This starts out fairly calmly, but it gets darker, and I loved it. It needed one more edit though it's almost typo-free, for a few extraneous words and one impossible action. But it is unflinching in the end, and I respect the heck out of it for that. Great story. ( )

This intriguing novella starts with Persephone Aim attempting to go through her late grandmother's house. It's full to the brim with junk, but also contains magical artifacts. And Persephone's not the only one interested in what may be found...

I happened to pick this book up just after clearing my mother's house (she was also a serious hoarder, although not a magician, to my knowledge), and the early descriptions of the sorting job really hit home.

The plot wasn't too complex (it's a novella, after all). I like seeing how the complex family relationships played out, between Persephone, her mother and grandmother. The ending felt a bit hurried - I wouldn't have minded a fuller picture of what transpired (and more particularly, how it was explained to the authorities) but overall a very enjoyable read.

What more is there to say? "Carpe Glitter" has just won the 2019 Nebula (awarded in 2020 for 2019 works) for best Novelette. It's a treat.

I received a review copy of "Carpe Glitter" from Meercat Press through Netgalley.com. ( )

This one... is a weird story. Enjoyable, but weird. The cover isn't what I would have picked given the contents; it doesn't (to me) go with this story of magic and a dysfunctional mother-daughter-grandmother family. ( )

Carpe Glitter in a finalist in the novelette Nebula Award category, and it's easy to see why. This 60-page story is engrossing from page 1 with its deep family drama with a supernatural spin. Persephone is a woman with a terrible task before her: cleaning through the hoard left behind from her late grandmother, a Vegas stage magician with an extra-magical bent. And not just one house to clean through, either, but three, all interconnected and full of rotting papers and weird odds and ends, the kinds of odds that bring government agents to the door--and even worse, Persephone's mother.

I read through in one sitting and greatly enjoyed it. I also related on a personal level, as my grandma--like many in her generation--had the tendency to hoard as well, though fortunately not the kinds of materials in this novelette. ( )