Review: Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day by Ben Loory

by Carol5 Comments
Isn't the cover of Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day by Ben Loory just gorgeous? I wanted to love this collection of stories about odd characters, talking TVs, an apartment dwelling octopus, houses who long for the sea, but it just didn't work for me. I enjoy short stories, so that wasn't it, and I liked the off-beat, rather dark fantasy feeling that pervaded the book, but none of the stories made me say, "Wow!" I even tried reading a couple out loud, but still they were just okay, interesting, but not compelling. Maybe I read them too quickly, maybe I should have slowed down and savored them, but I just didn't care enough to. I read each, said "oh" or "that's it?" or "okay," and moved onto the next one. Out of the 39 or so very short stories, I think I only remember about 5 and it's only been a little over a week since I...
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Bucket List

by Carol14 Comments
We’ve all got one. A list of things we want to do / see / accomplish / taste / feel / try in our lifetime. A bucket list. Here's 15 things off mine. See the Grand Canyon Vacation in Italy Read The Three Musketeers Run a 5K Go on a cruise See a Broadway show in NYC Go to a World Series Game Celebrate Christmas Eve with a Feast of the Seven Fishes Get a massage Write a book, even if no one else ever reads it Eat at LeMont Take ballroom dancing lessons Eat sushi Learn how to cook a signature meal, from appetizer through dessert See Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap at St. Martin's Theatre This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details....
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Flash Fiction: Beneath the Moon

by Carol2 Comments
Beneath the Moon 377 Words Moonlight shines in the window behind me casting shadows in the small chapel. My nights have taken on a rhythm, a comforting pattern. Just after the sun sets, I awaken from a dreamless sleep and the minute I move the cat who shares this space heads out the door. She has her own agenda. I say a brief prayer of thanks, whether I’m heard or not I don’t know, then leave the peaceful calm of the old building. I’ll spend tonight, as I usually do lately, with Michael. I walk the few blocks to his house, occasionally marveling at the changes my city has gone through over the centuries I’ve lived here, the way she has transformed herself. Gas lit cobblestone streets are now lined with electric lamps and paved in a dull gray. Instead of the clattering of hooves, I hear the pounding of the bass from a teenager’s car radio. Even the buildings have lost...
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Thursday’s Tale: Hallow’s Eve by Sarah Deimer

by Carol6 Comments
I know I usually feature traditional fairy tales on Thursdays or re-tellings that still feature the well-known characters, but today's tale is a little different. Hallow's Eve by Sarah Deimer is an original, modern "Halloween fairy tale," but it is an adorable story. Laluna, our heroine, is a pretty witch with bright red hair who has no family after the recent death of her grandmother. Laluna is not a typical witch, in fact "she was a HORRIBLE witch and a FANTASTIC baker," but when an old school friend asks for a potion, Laluna can't say no, even though it is a love potion. Of course, it all backfires, and Laluna ends up missing the Witch's Ball on Halloween night to deal with a zombie in love. It's such a sweet little story, for being full of witches, ghosts, a vampire, a werewolf, a zombie, even Death himself. What's funny is the scariest person is actually the human, the woman who caused the...
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Top Ten Halloween Reads

by Carol7 Comments
I don't tend to read horror novels, or really any truly scary books, but there are some that are just perfect to read around Halloween. I included some kids books, too, just because I loved them when Amber was little. Top Ten Halloween Reads 1. The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain - Three terrified little bears explore the inside of a mysterious old tree and go into, up, through, over, down, and out. I love the illustrations in this one, too. 2. Dracula by Bram Stoker - The classic story of  the aristocratic vampire that haunts the Transylvanian countryside is a must-read and perfect for the season. 3. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irvin - Amber and I are reading this one together this year. It's a little old-fashioned, but a Halloween classic. I love the Disney version too. 4. Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe - Great story about a vampire bunny and some other...
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