WHERE I FIND MY DOSE OF SHORT STORIES

  

Most aficionados want to read collected short stories because it’s like reading multiple books in one. I especially love those collections moving in one theme using different facets of life to simply show that every glimpse of life is worth telling. Also, sometimes we want to read independent stories that will extract us from the rut of reading a 350-page book. Well, at least, I know I do. So I want to share where I get my dose of short stories, and hopefully, you’ll share yours too.

THE NEW YORKER

This subscription magazine is new every week, both in print and online. The online site is free until you’ve hit the wall for the day. I’m a subscriber for years, and although I have not maximized it lately, the subscription is totally worth it. Aside from their new fiction and poems, they have news about art, music, upcoming books, and movies. I also enjoy their commentaries on what’s been going around recently. And boy, their archive is worth exploring every time.

GRANTA 

Granta is also a subscription online magazine like The New Yorker. You can opt to subscribe to their newsletter for both magazines and books. Mostly, they publish thirty-ish books a year. My hubby and I enjoy their nature conservation collections very much.

TOR.COM 

If you are a sci-fi/fantasy enthusiast, this site is for you. They allow free access to original short stories and features both new and established authors. You can browse according to authors, titles, or sub-genres. They have featured John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, Joe Abercrombie, Charlie Jane Anders, Paolo Bacigalupi, and other luminaries.

NIGHTFIRE 

This is an imprint of Tor.com showcasing modern horror, undead tropes, alien abduction/invasion, and other unspeakable terrors. They feature both upcoming books and on-screen horrors -that's hitting two birds with one stone. Last October 2019, they’ve launched an audio project called, Come Join Us by the Fire, an anthology of 35 horror short stories in individual audiobook formats listeners may download via Google Play. It features China Miéville, Richard Kadrey, Victor LaValle, and Shirley Jackson among others.

ELECTRIC LIT

Under their Recommended Reading, you’ll find featured short stories and novel excerpts. You may also opt to subscribe to receive them directly via your inbox every Wednesday. I love reading those commentaries/ recommendations from other authors sometimes written before each story and excerpts. Authors like Ricky Moody, Akhil Sharma, Dennis Johnson, and Lauren Groff.

BBC 

Lately, I find myself listening to BBC's dramas and short works. This was established by a Royal Charter, the BBC is principally funded through the license fee paid by UK households. So, this site delivers more than stories and dramas. It delivers its mission and public purpose according to the Charter, from culture to daily news. They are currently featuring Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern in episodes.

LIT2GO

This collection of children's literature is a part of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse and is funded by various grants. Readability levels for passages on Lit2Go are reported as Flesch-Kincaid grade levels, from Kinder to Grade 12. I am a child-at-heart, and so, this site excites me. You can read along with the audio version of each story, too.

LITERARY HUB 

Under their Fiction and Poetry, you can browse shorts by Lit Hub Excerpts. There is an excerpt for every day dating back from 2015. Luminaries varied from the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, Shirley Jackson, Joyce Carol Oates, Jennifer Egan, and many more.

I miss receiving short stories from SEASON OF STORIES by Penguin Random House. Are you a subscriber too? They sure gave me a reprieve from the daily grind. Hopefully, they come back soon. Meanwhile, we can get our dose of short stories from these sites. Happy reading!

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | BLOGLOVIN | GOODREADS

*This is my Review of the Month for the review collection on LovelyAudiobooks.info

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Q & A #2 | I DECLINE BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS

I promised to be brutally honest with this post, so, here’s hoping this is not like opening a can of worms instead. I do believe that I have to tackle this subject now, than later. IT has to be said.

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Q & A #1 | ADVANCE READER COPIES AND HOW TO GET THEM

Every now and then, I get questions from readers regarding book blogging. I am not sure if I am the best source of any book blogging information, really, but I’ll try to answer them as best I could. As a reader, you have to take everything with a grain of salt, of course. I compiled those questions and narrowed them down to these series of Q & As.

Part 1 is the foremost among these questions, ‘How to get an ARC or Advance Reader/Reviewer Copy?’.

Answer: There are different ways how, and they all require different levels of commitment on your part as a book reviewer. Not every suggestion below is based on my personal experience, you have to try them yourself. Take it or leave it, sort of.

WHO GETS AN ARC?

This is something we have to cover first to answer the main question because not everyone simply gets a copy. To get an ARC you have to be a librarian, bookseller, educator, reviewer, blogger or in the media. ARC providers or publishers will ask librarians, booksellers, educators, and media entities to provide their organization and proof of affiliation. As a reviewer or blogger, providers or publishers will ask your main platform, site URL, how long have you been blogging, and how many unique page views you get per month on average. You may want to sign in with Google Analytics to provide you with such information. And if you are cross-posting to other sites, you have to provide them those URLs, as well.

WHERE TO GET AN ARC?

Netgalley 
Sign up. Fill up all the information needed. They have a help desk on how to make everything in your reviewing and reading life easier. Make sure to list all your preferred genres and favorite publishers. It helps when requesting for a copy. Different publishers have different rules on approving requests and posting reviews, read them.

Edelweiss
Sign up. Like Netgalley, you have to fill up all the necessary information and your preferences. Review copies are divided into those you can ‘Download’ or ‘Request’. You will be asked for a strong reason for requesting a copy every time.

Goodreads
There are groups that offer ARC. I am not a member of any of these groups and most of them are private groups too. So, you have to experience this yourself and find out if it suits you.
Goodreads also offers giveaways. It’s legit! I’ve won a couple of times and they sent me printed copies.

First to Read
Penguin Random House offers this program to US residents only. And I really wish PRH Canada offers it too.

Penguin Teen
These are for Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Picture Books. You need to fill out their Blogger Request Form. Again, this is only available for US residents.

Riveted
Riveted by Simon Teen is a community for young adult fiction lovers, where you can read YA books for FREE,  enter for the chance to win new and forthcoming releases, and more!

Blog Tours
Being on social platforms, look out for blog tours. Most Blog Tours are run by publicity companies (there are plenty, believe me) and they offer services to authors, which include reviews from bloggers. You sign up for their virtual book tours to get review copies.

Newsletters
Most publisher websites offer newsletters for their followers, opt to sign up. They [almost] always host giveaways. At the very least, you will know which books are hot on the shelves and which are most expected.
Publishers also offer their imprints’ emails. Although, most of them do not approve individual customer requests.

The Book Blogger List 
Let authors, publicists, and publishers find you instead. If you are diligent in keeping up your blog, they will keep you on their list.

Book Sirens
As the website says, it is the easiest way to be a reviewer. If you are reviewing for free [like me], you have to be aware that this site [same with Netgalley and Edelweiss] is free for reviewers but not for authors. You have to read thoroughly before signing up.

Quick reminders for new bloggers, though. (1) I highly recommend that you put up a Review Policy, no matter how small your site is or irregular your reviews are. Review requests will frequent sooner or later. Your Review Policy will help you narrow down to what you really want to read or host and when to best accommodate them. (2) Review copies cost both authors and publishers and digital galley proofs are limited. If you cannot accommodate review offers, decline them as soon as possible. If your request is approved, be kind enough to provide them with a review, even a short one. Or, if you really can’t provide one, give them an honest reason why. (3) The truth is rejection will happen more than you expect it, keep requesting anyway. Here's my rant on how I handle rejection.

I hope part one of this Q & A series provided you with some answers. Part Two will try to answer why I decline or do not respond to some review requests. I’ll be brutally honest, PROMISE!

My resources are limited if you can add more ways to get ARCs, please comment below.

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Here's To New Beginnings

   

Happy 2018, dear readers!

Last year was really busy for me. The move from the Philippines was extra challenging -been to places, made some new friends, and tackled some pretty weighty obstacles. I labored to realign some priorities and that helped me grow these past months since I came here in Canada. I took a couple of online courses from the University of Toronto and earned my certifications last November 2017. I had an odd job to gain a Canadian experience, which was not all that bad since I gained some good friends and connections through it.

   I managed to squeeze in a few readings, here and there. And here's what Goodreads has to say about it... (click photo)

I'm not a mathematical genius, but I'm pretty sure I counted only 37 books in there. Anyways, here are my best books for 2017 (in no particular order):

1. The Awakening by Amanda Stevens -I love how this series ended. It showed how Amelia evolved immensely and exacted due retribution in the process.
2. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - Ove’s an unlikely hero with an exceptional story.
3. Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick - It tackles family and communal issues, childlessness, and one's sense of self-efficacy with a good sense of honesty and depth.
4. The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce - I still cannot talk about this book. It was so painfully keen, and yet, I can't recommend it highly enough.
5. Where the Dead Lie by C.S. Harris - A favorite historical fiction series. There's no book in this series that I don't like. Every single one of them went through thorough research.
6. Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino - This is my 2nd Higashino, it doesn't disappoint at all. If you want a good mystery, you have one here.
7. The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce - Another RJ book, yes. The reader has to listen to this book intently, don't just read it.
8. A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin - the ending of this installment got me in knots for some time. I wish there was a way to finish this series.
9. Being Perfect by Anna Quindlen - A short read, but dense in many ways.
10. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman - My second FB book. I cried without tears with this one, I don't know how else to express how heartbreaking it was.

The notable ones are:

1. I Murdered My Library by Linda Grant
2. See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
4. Nutshell by Ian McEwan
5. Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin 
6. Autumn by Ali Smith
7. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
8. The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball

Wow, that's half of what I read last year. But that's exactly what I promised myself, that I'll aspire reading really satisfying books. Hopefully, 2018 will be filled with them, as well.


Let us be optimistic that my blogging will improve, too. I'll still be posting ARC reviews, some pre-Blogger reviews, Wednesday Spotlights, and maybe some Author Interviews. We'll see. Stay in touch.


Oh, by the way, it's The Page Walker's 5th Bloggy Birthday. Thank you for staying with me.

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THIS IS NEW

Hello. It’s been a while since my last entry and that got me thinking if any of you are still out there. 😅*crossing fingers The last few weeks had been very busy and, as you may know, moving into another country (another continent, really) is never easy. As of now, it’s acquainting with the new house, the new bed, the climate, and a timeline for me. The most challenging, right now, is getting acquainted with the new church. Will I ever be acquainted? That is. I’ve always believed in the fact that to belong to a church I need to have a purpose. So, let’s see if I can identify my purpose here.

Did I say I was busy? Well, I’ve been busy touring around Alberta, Canada. Believe me, it’s not a posh endeavor. Don’t get me wrong, the places we’ve been are absolutely interesting and wonderful, but the drive was long and, well, long. Good thing we have Cindy Lauper to accompany us most of the time. 🎵 I drove all night to get to you.🎶

My hubby, being adorable as he’d always been, drove me to browse around CrossIron Mills Outlets Mall. I unashamedly bought boots, clothes, and food. Go ahead, judge me for being a girl.😜 But, even though, there’s an Indigo outlet, I didn’t get any book. I was busy looking at what book people picked up, instead.

There was this one morning when we drove to see the beautiful frozen Lake Louise, which is absolutely pristine, but freakishly cold too. Hubby said that we should go back in the summer, and we really should. We also went to see the Banff Park Museum, which was very educational and startling. Although, it’s a place I’m sure my daughter would never enter by choice, because of the huge taxidermy collection. She’s an animal person, you see. They have some really interesting shops in that town. Plenty of people, too. The line at Starbucks was ridiculous, I tell you, but it gave me enough time to observe people. I’ve been spending a lot of time observing people lately, hmmm.

We spent one Sunday afternoon walking around downtown Calgary –taking pictures and internalizing how to be tourists. This is followed by an even more interesting Monday, driving around looking into Calgary’s independent bookstores and chatting with their accommodating store clerks. I’m going to write a piece about that on a different post.

On our way to Saskatchewan, we drove first into Drumheller. Dinosaurs walk that town. We went to see the Tyrell Museum, Homestead Museum, and the Hoodoos. The whole trip was wonderful. I literally want to take pictures of every hump and rock formations. It’s a warm place, where the sun sets a couple of hours before midnight. And it was funny and cool walking around wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night.😎

Here’s the thing, moving continent, I also need to move my files and whatnot. So I’m doing my best to move my book reviews into one place, where there’s actually a working chronological order. Be forewarned that I’ll be posting pre-Blogger book reviews I wrote in Shelfari, Goodreads, and Tumblr. Hopefully, they will not bore you.  You let me know, okay?

Before I forgot, I’ve been to concerts and had drinks, of course. Thank you to all the wonderful people who provided our tickets. So, yeah, I just want you guys to know that I still have a nightlife, despite the cold, here in the new continent.

Sorry for not writing sooner. I’ll sit again to write something actually book related, promise.

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ON HOW I HANDLE REJECTION

by Legami

Every now and then, I get book-related questions, through email or through the blog’s contact form, from different sorts of visitors – authors, fellow reader, students with paperwork, surveyor, and trolls. I’m not sure how many of them are actually my blog followers, but I do appreciate their effort in bothering to contact me (trolls included). I admit to having varied ways of neglecting them; oftentimes, it took me weeks before I can sort the interesting from the insignificant. Most interesting at times, it’s the trolls who have more significant questions, if you can believe that.

I was asked a few months back if I was ever declined by a publisher in Netgalley. I assumed that the question came from a fellow site user, who is pretty new at it, and have been recently declined. However, since my querier did not leave any contact information, I decided to answer this question here. And hopefully, this will help others, out there, who experienced the same.

The truth.

The answer is a resounding YES, I have. I was declined 56 times, the last one, in fact, was last January 14 of this year. Now, that was almost as many times I was approved. The general reason I got for being declined was that the publisher already hit their galley limit.  It probably meant that I sent my request too close to the publishing date, or a number of requests already came through before mine. However, there were three incidents wherein publishers declined me because they were dissatisfied with my profile information. They cited several reasons as to why. Some of these rejections even came from publishers who approved my previous requests. Some were even sequels to books I have reviewed for them before.

Keep at it.

Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I discouraged? No.  I just keep on requesting for other books I like. I continue updating my profile, because, of course, changes happen. And I keep reading and blogging.  And, then I get pre-approval from publishers. Not just for one particular book, but for all their new releases. To show them my appreciation, I request and review books from their racks every month. I can be a grateful bitch if I want to. 

There were times, too, when the author or a publicist will directly email their galley, or send download links, which is generous, of course. 

I am not trying to boast here. I am simply telling you, guys, good things also happen to hardworking and honest reviewers/bloggers.

Not just a reader.

Every time I get declined, I’d tell myself that it was not my loss; it was theirs because mine was another recommendation they will never have. What some publishers failed to see was that not all reviewers from Netgalley are just professional readers. Most of us are “book lovers”, we are born to read books. Readers like me will not just submit feedback for the galley, we will actually buy a printed copy if we liked it, take pictures of them, and put them on display or post them on social media. 

There are two motives for reading a book;
one, that you enjoy it;
the other,that you can boast about it.
~Bertrand Russell

Crazy as this may sound, but I even buy the audiobook when it becomes available. I became a completist of authors, because of some great galley proofs I’ve read.

My advice to my fellow NetGalley users, keep going to the site, keep requesting for books that appeal to you, and keep recommending; because you are there not for the rating, not for the pride of badges, but FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS. For a bit of more cohesive advice on how to improve your approval rate, though, you may want to read Savy's post.

P.S.

And this last bit is for the publicists who use “Review Opportunity” on their email heading:  Whose opportunity are you referring? May I suggest Barb Drozdowich’s Book Blogger Survey for references before emailing book reviewers?

Good day, everyone. Thanks for keeping with my ramblings.

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THE 3-DAY LATE YEAR-END POST

Happy 2017, Everyone!

This is our annual welcome post, where I get to show you my year of reading, my top list for the previous year, and my wishes and perspective for this glorious year ahead of us. On top of that, The Page Walker’s 4th birthday is just around the corner. So, I bid you greet me a Happy Bloggy Birthday. Go ahead, don’t be shy.

Goodreads was good enough (pun not intended), to compile our yearly reading for us. So, simply click on the photo above and you’ll be electronically transported to that beautiful cover collage.  According to Goodreads, I read 62 books last 2016 (rereads not included). Pretty good job for a lazy sloth like me, I guess. The thing is I don’t regret reading any of these books. In fact, I’ve had some very satisfying reads. Most of them were real tearjerkers, some were bloody murder, and some were as scary as hell.

Last July 2016, I’ve already posted half of my best list, so, I’ll just add the rest here.

1. Stormy Weather by Dermot Davis – This is a philosophical challenge. I chose it for my TFG Bingo card because it posed a very intriguing storyline. I had a huge take from this story because it tells the story of a therapist struggling with his own priorities.
2. Leave Me by Gayle Forman – I connected with this book. The main character voiced every exhausted mother’s plea and call for validation.
3. The Sinner by Amanda Stevens – This is the 5^th installment of the Graveyard Queen. And I admit to loving this series too much because it scared me out of my pants (and out of my bed, too).
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows – Another book for the TFG Bingo. This is a sweetheart. I dearly love all the exchanges.
5. All In  (The Naturals #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
6. Bad Blood (The Naturals #4) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – The Naturals is one freakin’ psyched series. I love it.
7. Stay Where You Are And Then Leave by John Boyne – The same guy who wrote The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas wrote this book, so, I don’t need to tell you to grab a huge roll of tissue when you read this.
8. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino – This book is deceptive, I tell you. It lulled me into believing that it’d be the perfect murder. Then, the ending happened, and I totally lost it. Bloody murder and a tearjerker, rolled into one. What a punch!
9. A List of Cages by Robin Roe – This debut novel crushed my heart most assuredly. It made me cry, it made me angry – I felt absolutely helpless. The roll of tissue failed to rescue me from this one. I highly recommend this.

I’m proud of my TFG Bingo Challenge, even though I’m 4 books shy of completing a blackout. I finished 21 books, with 5 patterns.  I had great times exploring books to fit into each category and enjoyed most of my choices. Kudos to the mind who sacrificed both time and effort in creating such challenges. You can click on the pattern below to embiggen.

2016 turned me into a very lousy blogger, averaging to 2 entries a month. There is no excuse, really. Simply, lazy and uninspired. As I said earlier, The Page Walker is turning 4 this January. So, it’s time to seriously put the -ING into ADULTING. I’ll do my best to post something significant every week.

As to my reading, I still aspire to read satisfying books -those books that wounds, scars, and mends; those that will scare the wits out me; and those that will keep me at the edge of my seat (or perch, or wherever). I may even read a lesser number this year, but I want to make sure that all of them are those I've really wanted to read. Like the literary awardees I've been keeping an eye on; those series I've been missing; and those short story collections that have been gathering dust on my shelves. I'd be random and eclectic as always.

Again, thank you for putting up with me all through these times. I appreciate all the emails, the shy people who prefer not leaving a comment, and those who share my links. Sorry for not replying promptly to your emails, or for ignoring most of them. I am an awful, awful blogger, sorry. Yet again, to all the publicists and authors, kindly read my policy thoroughly before sending me an email. And if you could maybe get my name right sometimes, that would be awesome.  😉 Goodspeed!

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Why Read Translated Works?

This was a question sent to me a few months back. I never had the chance to answer this earlier, mainly because I feel I have no substantial answer, to begin with. You see, I’m no expert on the subject, and anything I’ll say here is purely based on my opinion as a reader or a person who delights in reading good books. If it’s an expert’s opinion you’re after, then you’re on the wrong page. If you want to stick around, you have to take everything with a grain of salt.

I learn.

Did I buy them because they were translations? No.

So far I have read a number of translated works, none of them I bought for that reason. The truth is, only after reading most of them did I realize that they were translations. (Just to show you how deep my expertise on this subject.) And it took a while before I did realize what I like about them. 

Translation in literature, for me, is more than breaking the language barrier. It helps us learn about other cultures, their fashion, their spirituality, and their political views, how they really feel about family values and their passion for food. Most of the answers to these made me laugh, shocked at the huge difference with mine, and marveled at the similarities.

Lost in translation.

Transmitting cultural aspects through literature is a difficult mission. It is a multifaceted collection of experiences in daily life. And I am often fascinated with the translator’s ability to capture and project them, and to be understood by readers outside the original cultural condition. Sure, some readers are vexed because some sense does get lost in translation, but heck, it's not about to cause World War III, right?

Without translation, I would be limited to the borders of my own country.

The translator is my most important ally.

He introduces me to the world. -Italo Calvino

Oh, the places you'll go!

Translation is also akin to traveling to places we have not reached yet.  It’s been years, but the image of Stockholm is stockpiled in my memory on how Reg Keeland translated it for Stieg Larsson. I felt the melancholic voice of José Saramago when Margaret Jull Costa translated his memories of Azinhaga and Lisbon. I will always miss the lights of Barcelona as Lucia Graves translated it for Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Keeping the windows open.

Lastly, whilst I read English-written works more often, I also read translations because I think it’s abnormal and restrictive to lock myself from the rest of the remarkable literature mankind have written.

It is better to have read a great work of another culture in translation

than never to have read it at all. -Henry Gratton Doyle

While we’re at it, here are the Best Translated Novels and Favorite Translated Literature from Goodreads Listopia. And THE MILLIONS announced the Winners for the Best Translated Book for 2016.

I'm also interested in your opinion on this matter. Please, do share.

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I Am Three and Have Plenty of Excuses

I did not forget that The Page Walker turned three this month. I intentionally did not rush off to write a post, because I’ve been thinking of the changes I need to make and how best to do them.

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What's Next For This Bookish Person

What does a bookish person want for the New Year? Now that is really difficult to articulate since a bookish person like me would tell you that I want to read all of those books on my TBR pile and review them all as soon as I am done. It’s more like a fantabulous wish, really. Most of us bookish people live in fiction if you know what I mean.

Taking a good look at 2015 will probably make a good sense of what I do want for 2016, then. Goodreads made a beautiful illustration of each member’s Year 2015 in Books, and here is mine (click on the photo below).

 Last July 2015, I posted the best books I’ve read for the first half of the year. And to that I am adding these beauties:

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – This will always be beautiful, maybe, no matter how many times I reread it. I will always love Atticus, I guess.
• The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence – I’m so enamored with the kind of friendship Alex showed here. It is a story not easily forgotten.
• Slade House by David Mitchell – This one is short but an unrelenting thrill. Just brilliant!
• Night Study by Maria V. Snyder – I am ridiculously biased toward this series. I love every detail, every character, and the development of the story. It just keeps getting better every time. Release date on January 26, 2016.
• The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick – Arthur Pepper is one hell of a guy to root for. He is curiously charming –all heart and nothing less. He’s coming out this May 2016.

For special mentions:

• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
• Family Life by Akhil Sharma

The Goodreads’ illustration and this list will tell you that I almost read anything, although I still prefer seeking the books I want to read for authentic enjoyment. So, what does this bookish person want for the New Year? I want satisfying reads. It doesn’t necessarily have to make me happy. It may leave me in a pile of tears and snot, for all I care, as long as I’m fully satisfied. Satisfied in that sense where I am able to hold on to something substantial and not easily forgotten.

On that note, I may have to forego my yearly challenge. I’ll read how many books I can read. Sure, 75 was a good number. I was not really pressured, or anything, to reach that number. But having an actual number out there seems restricting as it is. So, no more numbers.

I’d like to add more buddy-reading this year. Last year limited me to Perdido Street Station and When We Were Orphans; and that’s so sad. I miss the ‘Wenches of TFG’ very very much!

The TFG Dare To Read Challenge could have been better. Yeah, sure, I’ve accomplished them, but I’m hoping that this year’s challenges will be better.

I may also have to make some changes on the book requests. I’ll make a separate post for that one, including my plans for this blog.

For now, I’m happy to be up and about and blogging once again. Thank you for staying with The Page Walker all through 2015, and hope that you keep on visiting. 

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MAY is Short Story Month (Part II)

REFLECTIONS.

SIX FEET OF THE COUNTRY by Nadine Gordimer

A peculiar story involving a white couple, who owns a farm 10 miles out of Johannesburg, and their black farmhands. Unknown to the couple, their farmhands had been smuggling family members and relatives out from Rhodesia into their farm. Until one day the latest refugee succumbed to the elements while walking the long treacherous miles. The owner, informed belatedly, feared for the health of his farmhands. He sent for the health authorities and the police. When the autopsy was done, the finding was pneumonia, the relatives wanted to have the body back for a proper burial, but it turned out missing. The black farmhands appealed to their employer to intercede for them in retrieving the body, and, later, the sum they paid for the alleged exhumation back.

Every day since the owner dogged the said authorities for the injustice done to his farmhands. Little did he know that he stood as a bridge for the black people in winning against apartheid pressed upon them even in death.

Nadine Gordimer was an exceptional writer, who gave us another look at the apartheid times in South Africa from a different angle. The words were lightly written, but the reader can feel the heaviness of the subject.

Rating: 4 stars


THE END OF THE PARTY by Graham Greene

This story is shockingly sad. Nine-year-old twins Francis and Peter share an uncommon bond. Peter is the strong one, who nevertheless looks after the ever-anxious Francis. It is curious how twins share not only dreams but thoughts and feelings as well, often effortlessly.

With the distinctiveness of fear and the complex relations between twins, Green meticulously described how a crippling fear dominating one twin can instinctively drive the other one to protect. And by way of Francis’s fear of attending parties and playing hide and seek in the dark, Greene also poignantly pointed out that the death of one twin becomes a transfer of fear that may go on and on for the other.

Graham Greene used foreshadowing heavily on the subject; even so, he was a compelling writer. His gentle invitation to self-reflection and emphatic observations were possessive.

Rating: 3 stars


THE BURNING CITY by Hjalmar Söderberg

A framed canvas of a burning city held the curiosities of a young boy of four. Having no concept of time yet, he had trouble accepting the facts that the burning city in the frame burned a long, long time ago. After more questions and much pondering, he laughed at the idea that neither he nor his father has yet existed when that city burned. Truly it was just a jest crafted by his father, because if the moon exists in the picture, like how it exists today in the present, then he was just probably somewhere else when the tragedy happened.

This is quite a charming story. The innocence and logic of a young mind are so precious to behold.

Rating: 3 stars


THE GUEST by Albert Camus

Set in Algeria, back during the French colonization. Daru, a schoolmaster, was visited by Balducci, an old gendarme from El Ameur. With him was an Arab prisoner that Daru needs to transfer to Tanguit, east of the plateau, on the morrow. A great dilemma took hold of Daru. As much as Daru hate to condone the Arab’s crime, he also refused to be an instrument in another man’s conviction.

The next morning, halfway to Tanguit, Daru gave the Arab the choice, he can either choose the eastern road to Tanguit and his prison, or he can take the road south and take refuge with the nomads.

Daru has never felt so alienated on the plateau before, until now. Not after the Arab chose the road east.

Albert Camus used a brilliant setting, purposely utilizing a man’s contented existence, in spite of his isolation and frugal livelihood, to emphasize the subject of moral distress and human responsibility.

Rating: 4 stars


AMONG THE PATHS TO EDEN by Truman Capote

Mrs. Annie Austin is living proof. Her success in finding both the late Mr. Cruikshank and the present Mr. Austin in the cemetery was not based on luck, but the result of pure practicality. Obituaries are of full of unmarried men, after all -widowers walking around cemeteries, missing their wives and maybe wishing they are married again.

Surely then, Mr. Belli was wrong in believing that in a cemetery a man is safe from husband stalkers. And if Mary O’Meaghan is zealous enough, she may catch a nice young widower that same afternoon.

The wit in this simple short story is most enjoyable.

Rating: 4 stars


THE MAN WHO COULD WORK MIRACLES by HG Wells

God has a great sense of humor. And He knew exactly when to send His message and how we may learn our life lessons. Let’s take George McWhirter Fotheringay for example. In less than a week, he learned that (1) miracles do happen, (2) they should be taken seriously, (3) consequences await those who bend miracles without thorough thought, and (4) man is easily tempted.

A classical genius, really.

Rating: 4 stars


MARRIAGE À LA MODE by Katherine Mansfield

When a man and his wife unexpectedly grew up separately after some years -one wanting it capriciously this way, while the other sentimentally thought it best the other way- is it still called marriage?

Thought-provoking. Katherine Mansfield made an embroidered, yet dramatic illustration of a marriage divorced from its purpose and foundation.

Rating: 4 stars

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