One thought on “Something to Stem the Diminishing”

1. Every book needs a beginning The beginning of this book came to me one day as I was contemplating where writing comes from any kind of writing I can t remember which writer said it, but the quote goes something like this Writing is easy Just open a vein and bleed So, what is the beginning This is the beginning The BeginningI was successful by my own modest standards At the very least, I didn t worry about money any In my dreams, I saw them there, and I said to one of them, Teach me about pain Th [...]

   Reply

---

2. I m so proud of myself, there is an essay in this book discussing The Catcher in the Rye and how there are so many 1 and 2star ratings on here, the author is surprised that people didn t get the book I remember hating it so went and checked out my review Get in 4stars, I hated every page but still appreciated just how good it was.One of my favourite books is by this author, Ghosts of Nagasaki, and I was hoping there would be a story revisiting the style of that writing and in Mogi there was, I g [...]

   Reply

---

3. Reflective collection of mostly short stories, with a couple of essays The sense of place, and perspectives on that, are where this worked strongest for me Recurring themes of relation to institutions persist education and the military loom large Individual moments of invention, but there s a studied flatness which is self conscious and constrained at times, which left me feeling there was a tone of how to write and exercise The Ghosts of Nagasaki is an exceedingly enjoyable book which escapes t [...]

   Reply

---

4. Having written a book with Daniel Clausen, I guess I can t help but be biased with this review, but if anything, that makes me perhaps critical than I would have been otherwise.So, I did have the occasional gripe about Something to Stem the Diminishing, but I honestly enjoyed every story and most of the nine stories and essays contained in this short book have been published in various magazines, so they come together surprisingly well for a collection.The clear winning piece for me was the sho [...]

   Reply

---

5. This is a paperback that will make you think.Very interesting stories.Fast read and held my interest.

   Reply

---

6. Full disclosure 1 I received an advanced copy of the book.2 I have an English degree and I work as a professional editor and writer of professional and technical documents, and have also worked as a journalist, all of which, I think, colors my perspective of this collection.I found these pieces read a lot like a graduate portfolio Most of the stories or essays felt like they had stemmed from a specific prompt and were then edited and polished, resulting in what would read as a pretty strong port [...]

   Reply

---

7. The author invited me to read Something to Stem the Diminishing and review it I ve read and enjoyed some of his work before This book offers some poignant sketches, through short stories and essays, which focus on pivotal times and thoughts in the characters lives Most of them are reflective in nature and really give the reader the sense of being inside the character s head I completely enjoyed the essay, Youth and Its Discontents , particularly the way the writing form meshes with the theme of [...]

   Reply

---

8. I received a free copy of this book from author Daniel Clausen for an honest review and to watch for any obvious editing needs.I really enjoyed this collection of stories My first experience with the author was when I read The Ghosts of Nagasaki I enjoyed The Ghosts of Nagasaki and was very pleased reading this collection of essays and stories I really enjoyed Relationships I think this was my favorite story The interaction between the old man and the surfer was very interesting.My second favori [...]

   Reply

---

9. There is something captivating about this book that drew me in and refused to let go While the stories and essays are short in page number, they are not in depth and emotion Each one left a piece of itself behind with me The best word that I can use to describe any work of Daniel Clausen s that I ve read is haunting Not in an eerie, chills sort of way, but in a way that sticks with me, leaves me wanting , but wondering if my mind can handle the bending, the deeper thoughts I loved this book and [...]

   Reply

---

10. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest reviewI am well overdue for this review and I know it I meant to do it in May but, I got busy A lame tired excuse but a true one none the less.There were one or two stories I didn t care for That means nothing They were perfectly fine and if I d read them from another author, I would have liked them better That sounds harsh, right I feel terrible just writing it BUT, it s actually because Daniel Clausen is quite masterful and he has a skil [...]

    Reply

---

11. Like most of the reviewers here, I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review Overall, I enjoyed the book and thought that several of the stories, namely Mogi and Relationships , were very good My only complaint about some of the shorter pieces, A Convenient Thing for instance, is that they ended too quickly, soon after I became curious about, but not yet invested in, their characters The book s title, taken from that of the final story in the collection, is a [...]

    Reply

---

12. This review is long overdue I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review and then things happened, life got in the way, and so on, but I promised a review, and here it is I found myself really enjoying the stories in Something to Stem the Diminishing They made me stop and think Think about life, about choices, about changes and what ifs , regardless of the length of the short story or essay I have to say that Mogi was my favorite of all of them I loved the chara [...]

    Reply

---

13. I was given a copy of the book to review by the author Something to Stem the Diminishing by Daniel Clausen was an interesting contemplation of adulthood and self reflection In fact, my favorite quote is adulthood is troublesome Amen, Daniel.As a collection of short stories ranging from the micro to macro I preferred the story Mogi and the two essays, Youth and its Discontents Something to Stem the Diminishing These three I believe held the central theme very closely and kept me thoroughly engage [...]

    Reply

---

14. Something to Stem the Diminishing, by Daniel Clausen, is very good It s not easy for me to compare anyone to Hemingway, but the simplicity and honesty in Clausen s stories and essays remind me of the American great It s hard for the reader to tell how much autobiography is included in this collection, but the fact that some stories seem 100% true says a lot about the author s reflective style.It s hard for me to believe that Clausen is not well known and has not been signed by a major publisher [...]

    Reply

---

15. I received a free copy of this book from the author Daniel Clausen for a review.The book is a collection of short stories that have a variety of settings and characters My favorite story was Mogi , which could have been longer and published as a novella A few of the stories are so short they seem like a middle chapter section in a larger story and could benefit from further development Despite that, they still draw you in and make you want to know what happened before and where it goes next.Ove [...]

    Reply

---

16. I read this book pretty quick, but don t let that get you down I really enjoyed all the stories that are presented within the pages The stories were nice and concise but gratifying One of the stories within reminded me of Lord of the Flies in a surpising twist See if you can spot the story for yourselves if you decide to read it I would happily read from this author.I did get this book for free, so I am providing this review for the book.

    Reply

---

17. I got this book from the Author in exchange for a review, which I am than happy to provide This is a collection of short stories and essays and like with all of Daniel Clausen s work you are always entertained I never know where a story will take me and I like that Its a fairly quick read but very well done.

    Reply

---

18. Thank you for sending me this book The book is a collection of short stories I really enjoyed the read For such a short book, it makes you think about life in general, such as growing up and the problems that come with it The stories present you with real life dilemmas Its hard to choose a favourite story, but I would probably choose Mogi

    Reply

---

19. An emotionally moving and intelligent little book of essays and short stories that examines the dilemma of growing up, the feelings of fear and loss of the unknown the fear of loss of freedom and of making the wrong choices.

    Reply

---

20. I read The Ghosts of Nagasaki awhile back and loved it, so when I scored a free copy of Something to Stem the Diminishing, I was obviously excited to pry it open This book is a collection of short stories or, rather, 3 short stories 4 super short stories and 2 essays the second of the pair is of an anecdote about the time Clausen took a day trip to a small island while living in Japan though, so I was also nervous I don t read short stories much no particular reason but I wasn t sure how Clause [...]

    Reply

---

21. This is a small collection of introspective short stories primarily about young men who are ambivalent about where they are and where their lives are heading They are primarily told in the first person singular by the main character in a self analytical format and matter of fact context They are largely somber in tone with little in the way of any catharsis The author seems very interested in exploring the lost soul type of character a la Catcher in the Rye and Trainspotting about which he inclu [...]

    Reply

---

22. This is a win review This book is a collection of short stories and essays It is about different stages of life but the tiny print made it hard for me to read.

    Reply

---