2018 Short Story Advent Calendar Unveiling: December 16
A little worse for wear, but still reading and eating chocolate, so basically everything’s fine. How did we get to December 16 already?
Reproduction by Ian Williams, winner of the 2019 Giller Prize is a quirky read. Aside from this book being PAINFULLY LONG, I enjoyed it. It plays with lots of things: format, timelines, even phrasing. That being said, I’m a reader who doesn’t like freaky-deaky experimentation in my books, but I still found this story readable….
Its fabulous title originally drew me to the short story collection Not the Apocalypse I Was Hoping For by Leslie Greentree, but the fact that it’s a locally published and authored work, right here in Calgary at the University of Calgary Press, was reason enough for me to read this one; I love a book…
How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa most recently appeared on the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist, and we’ll find out on October 5 if it makes it to the shortlist. Interestingly, it’s a collection of short stories, written by a poet. It’s rare that a collection of short stories appears on an award list like…
A few weeks ago, our kitty Makita (pictured above) gave us a little scare. She stopped eating and drinking for almost 6 straight days, and was in and out of the animal hospital. It was finally determined she was suffering from a bad sinus infection, so luckily a week of antibiotics has returned her to…
Does a book called “Hot Stew” all about a crowded neighborhood kind of give you the willies? Normally I’d say ‘me too’, but because I’ve spent the last two years avoiding people, Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley sounded like something I wanted to dive into immediately. It’s set in the present day (sans Covid) in…
I’m squeaking this video in at the last minute here, which is probably a sign of things to come as Christmas draws nearer. But doesn’t the tree look so nice, all lit up as it gets darker outside? One of the few benefits of not recording this video earlier in the day I suppose. Anyway,…
Comments are closed.
“A man and a boy crossed the parking lot and they were drawn as if melting, they were shaped like gum being stretched from a shoe.” Wow! End of review. JK, what a beautiful story of love lost and found and all of the questions we ask ourselves. It was fragmented, but I appreciated that approach, given it was a recollection of events and random thoughts. And I loved the commentary about technology and the lack thereof woven throughout the ‘narrative’. Simpler times?
Glad to see you up and about, and, yes, kitties are very intuitive…and therapeutic.
so true! I must admit I’m in a grumpy mood because of my surgery so I’m probably not as ‘giving’ as I would normally be in my reading
Poor you! You deserve so much more than a miserable chocolate square! (I’m sure you’ve had more than fifteen of them already…) Have some chocolate ice cream.
great minds think alike! My husband picked me up some today :)
You know what’s strange is my cat will not leave me alone when I don’t feel good. I mentioned that I went to the ER last weekend, and though I was only gone 8-9 hours, when we got back she was all up in my face and following me around. She especially attentive when I have cramps and always manage to lay in just the right spot on my abdomen to purr (she doesn’t usually lay with me).
awwwww so cute!! Cats are the best.
Their purrs resonate at a healing frequency, so perhaps she is more attuned to her magic-cat-powers than some other cats. :)
I like the sound of that!
LOL! I love that expression: “magic-cat-powers.” I HAVE heard about the healing frequency before!
me too!!!
Glad you are recovering and enjoying the stories so much. I admire your dedication to posting daily about them. (But am still stubborn about limiting my screentime, so I’m admiring from the sidelines!)
understood! This does take an effort, that’s for sure.
And you can’t even prepare very far ahead because they are timed-release. Like vitamins!
So glad it went well! And now I am caught up a little but, too!
I agree with everyone – cats are the best! I’m watching one of my cats right now playing with my daughter’s bunny. So cute!