Title: Bitches of the Night Author: Nancy Kilpatrick In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson) Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Comedy, Vampires Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Edge Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: She pointed in the direction of Celine.
He turned three women in the hope of finding a happily ever after… in return he got a series of vindictive bitches.
This is the funniest vampire story that I’ve read in a long
time. Not because of any outward and obvious humour, but also because of the
fact that it featured a vampire that thought he was all that. Until his choices
of “wives” proved again and again and again that he wasn’t.
One of my favourite things about this short story is the
fact that it turns the idea of vampires as these gorgeous seductors completely on
its head. Alright, it’s still kind of true for the women – but not so much for
the men. Which I love. Because I’ve never understood what is sexy about an
undead man running around at night. Just ew. And now I have a story that shows
that some people still feel the same way!!!
Title: Frost Burned Author: Patricia Briggs Series: Mercedes Thompson #7, Mercy-Verse #19 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves Dates read: 28th – 29th January 2019 Pace: Fast Format: Novel Publisher: Ace Fantasy Year: 2013 5th sentence, 74th page: “Sweats,” Kyle whispered to me, rolling off the chair like it hurt.
In this #1 New York Times bestseller, author Patricia Briggs “has reached perfection”, as Mercy Thompson faces a shapeshifter’s biggest fear…
After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and her stepdaughter, Jesse, can’t reach Alpha werewolf Adam – or anyone else in the pack, for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.
Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. But she fears his disappearance may be related to the political battle the werewolves have been fighting to gain acceptance from the public – and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outmatched and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.
I always forget how much I love the books in the Mercedes Thompson world. Actually, I don’t quite forget… I just don’t think that they could possibly be that good. And then I open one, and I don’t know why I don’t just read these books on repeat. (Probably because I have FAR too many other books that I also want to read…. It makes decision making incredibly hard).
Frost Burnedis the seventh in the Mercedes Thompson series and takes place after Mercy has finally healed from her… activities… in River Marked. It starts with one of those beautiful moments in which everything seems to be going well. And then it’s not. Which is kind of how all such books end up going. However, unlike most books I’ve read, it kind of seems like the main catastrophe and storyline is over. When the book is only halfway through. That’s when you kind of know that the shit is about to seriously hit the fan.
Ben takes a much more central role in this story than the
other stories. And so does Asil. Both characters that I absolutely adore and find
completely intriguing. They have intense backgrounds and aren’t what you would
traditionally classify as “good”. Which is probably why I like them so much. Their
presence in Mercy’s life and the fact that, in spite of all odds, she actually
likes them, helps to increase the stakes of what is happening.
Unlike the other books so far in the Mercedes Thompson series, there isn’t one big storyline, per se. Rather than a very clear beginning, middle and end with only one big obstacle to overcome, there are a small handful. It means that instead of the expected highs and lows, this story is more like a rollercoaster. And because of that, all that much more difficult to put down.
Title: Lady Witherspoon’s Solution Author: James Morrow In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace) Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this) My Bookshelves:Steampunk Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: “Martin and Andrew are merely making themselves useful whilst awaiting deportation,” the baroness replied.
On a long, scientific voyage a young man thinks that he has discovered the origins of man – the only still existing population of Neanderthals. But, what he’s really discovered is something far more intense.
The imagery invoked in this image has layer upon layer of
meaning which unfold as the story does. At the outset, it seems to be a
slightly different approach and take to a scientific endeavour to the reaches
of the unknown. Then there is the slow unravelling of just who the unknown people
on the island are. And it makes you question the everyday world and the patriarchy
in which we currently live.
I like that the story is told from two different point of
views. From that of the scientist discovering, and that of the young woman who
lies in a grave. It actually took a few unexpected twists using this. Which is
what I always enjoy in a good short story. And something I’m really beginning
to appreciate in Steampunk short
stories in particular.
Title: O Terrible Bird Author: Sandra Kasturi In: Black Feathers (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Horror, Poetry Dates read: 23rd January 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Poem Publisher: Pegasus Books Ltd. Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: Was it you? Are they limp in your claws?
An incredibly dark avian poem that will leave tingles running up and down your spine.
I knew that the collection Black Feathers was a horror collection based around birds. I knew this, and yet, it wasn’t until I read the opening poem that I really clicked as to what this truly meant. And then I was just uncomfortable. And drawn in. And imagining dark shadows soaring above us. This poem took me on a complete journey of horror and wonder. And in such a short amount of time.
This is the second of Kasturi’s poems that I’ve had the fortune of reading. And man, is it worth it. this is an incredibly intense and dark poem. One that, like all good pieces of poetry, has layer upon layer of meaning. And one that I will probably reread again and again in an attempt to find more meaning.
Virginia needs to do a project for school, but what if she’s really discovered the truth behind Santa Claus?
I’ve noticed that over the past few years, my Christmas
spirit just hasn’t been all that… Christmassy. And I know that part of it is
the fact that I’m getting older and so not as deliriously excitable about Christmas
presents (plus, no one ever gets me books anymore)… yet, I think that the other
part of it is the fact that Christmas is so commercial.
There is this overwhelming idea that you have to have certain feelings, buy
certain things and do things in a very specific way.
Obviously, Knight kind of feels the same. Set in a future sci-fi world in which your every move is monitored, a young girl has to fight to understand the holiday season. What is going on around her and outsmart a computer system to find her own freedom. All in a very few pages. It’s needlessly fun and a great reminder that maybe we don’t all have to feel excited about Christmas. Or even celebrate it in the same way.
Title: Some Kind of Wonderland Author: Richard Bowes In: Mad Hatters and March Hares (Ellen Datlow) Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, LGBTQI, Romance Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Tor Year: 2017 5th sentence, 74th page: Things I learned working on Wonderland led to my nice gig as a location scout and fixer for movies and TV shows shooting in New York.
Some Kind of Wonderland is being reshown after fifty years of being forgotten. But as an old film resurfaces, so do old memories and a love that lasts the measure of time.
I enjoyed this short story far more than I was expecting. I thought that it would be a slightly lame recap on the filming of a rework of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. And it was that. But it really wasn’t lame. The description of the film, the characters and their issues (both within and without the film), even the setting were such a beautiful contemporary and modern approach to an old classic.
I really enjoyed the mystery and layout of the romance
throughout this story. Especially since the retelling and unravelling come
about fifty years after the beginning of the tale. The slightly surreal story
and way in which it is told mirrors the incredibly tripped out feeling of
Wonderland. The finding of oneself and being true to who you are are so very
clearly reflected in both of the tracks of the story.
“The Day of the Dead” features Tomas, a character from the Cassandra Palmer novels, who was last seen cooling his heels in Faerie. He’ll show up again in the series, but what about in the meantime? What does a powerful, four-hundred-year-old vampire with a serious grudge against his old mass murdering master to do when he suddenly finds himself with too much time on his hands? Hang around Faerie, where there’s nothing to eat (Fey blood=nasty) just because our intrepid heroine parked him there?
Uh, no. Not so much.
Because Tomas is obsessed, and has been for pretty much his whole existence, with one thing: taking out Alejandro, the aforementioned murdering bastard. In “The Day of the Dead,” he slips back into our world to confront his nemesis, only to find unexpected help in the form of a band of magical mercenaries. Think the A-Team with spells and potions instead of (well, actually in addition to) guns and knives and things that go boom. It makes for a lot of mayhem down Mexico way.
I have had a slight obsession (alright, maybe not so slight)
with the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead since I wrote an anthropology paper
on it in my Undergrad at University. So reading a story that featured this time
of year and festival made me kind of deliriously happy. Alright, stupid happy –
I read this story from beginning to end twice in a row to get my fix. And then
watched Coco. But that’s a whole other story…
I have only read the first Cassandra Palmer novel, so I don’t fully understand where this fits into the scheme of things. But even without having the background from the rest of the series, I still loved this completely. I vaguely recall Tomas from Touch the Dark and he seemed like a kind, if not slightly misled vampire. (And I honestly never thought I’d write that sentence in my lifetime…) So it was quite fun to read a short story that featured him. And, from the sense of the story, his new beginning and final freedom from the constraints of the slavery and society in which he has found himself.
Title: Journeys to the Other Side of the World: Further Adventures of a Young Naturalist Author: David Attenborough Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Conservation, Non-fiction Dates read: 7th December 2018 – 14th January 2019 Pace: Slow Format: Novel Publisher: Two Roads Year: 2018 5th sentence, 74th page: There seemed very few people around Kumburuf from whom we could recruit replacements, but Jim said that there would be plenty about in a day or so.
Following the success of the original Zoo Quest expeditions, in the late 1950s onwards the young David Attenborough embarked on further travels in a very different part of the world. From Madagascar and New Guinea to the Pacific Islands and the Northern Territory of Australia, he and his cameraman companion were aiming to record not just the wildlife, but the way of life of some of the indigenous people of these regions, whose traditions had never been encountered by most of the British public before.
From the land divers of Pentecost Island and the sing-sings of New Guinea, to a Royal Kava Ceremony on Tonga and the ancient art of the Northern Territory, it is a journey like no other. Alongside these remarkable cultures, he encounters paradise birds, chameleons, sifakas, and many more animals in some of the most unqiue environments on the planet.
Written with David Attenborough’s characteristic charm, humour and warmth, Journeys to the Other Side of the World is an inimitable adventure among people, places and the wildest of wildlife.
I almost screamed when I found out that David Attenborough had released yet another book. After all, the man is honestly my idol and I find it impossible to pass up anything that involves his work. Not only do I love finding out more about a man who has a lot to do with my choice in career path, but I also love the style in which he writes. He is funny and entertaining. And the beautiful way in which he writes transports you to another world and another time.
Where Adventures of a Young Naturalist takes you on the first few zoo quest expeditions and the animals that they encountered, Journeys to the Other Side of the World has more of a focus on the people that were encountered. And I loved this change of pace. Although it is the animal and conservation aspect of Attenborough’swork that I have always been obsessed with, the anthropologist in me is enthralled by the cultures that are encountered. Especially considering that this would have been at least fifty years ago, so the changes that would have occurred have made many of these places and peoples change entirely.
I’m so incredibly disappointed that this book is over. I loved going through the Pacific Islands, Madagascar and Australia. Especially considering it was such a different time, and even if I followed in David’sfootsteps, I wouldn’t be able to see half of the things that he had. It’s a different world, a different time, and a different place. And one that I found incredibly fun and intriguing.
Tanith Lee provides an alternate (and slightly disturbed) take on Snow White that will leave you thinking about it, and feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
Not all fairy tales have a happy ending, and in the case of
Snow Drop, there is most certainly not a happy ending. At least for Snow Drop… I’m
still not sure whether the ending was happy or just twisted for Cristena…
I honestly thought by the name of this short story that there
would be an innocent at some point throughout. Whether it was the reworked Snow
White, the reworked step mother, or some vague bystander. I thought that in
some way, there would be a purity and innocence to this story that would
contrast with the darkness.
I was wrong.
So very, very wrong. There is no innocence in this story. There
is no purity, and the depths of depravity throughout the story just kept on exceeding
my expectations. Not that I minded… it was just enough “huh” to make this story
impossible to put down and even more impossible to forget.
Title: Beloved Beast Author: Lois Greiman In: The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance (Trisha Telep) Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Romance Pace: Medium Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: She turned her head slightly.
Swift is a pickpocket, but a chance meeting with a man of the clergy could change her fate forever.
This short story really made me think of Oliver Twist. There’s
a somewhat innocent pick pocket. A not so nice man in charge, and a protector
who ends up saving the day. Alright, I don’t think that a protector actually
saved the day in Oliver Twist… I remember a vaguely sad and disturbed ending
(although it has been a long time since I’ve visited the story).
Although this is a romance story in a collection of Scottish
romance, I didn’t find it to be that… well, Scottish. Sure it’s based in
Scotland and the man wears a kilt. But unlike some of the other stories in this
collection, it just felt a lot more modern and less about the highlands. Which
I thought was great. You need a break in the repetitive settings and themes
every now and again.
