"More of This World or Maybe Another" is Barb Johnson's superb debut collection of interconnected short stories. The stories are set in Louisiana wher"More of This World or Maybe Another" is Barb Johnson's superb debut collection of interconnected short stories. The stories are set in Louisiana where siblings Delia and Dooley are raised in a small town where the tanks of a natural gas refinery overlook the area. The characters move on to New Orleans around Palmyra Street (where the author herself had a carpentry shop where she specialized in cabinetmaking for Victorian houses). Delia buys a laundromat which serves as a hub for the social interactions. We meet some of the characters as children or teens, and run into them again as adults in other stories.
The flawed characters have difficult childhoods with problems of poverty, poor parenting, questions about their sexuality, and dealing with bullies. Drugs and alcohol are readily available. Fortunately, neighbors often step in to help when the parents are not functioning. People are trying to do the best they can, even when they face challenges.
The author has a dry sense of humor, and writes beautifully. She conveys the loyalty and affection that these neighbors share, especially in the stories about Luis. The boy often sleeps in an abandoned car instead of going home to an abusive stepfather. Author Barb Johnson will break your heart and make you smile--and every story ends on just the right note.
Thanks to Howard and Teresa for their recommendations....more
I liked this story and how it transitioned from the reality of trying to purchase a painting to a surreal experience--which was grounded in the realitI liked this story and how it transitioned from the reality of trying to purchase a painting to a surreal experience--which was grounded in the reality of the author's life of escaping from Russia with his family in 1919....more
The title of this story is translated to "And may they be forever damned." As Lord Arglay is walking, he's reflecting on growing older. He seems to beThe title of this story is translated to "And may they be forever damned." As Lord Arglay is walking, he's reflecting on growing older. He seems to be going from ordinary chronological time to eternal time. He enters an empty house with two inner doors which seem to be a cellar door to the heat of hell, and another door which we can assume goes to heaven. He is reminded to forgive others, even his hateful brother-in-law. Arglay seems to be in a sort of waiting room on the edge of hell. "From every gate of hell there was a way to heaven, yes, and in every way to heaven there was a gate to deeper hell."
Arglay proclaims the glory of God and runs out of the house. He travels down the road where a bus was arriving. A bus runs on a chronological bus schedule, and is part of his normal community indicating that Lord Arglay has left eternal time.
The last sentence contains the phrase "E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle," a quote from the conclusion of Dante's "The Inferno." As Dante exits the Inferno and looks to the sky, it's stated: "And thence we issued forth to see again the stars."
It's an interesting story where Williams plays with time and doors. It has a Christian theme revolving around Dante's "The Inferno." The Short Story Club is reading it from the collection "Black Water: The Book of Fantastic Literature."...more
I'm reading some older mysteries as part of a Mystery Challenge, and decided to add one of the first mysteries I ever read to the mix of books. "The SI'm reading some older mysteries as part of a Mystery Challenge, and decided to add one of the first mysteries I ever read to the mix of books. "The Secret of the Old Clock" was published in 1930, and is the first book in the Nancy Drew mystery series. The earliest Nancy Drew stories were later revised in 1959. It brought back nostalgic feelings of settling down with a Nancy Drew book as a young girl. I read over twenty of them between library books, and books gifted to me by my grandmother.
Nancy Drew is searching for a missing will. Josiah Crowley had promised some needy relatives that they would inherit part of his fortune. But the older will in his lawyer's office leaves the entire fortune to the social-climbing Topham family. There are rumors that a second will exists. Nancy sets out to find the hidden will, and encounters some dangerous criminals in the process.
Since the revised version was written back in the 1950s, the clothes and the phones are outdated. But the story still holds up, and Nancy Drew is a charitable, positive role model. The adventure would still be fun for a 8-10 year-old child to read....more
"Very haltingly at first, but afterwards more easily, he began to tell of the thing that was hidden in his life, the haunting memory of a beauty and a"Very haltingly at first, but afterwards more easily, he began to tell of the thing that was hidden in his life, the haunting memory of a beauty and a happiness that filled his heart with insatiable longings that made all the interests and spectacle of worldly life seem dull and tedious and vain to him "
The narrator tells about his old school friend, Lionel Wallace, who was haunted by an event from his childhood. When Wallace was five years old, a green door set into a white wall captured his attention. He gave in to his curiosity and opened the door which led into a magical, beautiful garden. Was the garden real, a hallucination, or did Wallace possess an abnormal gift of special vision? There are lots of psychological undertones in this story about the conscious rational world and the world of imagination. I enjoyed the ambiguous ending to the story.
I read the title story only with the Short Story Club. The story is online at Project Gutenberg, and in the anthology, "Black Water."
While we usually think of Charles Dickens as a novelist and journalist, he also loved the theater and wrote plays. This book is a collection of six plWhile we usually think of Charles Dickens as a novelist and journalist, he also loved the theater and wrote plays. This book is a collection of six plays originally published in the years 1836-1867, some of which were written in collaboration with another writer. Farces and melodramas were very popular in Victorian times. There are no explanatory notes other than a two-page preface. Since Dickens' plays are difficult to find in print form, I was happy to find this collection.
Contents: The Strange Gentleman The Village Coquettes Is She His Wife? The Lamplighter Mr Nightingale's Diary No Thoroughfare...more
Nurse Hilda Adams is occasionally asked by Inspector Patton to act as a private duty nurse when crimes have been committed behind closed doors. While Nurse Hilda Adams is occasionally asked by Inspector Patton to act as a private duty nurse when crimes have been committed behind closed doors. While she's nursing her patient, she also stays aware of what the people in the household might be hiding. Inspector Patton's nickname for Hilda is Miss Pinkerton.
Herbert Wynne had been found with a deadly gunshot wound a few hours after he had been cleaning his gun. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder? Herbert had been living with his elderly aunt and her two servants. He had recently taken out a large life insurance policy. There are many people who could have had a motive to kill Herbert.
This is a 1932 mystery which was first serialized in The Saturday Evening Post, then published as a book and made into a film. Narrated by Nurse Hilda, it's a cozy mystery with some humor and a convoluted ending. The book was reissued as one of Otto Penzler's American Mystery Classics....more
"Never Change" is one of Elizabeth Berg's best books--thoughtful, funny, and wise. Myra is a visiting nurse who deeply cares for her patients. She's i"Never Change" is one of Elizabeth Berg's best books--thoughtful, funny, and wise. Myra is a visiting nurse who deeply cares for her patients. She's intelligent, plain, and someone people are comfortable confiding in. However, she's never been in a longterm relationship. During her high school years, she had a crush on Chip who was smart, athletic, and popular. Thirty years later, Myra receives an assignment to be Chip's home care nurse. He's returned to his hometown with a brain tumor and a terminal prognosis.
Berg has written a story that is as much about leaving yourself open to fully experiencing life as it is about death. There are many touching moments between Myra and Chip, as well as with her other patients. While the ending is obviously sad, the interactions among all the characters emphasizes caring and connecting with others....more
Alma Cruz is retiring from her university position, but she still has boxes of rough drafts of stories that she could never finish. She decides to burAlma Cruz is retiring from her university position, but she still has boxes of rough drafts of stories that she could never finish. She decides to bury boxes of unfinished manuscripts in a cemetery she designs in the Dominican Republic. However, some characters refuse to be quieted and they tell their stories to the cemetery's caretaker, Filomena.
There are four main stories that run through the book, and they all have some aging characters. Two stories are about living characters--Alma and her sisters, and Filomena and her relatives. The two main deceased characters are Bionvenida, an ex-wife of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, and Manuel Cruz, a Dominican doctor who immigrated to the United States. Some characters never reveal the whole truth to their families or to the author who is writing their story. A different author might imagine a totally different ending to a character's untold story.
The stories have a good sense of place as the book tells of their lives in the Dominican Republic and New York City. The author uses many Spanish phrases which gives a sense of authenticity to the characters' speech. A reader does not have to speak Spanish since the book is written in a way that you can get a sense of what is being said. Like many Latin American writers, magical realism is an important component of Julia Alvarez's writing.
The untold stories are about family, passion, aging, grief, immigration, and politics. While everything came together in the end, the first half of the book sometimes felt disjointed as it shifted from one story to another, each with many characters. I did admire author Julia Alvarez's creativity and felt that she is probably at a similar point in her life--an older Dominican-American author with many untold stories. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars....more
Chapter 1 starts off the countdown of thirteen days, fourteen hours, and fifty-two minutes before the devastating San Francisco earthquake of April 18Chapter 1 starts off the countdown of thirteen days, fourteen hours, and fifty-two minutes before the devastating San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906. Gemma, an opera singer with a gorgeous soprano voice, arrives in the city hoping that her career would take off. Suling, a seamstress who is known for her intricate embroidery, is planning on leaving Chinatown to avoid an arranged marriage forced on her by her uncle. Alice Eastwood, a real botanist, is an independent woman in the California Academy of Science. Reggie, an artist, seemed to have left San Francisco without notifying anyone. The lives of each of these four people are connected in some way to Henry Thornton, a wealthy man who wants to be known as a patron of the arts. He is an avid collector of Chinese art treasures including "The Phoenix Crown." But there is a dark side underneath Henry's charm.
San Francisco, with its population of both Asian and European heritage, seemed like another character. The book is fast paced as events lead up to the earthquake. Fires raged after the quake, and the firefighters had little water to fight the flames since the water mains had been destroyed by the quake. Individuals had to rebuild their lives with many traveling to foreign cities to find new opportunities. Years pass before the prize in Henry Thorton's collection of Chinese art is seen again at a costume party outside Paris.
Author Janie Chang brought her Chinese heritage to the writing, and Kate Quinn's knowledge from a university major in classical voice enhanced the sections about Gemma's experiences in the opera. This historical novel was beautifully researched while it also had compelling characters and an exciting plot.