I hope your September is going well so far! I seem to have “volunteered” to do a variety of talks and papers over the next few weeks, which is eating a wee bit into my time. If I opt to keep a positive outlook, I could maybe say that being busy makes you value your leisure time more. Now it’s just a case of convincing the subconscious that that’s really the case!
Book reviews
On the plus side, I’ve had a good amount of reading time with the increased daily commute. As you can see, I’m still poking around Golden Age speculative fiction and mysteries. I’ve just restarted my Kindle Unlimited subscription with a (current) wishlist of around 30 books. Let’s see how long it takes to go through those, and how many are added along the way.
The Second Fritz Leiber MEGAPACK – I don’t think I need to state the author, do I?
The Draycott Murder Mystery by Molly Thynne
Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes
The Evelyn E. Smith Super Pack
The Interview by Liz Tuckwell
Very short stories
And here are some tiny stories from March. Still having lots of fun creating these graphics, even if they’re not exactly as I see them in my head. Patience…
shot
Clinging to the fragile cliff face, with circling fins below, I gulp as the failed applicants’ shrieks reach my ears. When they said at the recruitment centre I’d only get one shot at the job, this wasn’t quite what I expected.
proof
“You alwayth think it’th me,” grumbled Vlad. “Where’th your proof?”
“The bloodless body—”
“A big mothquito.”
“Tooth marks on the neck—”
“Pah! There are other vampireth.”
“Not with dentures. Here.” His interlocutor held up a case.
“Oopth.”
Note: I wasn’t happy with the original vampire image. Managed to get hold of a set of dentures, and this guy works a lot better 😛
horse
“A wooden horse?” The general laughed. “We’re not falling for that old trick.”
“What shall we do with it, sir?”
“Drag it up to the city walls so our people may see. Then burn it.”
Unfortunately, this time it was full of black powder.
accouter
“Come forth and do battle!” called the knight.
“Permit me to accouter myself,” came a querulous voice from inside. “It’s only honourable.”
The knight huffed. “Very well.”
Quiet clanking followed.
An hour later, they found an emptied lair and a wide open back door.
idyll
Leaning on a spade, the thief surveyed the golden fields.
The warrior approached. “You’ve been here for hours. Deciding how to spend the loot? I didn’t peg you as the bucolic idyll type.”
“I’m not,” grumbled the thief. “I’m trying to remember where I buried it.”
request
The first request had been innocuous. Curiosity sparked, she’d have felt silly to refuse it. But one thing led to another, and she’s in too deep to stop now.
She whispers into the phone. “Another interlibrary loan please. Necronomicon. First edition.”
I just had to finish up with a library. Happy reading, and see you soon!
Speculative stories 