Mix Tape No. 1 - J.D. Mader

So Christmas is only a week away, and you don't even have time to read a short story? Is that what's troubling ya, Bunky? Well, then. How about some flash fiction?

J.D. Mader does this feature on his blog on Fridays. He calls it, "Two minutes...go!" The idea is to set a timer for two minutes, open a vein, and let the words pour out of you onto the virtual paper in the comment section of the blog. Mader himself opens the festivities with his own offering, and usually contributes a few more as the day goes on. They are always intriguing and often amazing.

Here in this short volume, Mader has collected 16 flash fiction gems, at least some of which had their beginnings in "Two minutes...go!" His work is dark and often profane (the "parental advisory" sticker on the front cover is there for a reason), but it's so worth checking out. Save it, maybe, for some dark day in the winter months to come.

And feel free to stop by Unemployed Imagination some Friday and see what we're up to. Maybe even try your own hand at some flash fiction. It'll only take two minutes.

Stories of Genesis Vol. 1 - Chris James

Week 3 in my ad hoc holiday gift guide brings us to a volume of short stories. And why not? I mean, it's the holidays, for crying out loud. Who's got time to sit down and read a whole novel?

Chris James has subtitled his Stories of Genesis "A New Kind of Fan Fiction." He is not wrong. Authors have used song titles and lyrics as springboards for their own creative endeavors for generations, but I don't know of anybody else who has taken the idea to such a fascinating extreme.

The five stories in this collection all have their, uh, genesis in one or another of the songs by the prog-rock group Genesis. And each story has something to recommend it. "Mr. Magrew's Incredible Journey" is a sci-fi coming-of-age story about why, sometimes, it's better just to stay home. "The Chat Show" features a conniving talk-show host who is determined to advance his career, no matter what it costs. "One Regret" is about a dying man who contemplates going to his grave with the biggest secret of his life. "The Final Battle" is full-on weird sci-fi, set in a world where special forces battle the Eternal Sanctuary Man. But perhaps my favorite is "The Agent Lunges," a bit of metafiction in which a copyright agent harasses an author very much like James himself.

The real Chris James needn't worry about that; Genesis lead guitarist Steve Hackett has endorsed the book. So do I. And if you read these stories and enjoy them, I have good news for you: James has written two more volumes of Stories of Genesis.

A Year with Mr. Pish 2015 - K.S. Brooks

'Tis the season, as they say. I didn't mean to do a series of reviews of publications that would make great gifts, but then I ran across this.

Mr. Pish is on a dual mission this holiday season. As usual, the adorable Jack Russell terrier on the road, educating kids about all the great things they can do outdoors -- just as he does in his popular "Postcards from Mr. Pish" series of children's books. But he also wants to help us all get organized in 2015. So his secretary-cook-chauffeur-and-who-knows-what-else, K.S. Brooks, has put together a desk-format planner featuring photos of the little guy. Each two-page spread consists of a monthly calendar on one side and shots of Mr. Pish at various U.S. national parks on the other.

The calendar squares are roomy enough for several entries apiece, and they feature important holidays, as well as some lesser-known observances. Did you know the first week of October is National Walk Your Dog Week? Neither did I, until Mr. Pish told me just now.

I had fun noting how many national parks Mr. Pish has visited -- although I was a little annoyed that he's been to some I haven't visited yet. Looks like my bucket list needs amending....

There's also a wall calendar version. If you have kids, or even if you just like little white dogs, you could do worse than keep track of your stuff next year with Mr. Pish along as your guide.

100 Days of Gratitude - Leland Dirks

Happy Thanksgiving! This seemed like the perfect book to review today.

In the summer of 2014, there was a challenge going around on Facebook: For each of the next seven days, post three things you're grateful for. Leland Dirks took that ball and ran with it -- not just for a week, but for a hundred days (and more -- in fact, he's still at it).

Dirks lives in an off-the-grid home in southern Colorado with his two dogs and, sometimes, a cat. In the mornings, he takes the dogs out for a walk, and brings his camera along. He posts many of the photos he takes of his neighborhood on Facebook, too.

Somebody suggested to him that he put the two together and publish them. So he did.

100 Days of Gratitude is only available in hard copy, but it's worth the price. The photos are stunning (and I would say that even if I wasn't a nut about the Rockies) and the sentiments are clearly heartfelt. It would make a terrific holiday present for anyone on your list who loves mountains, or the desert, or dogs or cats, or gratitude. And since that covers just about everybody...you're welcome.

Wonders of the Invisible World - Patricia A. McKillip

I seem to be reading a fair number of short works lately. Rest assured that I'll be back on the novel track pretty soon. But first....

 

When I grow up, I want to write like Patricia McKillip.

 

McKillip's fantasy novels are almost all told in a lyrical, once-upon-a-time voice. I marvel at her ability to sustain that voice throughout an entire novel. (When I met her, I told her so. She thanked me and said, "It's hard." Yeah, I can just imagine.)

 

Some of the stories in this collection have that same fairy-tale feel to them; one, "Kelpie," has an Edwardian artiste feel, with a dollop of faerie; and a couple of them feel very modern.

 

The title story tells about a time-traveling researcher who is sent back to meet Cotton Mather; the result felt darker to me than Connie Willis's books on the same general topic.

 

My favorites in this collection are probably "Byndley," in which a mage tries desperately to find his way back to an enchanted wood, so he can return something he stole from the fairy queen who lives there; and "The Doorkeeper of Khaat," the final story, in which a young poet agrees to help his terminally-ill father end his life.

 

But we're talking about minor degrees of favoritism here. I can't think of a single story in this collection that I hated. If you've never read any McKillip, this collection would be a good way to sample her work. Highly recommended.

The Art Collection: Three Short Stories - Carla Sarett

I liked Carla Sarett's stories in 13 Bites Vol. 1 and Summer Dreams, anthologies in which I also participated. I  So I felt confident that I would enjoy the three short stories in The Art Collection. I was not disappointed.

All three of the stories in this collection have art, or works of art, as a theme, and there's a mystery at the heart of each one. My favorite is probably the final story, "The Captain's House." It's about a woman who volunteers with the committee that runs a historic house on Philadelphia's Main Line. The house is a showcase of period decorative arts, but something's not quite right about at least one of them.

Sarett's characters are well-drawn and believable. In particular, I loved her description of the president of the board of directors of the Captain's House, Evan Beamish: "a tall, white-haired man who seemed serenely absent-minded. He wore an endearingly bright yellow bow-tie, and he seemed somewhere between the ages of sixty and ninety. It was hard to tell. He might have looked the same at forty." I'm pretty sure I've met that guy, and I'd bet you have, too.

The Art Collection is a quick read that I very much enjoyed.

Passage to Belize - L.A. Lewandowski

Passage to Belize is a short story -- really, a quickie travel memoir -- about the author's adventure Belize with her mother-in-law, Rose Marie.

Rose Marie's health is failing. She and her husband used to take cruises together; now that he has passed away, the author agrees to go on a Caribbean cruise with the older woman. At each port of call, they go in search of local art -- not the ticky-tacky made-in-China stuff, but authentic pieces by local artists.

When they arrive in Belize, the city outside of the port area is locked down due to recent violence. But the author is determined to find some local art to take home -- and where there's a will, there's a way.

This is a quick and entertaining read that I very much enjoyed.