Title: The Outcasts of Poker Flat Author: Bret Harte 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: 9th March 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2013 5th sentence, 74th page: He returned to his pocket the handkerchief with which he had been whipping away the red dust of Poker Flat from his neat boots, and quietly discharged his mind of any further conjecture.
They don’t quite fit in anywhere, even with each other at their gambling houses and saloons in Poker Flat.
This is my first western short story. And it was an incredibly interesting experience. One that I was kind of not expecting. Although, I have next to no experience with actual Westerns… I’ve read some fantasy stories with a western spin… but nothing which actually falls completely under this genre heading… and it was a good introduction.
I like that in a collection of westerns, the first one features gambling and outcasts. Actually, the entire time I was reading this, the song The Gambler by Kenny Rogers was running through my head on repeat. There is just something about that song and this story which seemed to perfectly suit one another. Something that had that same, great atmosphere that made this a really enjoyable experience.
This was a fun, easy read. But it wasn’t overly memorable. It was fun, easy and enjoyable. But it also wasn’t an amazing, earth shaking storyline. Not one that I’ll necessarily pick up in years to come. But a great way to spend a few moments escaping the world and reality.
Title: In the Realm of Dragons Author: Esther M. Friesner In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Dragons, LGBTQI, Magic Dates read: 9th March 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 1997 5th sentence, 74th page: Ryan sat at his father’s feet and looked up to see a taut jawline, a gaze fixed and fastened on Uncle Graham and Bill.
Ryan is trying to honour the memory of his estranged Uncle. Clutching a dragon figurine, he travels into the city to find the men who tore his life apart.
I actually really, really enjoyed this short story. Not only was it about the ostracization which can occur to an individual because of their LGBTQI+ status, the hatred towards minorities and the need for one person to make amends, it is also about dragons. Which I love. So the combination took me straight to my little happy place.
For starters, I loved that there was a blurring of lines between reality and imagination. Even at the end of this story, you’re not entirely sure if the dragons was there in reality, or whether it was all just hopeful imagination and revenge. There was great, powerful imagery with the use of dragons and figurines. The flicking back and forth between memory and present. Reality and dreams. I loved this mystic quality and the way it created an amazingly powerful storyline.
I also loved that this story featured a homosexual man. It was the cause of all of his tragedies, but it was nice to have a story that realistically and deeply investigated how ostracization due to your sexual orientation can destroy a life. Can rip and tear it apart in a way that is unexpected, powerful and potent. And, obviously, very tragically.
Title: Near-Beauty Author: M.E. Beckett In: Black Thorn, White Rose (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Retellings, Science fiction Dates read: 9th March 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Prime Books Year: 1994 5th sentence, 74th page: She became uneasy, at last, not because it was watching, but because it looked intent; if that stare had come from a human, she’d have called him horny.
She’s not quite beautiful. She’s not quite ugly. But, when she meets the toad of her dreams, she finds out that near-beauty might just be enough.
One of the things that I love the most about this story is that it’s not about a stunningly beautiful woman. Or a frog that miraculously turns into a gorgeous prince. It’s about those that are almost beautiful. That almost make the cut. It’s a great way to retell a well-known fairy tale, but with a more relatable spin to it.
This is a great sci-fi spin on The Princess and the Frog. She doesn’t magically get whisked away and find her happily ever after. Rather, she makes a choice to join an alien species and make something more. Something different of her life.
Mostly, I love that this is all about two individuals who don’t quite make the beauty boat cut. They’re almost beautiful. They’re almost everything that they want to be. But they don’t quite make it… which is far more relatable and nice to read about than a stunning beauty. It’s also a great reminder that good things don’t just happen to the stunningly beautiful, but to us more ordinary folk too.
Title: The Becoming Author: Jeanne C. Stein Series: Anna Strong Chronicles #1 Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Strong women, Urban fantasy, Vampires Dates read: 1st – 8th March 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Ace Fantasy Year: 2004 5th sentence, 74th page: I replace the receiver, frowning at both the implication and infelction of his tone.
My name is Anna Strong. I am a vampire. How I became one is the reason for this story. I tell it the way it happened. It may not be what you expect.
She’s a bounty hunter – tought beautiful, and trained for the unexpected. Until the night she’s attacked and left closer to death than she can imagine. She awakens to an indoctrination into a dark new world where vampires walk among us. But this time, a tight grip on a .38 won’t stop what she’s hunting for.
Existing between the worlds of the living and the dead, Anna is torn by her love for two very different men. Max, a DEA agent, all too human, and vulnerable. And Avery, a Night Watcher who’s joined Anna in pursuit of the rogue vampire who changed her life that terrifying night. Now, as her two worlds collide, fate plunges Anna into the ultimate battle between good and evil where survival is not just for the living…
I quite enjoyed this novel. It wasn’t one that made me stop in my tracks and need to just stick my nose as far into it as I could. But it was one that I enjoyed. After I got past the very first opening scenes – rape is just not something that I enjoy reading about. Even if it was brushed over pretty quickly. It just made for an uncomfortable beginning to the story. One that did make me pause in my reading for quite a while.
One of the things I really enjoyed about Stein’swriting and world building was her subtly different take on vampires. It’s nothing outrageous such as other vampire stories I’ve read. But their gradual change, their ability to walk in the sunlight. I kind of liked the differentiation. I also liked that most of the rules of her vampire world are still not quite explained in this story… it’s all written as Anna discovers who and what she is… and then you find out that she’s being lied to a fair bit.
I was expecting a bit of a twist toward the end of the story – there were a few too many hints at the secrets being hidden throughout. Yet, even when I found out what it was, I was kind of thrown. In the best way possible. I only had an inkling of the villain and the true story just before Anna herself realises. It made it so much more intriguing, sweeter and fun.
This is a great first story. It’s about becoming a vampire and being thrust into a new world. But it barely even scratches the surface of the life Anna is about to embark on. One that I’m looking forward to reading more about. One that I can’t wait to read more about… if I can just find where I put Blood Drive in my piles of books that I want to read.
Title: In the Season of Rains Author: Ellen Steiber In: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Fantasy, Lust Dates read: 8th March 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: EOS Year: 1998 5th sentence, 74th page: She reached a hand toward him and the scent of the datura became stronger.
Enrique has always pushed women away. Always kept himself in control of the relationship. Until one dark night when the rain is thundering down on his garden… then everything changes.
This short story had a great… quality about it. There was the sense of another (non-Anglo Saxon) culture about it. Although, it was a little vague on exactly which culture was inspiring the mythical woman in this story. I also loved the imagery of the garden and the rain. There is nothing like having a beautiful garden. And the sound and scent of rain surrounding it? Also stunningly beautiful. It worked well with a random, half-dressed woman strolling through the plants.
I felt like I should have had a little more sympathy for Enrique. But, honestly, I felt like he kind of got his comeuppance. He constantly wanted to show that he was less caring than the women he bought home. So he kind of got his poetic justice for using people. Fine, he did tell them that he wasn’t into commitment… but honestly, that’s just a kind of insane way to approach any kind of intimacy.
Although this story had a slightly dark feel to it, it also had me smiling all throughout. Probably because I really appreciated the poetic justice in it. There was just something refreshing and enjoyable about the whole story. Kind of like standing in the garden after a fresh rain.
Title: 9 from the Nine Worlds Author: Rick Riordan Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Companion Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Norse mythology, Urban fantasy Dates read: 8th March 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Collection Publisher: Disney Hyperion Year: 2018 5th sentence, 74th page: I faced the inside of the V so I could keep an eye on the harp and the giant.
How well do you know the nine Norse Realms?
Do you get all those heims mixed up? Well, this collection of rollicking short stories – each set in a different world and told by a different character from the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series – will help straighten you out. And even if it doesn’t, you’ll enjoy reading about how Alex saves Amir’s pants, Samirah plucks a giant’s harp, Mallory teaches a dragon how to throw down insults, and much more. Just watch out for Thor, who is running through the whole thing and raising quite a stink.
This was such a nice way to round out the end of the Magnus Chase series. It’s not the ending perse, just a way to revisit all of the characters after Magnus and Loki’s final, epic battle. You get to go on a journey through each of the nine worlds with nine different, well loved characters. As I said, a nice, easy way to round out the series.
This story kind of reads like a bit of an epilogue. It tells you of the adventures that the secondary characters all have after they’ve postponed Ragnarök. I like that although the end of the world has been postponed, these characters are still constantly fighting little battles. Finding a way to carve out a better reality for themselves as they live out their (mostly) immortal lives.
I think that one of the reasons I’ve loved the Magnus Chase series so thoroughly is the fact that it has a hugely diverse set of characters. They’re part of the LGBTQI community, or the Muslim community… or… well, there are a number of minorities represented in this story. And they’re actually the ones that feature within this book. Not the lead, but all of those fantastic secondary characters that are a great way to bring acceptance and understanding into peoples’ lives.
Title: To Sir Phillip, With Love: The Second Epilogue Author: Julia Quinn Series: Bridgertons #5.5 In: The Bridgertons (Julia Quinn) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Historical romance, Regency romance Dates read: 8th March 2020 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Avon Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: “I always have wishes,” he remarked.
Those cute kids from romance novels aren’t actually supposed to grow up, are they?
When last we saw Amanda Crane, she was eight years old and (in her own words) a blight on the face of humanity. Now she’s grown up, remarkably well-adjusted, and ready to fall in love. All she needs is the right gentleman…
Although they were completely impossible and terrifying… I actually fell completely in love with the Crane twins in Sir Phillip, With Love. There was just something about their need, their spirit and their intelligence that made me fall head over heels in love. So, when I turned to the first page of the second epilogue and found out that it was about Amanda… well, a huge grin broke out across my face.
Unlike the rest of the series, where your point of view is on the shoulder of one of the characters, this entire short story is written in first person. Almost like a diary. And it worked so well. I don’t know if I would enjoy the whole series like this… it’s important to have distinct tones of voice, and you wouldn’t get this in every book. But for one short story? It’s kind of brilliant.
I loved seeing Amanda grow into the woman she could become. You have this great image and hope for it at the end of a story. Yet, it isn’t until the conclusion that you wonder if you are right with your predictions? Did Amanda and Oliver straighten out? Truly fall in love with Eloise? Did Phillip become a better father? These questions are all answered in this short story. That, and you get to watch the next generation fall in love and find their own happily ever after…
Title: To Sir Phillip, With Love Author: Julia Quinn Series: The Bridgertons #5 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Historical romance, Regency romance Dates read: 8th March 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Avon Year: 2003 5th sentence, 74th page: His children had not been kind to their governesses, and he did not imagine they’d be much more charitable to a female guest who was obviously there in the role of prospective stepmother.
She wrote him a letter…and he stole her heart.
Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he’d proposed, figuring that she’d be homely and unassumig, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except…she wasn’t. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her… and more.
Did he think she was mad Eloise Bridgerton couldn’t marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking… and wondering… and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except… he wasn’t. Her perfect husband wouldn’t be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled… and when he kissed her… the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn’t help but wonder… could this imperfect man be perfect for her?
I’m not sure if Eloise or Hyacinth are my favourite Bridgerton sisters… probably Eloise, she has all of Hyacinth’s opinions and intensity, but just a little smoother and, well… less terrifying. So reading a story about Eloise and her man… that was always going to be something that I loved. Especially when the entire story begins with Eloise making an incredibly impulsive decision. I’m after all, fairly, ridiculously impulsive… even at the best of times. So I can relate WAY too much to her impromptu decision making…
Sadly, I read the Romancing Mister Bridgerton Second Epilogue before sinking my teeth into this, so Eloise’s impulsive decisions and the way in which Phillip and Eloise decide to get married wasn’t as much of a revelation as I would otherwise have wished for. Though, it was still an incredibly fun and humorous little adventure. One that had me giggling quite happily throughout. And made me smile. Especially since of all the sisters, Eloise is the only one who acknowledges that she specifically needs a man who is able to stand up to her four brothers. Something that I’m sure all of them feel, but Eloise’s moment of epiphany is kind of cute and sweet.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this story is that it involves children who already exist. Unlike the other books in this series, Phillip already has two children which have to factor into his relationship. The fact that they are twins and total terrors… well, it’s incredibly amusing and seriously fun. Something that made it not only impossible to put this book down… but also had me giggling out loud frequently. And loudly. With much mirth.
So far I think that this is probably my favourite of The Bridgertons books. Firstly, I relate to Eloise more than I have any of the other female leads, but I also found myself absolutely loving her paramour. The fact that he is a good father (although it takes him a little while to figure out how to do this), and a botanist… that definitely drew me in. unlike the other gentry in this series, Phillip actually has an occupation and a degree that he uses. I can’t WAIT to read this book again and again and again!
Title: Blood and Gold Author: Erin M. Hartshorn In: The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk (Sean Wallace) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Dieselpunk, Dragons Dates read: 8th March 2020 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: The other dragons had come too close that time.
He’s a dragon who is looking for a new place to make his own. When he finds what he’s looking for… he will reign down blood and gold.
I really liked the use of a dragon in a Dieselpunk story. It was certainly different and unexpected. The imagery of him curled around the skeleton of the Chrysler building (even though I don’t know what the Chrysler building looks like) were kind of brilliant and poignant. And it gave this very industrial, turn of the century feel to the storyline. There was just something great and unique about this.
At first, I felt like the dragon would be somehow beneficent and a bit of a protector of the city. There seemed something about him that kind of screamed justice. And then I continued onwards with the story. And realised that that wasn’t really the case. He was just greedy and finding a way to gain the blood and gold that he needed.
Although I prefer my dragon stories to be about the powers, might and just simply placing the dragon on the “right” side of the argument, I kind of liked that this wasn’t about that. Sure, the power and might were there. But it was more about that traditional image of a dragon – one that wants power, might and gold. And really doesn’t give a damn about us measely little humans. It was nice to go back to something a little more traditional…
Title: A Wish from a Bone Author: Gemma Files In: The Monstrous (Ellen Datlow) & Fearful Symmetries (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Dark fantasy, Gods Dates read: 8th March 2020 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Tachyon Year: 2015 5th sentence, 74th page: Reluctantly: “The last couple times I did this, there was a physical copy of the Liber Carne in play, so getting rid of that helped – but there’s no copy here, which makes us the Liber Carne, the human pages being Inscribed.”
They just wanted to discover something new and exciting. And catch it all on film of course. And they did… sort of. Just not the kind of excitement they really wanted.
This short story seriously reminds me of another story that I’ve read. Something about the nine pre-gods of ancient times. But I can’t quite pinpoint which story it was… I did love that feeling of aching familiarity that I felt though. It was kind of fun, definitely intriguing. And something that I will continue to think about, long after I’ve turned the final page of this story.
It did take me a little while to get into this story. Hence the lower rating… if it takes me a little bit to get into a short story, then I don’t tend to love it as much. There just isn’t enough time otherwise. But it was still enjoyable. I especially liked the slightly jumpy way in which the story leapt forward in snatches.
Most of all I liked the ending of this story. There was something about that statement that we are never truly alone that was far more creepy than comforting. Which, really, is exactly how it should be.
