Dear Life: Stories by Alice Munro AND In Case We're Separated by Alice Mattison

Short stories frustrate me.  Just when I'm getting to know the characters and settling into the plot, wham!  The story is over and the next story is waiting to be read.  I find when I try to read a book of short stories, I blend the characters together even if the stories are not connected.  Both of these short story collections are extremely well written, and I enjoyed skipping around and reading them in small bursts.  I've heard the Alice Munro is considered one of the best short story writers around, and I believe it.  Perhaps I should just read one story and then put the book down rather than tearing into the next one.  My preference is for reading novels, and although I may pick up a short story from time to time, I don't think I'll be devouring a collection of them for a while.  -June