Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company! discussion
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That's true, Guy. That's very true. :)
Here's another of my school readings. pretty undecided as how I feel about it yet. TITLE: When the Emperor was Divine
AUTHOR: Julie Otsuka
GENRE: Historical fiction
At night, he woke up crying out, "Where am I?" Sometimes he felt a hand on his shoulder and it was his sister telling him it was all just a bad dream. "Go back to sleep, baby," she'd whisper and he would. Sometimes there was no answer. Sometimes he heard the wind blowing through the sagebrush and he remembered he was in the desert but he could not remember how long he had been there or why. Sometimes he worried that he was there because he'd done something horribly, terribly wrong. But then when he tried to remember what the horrible, terrible thing might be, it would not come to him. It could be anything. Something he'd done yesterday--chewing the eraser off his sister's pencil before putting it back in the pencil jar--or something he'd done a long time ago that was just now catching up with him. Breaking a chain letter from Juneau, Alaska. Flushing his dying pet goldfish down the toilet before it was completely dead. Forgetting to touch the hat rack three times when the iceman drove by. Sometimes he thought he was dreaming, and he was sure that when he woke up his father would be downstairs in the kitchen whistling "Begin the Beguine" through his teeth as he fried up breakfast in the skillet.
You mentioned this is historical fiction, so just out of curiosity, what period in history is this?
Now that song is going through my head . . .
Garrison, this is about Japanese internment during WWII.
That's depressing to think about. :(
This book is very sad, without writing openly about sad things often. It will mention the boy picking a leaf off a tree and suddenly you want to cry. The writing is beautiful so far.
I haven't shed a tear since 2007. This book might break my eight-year record.
Title: The Aesthetics of Thomas AquinasAuthor: Umberto Eco
Published: 1988
At this point we should be able to give a sharper reading of the sentence “pulchra sunt quae visa placent” (“those things are beautiful which please when seen”). It is no accident that it should appear as something novel, disconcerting, and unusual in the context of Scholastic language; it can undoubtedly be seen as a bold attempt to counter an excessively objectivist conception of beauty which obscured its true nature. But the fact remains that in solving one problem this expression created others. Aquinas relegated it to a responsio (Summa Theologia, I, 5, 4 ad I), throwing it out casually as if it were totally plausible and a foregone conclusion (“pulchra enim dicuntur quae visa placent”; emphasis added [sic]). But it can come to seem imprecise or profoundly allusive, or cleverly elliptical. We may even be inclined to the view that Aquinas himself gave no great weight to it and threw the remark out lightly. But even if this were so, it would acquire importance in the context of his system as a whole.
BOOK TITLE: So…I Met a VampireAUTHOR: Paul McAvoy
YEAR: 2015
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Horror
I stood there, unsure what to do next. I felt very cold still, as though I was in a bucket of ice. I hugged myself. I felt something vibrate in my pocket. My phone. I pulled it out. The screen was flashing. It went yellow, then green and then white and a face appeared on the screen. It was neither a male or female face and the head was totally bald. The face took up the whole screen. The face seemed so digitally enhanced. The wide eyes looked around and focused on me.
Title: Mr. PalomarBy: Italo Calvino
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Philosophy / Social Criticism
This is how birds think, or at least this is how Mr. Palomar thinks, imagining himself a bird. "It is only after you have come to know the surface of things," he concludes, "that you can venture to see what is underneath. But the surface of things is inexhaustible."
OOC: With “YES!” by Daniel Bryan and “So…I Met a Vampire” by Paul McAvoy, this next book marks the third in a series of simultaneous reads. Reading three books at the same time? I’m sure it’s been done before, but not by me. Hehe!BOOK TITLE: The Girlfriend Wager
AUTHOR: Edward Davies
YEAR: Unpublished
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Comedy
Rob frowned. The Stone Roses were possibly his all time favourite band, and Isla clearly didn’t like them. Well, he wasn’t about to start an argument by bringing up that particular sore topic. Maybe he should ask if her flat mate was cute, seeing as they already had musical tastes in common, but he doubted she’d be as good looking as Isla. Instead he asked; “So, who is your favourite band, if you don’t like The Roses?”
This would be the perfect time for a shameless plug. Hehe!BOOK TITLE: Occupy Wrestling
AUTHOR: Garrison Kelly
YEAR: 2014
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Pro-Wrestling Urban Fantasy
Shortly after talking to his fiancé, Mitch McLeod fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. He struggled to keep his good eye closed, but he was still in a tremendous amount of pain from the smashed orbital. Everything in his body felt like it was being crushed in a trash compactor. He even struggled to turn his head to the left to see a familiar shape out of his remaining eye. It was blurry at best, yet he knew it all too well. The top hat, the cheap suit, the scraggly white hair, and the smell of monster blood: they all meant one thing: “How long have you been sitting there, Keegan?"
Garrison wrote: "Edward, I hope you don’t mind, but I think I’m going to do a 55th page post of “Divine Intervention”. I love this game too much to stay out of it. Hehe!BOOK TITLE: Divine Intervention
AUTHOR: Edw..."
Just found this - you're more than welcome to quote my books. And thanks for the preview quote from The Girlfriend Wager!
Title: The MeditationsAuthor: Marcus Aurelius
Year: 1963
Genre: Spiritual Philosophy
33. Painful labour is not contrary to nature for the foot or the hand, as long as the foot fulfills the functions of a foot and the hand the functions of a hand. In the same way, painful labour is not contrary to the nature of man as man, as long as he fulfills the function of a man. And if it is not contrary to his nature, it is not an evil for him.
BOOK TITLE: The Silence of the LambsAUTHOR: Thomas Harris
YEAR: 1988
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Psychological Thriller
She ran to a bumper jack at the end of the door and pumped the handle. The door came down two inches, with a grinding screech. She pumped it again. Now the door was touching the man’s chest. When he didn’t come out, she pulled the handle out of the socket and carried it back to the prone cameraman. There were other bright television lights now, and in the glare of them she banged the door above him hard with the jack handle, showering dust and rust down on him.
OOC: I purchased a copy of this book while vacationing in Canada in 2013. It’s already sounding like a wise use of my debit card. I’ve already heard a lot about the movie being disturbing, but I’ve never actually seen it.
Hanzleberry wrote: "Title: SaharaAuthor: Clive Cussler
Paragraph: As the range closed they distinguished a figure waving his arms like a crazy man and stumbling directly toward them. Then he staggered to a stop, sway..."
thumbs up. My husband likes Cussler.
Double Cross Blind by Joel RossThey stepped out of the Daimler. The afternoon sun was yellow & round behind a wispy gray cloud, like a child's new toy with a smudge of grease. A lone cricket chirped halfheartedly and the air smelled of fallow fields and mud, and Tom saw two sentries in the shadow of the barn.
Kimmy wrote: "Title : Pretend You Don't See HerAuthor: Mary Higgins Clark
paragraph: Sloane leaned across the desk, his manner more aggressive, even accusatory. "Ms. Farrell, I don't know what you're game is, o..."
MHC, always love her.
Although I haven’t started reading this yet, I plan on reading it after I get done with “Silence of the Lambs” by Thomas Harris and “The Girlfriend Wager” by Edward Davies. Don’t worry, Marie-Pie: I always keep my commitments!WARNING: Contains mature content.
BOOK TITLE: Love Me Today, Kill Me Tomorrow
AUTHOR: Marie Krepps
YEAR: 2015
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Vampire Horror
“Damn.” Those were my favorites! Oh, well. My mind is racing and I start to feel a little angry. That asshole! He walked in here, ripped my jammies, apparently fucked me and somehow I can’t remember any of it! A girl would like to be able to remember her first time! Worst of all he didn’t even do what he said he would: he didn’t kill me. What’s up with that? It doesn’t make any sense!
Title: Open SeasonAuthor: C.J. Box
Paragraph: "Joe Pickett had two passions. One was his family and the other was his job. He had tried his best to keep them separate but that morning Ote Keeley had forced them together. Joe now looked at both differently and what he saw pained him. Marybeth had never actually complained about the way her life had gone since marrying Joe Pickett. Her frustration appeared in random sighs and hopeless facial expressions that she probably didn't even recognize as such- but Joe did. Marybeth had been on a career path- she was a bright and attractive woman. But by marrying Joe in college, having children, and moving around the state with him from one beat-up house to another, her life turned out differently than she, or her hard-driving mother, imagined. Marybeth deserved a certain standard, or at least a permanent home of their own; Joe had not been able to provide either. It was eating at him, taking a million tiny bites. When she talked on the telephone to her old college friends who were travelling and managing businesses and enrolling their children in private schools, she would be blue for weeks afterward, although she wouldn't admit it. While he loved his job- he was, after all, nature boy- the guilt he felt this morning when he learned that they couldn't even afford a motel room in town still shrouded him. The exhilaration of the mountains right now brought a hard-edged sense of regret and confusion. His belief that what he did was good- and that he was good at it- would not put his daughters through college or allow his wife to ever take a real vacation."
CJ, I did that book a while back for this game, although you've chosen a different paragraph. CJ Box definitely knows his way around a narrative. :)
Yep, I've been reading it since hearing of you liking it. I didn't know what I was getting into going in but so far I do like this book.
I'm glad my recommendation has paid off for you. :)
BOOK TITLE: January FirstAUTHOR: Michael Schofield
YEAR: 2012
GENRE: Nonfiction
SUBGENRE: Schizophrenia Memoir
Janni runs off across the muddy soccer field. I watch her go. There is nobody around, so I don’t have to worry about anyone grabbing her. Not that I worry about that anyway. After having been on the receiving end of Janni’s violence several times, I have no doubt Janni can defend herself from any predator.
Title: 50 Shades of GrayAuthor: EL James
(Pg. 55 on my e-reader)
"It's only when I'm in bed, trying to sleep, that I allow my thoughts to drift through my strange morning. I keep coming back to the I don't do the girlfriend thing quote, and I'm angry that I didn't pounce on this information sooner, before I was in his arms mentally begging him with every fiber of my being to kiss me.
Title: Cloak of ShadowsAuthor: C. K. Dawn
"One year ago today, she had met the woman who had given her a concrete foothold in the new world that had been revealed to her. Abbey drew her knees up to her chest, hugging herself. One year ago today, she had met Lourdes Reese."
BOOK TITLE: A Street Cat Named BobAUTHOR: James Bowen
YEAR: 2012
GENRE: Nonfiction
SUBGENRE: Cat Memoir
I invited Bob to jump on my lap, which he did in the blink of an eye. A moment or two later, the conductor appeared. She was a cheerful West Indian lady and smiled at Bob, then me.
“Is he yours?” she said, stroking him.
“I guess he must be,” I said.
Title RevivalAuthor : Stephen King
'Patsy can't be dead,' he said in a patient, instructional tone of voice. 'It's Wednesday. Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day, that's what Morrie says.'
Edward, do I even want to know what kind of madness is taking place in your Stephen King novel? Hehe!
Of course. Why didn't I think of that sooner? Hehehehehehe! ;)
I plan on reading this one tomorrow and reviewing it the same day, in addition to reading Edward's short story for the "Wild Goose Chase" prompt.BOOK TITLE: Box of Chocolates
AUTHOR: Marie Krepps
YEAR: 2015
GENRE: Fictional Short Stories
SUBGENRES: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror
I don’t feel anything. The void took care of that. No more tears. No more pain. I am the nothingness now. We are one. It’s very dark in here. But I like it.
BOOK TITLE: Warm BodiesAUTHOR: Isaac Marion
YEAR: 2010
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Zombie Romance
Julie lets her eyes auger into me for a long minute, then she falters. “Was it Berg?” she offers, so quietly she’s almost talking to herself. “The kid with the acne? I bet it was Berg. That guy was a dick. He called Nora a mulatto and he was staring at my ass that entire salvage. Which Perry didn’t even notice, of course. If it was Berg, I’m almost glad you got him.”
Title: The girl in the spider's web.Author: David Lagercrantz (continuing Stieg Larsson's Milennium Series)
In most photographs he looked like a disheveled troll with small eyes, his hair standing on end. Yet he married the glamorous actress Hanna Lind.
(INMH, not as good as Stieg Larsson's writing.)
Reading this for my literature class, and so far, it's been emotionally devastating in all the best ways.TITLE: The Kite Runner
AUTHOR: Khaled Hosseini
Baba smoked his pipe and talked. I pretended to listen, but I couldn't listen, not really, because Baba's casual little comment had planted a seed in my head: the resolution that I would win that winter's tournament. I was going to win. There was no other viable option. I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I'd bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all that his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over. I let myself dream: I imagined conversation and laughter over dinner instead of silence broken only by the clinking of silverware and the occasional grunt. I envisioned us taking a Friday to drive Baba's car to Paghman, stopping on the way at Ghargha Lake for some fried trout and potatoes. We'd go to the zoo and see Marjan the lion, and maybe Baba wouldn't yawn and steal looks at his wristwatch all the time. Maybe Baba would even read on of my stories. I'd write him a hundred if I thought he'd read one. Maybe he'd call me Amir jan like Rahim Khan did. And maybe, just maybe, I would finally be pardoned for killing my mother.
It's still one of the best books I've ever read, Angie. Very powerful.
In this interest of tasteless self-promotion, here’s another one of my independently-published books:BOOK TITLE: American Darkness
AUTHOR: Garrison Kelly
YEAR: 2014
GENRE: Fictional Short Stories
SUBGENRE: Contemporary Drama
“You’re right, Gabrielle: I don’t know you! So tell me who you are! Tell me why you would destroy my life just for a passing grade! And if I seem a little edgy right now, it’s because my career is at stake over something that never took place! I could end up in jail or on the streets because of these false accusations! Do you not understand the gravity of the situation, Miss Green?!”
OOC: The short story in which this dialogue comes from is one I’ve done for the WSS called “Blackmail”. Giving that oratory was Paul Edwards, an English teacher being wrongfully blackmailed by his student Gabrielle Green, who’s really just a vehicle for hiding her stepfather Tim Krause’s abuse.
OOC: Another randomly chosen Carl Hiaasen book for me. Awesome!BOOK TITLE: Sick Puppy
AUTHOR: Carl Hiaasen
YEAR: 1999
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Environmental Thriller
The human population of Toad-Island was 217 and in decline. Repeated efforts had been made to develop the place, and many of its remaining inhabitants were casualties of those doomed enterprises. The unofficial mayor was Nils Fishback, former landscape architect of an ambitious project that had promised three high-rise beachfront condominiums, a total of 660 units, called the Towers of Tarpon Island. (Everyone who sought to develop Toad Island renamed it as the first order of business. In addition to Tarpon Island, it had been incorporated fleetingly as Snook Island, Dolphin Island, Blue Heron Island, White Heron Island, Little Spoonbill Island, Big Spoonbill Island, Sandpiper Key, Sandpiper Cay, Sandpiper Isle, and Sandpiper Shoals. The circumstances of failure varied from one busted scheme to the next, but a cheerlessly detailed history was available for scrutiny in the bankruptcy files of the federal courthouse in Gainesville.)
Title: The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and EffectivenessAuthor: Epictetus, translated/transcribed by Sharon Lebell.
Genre: Philosophy
Sub-genre: Stoicism
Regularly ask yourself, "How are my thoughts, words, and deeds affecting my friends, my spouse, my neighbour, my child, my employer, my subordinates, my fellow citizens? Am I doing my part to contribute to the spiritual progress of all with whom I come in contact?" Make it your business to draw out the best in others by being an exemplar yourself.
BOOK TITLE: Threads of a WebAUTHOR: Marie Krepps
YEAR: 2016
GENRE: Fiction
SUBGENRE: Vampire Sci-Fi & Urban Fantasy
He had always loved the moors at night but now they held a special place in his heart, for this was where he had met his darling Roberta. The vampire glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and he knew that she felt the same way. The slight squeezing of his fingers by hers verified it.
OOC: You’re so romantic, Marie! ^_^
Title: The Bhagavad-GitaAuthor: Anonymous Translated by Barbara Stoler Miller
Year: 1986
Genre: Philosophical Dialogue
Arjuna, actions do not bind
a man in possession of himself,
who renounces action through dicipline
and severs doubt with knowledge.
"Dumb Witness" by Agatha Christie.55th page paragraph:
'"Oh, no, sir. Bob's not more than six. And sometimes he behaves just like a puppy. Gets hold of cook's slippers and prances about with them. And he's very gentle, though you wouldn't believe it to hear the noise he makes sometimes. The only person he goes for is the postman. Downright scared of him, the postman is."'
CJ wrote: ""Dumb Witness" by Agatha Christie.55th page paragraph:
'"Oh, no, sir. Bob's not more than six. And sometimes he behaves just like a puppy. Gets hold of cook's slippers and prances about with the..."
Spoiler! :D This is my second to next Christie to read, after Murder In The Mews.
Sorry I just started this book. Is it a spoiler should I edit it with spoiler carrots < > to say so?
Here's another book I'm reading for my literature class!TITLE: 1984
AUTHOR: Georgia Orwell
GENRE: Dystopian
"The proles are not human beings," Syme said carelessly. "By 2050--earlier, probably--all real knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared. The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron--they'll only exist in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different, but actually changed into something contradictory of what they used to be. Even the literature of the Party will change. Even the slogans will change. How could you have a slogan like 'freedom is slavery' when the concept of freedom has been abolished? The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."
CJ wrote: "Sorry I just started this book. Is it a spoiler should I edit it with spoiler carrots to say so?"No it isn't a spoiler - I was just saying cos I had it sat next to me on my desk, ready to read in a few weeks. ;D
TITLE: Vampyr The Complete Trilogy: Song of the VampireAUTHOR: KM McFarland
Quinn was thinking the same thing and was relieved by Nadia's question. "There's nothing I would like better. I would love for you to stay as long as you want. Besides, from what I can see, it's probably just a matter of time before my services will be required again."
Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company!
Books mentioned in this topic
Debt: The First 5,000 Years (other topics)How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer (other topics)
Adult Onset (other topics)
When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress (other topics)
Morning Star (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ann-Marie MacDonald (other topics)Gabor Maté (other topics)
Marie Kondō (other topics)
Barbara Stoler Miller (other topics)
Marcus Aurelius (other topics)
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Although I guess with time you get to dig the gig, so to speak.