Sunday Salon...a Whining Post AND Short Story Sunday

Commence Whining: I haven't done a Sunday Salon post in MONTHS. Lately, I haven't really felt that I have anything of any value to say. I mean, I love blogging. But recently, I've just felt so bogged down with life that the little time I have to blog, I can't think of anything to say. Does that every happen to you? I mean, I actually have a ton of posts I could write: A RIP Wrap-up, a couple of book reviews, a Library Loot post, more challenge post. Or even something family related. And yet when I sit down at the computer, the blahs hit. Nothing I type is interesting. Nothing really excites me. And all I can think is this: "Who wants to Read this Crap anyway?" Am I actually doing something worthwhile here?? I hope so. I'd hate to think that I'm just wasting my time. With so little time, sometimes I feel like I'm on the fringe of blogging. Not really here enough to make the little connections that are necessary to keep going. Not being able to participate in all the fun, like the Read-a-Thon. Not keeping track of the friends I have made well enough.


I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm just feeling the pressure of the season, and the stress of Mike not working. Or the stress of all the hours I've been putting in. Or the pressure of spending quality time with the kids when all I really want to do is crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head and sleep well into next week. Or maybe it's the fact that my shoulder isn't healing all that well and I'm constantly in either A). Pain or B). a Pain-Killer Induced Haze. At one point a few years back I was actually taking some anti-depressants. Maybe I should find me some "happy" pills again.

I'm not writing this for any type of sympathy. I think I just need to let it all out. Truth of the matter is, I am sitting here, seriously lonely right now. I'm working the weekend at the Red Cross. Saturday night/Sunday mornings are the worst here. Next to one security guard, I'm literally the only person in the building. I'm here mainly for emergency purposes. I like alone time. But tonight, I'm just craving an actual person to talk to. Unfortunately, even Twitter is rather deserted tonight. I guess every once in a great while I need to step back, take a breath, and re-evaluate things. Tonight seems to be one of those times.

End Whining.

In all actuality, it was a good week. The kids parent/teacher conferences were this week. Bella is getting all B's, except Reading, where she is excelling. (go figure!) She lacks a little self-confidence, but she got the lead of Mrs. Santa Claus in the Christmas play, so she's actually doing better. Ana is reading at a 5th grade level (in 2nd grade). The teacher is moving her to an Advanced Readers Group with 3 other kids because she's afraid her 2nd grade work is going to bore her. Straight A's. And Chad....all A's, except for a B in Art. He's taking High School level Algebra and is in all Accelerated classes. His teachers are already recommending AP classes for him in high school. So yeah...I'm pretty proud of the Kiddies. We even went to see a movie tonight: Cirque du Freak: Vampire's Assistant. Is it just me, or is John C. Reilly like the coolest nerd ever??

I have 2 book reviews to do. I've actually been reading. Right now, I'm reading a fantastic collection of essays. I don't really like essays, but this one is well-worth reading. I can't wait to review it!!

So....on to a few Short Stories for this Sunday: Again, from John Connolly's Nocturnes.

The Inkpot Monkey - Mr. Edgerton was suffering from writer's block. Mr. Edgerton was a modestly successful author. But lately he has been unable to write a word. Always looking for inspiration, he wanders into an old antiques store and sees a little inkpot, with what looks like a tiny stuffed monkey. According to ancient Chinese mythology, the monkey will provide artistic inspiration in return for the residues of ink left at the bottom of the inkpot. Mr. Edgerton is willing to try anything to escape the writer's block, so he buys the little inkpot monkey. But is he really ready to give all the monkey wants in return for the inspiration??

The Shifting of the Sands - The decision to reopen the rectory at Black Sands was not made lightly. The people at Black Sands were not a religious people. In fact, they went out of their way NOT to be. But they were a prosperous group, and lucky too. In fact, for a sea-faring community, they were incredibly lucky. Not even once has a Black Sands native been lost to the sea. However, once every twenty years an outsider drowned in the area. 20 years ago, it was the rector at the church. But now that a new rector is in town, will he survive or will he have the same fate befallen upon him?

Some Children Wander by Mistake - The circus seldom came to towns in the North. For William, the thought of the circus was incredibly exciting. He was pretty much a loner at school. He has dealt with his share of bullies, too. But he loved the idea of the circus. Because he LOVED Clowns. And the circus brought with it the promise of clowns. But while William does get to see the clowns, it's not at all the way he pictured it. Because he finds out a little truth in life: Clowns are not made, they are born.

Deep Dark Green - We never should have gone near Baal's Pond. There was a mystery surrounding the dark waters of Baal's pond. At one time, there was a house on that very spot. But something sinister lived in there. Something that took the village's children. So the villagers took it upon themselves to destroy everything. And with some stolen kegs of gunpowder, the river was re-directed over the spot on which the house sat. Now, that is where the deep, dark waters of Baal's pond sits. The kids say you should never swim there. For if you do, you might not ever come back.....

I am once again amazed at how wonderful and creepy Connolly's short stories are!! As a self-confessed Coulrophobic, I have a deep-seated and extremely unnatural fear of clowns. They freak me out. Always have. *shudder* So let's just say that Some Children Wander by Mistake completely played to all my fears!! I KNEW there was a reason I hated them!! But really, each story was good. Like I said in previous posts, if you liked fun, creepy, eerie short stories, go get this book!! (Will post the last of them next Sunday!)

Till then, Happy Reading!!

Short Story Sunday

I really meant to post this LAST Sunday. I'm almost finished with the book (only the Charlie Parker Novella left) and yet, I've only posted one Short Story Sunday. It looks like I'll be posting even after the challenge has finished!! Once again, selections are being taken from John Connolly's awesome book of shorts, Nocturnes! This book has some seriously great short stories!

The New Daughter. "In truth, I cannot recall the first time I noticed the change in her behavior. She was always developing, altering -- or so it seemed -- with each passing day. The story of a single father who decides to move his children to the country and get out of the city. He bought an old rectory set on acres of land. The house had been on the market for ages, and at first, it seemed a steal. Until he started attributing the changes in his daughter on the house. Or rather on the mound that was located in one of the fields on the property. A "burial" mound, or so said some of the locals. What was actually buried there? And did it have anything to do with the strange scraping sounds that could be heard outside the bedroom windows at night? (When he woke one night to find his daughter at the edge of his bed. And she said: "I'm not Louisa. I'm your new daughter". I got chills!)

The Ritual of the Bones. "The headmaster's voice was the voice of God". This is the story of Jenkins, one of the two scholarship students at The Montague School, one of the most prestigious prep schools in all of England. Only the wealthiest, most elite families had children at The Montague School. But once every ten years, a couple of scholarships were doled out to worthy students. As with any prep school, there were rituals and pomp and circumstance. But one of the strangest was the ceremony when certain select upperclassmen were presented with small velvet boxes -- each one containing a bone. Where did the bones come from...and what was the REAL Ritual of the Bones?

The Furnace Room. "The Thibault company once made locomotives and carriages for the railroads, famous names that ran on lines all across the Northeast: green cars for Wicasset and Quebec; green and red for Sandy River; yellow and green for Bridgton and Saco. This is the story of a loner with a secret past who drifts into town looking for a job. One day on a walk along the waterfront, he sees a sign for a Night Watchman at the old Thibault company. Seems like an easy job, at least until the night he hears noises. And sees strange creatures going to the "Furnace Room". But what really gets him, is seeing his wife there. The wife he had killed.

The Underbury Witches. "Steam and fog swirled together upon the station platform, turning men and women into gray phantoms and creating traps for unwary out of carelessly positioned cases and chests." The town of Underbury has a sordid history. In 1628, Ellen Drury and her sisters were executed for witchcraft. Now, 200 years later, Sergeant Stokes and Inspector Croft of Scotland Yard are called to the town of Underbury to investigate the mysterious death of a local man. A man that wasn't exactly the nicest man around. A man that had a history of abuse towards women. But what animal could have caused the death? Because surely the wounds inflicted on Mal Travers were not made by a human. But if it wasn't an animal, what could it have been? And what secret are the women of Underbury hiding?

I'll leave it at 4 stories this week. 4 really GOOD stories. I have to say that The New Daughter was probably the creepiest of all that I read this week. Seriously, I got chills reading this one (AND I see they are making a movie based on this story. With Kevin Costner. Interesting.) If you like creepy, scary short stories, I highly recommend this book!! John Connolly definitely knows how to set the mood!! Although the RIP IV Challenge will be over, I'll be back next Sunday to finish up my review of this book!! Till then, happy reading !!

Short Story Sunday - Nocturnes by John Connolly

I woke up this morning feeling the chill in the air. Autumn has arrived in all it's wonderful glory!! (actually, I don't think summer was every really here. I remember spring, then lots and lots of rain. Now, Autumn!) It's in the low 50's, and I'm getting the kids ready for Chad's football game. But before I go, I wanted to do a Short Story Sunday Post.

I'm pretty sure the last Short Story Sunday I participated in was last year, during the RIP challenge. In fact, it seems the only short stories I ever read are during RIP. I've never really been a big fan. It takes a special writer to be able to do the short story right. It's hard to create characters that people want to get to know and care about in only a few short pages. Neil Gaiman can do it. So can Stephen King. Joe Hill has a little of his daddy's talent as well. Can you tell the only short stories I read are spooky?? I've tried a few others, but none really captured my interest too well. Until now.

A few years ago, I read a wonderful book called The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. I can not begin to tell you how much I loved this little treasure. (Instead, I'll just point you to my review. I gushed enough here.) Suffice it to say, if you haven't read the book, it's a wonderfully dark, sinister fairy tale and worth ever second you have the cover opened.

But today, we are going to talk about John Connolly's book of short stories: Nocturnes. I've missed the first half of the RIP Shorts Challenge, but I won't miss another Sunday.

The Cancer Cowboy Rides is the first story in the collection, and one of the longest. The cowboy's name was not Buddy Carson. The cowboy didn't have a name, not now. There may have been one a long time ago, but if there was, then it had been lost to him for many years. Jim Lopez was the Chief of Police in the small hamlet of Easton, New Hampshire. It was quiet and small, a place where everyone knew your name. And he loved his town. Being Chief of Police was easy in a town like Easton. There was never a lot of trouble....at least there wasn't until the day Buddy Carson arrived in town and people started getting sick. Really sick. It seems that everywhere the cowboy touches, cancer seems to spread. And it's up to Lopez to save not only the ones he loves, but the entire town of Easton from the Cancer Cowboy.

Mr. Pettinger's Daemon is the story of Mr. Pettinger. He was a chaplain during World War II and had seen the horrors of war first hand. Now that the war had ended, he is trying to pick up the pieces of his mind and move on. The Bishop has decided to move him to the tiny parish of Chetwyn-Dark to recuperate. Mr. Fell, the minister there now has seemingly had a "crisis of faith", and needs to be replaced. It is up to Mr. Pettinger to find out what has been going on in this tiny parish. And to find out exactly what has been trying to dig itself out of the crypt that is directly beneath the church in Chetwyn-Dark.

Finally, we have The Erlking, which is the tale of something that goes bump in the night. The Erlking, that steals children away from the beds, never to be seen again.

I love this time of year!! I love the scary story and the urban legend. And I love tales of things that go bump in the night! I had to look up The Erlking to find it's origins. It is found a lot in old German poems and ballads and is described as a "malevolent creature who haunts forests and carries travelers off to their deaths". But Connolly's short story is based on a ballad by Goethe called Der Erlkonig, who preys on children, in the forest. And it literally sent shivers down my spine. Not bad for a story that's only 10 pages long!! Connolly definitely joins the ranks of Gaiman and King as a talented writer that can scare you with the short story!! (I know. This isn't much of a review. I have problems with reviewing Short Stories! Maybe next week will be better!) Till next week then!!

Short Story Sunday.....on Monday Final Week (for Fragile Things)

Well, this is the final installation of Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things. So if you are tired of me blathering on about it, then fear not! I am finished. If you like reading the posts, then hang on till next week. I may start a NEW Neil Gaiman book of Short Stories!!

John, from The Book Mine Set also asked me to host this week's Short Story Monday! So if you read a short story this week, just leave me a link to your review!! That way, we can all enjoy it! (I'd use Mr. Linky, but frankly I just don't feel like the hassle!)

"If you ask me," said the little man to Shadow, "you're something of a monster. Am I right?" And so begins The Monarch in the Glen, the final story in Fragile Things. It is a short Novella, and it features Shadow, from the book American Gods. This story takes place 18 months afterwards. Shadow has been on the road since then, and is now in a small village in Scotland. He was approached by a man called Dr. Gaskell. The little grey man had a proposition for Shadow. He was looking for a big guy, a "monster", to work at a weekend party. He was needed to be a "bouncer" to keep the locals away from the rich, weekend guests. The pay was large for a weekend. And Shadow was chosen for a reason.

The story is filled with fables and tales of Grendel and hulders and Norse Gods. Gaiman has a way of taking legends and making them his own. With this one, he weaves a wonderful tale about a monsters -- and asks the question, Who really is the Monster? Before I read this story, Shadow was one of my favorite literary characters. And he still is!! This was the perfect way to bring Shadow back, and I'm really hoping that some day there will be more to Shadow's story.

That's it for Fragile Things. It was a fantastic book filled with stories about ghosts and legends, monsters and men. It has cemented Neil Gaiman as one of my very favorite authors! If you are looking for short stories that bite, definitely pick this one up!!

Don't forget to leave a link, if you have a short story to add to this week's Short Story Monday!!

Short Story Sunday.....on Monday Part VI

Yes, indeedy! It's Monday, and time for my next-to-last installment of Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things! And this week, the stories were very good! Aliens and Zombies and even a Phoenix. Oh my!

How to Talk to Girls at Parties is the story of Enn and his friend Vic. Enn is quite and shy and doesn’t understand girls in the least. Not Vic. He’s charming and lovable and the girls all flock to him. When Vic gets them an invitation to a party, Enn is worried that he won’t be able to talk to any girls that are there. After losing the address to the party, the boys walk up and down the street until there hear music. When they get to the party, it is filled with girls. Of course, these girls are different. They are “visitors” to the area! This story won the 2007 Locust award for Best Short Story, and it leaves a lot to your imagination!

The Day the Saucers Came is a remarkable little poem that gives a little insight into what happens to a person if he spends his (or her) life waiting around for someone else. It's an absolute gem!

Sunbird is an attempt by Gaiman to write a story in the style of R. A. Lafferty. It’s a tale of the Epicurean Club, and 5 of it’s members. The Epicurean Club has been around for many centuries. The Epicurean’s get together and feast on everything. From beetles to tigers, Mammoths to pandas, this group must try everything! And just when they think there is nothing left to try, Zebediah T. Crawcrustle, one of the oldest members, thinks of just one more thing they haven’t eaten. The Suntown Sunbird. It can only be found in Suntown, an area of Cairo, Egypt. So the group sets out to capture the elusive Sunbird.

Inventing Aladdin is a poem written by Gaiman in an attempt to show an example of how folklore or fairy tales come into being.

Once again, I am amazed by Gaiman. He's so creative, and can completely capture you imagination in just a few words (which is good, since the very nature of the short story is to be brief!) Although I thought Sunbird was rather strange, it was indeed engaging. And How to Talk to Girls at Parties was fantastic! It leaves you with just enough information, and then it's up to your own imagination! The last installment of this WONDERFUL book will be next week, when I review the last story, the short novella The Monarch of the Glen!

Short Story Sunday.....on Monday Part V

Yes, folks. It's that time again!! Time for another installment of my Neil Gaiman Short Stories from Fragile Things! I really hope I'm not boring you....and that you aren't logging on just to say, "Lord, is she ever going to FINISH this book!!" I'm just trying to follow through with the RIP II challenge and read short stories on Sunday! I'm enjoying it so much, it may be a tradition I continue!

Feeders and Eaters is actually a rather scary little tale. Gaiman said it started out as a nightmare for him, and I can understand why! A man is at a dirty little diner in the middle of the night waiting for his train. As he's sitting there trying to go unnoticed, a man calls out his name. He doesn't recognize the man, but soon finds out it's someone he used to work with, named Eddie Barrow. But Eddie doesn't look like the man he once knew. The old Eddie was tall, strong and handsome. This man is thin, gray and looks like he's been to hell and back. Eddie starts to tell him the story of what has happened to him, and it all leads to a little old woman that lived in the room next to his. A woman who has a need to FEED.

Diseasemaker's Croup was written as an entry to a book of imaginary diseases. It's a strange little entry that is full of babble and really big medical terms!! Not my cup of tea, but interesting.

In the End is a one-page filler that is apparently Gaiman's attempt at writing the last book of the Bible. It's pretty much a reversal of In the Beginning from the Book of Genesis. And I have to say I liked it alot.

And finally Goliath, which was actually written to be a part of the website for the movie The Matrix. This story takes place in London, and is about a man that is very tall....almost 7 feet. He has just been rejected by the RAF on account of his height. One day he's working at his boring job of bookkeeper, and all of a sudden, the world starts to melt and drip away. Colors are becoming puddles, and everything goes black. He meets a bespeckled man that tells him that everything will be back to normal soon. The world is under attack by aliens and missiles have taken out a central processor. Then....like nothing ever happened, the world is back to normal!! He thinks that it must have been a dream, but the memory of that time stays with him until he meets the man in glasses again 15 years later!

I'm a huge fan of the original Matrix movie!! It blew me away when I first saw it. But Goliath is great story that blends in nicely with the concept. Actually this story is probably better than either of the Matrix sequels! Feeders and Eaters is a great short story for the Halloween season. Dark, scary and leaves a person wondering. I keep asking myself, "How does Neil Gaiman come up with this stuff?" He really has a knack for inventing worlds and stories in just a few sentences. Actually, I think I have a total literary crush on the man. Stay tuned for the final 2 installments in the coming weeks!!

Short Story Sunday.....on Monday Part IV (But on Tuesday!)

Yes, I'm late with this one. Sorry. Yesterday I was pretty under the weather. I feel slightly better today, although not great. Damn, these headaches are killers, aren't they?

This week's readings for Short Story Sundays were a mixture of the odd, the weird, and the eerie! A perfect way to celebrate this October RIP season!

The first story I read was Harlequin Valentine. It's a strange little tale of Harlequin, inspired by Commedia dell'arte and the Harliquinaide pantomime. It is Valentine's Day, and Harlequin has found his Columbine, who is actually Missy. He decides to give her his heart for Valentine's Day. Literally, by nailing his own heart to her door. But it seems that the trick is actually on this trickster Harlequin, because Missy is a pretty shrewed gal!!

Locks is a poem about telling stories....this one is about Goldylocks and the 3 bears, as he is telling it to his daughter.

The Problem with Susan is a remarkable short story about Susan Pevensie, the girl from the C.S. Lewis Narnia tales. What really happened to the girl who wasn't allowed Paradise because she was 'too fond of lipsticks and nylons and invitations to parties'? Gaiman will tell you his interpretation!

Instructions is the coolest poem!! According to Gaiman, this poem gives you the instructions about what to do when you find yourself in a fairy tale!

How do You Think it Feels? is a small tale about a gargoyle. This gargoyle was not created to guard a building. It was created to guard a man's heart.

My Life was a poem that was written to accompany a picture of a sock-puppet in a book called Sock Monkeys. Sounds strange?? Yep. It is.

Finally, Fifteen Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot". I really don't even know how to describe this. It wasn't really a story. Not really a poem. Just kind of a description of the Tarot cards. Strange, but rather intriguing.

Yes, I'm still enjoying this. I even like the poetry. I don't know how much more I can gush about it. I was pleased with each of the stories this time, although I think I liked Harlequin Valentine the best. Sorry, I'm not more wordy today. I think it's the headache still lingering. Hopefully my review of The Giver that I will post tomorrow will be better!

Short Story Sunday.....on Monday Part III

Yes...it's that time again. Time for another installment of short stories from Neil Gaiman. Fragile Things, as you all know is the title of this compilation of stories. Last week, most of the stories I read were ghost stories. Not so much this week. How to categorize them? I really can't answer that. But they were all good. (maybe not as good as before, but still definitely worth reading!)

Bitter Grounds tells the story of a man who was driving to the store one day...and just kept driving. The first line of the story pretty much tells it all: "In every way that counted, I was dead". Pretty nifty opening line, wouldn't you say? On his journey, he meets a man in need of a ride. "People come into your life for a reason." It's a premise that follows him around the entire story. A story that takes him to New Orleans, involves him in discussions with a High Priestess of Santeria, and introduces him to the Zombie coffee girls. It's a strange little tale with a strange little ending.

Other People is a mere few pages and seems to me to be Gaiman's personal definition of what Hell really is.

Keepsakes and Treasures is one of those short stories that left me wanting more. I want to know more about these people. Mr. Smith and Mr. Alice. Or at least that's what they are called today. Mr. Smith was taken in by Mr. Alice at an early age. Mr. Smith was born to a woman in an asylum. He was placed in an orphanage, where most of the little boys were abused and used for the personal gratification of the director. The director that incidentally committed "suicide" when Mr. Smith was 12 years old. Mr. Alice requested a meeting with the boy, and realized the potential he had....the potential of a sociopath. The story itself describes only snippets of a much larger story, a story that Gaiman needs to write.

Good Boys Deserve Favors is a story of an uninspired young boy that joins the school orchestra. Does he ever gain inspiration? Maybe. Was it magic that he played the way he did when he was asked to one day? Only you can be the judge of that.

The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch was probably my favorite of this week's readings. When a group of people go to the Theater of Night's Dreaming circus, not everyone comes back. In an eerie turn of events, Miss Finch is "chosen" from the audience to gain her desires from the "Cabinet of Wishes Fulfill'd". Who knew the outcome of her desires would end in such a strange fashion??

And finally, Strange Little Girls is basically the liner notes that Gaiman wrote for Tori Amos to use in her cd. Although I'm a huge fan of Tori Amos, the addition of this to Fragile Things just seemed a little out of place and basically just a few pages of filler.

Although, I wasn't nearly as thrilled with this week's readings, I am still impressed with Gaiman's ability to catch a reader in just a few sentences or pages. He really has the knack for writing short stories, because the grip he holds on the reader is immediate. I'm looking forward to next week's installation already!

Short Story Sunday.....on Monday Part II

I think there was a meme out there one time that asked "How do you prefer a story to begin: Once Upon a Time or It was a dark and gloomy Evening?" As much as I am a fan of the fairy tale, my very favorite genre is the eerie and the paranormal. So I immediately went for the Dark and Gloomy Evening scenario. This week's Short Stories in the form of Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things fits the bill perfectly!! Ghost Stories seemed to be the writings this weekend...and you may detect a little gushing when you read this!! I'm serious LOVING this book!!

The first story I read yesterday was Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire. (And yes, I do realize that is certainly a mouthful!) I really don't know how Gaiman does it. He can suck a person into a story in the opening line! "Somewhere in the night, someone was writing." The story goes back and forth between a writer and the story he is creating. Without spoiling this wonderful story for anyone, I will just say, it's filled with talking Ravens, the undead, family curses and an elderly aunt chained in the attic!! This story which Gaiman wrote 20 years prior was snubbed by a couple of editors and stuffed away in a box. He pulled it out a few years ago to submit it for an anthology called Gothic! and was awarded the 2005 Locus Award for Best Short Story. (I certainly hope those editors are now working in other industries!)

The Flints of Memory Lane is more of a 4 page memory. It was written for a anthology of true life ghost stories, and is not "story-shaped" as Gaiman so eloquently puts it.

Going Wodwo is a poem written by Gaiman for Terri Windling and is about a wild man of the woods.

And finally, Closing Time is another Ghost story. One late night, years ago, several men were sitting around a London "club" telling stories, when somehow the topic of ghost stories come up. After a couple of "urban legends" are told, one of the men tells a story from his youth. He said it didn't happen to a friend of his. It actually happened to him...and he remembers it as if it were yesterday. The story is about a nine-year-old boy that met up with some other kids on the way home from school one day. They all decide to go to an abandoned mansion called the Swallows. 4 boys started out, but only 1 comes back! An eerie twist at the end is surely what won Gaiman the 2004 Locust Award for Best Short Story!

OK.....here's my gush: You must read this book!! I have let it be known my utter lack of interest in the short-story. Many times. But with Gaiman telling the tales, I'm going to do a complete 180 and whole-heartedly recommend them!! You are immediately drawn in and although your time is short, completely enthralled!! I can't wait until next Sunday!!

Short Story Sunday.....on Monday

For the RIP challenge at Stainless Steel Droppings, Carl added a "Peril" that is called Short Story Sunday. The goal is to read a Short Story that falls under the RIP category of books on Sundays during the challenge. Another "peril" includes reading the book Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. So I'm combining both perils by reading Fragile Things on Sundays!!

A Study in Emerald is the first story. Fantastic!! In the introduction, Gaiman says he wrote this story for an anthology in which he was requested to write a "story in which Sherlock Holmes meets H. P. Lovecraft." Our "hero" returns home from Afghanistan and meets a man that will soon be his roommate. His roommate, he finds out later, is a consulting detective and is called upon by many police officers to help solve mysteries. Taking a page from the Sherlock Holmes tale, A Study in Scarlett, our detectives are asked to look into a case in which a member of the Royal Family was brutally murdered and found in blood on the wall was the word "Rache". This is where the H.P. Lovecraft twist sets in. The Royal family isn't actually human. They are creatures that defeated humanity in a bloody war seven hundred years earlier. The "Great Old Ones" have ruled ever since.

From the moment this story started, I was completely turned around. The "twist" in the end, proved just that!! And while I was completely off on the actual characters, Gaiman writes a very compelling story that was well deserving of the Hugo Award it received in 2004.

Since I couldn't stop at just one, I went on to read October in the Chair. This story was dedicated to Ray Bradbury. It begins as the 12 months of the year are congregated together for a meeting. October is the leader this time around, and stories are told by the months. October's story is about a boy called The Runt by his family. He feels unwanted at home and decides to run away. He comes upon the ghost of a boy called Dearly, and finds with him the acceptance he never received from his own family. Again....this story was wonderful, if a little creepy. And it deserved the 2003 Locus Award for Best Short Story.

In between each story were poems entitled The Fairy Reel and The Hidden Chamber. One was fantastical and one was dreary and Gothic.

Last week I tried to read Poe, and just couldn't get into it. Short stories have never been my thing! I like sinking my teeth into plot and character development, and the short story just doesn't have the time to provide either. But Neil Gaiman is another creature all together!! Even though I spent most of my day watching football (Da Bears!), I picked up this book and didn't think I would be able to put it down! I don't think I can say this enough times.....I LOVE Neil Gaiman!! His writing is simple and fantastic. And I can't wait to read more of his stories!!