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Is Kevin Wilson becoming one of my favorite authors? Well, let's see...I read one of his novels three times, once aloud to my kids. Both his novels and his short stories make me laugh in the sad way I enjoy, like things are bad and likely to get worse, but there's this little thing, at least. So I suspect the answer is yes. These early stories of his feel a little different than his later writing, but still carry his hallmarks.

Wilson wrote most of these stories as an undergraduate, and his nascent talent was undeniable. Some ideas he fleshed out in later books, like one story featuring spontaneous combustion, but it was the parents instead of the kids. I preferred this collection to his later one, but he‘s an author whose novels I like more than his short stories. Now, I‘ve read all of his books, which means I have to wait until he writes a new one! 😩

Contemporary Twilight Zone is the best possible explanation for this book of short stories. Some had moral ground; others were just weird. This is my second book by Wilson and I am almost positive the man has an obsession with fire and SHC. The town I currently live in gets a mention, makes me wish I were doing some sort of reading challenge that would give me credit for that 😆 I actually really enjoyed the stories, weird as they were.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can‘t even put into words how much I loved this short story collection. I still have two stories to go but they could be total duds and I‘d still give the selection ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

With that said, this is my small selection of essays and short stories (and some of them are library books.) Now that I enjoy short stories, what do I absolutely need to add to my collection?

It‘s finally the #SeptemberSwap open day!!! Thank you, @Endowarrior21 , for this lovely book that I really can‘t wait to read! And the pens!!!! So many pens!!!! Thank you! 😊

I managed to finish one more ARC for #NetGalleyReviewathon @sprainedbrain for a total of 6 completed 🎉
This is a collection of short stories by Kevin Wilson originally published in 2009 and now being re-released tomorrow.
Wildly imaginative, 12 stories that allow you a glimpse into the weird and wonderful distorted world of Mr. Wilson.
I found most of the stories engaging and entertaining. My favorites were Grand Stand-In & Go,Fight, Win.

This was my first time reading this author. Not entirely sure what I think of it yet. The writing was definitely good, topics/events were interesting to say the least. As with almost every short story collection, there are some that are better than others but not a bad one among them in my humble opinion.

4/5

"Grand Stand-In" was my favorite about a woman whose job it is to pretend to be a grandmother to her clients' families.
"Mortal Kombat" made me sad and angry. Two guys exploring their sexuality. Explicit content. One gets uncomfortable and punches the other, hard. This scenario plays out multiple times.

Dang, O Kevin can write a story!

That first story was a knock out!