{"id":6824,"date":"2026-07-17T10:17:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=6824"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:17:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:17:54","slug":"bag-o-goodies-by-jolly-walker-bittick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=6824","title":{"rendered":"Bag O\u2019 Goodies by Jolly Walker Bittick"},"content":{"rendered":"

An easy-going story collection that embraces slice of life humor and emotional depth<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bag o\u2019 Goodies <\/em>is a grounded, contemplative collection that runs a wide gamut. The short fiction is textured with sprinkles of humorous verse in between, the poems like pieces of fairground taffy\u2014both fun and a little sticky.<\/p>\n

Each story captures an organic, lived-in slice of life situation through craftsman-like first-person storytelling. Bittick\u2019s realism is natural and unforced. \u201cAt the Gate\u201d (Parts 1 and 2) are frank explorations of race relations in the American military, almost reading like creative nonfiction. Even \u201cOld Man Digby,\u201d a tense bit of horror reminiscent of Psycho <\/em>and Stand by Me<\/em>, is grounded in a traumatic event and its long-term effects on adolescent protagonists.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Bittick tackles uncomfortable subjects like alcoholism and race with a disarming, conversational prose style that allows his stories to unwind like good old-fashioned yarns. He avoids sentimentality and treats his subjects with great respect, as in \u201cCalvert County Detention,\u201d which follows a man\u2019s arrest for a DUI. Both parts of \u201cAt the Gate,\u201d in which a white soldier seeks to understand the inherent racism in a comment he makes, are objectively and humanistically rendered\u2014both deeply affecting.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally is a Word\u201d takes on the bittersweet return of a man to his hometown after a divorce, displaying the author\u2019s gift for portraying male friendships. The conversations between old friends could be overheard in any bar. This story, in particular, is a surprise as small town, middle-aged nostalgia ends with an unpredictable shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most of the stories are told from an easy-going first-person perspective, with the exception of \u201cOn Sequim Bay,\u201d a standout for more than its third person point of view. \u201cOn Sequim Bay\u201d walks the reader through a man\u2019s recollections on his way to commit suicide. Memories weave naturally in and out of present day, tying the man to the boy he was. We see him learn to hunt with his father who tells him that \u201cyou have to know what you\u2019re shooting at,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> and go clam-digging with his granddad, but we also see his alcoholism and recovery, his intention to commit suicide and his decision whether or not to live. The story creates a matter-of-fact arc, reminding us that everyone was someone\u2019s kid once.<\/p>\n

The stories of Bag O\u2019 Goodies <\/em>do contain moments of humor, but they are far more defined by their humanity. The poetry occasionally undermines the impact of some of the fiction. The collection opens with a sly, little thing called \u201cCherry-Popped Book\u201d and ends with a guffaw in \u201cFarewells and Farts.\u201d Save for one poem, \u201cA Lovely Life\u201d (\u201ca lovely life means I am alive\u201d<\/em><\/strong>)<\/strong>,which appears in direct conversation with the stories around it, the poems may work against the anchored prose.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s altogether a strong collection, layers deeper than its \u201cbag o\u2019 goodies\u201d title implies. Readers will appreciate the lightness of Bittick\u2019s authorial voice, as despite the gravity of some of the fiction, the stories leaven themselves.<\/p>\n

Bag o\u2019 Goodies<\/em> is an enjoyable collection of discernibly American storytelling. Any of these pieces would fit nicely in The Moth<\/em> or This American Life<\/em>. Jolly Walker Bittick is the kind of author who sounds like he\u2019s leaning back in his chair telling you a story about that one time. Lucky for us, it is a true pleasure to listen.<\/p>\n

The post Bag O\u2019 Goodies by Jolly Walker Bittick<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An easy-going story collection that embraces slice of life humor and emotional depth Bag o\u2019 Goodies is a grounded, contemplative collection that runs a wide gamut. The short fiction is textured with sprinkles of humorous verse in between, the poems like pieces of fairground taffy\u2014both fun and a little sticky. Each story captures an organic, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6824"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6824\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}