Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles by Anne Tyler

**Thanks to NetGalley for this little gem!**

Well, that went quicker than expected. I was really in that reading zone and the story was over. So, the good thing is, great story.

But the bad news is, it's very quick and then over. I'm not even sure what to tell you without ruining the story.

It's about a likable lady with a heavy burden. You'll have to read it to learn more. It's $0.99 on Amazon. I do like Anne Tyler, and it's an awfully good story.

Book Review: The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen

**Thank you NetGalley for another winner!**

This is absolutely as much fun as the cover implies. Jane reimagines so many stories that we are familiar with. She takes sometimes real people, and adds something fantastic. How did Has Christian Anderson become such a beloved author of children's tales? She has one about Queen Victoria and even Edgar Allen Poe.

Then she has ones like The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and even Peter Pan. The Peter Pan one was my favorite.

She takes these stories and carves out a little piece and makes it her own. Her use of language was so enjoyable. She clearly can weave a story. I will be looking for more from her when my own must-be-read list finally dwindles.

Book Review: The Overneath by Peter S. Beagle

**Thank you, NetGalley, for the digital copy!**

You know, a lot of people look at me funny when I mention The Last Unicorn, but it was a life changing movie when I was a kid. And when I found out this is the guy who wrote it...I was all in. I haven't read The Last Unicorn yet, but he wrote the book AND the screenplay!

This was awesome writing! The fantastical stories he has in his head. And he creates characters that you care about, even in the shortest time. Shoot, there was one story that I really didn't care for and I still had to finish it to find out what happened.

If you have followed me at all, you know I'm not a huge short story fan. But this was a complete winner! And going forward, I am going to have to investigate this author.

Book Review: The New Death and Others

by: James Hutchings

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Review originally posted on Pagan Culture

Synopsis:
Death gets a roommate...

An electronic Pope faces a difficult theological question...

A wicked vizier makes a terrible bargain...

44 stories. 19 poems. No sparkly vampires. There's a thin line between genius and insanity, and James Hutchings has just crossed it - but from which direction?

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When Magaly asked me to review this, I wasn't sure how I would fit it in. The very first story had me hooked and I readily agreed. I highlighted so many quotes in this that made me gave me pause or made me chuckle…some did both. There was an underlying heaviness to every poem or story. Some subtle and others not so much making commentary on our current state of affairs in this society and the political system we currently support.

I especially loved the fast moving tales that took the tone of an ancient myth. Take the first tale where he tells the story of how the gods met to decide who took care of the different people and animals, and when it came time to decide on the poor...

There was a long pause. The gods shuffled their feet and avoided one another’s gaze. At last a voice broke the silence. “I will,” said Death.

I can’t possibly use all the passages that I highlighted. In Everlasting Fire, the author makes light of his use of puns…even saying he doesn’t do that anymore. But there follows plenty of stories where he goes hog-wild with them. He also has a thing for mimes. Mr. Hutchings is unafraid to use big words. And more than once I was happy my Nook has a built in dictionary. “Thaumaturge” was used a few times…and I had to look it up for each use.

I was a quarter of the way in before I realized this wasn’t a multiple author work. Bravo! The words danced through the pages. The humor was light and everything was fairly easy to take whilst being simultaneously intense. Nothing very gross or terrifying. But there were more than a few times where a story made me gasp in surprise at the ending or the terror and tragedy within the tale. Here’s a quote from a poem that left me weeping for the unloved child the narrator is.

I ate your food and slept beneath your roof, that’s normal for a child.

The joking-but-not-joking way you said you couldn’t wait until I turned eighteen so you could pack my bags and then give me a bill has worn my gratitude away…

But then he gets light again with a tale of cats attempting world domination:

There was a great anger against cats. But then the cats did a cute look and mewed pathetically, so everyone forgave them.

My favorite tale (mentioned earlier) is Everlasting Fire. It takes place in Hell where Lilly is a demon whose job is to set up ironic punishments for the dead. He made up 2 new deadly sins, using puns and saying “LOL” aloud. I shake in terror at her punishment for critics…forced to review books from “The Library That Contains Nothing But Fan-Fiction.” I better start being a good girl. LOL – it’s typed, not a sin.

In the Middle of Almost and Other Stories

by: S.B. Lerner

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis (from Goodreads)
An engrossing collection of funny, poignant and bittersweet stories about busy young women who find men in all the wrong places (the garage attendant across the street, the stay-at-home dad in the playground, the younger man at the diner counter) and discover something about themselves in the process.

The stories speak to the curiosities and actual experiences of many city dwellers...A cross between anonymity and 'what-ifs'.

The short stories and memoir were previously published in literary magazines and newspapers.

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This is a VERY fast read. In fact, I would call it flash fiction rather than short stories.

I really enjoyed every story. They were romantic in nature, but not the happy ending kind. More the reality kind. Where that warm and fuzzy feeling either isn't there or it isn't enough. There was one story about a recently widowed mother. I recognized the lost feeling as she's sitting at the park she thinks:

Watching my four-year-old son isn't exactly work, but neither is it relaxation. It's like being a sentry in peacetime - it's important, but there's not much to do.

The book includes 5 short stories, an excerpt from a novel and 2 short memoirs. Both deal with her parents survival of the holocaust. Her father was so much older when she saw the pain it caused him. The following quote is from when the author, as an adult walks into her father's office and spots him, looking at photos from his youth back in Poland.

"Did anyone else survive?"

He kind of shrugged at first. "No...well, I was just looking at them..."

The book read very fast, but it was all really good. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good chick lit, but can live without the "love conquers all" type themes. It really was refreshing.

Pink Snowbunnies in Hell: A Flash Fiction Anthology

Edited by Debora Geary

Available as an e-book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

Synopsis: A sleep-deprived author mixes up her metaphors.

A graphic designer has too much time on his hands.

Twenty writers, fueled by copious amounts of chocolate, dream up quirky, funny, and occasionally creepy stories.

And the Pink Snowbunnies in Hell Flash-Fiction Anthology was born.

These are very short stories, under a thousand words each. Some have actual bunnies. Some take rather offbeat trips through the underworld. And some just have a character that shares the sleep-deprived author’s mixed metaphors.

All proceeds from this anthology are going to local animal shelters. Pink snowbunnies can take care of themselves, but thank you for helping us support those animals who do need a little assistance.

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Pink Snowbunnies in Hell is a collection of very short stories (flash fiction) with one thing in common – Pink Snowbunnies skiing in Hell. There are some that take that literally and make a comic spin on it. There are some (more) that use it as a line, “pink snowbunnies will ski in Hell” instead of “when Hell freezes over.” Debora Geary, our beloved Modern Witch writer has a story at the end, with Jamie picking out a gift for her baby girl for the shower. You know Aervyn is in this one too, giving his uncle Jamie assistance.

Now I am going to highlight a few of my favorites in this anthology. When, a poem by Robin Reed about all the “whens” that have to happen before “pink snowbunnies will ski in Hell!” I like “When all war has truly ended,” and I giggled at “When solar panels are installed for all to see, on the headquarters of Exxon, Mobil and BP.” It’s a fantastic poem, and I’m not much into poetry.

It Finally Happens…by Heather Marie Adkins. It’s about Hell finally freezing over, which Satan isn’t that surprised by given God’s sick sense of humor. It’s our fault for always saying “when Hell freezes over.” And even Hitler joins in with a great line, “this is going to kill my daisies.” LMAO – this perfectly tickled my funny bone. And yes pink snowbunnies showed up to start skiing and Satan sighs thinking of the paperwork he has to do.

Careful What You Wish For by Barbara Annino. I think this was the longest story by far, but it also made me laugh. It was about George and his genie Eugene who can’t seem to get a wish right. Someone sees Eugene’s lamp and points out it’s a bong…poor Eugene is stoned! *giggle*

Of Demons and Bunnies by Nichole Chase is another one that takes a literal bend on the theme. Pink snowbunnies are in Hell because someone took what Gary said literally about “pink snowbunnies will ski in Hell before Tom gets the promotion.” Ooops, and the pink bunnies came from purgatory…pink bunnies that guaranteed promotions. Yeah I can see purgatory being full of silly stuff like that. LOL This isn’t everything, you have to read this one!

And finally another poem, Pink Snowbunnies Acrostic by Molly Black. It is a fine poem, I really enjoyed it. What really got me though, was at the very end in the “author” section it states that Molly Black does not exist. No one wrote this poem. (Yes I know someone did but a very well hidden pen name was used.)

Rex Jameson (author of Lucifer's Odyssey) has a story in the book but he sent me a link to read one he thinks is much funnier. In the Anthology he wrote "Don't Mess with the Meadow" where a pink snowbunny bounty hunter goes down to hell to deliver some payback. Good story but the one on his blog is funny. Go here to read the story by Jeanne Miller and Rex Jameson.

Only 99 cents for this book and all the authors are using the proceeds to help animal shelters. A great time and a good deed all for one small price.

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And the winner of the software from MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software is Sosanna of Confessions of a Modern Witch.

How to Dump Your Boyfriend in the Men's Room

(And Other Short Stories)
by: Sibel Hodge

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

Synopsis:
A collection of five humorous short stories – what I like to call true fiction. Are you ready to find out “how to dump your boyfriend in the men’s toilets”, why “yoga is bad for your house”, what the “S-Word has to do with your lady garden”, why you need to “follow that goat”, and whether “kismet” does really exist?

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Cute cover! It's one of the reasons I enjoy chick-lit, the colorful and cartooney covers.

Now Sibel Hodge mentions in the Author's Note that these books are unrelated. Some are true and some aren't...that's the clue! I forgot because they are all written from the 1st person. I was 3 stories in and feeling really confused before I remembered. So - just letting you know up front, read each story as it's own separate work.

The stories themselves are all quick and fun. I think I loved the Yoga is Bad for you House story best. She is too impatient to do the more difficult poses and ends up blasting her foot through the wall. Turns out for the best as the living room is redecorated due to their inability to find matching paint during the repair. lol

Right now this e-book is 99cents, not a big investment. And it also has chapters from a few of her other novels as a special preview.