Stories For Airports

by judy-b.

Stories for Airports is not about airports. It is an album of brief encounters with people who intrigue and appall * A man who missed his connection * A love-chef * A lovers' quarrel over the Food of the Gods * A young woman with a rash on her face that looks like the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2005

About the author

Read about me at http://www.studiojudyb.com/.

I am here to talk books.

I am happy to connect with other readers, whether or not I know you, if you have rated or reviewed a few books other than your own.

Reviews

[Amrit Chima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moments of growth and change—some monumental, others subtle—are set under a microscope in this collection, sounds and sensations amplified by expert and musical use of language. Judy B is precise in her selection of words, which she artfully employs to slow or even freeze moments in order to examine them (in particular the perils of San Francisco traffic and the exploration of the body in relation to her characters’ states of mind), building tension for the consequences and/or resolutions to come.

My favorites include "House, Ex-Wife" for the rediscovery of self within the beautiful and acute heartache of being left behind; "Hill Like a Sleeping Lady" (a nod to Hemmingway?); the very short "Icarus of Market Street" for its beat of fear and near loss followed by relief and gratitude; "Mother Mary Came to Me" for its cheeky consideration of the slippery nature of enlightenment, and "Excursion" for the talent required to write about what we cannot see.

[Paul Samael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this excellent series of short stories recalls Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports”; the stories are all about finding something unusual or out of the ordinary in the “background muzak” of everyday life that we would normally ignore. Taken as a whole, the collection reminded me somewhat of “Short Cuts” (the Robert Altman film rather than the Raymond Carver stories on which it was based); I had a similar “privileged” sense of dipping in and out of the everyday lives of a whole series of unconnected characters across the same city. This gave the book an unusual sense of coherence (despite the impressive diversity of styles and subject matter on display in the individual stories). For a longer review, see http://www.paulsamael.com/blog/storie...

[Tom Lichtenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of excellent stories is set lovingly in my own hometown, San Francisco. It's a book of sights and sounds, traffic and fog, populated by distinct and very real characters. The stories vary wildly in tone and topic, resulting in quite a satisfying assortment of flavors. I especially enjoyed the very funny tale of the facial rash shaped like Guadalupe, and the onion-layered regression of Clang Clang Clang.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking, clever stories that left me wanting more, especially, "Contents May Have Shifted During Flight" and, "Clang, Clang, Clang". This book is perfect for not only airports, but trains, poolside, bed time, and every time and place in between. Judy B. is a fresh voice that needs to be heard.

[**Carla** · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I enjoyed reading it. It was refreshing to read a seriers of short stories about various happening of different people.

[Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried on numerous occasions to make it through this book. It wasn't bad, it just couldn't grab my attention and I always found myself picking something else up off my bookshelf.