A new book of short stories that I chose solely based on the title, which sounded interesting. There were two stories in particular that really stood out for me, the one about the puppeteer and the one about the actor auditioning for a commercial in which he needs to wear a rat costume. I liked the quirkiness in many of the stories, and found all the stories easily readable. (I think my lower rating of this book is due only to my low enthusiasm for short stories right now.) I liked her writing quite a bit, and I am now planning to read her novel, Madonnas of Leningrad.