Short Story Monday: Ponies by Kij Johnson

by Carol12 Comments
I read another Nebula nominee today, "Ponies" by Kij Johnson, available on-line here at Tor.com. It's an awful little story, not because it's badly written, but the end made me cover my mouth in horror. In this world, every girl has a pony with wings, a unicorn horn and a voice. A time comes, as the girl gets older, when she and her pony are invited to a cutting-out party, where the girl has to cut out two of her pony's three gifts. It's more like cutting a doll; it doesn't seem to physically hurt the ponies. Barbara and her pony Sunny are looking forward to their cutting-out party, but what happens is just devastating. I understand that it's a story about growing up, about the pressures to fit in and the tendency for girls to be downright cruel at times, but I almost wish I hadn't read it. It's well-written but so disturbing. 1,255 words Tor.com 11/17/10 5 out of 5 stars John hosts...
Read More

Shoes

by Carol14 Comments
My tennis shoes and I have been getting to know each other a lot better lately. David and I have been heading out to the track every other day or so, walking and jogging. I hate it. Exercise is not something I enjoy, but I know it's good for me, so I'm trying. Happily, David's doing it with me. He actually has a goal - to be in good enough shape that softball doesn't kill him when it starts at the end of May. I'm proud of us. We've gone out five times so far, once when it was sprinkling a little. I'll tell you though, my legs were killing me yesterday when we were done. Eventually it'll get easier, right?...
Read More

Review: The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell

by Carol5 Comments
I honestly don't even know where to start my comments when it comes to The Pig Did It. I'm not even sure if I liked it or not, but it was compelling in some odd way. I had to keep reading, just to see where the story went. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters, and I felt like the author was almost trying to hard to be witty and amusing, but I wanted to keep reading. The narrator is Aaron, a writer and teacher who has come to his aunt's house in Ireland to grieve to over a woman, not a woman he loved mind you, but a woman he wanted to love him but who had not interest in him whatsoever. He's self-absorbed and whiny, and wet for most of the book. Near the beginning of the story, due to an accident and a bus having to stop, he ends up being followed to his Aunt Kitty's...
Read More

At Willowside (Flash Fiction)

by Carol8 Comments
At Willowside by Carol 350 words Oran kept walking, didn’t look back at the village. Claire was dead, buried yesterday, an accident. How could it have been an accident? The best archer in the village missing his target by yards? Even in the slight wind, Oran found it doubtful, but with no proof he couldn’t accuse the man, and even the elders had been afraid of Claire, of her visions, especially her last one. Claire had told the council about invaders from the north. She saw them, swords at their sides, riding into the village on horses as dark as coal. She had naively told them, too, that in her vision the intruders had met with the council, which was, Oran believed, why she had been killed. He had no evidence nor did he  have Claire’s gift, but he had a foreboding feeling the elders knew the invasion was coming, were anticipating it. Oran knew them to be crafty men, eager for power, not...
Read More

Friday’s Tale: Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird, and the Gray Wolf

by Carol3 Comments
Isn't that bird gorgeous? Lots of threes in this story. A tsar, with three sons, has a magnificent walled garden, full of rare trees, including an apple tree whose apples were made of solid gold. One day, the tsar notices each night one apple goes missing. He sets guards to watch the garden and they reported that every night there came flying into the garden a bird that shone like the moon, whose feathers were gold and its eyes like crystal, which perched on the apple tree, plucked a golden apple and flew away. The oldest two sons fail in their attempt to catch the Fire Bird, and on the third night, the youngest, Ivan, only succeeds in grabbing a feather, but after that the bird doesn't return. The two older brothers go out to retrieve the bird, but give up when it became difficult and pitched their tent in a pleasant area and relaxed. When they don't come back, Ivan begs until he...
Read More

Bacon

by Carol25 Comments
My daughter is a meat-lover through and through, and her favorite is bacon. I don't understand it myself. While I find bacon too salty and greasy, she would eat it every day. Sadly, in her opinion, I only buy it once in a great while, partly because I just don't think it's that healthy and partly because I may the grocery list, so usually it consists of mostly things I like. Bacon is one of the first foods she learned to cook herself  - the microwave makes it easy. And it's not just for breakfast. She also asks for those little round steaks wrapped in bacon, one of my least favorite meals. When we went to Packs and Dogs a while ago, she ordered a hot dog covered with bacon and devoured it. Potato soup apparently needs crumbled bacon on top, as do potato skins. For the record, though don't buy bacon-flavored microwave popcorn. Thanks to my brother she got three...
Read More