Welcome to Litsy!

Reading the 2018 Short Story Advent Calendar (#SSAC2018), one story per day from December 1-25, is partly what inspired my next reading project: one chapter per day of The Tale of Genji (starting January 1). The stories in the calendar average 14 pages in length, while the chapters in #Genji average about 21 pages, but that‘s still manageable. Plus, I will have company: @Cindymylifeislit @Daisey @llwheeler @bianca @saresmoore @bookandcat
Join us!

I enjoyed my short story advent calendar so much that I've decided to keep on reading a short story every morning. This plan should last until I hit a novelette-length piece in either of these in-progress anthologies, at which point I'll procrastinate like all hell and drift away from the project.

Or I'll switch to another anthology or magazine with something shorter on offer. Whichever.

25th and final short story in the series, The Age of Doubt by Maile Melody. I still believe in Santa. #ssac2018 https://www.hingstonandolsen.com/2018

24th short story in the series, Christmas Eve, 1944 by Luis Alberto Urrea. O Holy Night in a church basement in the middle of incoming mortars. Based on the author‘s mother‘s war stories as a “Donut Dollie”. I‘ll never hear the music again without thinking of this short story. #ssac2018 https://www.hingstonandolsen.com/2018

23rd short story in the series, Legends of the Seoul Dogs by R.O. Kwon. A call and answer tale of a boy and his dogs. #ssac2018 https://www.hingstonandolsen.com/2018

22nd short story in the series, Returning to the Problem by Eugene Lim. A sheath of ice; new dark age; Death Star. #ssac2018 https://www.hingstonandolsen.com/2018

21st short story in the series, The One Who Is by Chip Livingston. Hemingway reimagined. #ssac2018 https://www.hingstonandolsen.com/2018

20th short story in the series, Christmas Triptych by Stephen Leacock. A very old fashioned Christmas. #ssac2018 https://www.hingstonandolsen.com/2018

19th short story in the series, In This Fantasy by Kim Fu. Who are you, really? #ssac2018 https://www.hingstonandolsen.com/2018

This review is for Heker‘s short story “Strategies Against Sleeping”. Senora Eloisa is very tired. She is returning to Azul by car riding with a salesman friend of her daughter‘s future father-in-law; however he wants to talk- wants her to keep him awake. She tells a story about a beggar in the street carrying a fat baby- she is so tired. What Eloisa relates causes him to set her by the side of the road, in the rain. Translated from Spanish.