Bookmarque’s Padded Cell - Therapy bites

While I do like short stories, I don’t always read a lot of them, mostly because the majority of my consumption these days is audio and I just find that novels or longer dramas are better suited to that medium. There are a few anthologies and omnibuses hanging around the house that I need to get to, however, and I hope to make a new habit out of reading a story each morning. So here’s to that and not much else. Rules and reading are two things that definitely don’t go together for me, so I mostly read without them.

My current book is The End of the World as We Know It which is a multi-author collection of stories set in Stephen King’s world of The Stand. Some of the writers I know like Catriona Ward and others are unfamiliar. Done entirely with his blessing, Uncle Steve is not a contributor, alas. So far I’ve read four and notes about them are in the review section of the work, but I may put them here as well. If you love The Stand, you might like this anthology. It was published last year.

Also I’ll list some of my other anthologies and omnibuses that I’ve already read and some I want to get to, as well as some recommendations of individual stories that I think many of you will like.

Anyway...that's it for me for the mo.

OK - Not quite it for me. Here are other collections I'd like to work through this year -



All of them are door stops so it might not come to pass, but I can try.

>1 Bookmarque: I did like The Stand and what a great guy Uncle Steve is to give it his blessing. Sounds good. I'll be following your progress, with no rules! But a morning short story from a dusted off anthology does sound pretty fine to me. Might steal that idea.

>1 Bookmarque: I'm glad you're here, innovators are always welcome.

I appreciate you want to do your own thing, your topic title, which I love, would you like me to add the prefix '26Shorts2026: ShortsRead --- ' to it?

This is so when it's filtered in the group home your page is sorted so it stays with the others and makes it easier to find.

Nah, that's ok. I, being more mercurial, shall appear in my own good time. (bonus points if you can spot the borrowed quote).

Before I forget, here's an excellent and, in many ways, prescient story to check out if you already haven't - The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster. It's often included in collections of his work and other anthologies that are usually geared toward science or speculative fiction.

Another in that vein is Blood Music by Greg Bear, which he expanded into a full-length novel of the same name. I have read both and prefer the novel, but the story is tantalizing in its own right.

>4 Bookmarque: Last year, upon another recommendation, I read The Machine Stops. It gave me additional respect for Forster. I still catch myself thinking about that story (and our own times).

It is a fabulous little tale and really has the power to stick. I haven't read it in maybe 10 years, but remember a lot of its aspects.

I'm going to drop this here. I wonder if it will change automatically as I add to the review. I guess we'll see -

>4 Bookmarque: ok, as for quote, I guess I could guess but I don't recognise it off-hand.

And yes, your review in >6 Bookmarque: will automatically update and reflect your review as you change it.

>4 Bookmarque: ok, as for quote, I guess I could guess but I don't recognise it off-hand.

And yes, your review in >6 Bookmarque: will automatically update and reflect your review as you change it.

Ah ha! It does update. Makes sense as it's drawing from a section of catalog that changes with my additions. Read a few more stories and may continue off and on all day since I tweaked my back and doing much more than sitting with the heating pad is asking for trouble. I did finish up the prep on two pendants that are in the tumbler. May see if I can set the stones later today. Usually I do a lot of that standing, but the stool at the bench forces me to sit very upright, using my spine as its intended - to support - and I think I can get them finished and polished.

>4 Bookmarque: But Christmas is over! Great quote; one of the best lines in the whole story, though not one of the ones that has seeped into public consciousness.

>10 saskia17: Woo hoo! You got it!

My husband and I watch at least one version of it during the holidays and listen to Patrick Stewart read an abridged audiobook, too. Plus I've read it several times fully, so many of the lines just stick, you know?

>11 Bookmarque: Oooh, Patrick Stewart. I didn't know he had an audiobook version of this. Another one to add to the list!

I'm not sure you can still get it anymore, but it's special even if it is abridged. I found it in a Barnes & Noble sometime in the 90s - it's two CDs. Oddly, husband and I just can't warm to his movie version of A Christmas Carol. It just lacks something so we don't have a copy.

Phew. It took me until yesterday to finish that book. The quality of the stories was so uneven and jarring that I avoided picking it up for weeks at a time. I skipped the last story it was so weird and unpleasant. Will I keep it? Doubtful as I'm not tempted to read any of it again. Giving short stories a break for a while, but eventually I'll pick up something else. Maybe William Gay or T.C. Boyle.

>1 Bookmarque: I seen the book you have by Ray Bradbury, I'm also reading some of his stories that are from volumes 1 and 2, and if you get a chance to read these, I'll be interested to know how you find them.

Oh I've always loved Ray and have read a lot of his novels and shorts over the decades. He's got such a surprising way of using language and I've always loved the shifting tone of many of his works.

>16 Bookmarque: I'm amazed, I've read 9 stories so far (and have another 17 lined up), and I'm astounded by how different they are.

Oh yeah, Ray was full of surprises. Did you know he wrote a detective series? The first is Death is a Lonely Business. They are pretty odd, but wonderfully twisted. And surprises in real life, too, such as he never learned to drive a car.

>18 Bookmarque: no I didn't know, and sound interesting, thanks I'll look this up.

>18 Bookmarque: hi, I was thinking that it would be nice if this group could expand to cater more short works as this challenge continues. I got some ideas, very rough, where i might change the group name, just letting you know if you have any thoughts on this, let me know, thanks