“‘Why are you so unhappy, Louise?‘
‘I‘d not be so unhappy if Bob loved me just a little.‘
‘You mustn‘t be unhappy, Louise-you know that I love you.‘ They would leave together, and talk, and have no secrets from one another. But it wasn‘t like that. Louise was alone. She had a daughter; but though a child might give warmth, a presence and a reason for living, she couldn‘t offer relief or help of any kind- she was more like a tender burden.”
First line of Louise- The third story.
“When melted sugar falls on the steel surface of a stove it‘s the very devil, it sticks like glue.”
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
“Nicolas was a big man: he shook the whole bed. He leaned heavily against her and his voice went soft. Whenever he spoke intimately he faltered and stammered: ‘M-my ddear little pussy…‘ Anna struggled: she was soaked in sweat and gasping, trying to keep her teeth clenched. She struggled against herself: Nicolas would overcome her body, and her body would overcome her. -
Heading out for our local #NoKingsDay protest and taking it to the streets. 💪🏼🇺🇸
Is JC Oates a disaster online? Absolutely. Did she write some of the most unsettling stories of the 20th C? This is also true. The title story is a noir masterpiece.
#bestof2025
2 Aussie authors. Tagged book going free as a throw out from local library. The other published last year $1 in an op shop. Could not believe it @MrsMalaprop . On to my TBR shelf they go. Also got to see some of the Sydney Writer‘s Festival on the big screen at our State Library. Helen Garner, Ian Rankin and Anna Funder.
pick10-9 May 25
I expect I will also love Sittenfeld‘s writing and I actually quite like short stories. Some were of course more successful than others but all held my attention for the 30 or so pages they lasted. I particularly loved the final story which returned to the world of Prep for the characters‘ 30 year reunion. Made me very keen to read Prep again. And to order Eligible.
so-soKevin Wilson writes quirky novels that I usually love in their strangeness. This book of short stories gives you little bites of that, each one showing a character doing their best to struggle through a challenging life event.
I only rate it so-so because I‘m not a short story fan. It‘s a good collection, I just prefer novels.
Isn‘t this cover weird and wonderful? It fits one of the stories.
#doublespin
pickAbsolutely loved! I always appreciate a collection of stories. I flew through this book so fast and didn‘t want it to end.
Look what I found today, @Centique , and right after your glowing review! I also found another Beryl Bainbridge, @Cathythoughts . 👏
Just doing my best to support my local secondhand bookshop on #IndependentBookstoreDay , of course. 😉
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