant time this is for most seniors. So hard. 4y
45 likes2 comments
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Pinta
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

Clever, dark, taut surrealist stories by the author of FEVER DREAM, translated by Megan McDowell. Fertility, parenthood, violence and art. “Mouthful of Birds” (teen behavior), “The Test” (mercy, test of violence for mobster), “On the Steppe” (fertility, competition), “Heavy Suitcase of Benavides” (art & violence, guilt) were favs, big stakes. Others felt unfinished, or rewrites on same theme. Too easy for surreal to just feel odd & unraveled. 2019

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Rainierbooks
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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When she reaches the road, Felicity understands her fate.

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Tonton
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Amazing collection of dark strange short stories; daily life mixed with magic realism and twisted deep Twilight Zone vibe. Imagination in overdrive, certain stories unforgettable. Beautiful understated style doubles the impact. Fantastic job by the translator, Megan McDowell!

LauraJ I‘m looking forward to reading this one. 4y
36 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Bertha_Mason
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin

"It was fairly violent, the way she stuffed the paper into his fist, like cramming an oversize letter into the mouth of a too-soft mailbox."
-"A Great Effort"

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DimeryRene
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Panpan

I do not think I was smart enough for this book. Was just confusing.

Redwritinghood I don‘t think it was you. I think the book just didn‘t make sense. I didn‘t like it either. (edited) 4y
GreenGrl87 I had the same impression... I really like her writing style, and I felt drawn in by it, but at the end of each story I was left sitting there kind of feeling like I missed something. Or everything lol. I wanted so much to like this book too. 4y
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Devyn
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

I always feel weird when I don‘t love books that other people love so this one feels weird. I didn‘t hate it, finished it quick, the translation was great and the short stories were a great break from novels. But magical realism is just not my thing and I think I need to accept that. But objectively, Schweblin is a spectacular storyteller, just not my cup of tea.

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LadyCait84
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
Mehso-so

An unnerving collection of eerie and absurd short stories, some fantastically ambiguous to the very last word. But the overall quality is uneven, and, by the end, such a curated tone of creepiness grows monotonous.

51 likes1 stack add
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JPeterson
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Perfect library pickup for Women in Translation month. Plus, frozen waffles because sometimes you just need to please your inner child. #womenintranslation

AlaMich Oh man, frozen waffles! For me, they are essentially a delivery device for syrup and butter. 😋 5y
57 likes1 comment
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VioletBramble
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Twenty strange and quirky short stories from the author of Fever Dream. Much like Fever Dream, I found this book hard to put down.

40 likes1 stack add
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flying_monkeys
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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I enjoyed Fever Dream more than this collection. Though, there were a handful of standouts: My favorite was “Headlights,“ followed by “Olingiris,“ “The Size of Things,“ and “On the Steppe“ (all 3 of which I also wanted more of), then finally “Toward Happy Civilization.“ Parenthood, fertility, childhood baggage, and art were prevalent themes.

19 likes1 stack add
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Angitron
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

I enjoyed these odd little stories! The opening one was especially strong. Many of the tales in this collection feel a bit unresolved, but I kind of appreciated that. They felt more haunting that way, as if the larger horror (and in many of these, we‘ve already been faced with the unsettling) is just around the corner.

Lola Good to read your review! This has been on my list. I really like (and was creeped out by) (edited) 5y
Angitron @Lola Ooh, I haven‘t read that, but based on this collection of stories I‘m interested in checking it out! 5y
30 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Godpants
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin
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I didn‘t realize when I borrowed this that it was a short story collection. We‘ll see if it keeps me interested.

TheLibrarian How is this? I bought it after realizing short stories aren‘t for me but I‘m hoping it‘s good enough to hold my attention. 5y
Godpants I haven‘t made it through the first story. 😳 I‘m listening to the audio so it will be harder to skip around. Which is what I usually do with short story collections. The book itself is short so I‘ll probably listen to a bit more next week. I‘ll tag you when I get a bit further. @TheLibrarian (edited) 5y
5 likes2 comments
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SconsinBookyBadger
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Snuck in TV time in between #24B4Monday and I am emotionally spent watching episode 3 of GoT. Wrapping up my time at 17:18:29. Mouthful of Birds is finished and Dread Nation has 7 chapters left to be read.

@TheReadingMermaid @Andrew65

BeansPage Fantastic time sweetheart! You did a great job! 👏🥳🎉 5y
Andrew65 A fantastic time, well done. 👏👏👏🙌 See you next month. 😊 5y
SconsinBookyBadger @Andrew65 see you and @TheReadingMermaid for May‘s readathon! 5y
28 likes4 comments
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KatieDid927
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Happy #IndieBookStoreDay! Here‘s my haul from Astoria Bookshop in Queens, NY.

BlameJennyJane Great finds! Love both covers too! 😺 5y
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Clare_Riley
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

This was an odd one. I enjoyed some of the stories (Headlights, Preserves, and the title story), but others were a bit too odd. I did read the book all in one go, and I think it would have perhaps been better if I‘d dipped in and out.

rockpools I agree totally with your review - very strange! 5y
24 likes1 comment
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rockpools
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

Without doubt, Schweblin‘s stories are inventive, strange, dark and disturbing. And while some will stay with me (whether I want them to or not - looking at you, title story!), others felt like an idea that never quite took off, or that I‘m just not ‘getting‘. I haven‘t read Fever Dream - I might yet - but I suspect it‘s well-named.

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rockpools
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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And some seriously weird short-story reading from earlier today. I haven‘t quite decided what to make of this yet. It‘s dark, disturbing and very strange. Some of the stories may hang around my brain for quite some time. Yet to decide if this is a good thing!

But that cover! 😍

readordierachel I'm still not sure how I felt about her novel, Fever Dream. That cover sure is easy on the eyes 😍 5y
72 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookwormM
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
Mehso-so

#MBI2019 #ReadAroundtheWorld

Short stories are not my thing and this book did nothing to change that

Full review here www.thereadersroom.org

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Redwritinghood
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

While I liked the taut, evocative writing and the gorgeous cover, the stories themselves often felt empty to me. These stories are absurd and sometimes horrific, but horror and absurdity alone are not enough for me. There are some really great stories here, but not enough to make up for the more so-so ones. 3⭐️ #manbookerinternational2019 #mbi2019

sarahbarnes I just finally read Fever Dream and was interested in this one. Appreciate your review! 5y
Redwritinghood @sarahbarnes Thanks! I was also so-so on Fever Dream, so if you liked that you may also like this one more than I did. 5y
81 likes2 comments
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Simona
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Dark and disturbing short story collection - some are excellent and some aren‘t so good. I liked unusual, eerie elements in them, but sometimes they felt too strange, just in purpose to unsettling the reader and to shocked them. While I do think that this is an interesting collection, with very intense, and at same time very calming prose, I don‘t think that this collection is award winning material ... but I recommend it 👇

Simona ... if you want to read something unusual. #MBIP2019 #ManBookerInternationalPrize 5y
BookwormM Have you read Fever Dream? How would this compare if you have? 5y
batsy Great review 😘 I loved Fever Dream so I'm interested to read this. 5y
Simona @batsy Thank you ☺️I think, that you will enjoy 😘 5y
Simona @BookwormM Yes, I have, but I like this short stories more. The writing style is comparable, I think that she is strongest at creating the atmosphere and she is successful with this even in the very short stories, but her lack is in the making of some point/statement, to make some conclusions, what I felt as the weakest point in Fever Dream. 5y
77 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Expandingbookshelf
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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“In the flat darkness of the countryside, there is only disappointment, a wedding dress, and a bathroom she shouldn‘t have taken so long in.” That is the first line of Samantha Schweblin‘s new short story collection and I am ALL IN.

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Christinak
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💛🦋💛 5y
vkois88 This is gorgeous 5y
Christinak The picture does not do this justice. I‘m in love with this book cover! 5y
49 likes1 stack add3 comments
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TheBookstorePodcast
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Fever Dream was my favorite book of 2017. I tell everyone about it. I still think about it often. I was so excited to see Samanta Schweblin had a collection of short stories being published in English. They‘ve got the same feeling as Fever Dream, but they‘re so much more fleeting. It makes for a disorienting reading experience - I‘d expect nothing less.

40 likes1 stack add
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kbuggle
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Dark, clever little stories. I adore Fever Dream, and I loved this latest one from Ms Schweblin.

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mreads
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Short story collection from the author of Fever Dream. As strange, odd and eerie as that novel. The first half of the stories were more powerful but overall excellent writing.

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RealBooks4ever
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Schweblin‘s Fever Dream was great. This collection of short stories is hit and miss, with some incredible entries. Favorites are:
•HEADLIGHTS
•SANTA CLAUS SLEEPS AT OUR HOUSE
•THE SIZE OF THINGS
•A GREAT EFFORT
•THE HEAVY SUITCASE OF BENAVIDES

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VioletBramble
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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I went to the B&N book haul sale but didn't find anything I wanted. So I went to #ForbiddenPlanet and #TheStrand - I got these two books and an interesting #Tardis latte mug.

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RidgewayGirl
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Weird and unsettling, the stories in this collection often set the scene and then leave the reader to fill in the blanks.

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RiaWritten
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Wow. Just wow. Every last story in this book was a punch in the gut. An incredible collection.

Cinfhen 🙌🏻 5y
24 likes1 stack add1 comment
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ShannonColleen
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Can you really take "too many baths"? ?? #bookandbath #bathtimereads

TheBookKeepers This looks amazing!! 5y
44 likes1 stack add1 comment
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ShannonColleen
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Today was a much needed day filled with reading. Car won't start due to the cold, everything is closed... But hey, I finished a full book and am on to the next! 🎉

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teafetish
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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I love surreal things and strange happenings, so I'm psyched

Melissa_J Welcome to Litsy! 5y
teafetish Thanks 😊! 5y
DebinHawaii Welcome to Litsy!! 🎉📚🎉Hope you enjoy it here! 5y
Eggs Welcome to Litsy 🌺 5y
11 likes5 comments
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RedbagReadbooks
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

3/5🦅. I liked a few of the stories but the ones I didn‘t like outweighed the ones I did like. The title story was the best out of the plethora of stories. I would read more of her work.

Reviewsbylola What a pretty cover! 5y
37 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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RedbagReadbooks
Mouthful of Birds: Stories | Samanta Schweblin
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The cover on this book is gorgeous

Erofan 😍 5y
34 likes1 comment