The titles of Karen Russell’s books make my brain do a kind of Weird-Al-esque karaoke. I like to believe this has more to do with Russell’s imaginative stories infiltrating my brain than anything else. When I read her fabulous debut novel Swamplandia!, I sang The Decemberists’ “O Valencia!’ for two weeks straight.

Now she gives us a batch of equally wonderful stories called Vampires in the Lemon Grove and if you can say that title without singing it to the tune of J. Geils Band Centerfold, well you probably weren’t in 4th grade 1981 when this song was all the rage. You’re singing it now, aren’t you? Good, because this is a short story collection worthy of being stuck in your head.

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