Title: On the Divide Author: Willa Cather In: The Mammoth Book of Westerns (Jon E. Lewis) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Westerns Dates read: 12th May 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2013 5th sentence, 74th page: It would sometimes have been hard to distinguish the men from their evil geniuses but for one fact, the men were always grave and were either toiling or praying, while the devil’s were always smiling and dancing.
It’s hard making a life on the divide.
This was an easy, light read. One that I didn’t really think much about after turning the final page. And one that I seriously enjoyed while reading. There was just something light and soft about this western short story.
I really liked the description of the western setting throughout this short story. Unlike the other westerns I’ve read thus far in the The Mammoth Book of Westerns collection, the description was much, much more vivid. Far more beautiful and intense. And just downright gorgeous.
There’s really not all that much I have to say about this short story. It was nice, fun, easy and light. It wasn’t all that unforgettable. But it was the kind of short story that I like to read late at night.
Title: I Like Your Rotation Author: Jax Jacki Brown In: Kindred (Michael Earp) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Contemporary romance, LGBTQI Dates read: 12th May 2020 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Walker Books Year: 2019 5th sentence, 74th page: What if I could have a friend, like an actual cool friend?
For this young girl just discovering herself, finding another LGBTQI+ girl who has the same disability as her is the best thing ever. But, then she has to contend with some unwanted emotions and experiences…
This year I’ve been steadily expanding my shelves to include more inclusive tales – neurodiverse, LGBTQI+, etc. What I realised on reading this is that I don’t have any good books about people in wheelchairs, amputees, etc. Definitely something that I want to improve on if anyone has any suggestions! But, this was a great start regardless…
The love interest in this story is seriously passionate, and more than willing to alienate people and argue for her rights. And so she should. I love that her point of view is very independent and organic, highlighting her needs and desires when that would sometimes not be so possible. It’s a great lesson for the friend that she makes within this story – that it’s okay to be difficult and emotional, you’re human and being in a wheelchair doesn’t mean that you can’t be. Or at least, that’s the big thing I got out of her character.
Although there isn’t that sweet, happily ever after ending to this story, it is still really, really good. There is a sense of finding oneself and discovering your own worth. Something that everyone needs to do, but, in the case of some people, like the protagonist of this short story, is a little bit more difficult. I imagine her wheeling off into her future and finding another happily ever after that she just wasn’t quite expecting.
A fantastic retelling of a classic fairy tale… with a more adult spin.
This is one of those retellings that is reminiscent of a number of fairy tales that I’ve read. Which was a nice journey. It’s definitely a fairy tale / retelling that I have always enjoyed, so I was excited to read this. And, boy, I wasn’t disappointed by this retelling. Not only was it a great fantasy retelling, but it was also a great tale about rediscovering your love and your life after that initial honeymoon period is over… something that I think is often overlooked in many stories we read.
The story of the woman with the three dresses and the way in which she wins her loves’ heart is one that I seriously treasure. Especially after reading North Child. This isn’t quite that story, but it does have those great echoes, and it is the story about her daughter. The daughter who also found her own happily ever after. But, after childbirth and years being comfortable with your spouse, things are less romantic and infatuated. Which is kind of sad, but something I think that everyone who ahs been in a long term relationship experiences. The woman in this uses the gifts of the past that her mother gave her to set about recapturing her husbands’ attention and affections. Although, the responsibility for this is not just on her, she isn’t the only one who has let her relationship slip, and she’s not the only one who decides to fight to get it back.
At the beginning of this story, I loved the way in which the woman drew her husband back into her arms. Then, towards the middle I started to get a little worried. She was happy because she had her husband back, but then, he didn’t know it was her… but, the ending made all of this became obsolete and there was a happily ever after. And the awkward feelings went away.
Title: Grindstone Author: Stephen Graham Jones In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Horror Dates read: 11th May 2020 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Tachyon Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: They were popping off the surface of the rock in…in regular patterns.
He’s a predator, who has finally met his comeuppance. But, will the ending really be what we expect?
This was a seriously creepy story. I always love stories which feature the point of view of the villain. But, normally there is kind of a moment of understanding. If not total acceptance of the character, then at least, an understanding what drives the person who commits a crime. This didn’t have that. The villain / narrator was just horrible and creepy and really, really not okay.
The image of the slugs falling from the body of the lead character is a really great piece of imagery that I can’t quite keep out of my head. It is disturbing, kind of sick and seriously graphic. In the best of ways. It was kind of sick, disturbing, and twisted. But a perfect fit for this collection and short story.
I love the darkness and twistiness of this story. It was a great, fun read and one that I keep thinking about. It’s not the sort of story I’m going to read again and again and again. But definitely one that was seriously enjoyable.
Title: The Light That Passes Through You Author: Conrad Williams In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Fantasy Dates read: 8th May 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: EOS Year: 1998 5th sentence, 74th page: We tooled up and down the main drag, trying on sunglasses and hats.
It’s not always wise to visit the past. Especially when she comes with strings attached.
I think that everyone has that person in their past that somehow haunts them. Whether it is the what if person, the one you let get away, or just generally someone that you reminisce about the good times, even though they ended. I am also a strong believer in the idea that once that person has left your left, it’s probably for a good reason and you really don’t need to revisit that relationship. This story just drove home that belief for me.
From the very beginning, Louise had this incredibly intense and haunting quality to her. She was waif like at the beginning, and then, as her inner “light” returns, she becomes a haunting figure of a completely different quality. Although there was definitely a supernatural feel to the story, it was that haunting of the past that really stuck with me. That sense that you can never return and should never try to kept on jumping at me from the pages…
Although I wasn’t completely enthralled at the time, the more that I think about this short story, the more I appreciate it. There is lust and a sense of sexuality to the story that is so very subverted. It kind of lingers long after you turn the final page. One that I’m still experiencing as I write this review.
Title: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper Author: Hallie Rubenhold Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Feminism, History, Non-fiction, True crime Dates read: 23rd April – 8th May 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Non-fictional text, Novel Publisher: Black Swan Year: 2020 5th sentence, 74th page: On 16 April she was dispatched like a human parcel to Renfrew Road Workhouse.
Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhamption, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed in ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers.
What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888.
Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become more famous than any of these women.
IN THIS DEVASTATING NARRATIVE OF FIVE LIVES, HISTORIAN HALLIE RUBENHOLD FINALLY GIVES THESE WOMEN BACK THEIR STORIES.
This is a seriously intense, wonderful, powerful, amazing book. Like. Wow. I’ve recently become a little intrigued by Jack the Ripper, but, as with many others, I hadn’t really given huge amounts of thought to the women that he actually killed. Which I now feel kind of ashamed of. Because Rubenhold reminds us that these five women were, you know, people too. And should be remembered as such. Not for the way the died. Not for the way the media portrayed them. But for individuals in and of themselves. Women who loved, lost and experienced life. Women with families, husbands, children…
I tend not to read crime books before bed. It leads to some seriously whacked out and trippy dreams. Starting this, I figured that it would be okay to read before bedtime. After all, it’s about the women, not the murders. For starters, the introduction talks about Jack the Ripper a little more than I had wanted. And the last point made is that he didn’t kill prostitutes, he killed women while they were asleep. By themselves. I was a woman. By myself. About to go to sleep. Not exactly conducive to a restful nights’ sleep that.
Normally I like to pick up biographies because they’re not only informative, but they’re also incredibly easy to put down. That’s not the case with this novel. The first few chapters didn’t quite hook me, and I was completely able to put down the book whenever I needed to be productive. However, once I passed that point… I just couldn’t stop thinking about these five women. I couldn’t stop wondering about their lives, their loved ones. What they thought and experienced in their mysterious last moments… I just couldn’t stop thinking about it all!!! Which I think was the whole point of it… but still, not exactly my normal response for a biography…
I am still in awe of what I’ve read. I actually finished this book twenty-four hours before sitting down to write this review. And it took me so long to do so simply because there is an intense feeling that you get once you turn that final page. This intense feeling of not only wonder and amazement at what you just read, but also, for me at least, a sense of guilt. I’m fascinated by murders, but I have rarely seriously considered the Ripper women as individuals and women. Which is something I will endeavour to do more so of in the future. When I started this book, I couldn’t even remember the names of The Five. But now, I don’t think I’ll ever forget them…
23 spellbinding tales of sorcery, wizardry and witchcraft.
From Gandalf to Harry Potter, sorcerers and wizards have always enthralled us. It is their power, above all, that we covet – the ultimate wish fulfilment of being able to do whatever we want – to fly, or make ourselves invisible, or to conjure something from nothing.
Here, from some of the most outstanding writers of fantasy, is a wonderfully varied collection of stories which explores the tensions and dilemmas in dealing with magic, from a child’s first struggle to control magical powers to epic clashes between the forces of good and evil.
It took me a little while to seriously get into this collection. But, once I did… I was completely hooked. I quite obviously love fantasy from the books that fill my shelves. But, as I’ve gotten older, I have found that I am drawn again and again to fantasy of a darker bent. Although not all of these short stories suited that desire, they just weren’t that dark… this collection was still seriously brilliant.
The stories in this collection just completely run the gamut. There are some serious, dark and twisted stories. Some that are fun and light. And a few that make you question the state of the world as we know it. All the stories were enjoyable in one way or another, although maybe not as memorable as some of the other short stories that I’ve read.
This is a great little collection. One that is interesting and fun. There was a lot surrounding ideas of chaos throughout, which makes it one of those collections that I’ll probably want to read again. There always seems to be this sense of confusion and intricacy about chaos stories that just makes me want to read them again and again.
There’s always two sides to a story… including the one about the Goose Girl.
The Goose Girl is one of those fairy tales where I really, really loved the original story. The idea of the villain in the story pronouncing her own death… well, of course it intrigued me immediately. What I didn’t expect was that I would love a story in which the villain really wasn’t the villain… it was all just an accident of fate and an intriguing story. One that had a seriously tragic ending… but was still very, very good.
This was a very dark villain version of a classic fairy tale. Sometimes these retellings from the villains’ point of view make you feel sympathy… instead, this short story just made me feel uncomfortable and unsettled with all of the characters in the original. There was almost no sympathy for anyone. It was just a tale of tragedy after tragedy. One that never had a happy ending or a happily ever after. Which is somehow a lot more like real life…
Only in writing this review have I realised a few more things about this short story that really hadn’t jumped out at me before. But to write them in my review would be giving something away… so you’ll just have to read it and then see if you are quicker than me in realising what the extra layer of secrets are!!!
Title: Bitter Draught Author: Michael Earp In: Kindred (Michael Earp) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Fantasy, LGBTQI Dates read: 7th May 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Walker Books Year: 2019 5th sentence, 74th page: The stories say that shopkeepers and traders will hear a knock on their door close to midnight.
Simeon has always been content in his little world with his parents, his sister and Wyatt. But a horrible illness and a journey to find the village witch rip his world apart.
Starting this story, I was really intrigued to find out where the “bitter draught” was going to come from. I was honestly expecting something that dealt with prejudice or the difficulties in realising that you are LGBTQI+. But, it wasn’t that at all. Like the first few short stories in this collection, the fact that Simeon was gay wasn’t even dealt with in any way expect to say that he had a significant other who was also male. I love this acceptance and simplicity in the writing. What I wasn’t sure on though was what the “bitter draught” would then end up being…
Simeon’s desire to help his sister, even if it means following a floating pebble and finding a witch that he’s kind of scared of was a nice little journey. It didn’t have that horrifying intensity of some of the similar stories that I’ve read. But it still lent a sense of urgency to Simeon’s journey. The fact that cracks in his relationship with Wyatt begin to appear just helps lend this sense of surrealness and intensity to their adventure. Even if it is technically all about saving Simeon’s sister…
The reveal of the “bitter draught” at the end of this story is bittersweet. It’s not as tragic as I was expecting, but it is also quite sad. Mostly, this story serves as a reminder that sometimes the most painful thing in the world is just the truth. And that can be quite a bitter pill to swallow…
He’s gone and got himself married. But now he has to return home to a questionable welcome…
Still not all that into Westerns, but I really didn’t mind this short story. Maybe the genre is growing on me. Maybe it was just a good story, I don’t know what it was… but I quite liked it.
Not knowing much about westerns, I can’t be certain, but I got the feeling that somehow getting married was the end of a cowboys “fun” days. The days in which he could be battled and relied upon by his mates. I may be wrong, but that was the overwhelming feeling that I got from this short story. It wasn’t necessarily the message that I wanted to receive, but it was definitely an interesting one. And one that I will now look for amongst other western stories.
Although I’m still not completely sold on Westerns, I did enjoy this short story. I do have another Stephen Crane book sitting on my shelves somewhere. So I’m intrigued to see if it is the writer or just my getting used to the genre that really sold this for me…
