She’s lived in Leadville before. But it was a different time, a different place, and full of fond memories. The Wild West meets vampires and a life full of regret.
This is a beautiful, bittersweet short story about loss and
the possibilities of a future. It’s kind of sweet, incredibly nostalgic and a
nice little read to occupy your time for about 10 minutes. I loved the narrative
voice of this tale – she’s waxing nostaligic about her past love, but not in a
way that makes you completely regret her past.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time travelling aspects of this – it
starts in the present, flickers to the past, and then shudders back into the
present again. Giving the reader not only an insight into modern-day vampiric
life, but also the joys and tragedies of her past as she works towards a more
interesting future. Or at least one that she’s a little happier with and more
involved in.
I loved the fact that this is a Western Vampire story. you
have Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid. A saloon. And a prostitute. All aspects of
stories which I quite enjoyed and want to find out more about in the future…
Title: Thorns Author: Tanith Lee In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Fairy tales, Retellings Dates read: 29th October 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Wildside Year: 1983 5th sentence, 74th page: He hesitated a moment.
And in “Thorns” you’ll find the haunting answer to the question, “What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty turns out to be the mistake of a lifetime – of several lifetimes, in fact?”
At the beginning of this short story retelling, I thought
that it was going to be super dark and twisted. Something that I wouldn’t quite
be able to get out of my head. And would certainly make me look at Sleeping
Beauty in a whole new light. And in some ways, it really was. It was dark, sad
and incredibly bittersweet. But it was nowhere near as twisty as I was
expecting it to be.
Actually, this story was mostly what I would call
melancholy. It wasn’t actually sad. It wasn’t something that made me question
my fairy tales from childhood in a new and really uncomfortable way (I’ve been
reading a lot of stories like that lately). But it was quite melancholy, and
made you sit there with that feeling in your chest when you’d turned the last
page. Not quite sad, not quite happy… just there.
This is the first ever retelling of Sleeping Beauty
that I’ve approached which addresses the 100-year gap. After all, a woman might
be woken by the prince… but what happens when the entire castle has now lost
everything that they had? Their entire world died out long ago and things do
change quite drastically in a 100-year time period… so what do you do then?
Title: Going Ashore Author: Jhumpa Lahiri In: Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Race, Romance Dates read: 29th October 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Bloomsbury Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: Then he remembered that he had not given her his e-mail address.
After years and adulthood have built their lives, Hema and Kaushik finally meet again. But will they get their happily ever after? Or will life, once again, tear them apart?
Wow this was a tragic ending to a fantastic collection. Not just a brilliant collection, but it also ties out the stories started in Once in a Lifetime and Year’s End. I wanted a happily ever after. A riding off into the sunset ending, because, let’s face it, I’m kind of a child… and always want a happily ever after. But I didn’t get that. And at first I was incredibly annoyed. But then after a little while… I accepted it, and realised that this was actually kind of brilliant. Albeit seriously sad and depressing.
Although I read a lot of stories which make me want to tear
up, there are incredibly few which actually do bring a tear to my eye… but this
was certainly not the case. I did actually weep a little. Just enough to
realise that this was incredibly potent and not the kind of story I’m ever
going to forget. And it’s not one that I ever do want to forget. It reminded me
that sometimes you have to live every day like your last. Say the things that
you need to say… because if you don’t, it could just be too late.
I really enjoyed how Going Ashore, Once in a Lifetime and Year’s End all intersected. They could be read completely separately, but worked better as a whole. Each tale had it’s own messages and storyline. But they also have one overall, heart wrenching tale that will pull at your heart strings and have you sitting at the end, staring into the abyss. Or at least, that’s what I did for a good five minutes after I finished this short story.
Title: The Wedding of Wylda Serene Author: Esther M. Friesner In: My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (P.N. Elrod) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Mythology, Paranormal romance Dates read: 29th October 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Year: 2006 5th sentence, 74th page: “Bingo,” he said, pointing his index finger at me pistol-style and vocalizing a passable gunshot sound effect as he brought the thumb-hammer down.
Wylda Serene has never been told no by her doting grandparents. So when she wants her wedding in a cursed club house, they just can’t put their foot down. What follows is a wedding full of insanity and magic. One that will go down in history.
This short story had me laughing out loud. All throughout.
It kind of took all the worst things about weddings and turned them on their
head. It made for a funny, engaging, ridiculous story that you couldn’t help
but relate to. Especially when nothing turns out like you expected. And
although everyone gets their happily ever after… it’s certainly not in the way
that one would expect.
Between reading this short story and Crazy Rich Asians (at about the same time), I’ve come to the conclusion that the rich are just downright weird. That “polite” society and the weddings / events that they host are just not quite normal. After all, the entire time in this short story a very ill-conceived wedding is being organised and because of this, nothing is quite as it seems.
I have an incredibly unhealthy obsession with mythologies –
and Greek mythology is one that is a lot more accessible than many others. But,
I did enjoy the fact that some of the minor deities from this mythos take point
in this story. It wasn’t about Zeus and his cohort, but some of their
lesser-known offspring. It added an extra layer of enjoyment to this story that
makes me want to read it again and again and again.
Title: Saint James’ Way Author: Jean Johnson In: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Trisha Telep) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Anthropology, Historical romance, Time travel Dates read: 28th October 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: “If my shoes weren’t falling apart, I would hasten in a more seemly manner,” Phinneas countered out loud.
A time travelling anthropologist is fascinated by one of the men in her study cohort. But she can’t change the past… or can she? Has she finally found true love?
Love, love, love the idea of a time travelling
anthropologist! After all, anthropology is all about participating and
observing. In studies today, we mostly have to tell our participants that we
are actually observing them… but if we travelled back in time? Before
anthropologists existed? Well, I can understand not telling people that you’re
observing them, after all, anthropologists aren’t something that exists yet.
I thought that the attachment between Anne and James was
incredibly cute and sweet. But it wasn’t overwhelmingly lustful. They simply
found each other intriguing, and intellectually fulfilling. For me, that’s
something that I find far more powerful than physical attraction – the ability
to find a partner who will intellectually stimulate you as well as physically. Anne
and James are perfect for this. They’re so intellectually in tune, that the
physicality comes second.
Really, who doesn’t want a knight in somewhat shiny armour
in their lives? James manages to fulfil this fantasy far more than I had ever
expected. I’ve never truly wanted a knight, until reading this short story. Now…
I can imagine my partner dressed as a knight riding up on a white horse…
somehow don’t think he’d go for it though…
Title: Lab Girl: A Story of Trees, Science and Love Author: Hope Jahren Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Memoirs, Nature, Science Dates read: 21st – 27th October 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Fleet Year: 2016 5th sentence, 74th page: I started to leave, but hesitated when Bill looked up at last.
Acclaimed scientist Hope Jahren has built three laboratories in which she’s studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Her first book is a revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also so much more.
Lab Girl is a book about work, love, and the mountains that can be moved when those two things come together. It is told through Jahren’s stories: about her childhood in rural Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged hours of play in his classroom’s labs; about how she found a sanctuary in science, and learned to perform lab work done “with both the heart and the hands”; and about the inevitable disappointments, but also the triumphs and exhilarating discoveries, of scientific work.
Yet at the core of this book is the story of a relationship Jahren forged with a brilliant, wounded man named Bill, who becomes her lab partner and best friend. Their sometimes rogue adventures in science take them from the Midwest across the United States and back again, over the Atlantic to the ever-light skies of the North Pole and to tropical Hawaii, where she and her lab currently make their home.
This book is absolutely freaking amazing!!! Not just because it is written so well and about the natural sciences. But also because I connected completely to what Hope Jahren was saying. She recalls her years in her PhD, the weirdness that is her obsession and just life as an academic in general. I might just be starting out in that life… but there was so much that was relatable. And it made me feel better about all of my multiple freak-outs and insecurities…
Lab Girl has most certainly become my all-time favourite memoir. Partly because it is in an area that I am more intimately familiar with than almost any other. But also because it deals with a lot of hidden issues in life. Talks about mental health. Focuses on what it takes to become who you want to be. Yet weaves throughout botanical knowledge and scientific principles that almost feel like coming home.
There is no one in the world that doesn’t have to deal with self-doubt. That doesn’t feel like others are judging them and querying their every move. That make them think they are somehow less. Add to that a mental health issue and being a female in a traditionally male-dominated career… it’s a tough world out there. And Jahren faces up to the realities of this fearlessly. Yet, she does so with a healthy dose of humour and light that doesn’t feel bitter and contrived. That doesn’t make you angry at the system, just understanding of the challenges faced.
Hope’s relationship with Bill is amazing. All throughout, he
is her voice of sanity and reason. The person who has her back and supports her
no matter what she does. We all need someone like that in our lives. Whether it
is a co-worker, a friend or a lover… it doesn’t matter the amazing power of
their relationship made me so incredibly jealous. I don’t know that I’ve ever
had someone totally appreciate my world in that way, and it is something that I
would love to find in my professional life – someone who is obsessed with invertebrates
just as much as I am.
This is one of those memoirs that I’m never, ever going to
forget. It is intense, wonderful and intriguing. The perfect miss of personal
anecdotes, science and the telling of reality merge together fantastically. I
can understand why it was on a summer reading list, and I’m so glad I succumbed
to the compulsion to buy it!!!
Desire…
Demon slayer Andrea Cole has always taken down the demons and vampires she hunts without mercy. But when a fellow slayer is captured and turned into a vampire by a sadistic monster, she must choose between loyalty to her family and the man she loves.
Versus Instinct…
Kaden Quinn has dedicated his life to slaying vampires, so when he is turned into one, his greatest nightmare comes to life. And when the woman he loves is thrown into a dungeon with him ― as food ― he must battle new instincts and old desires, and choose between his life, and hers.
This story is a bit of a cliffhanger, and as I was reading
it, I was seriously hoping that it was part of a greater series. I was lucky,
it is. Which makes me super happy, because this world building is brilliant. Although,
I wanted more of a backstory… which I will get when I finally buy the novels!!!
This is so a true love conquers all kind of story… after
all, it’s the thing which makes sure that Kaden doesn’t turn evil. Even when Andrea
fully expects him to. This isn’t a ride off into the sunset, happily ever after
story. It’s more of a there’s a chance for the future, but we’re not really
sure what’s going to happen next kind of tale. And it’s the perfect hook to
make you want to buy the rest of the series.
Eternity Embraced is an incredibly sweet, beautiful story. It’s an easy read, and one that sweeps you away for five, ten minutes. Just enough to sweep you off your feet and make you believe in true love again. Or at least, a love that give you an amazing future.
Title: “All Shook Up” Author: P.N. Elrod In: My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (P.N. Elrod) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Humour, Music, Paranormal fantasy Dates read: 27th October 2019 Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Year: 2006 5th sentence, 74th page: Frankie looked at the Elvis guy, her jaw dropping.
The Elvis impersonator at the wedding she’s catering gets a little bit too into his routine. But there is something deliciously attractive about him that makes her want to get to know the crazy a little better…
This story is a little crazy and different. It’s kind of
intense, super fun and features Elvis. Which, of course, immediately makes me
think of my Mum. Because she is completely Elvis obsessed. A bit like the
Grandmother in this story… a woman who is just deliciously enthralled by the
long-dead entertainer. I actually thought that in this story he had been bought
back to life… but it was still just an impersonator.
Although this is a wedding story, it’s one that is about the
caterer, not the bride. I’ve been to many, many weddings, but mostly as the
wait staff. So it was nice to read a tale that I could relate to the lead a lot
more. I’ve never been a bride, but I’m aware of all the difficulties and intricacies
of working a wedding. Trying to feed the masses and (sometimes) not laugh at
the amusing antics of the bridal party. It made this funny, cute and sweet
story so, so, so much more relatable than most of the wedding stories I’ve
read.
One of the parts I loved most about this story though was
the fact that it featured the power of music. I’ve always found music to be an
intense pathway through which to experience human emotion. And this story takes
it just that little step further… in making it a pathway to help people adjust
their emotions for the sake of others. For the sake of the marriage which is
just about to begin.
Title: Year’s End Author: Jhumpa Lahiri In: Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Family, Race Dates read: 26th October 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Bloomsbury Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: For the last two years of my mother’s life, when she was always in and out of the hospital, we had gone nowhere, taken no trips for pleasure apart from those occasional walks along the beach.
Kaushik is faced with a father that’s moving on and a new year. In the mean time he’s remembering a past that they shared. A past filled with regrets, sorrow and a handful of fond memories.
This story connects into Once in a Lifetime. It is about the boy that Hema admires from afar, and the reasons behind his weird behaviour. Actually, the whole behaviour of his family to hers. And the aftermath of his mother’s illness. It’s a haunting tale about trying to move on, but not quite being able to do it.
This tale of moving on to a new future and finding a new
place in a changing world is always difficult. When your past is haunted by
loss that is never discussed, and a separation from family and culture it just
makes it all that more difficult. It’s hard enough to move on to a new future
when things are sitting well in life. It’s far more difficult when there’s a
broken family that can’t quite be repaired.
I don’t come from a broken family (thankfully), so it’s difficult to understand what that feels like. Yet, Lahiri’swords are still haunting enough that I feel like I could begin to understand. The loss, grief, confusion and guilt leap from the pages and strike you immediately in the heart. Just like good, contemporary writing should.
Coyote. Anansi. Brer Rabbit. Trickster characters have long been a staple of folk literature – and are a natural choice for the subject of the acclaimed Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling’s third “mythic” anthology. Twenty-six authors, including Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Charles de Lint (Little (Grrl) Lost), Ellen Klages (The Green Glass Sea), Kelly Link (Pretty Monsters), Patricia A. McKillip (Ombria in Shadow) and Jane Yolen, have crafted stories and poems drawing from cultures and traditions all over the world – each surprising, engrossing, and thought provoking. Terri Windling provides a comprehensive introduction to the trickster myths of the world, and the entire book is highlighted by the remarkable decorations of Charles Vess.
The Coyote Road, like its companions The Green Man (winner of the World Fantasy Award) and The Faery Reel (a World Fantasy Award Finalist), is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary fantastic fiction.
This collection took a long time to read. Yet, I absolutely
adored it. Mostly it took a while to read because there were so many short
stories filling the pages, and whenever I finished one, I often went searching
for more stories by the authors I was discovering. My wishlist has grown by
leaps and bounds since starting this collection.
Like many of the Ellen Datlow collections lining my shelves, the theme and collected authors in this are brilliant. Each and every story is perfectly curated to match into the theme of Tricksters. Often in surprising and confusing ways. After all, the prefect trickster never does what is expected, and many of the stories in this managed to take me by surprise.
I would suggest this collection to anybody who loves short
stories, fantasy, mythology, tricksters… really I would just suggest it to almost
anyone. There are sad stories and happy ones. Insanely complex tales and ones
that are so beautifully simplistic. Definitely one of those collections that
I’m going to read again and again.
Earth and Skye 