February | 2014 | Book Chatter

Why are the weekends so short? Last week was incredibly long. Not bad, just long. The track practices and the rushing around have gotten a little easier now that we have a routine down. But The Girl is going to bed a little later, which makes the mornings a little rougher so therefore, MY mornings are a little rougher.

So, I’ve been walking again. It’s a way for me to blow off a frantic morning but gosh, I am so out of shape! Long ago, the lupus did some damage to my hip so walking can be tough once I hit the two mile mark but I do it anyway because anything less than two miles doesn’t seem to do much for me. I’ve been enjoying some audio books while doing it so that always makes it more pleasant.

This week, I have an ultrasound scheduled, which is more precautionary than anything and then later, a biopsy. I don’t really think anything is wrong, but I could use some positive thoughts anyway. This has nothing to do with the hip issue I mentioned but I have a new doctor and she is erring on the side of caution. Plus, my other doctor has been concerned about the size of my red blood cells so this will also rule some other things out as well.

What am I reading?

I am reading The Realm of Last Chances for an online book club and I am also reading Eleanor & Park. E&P, swoon. It’s a little sappy with all that young love and all, but I love the characters.

What am I cooking?

Yesterday, I made chicken with goat cheese and a green bean salad with balsamic dressing and candied walnuts. It was delish. I really, really want some Chinese take-out tonight. Right now, I just finished some bacon and eggs, over easy please. A good, Sunday staple.

What am I watching?

Nothing now, but last night we watched The Breakfast Club and tonight The Walking Dead is on. I haven’t been too interested in the Olympics. I am not familiar with any of the athletes and is it me, or do some of the skating routines seem a little…cheesy?

It’s sunny here and I should be spending it outside, but last night I reorganized the kitchen and today, I feel the need to organize something else. We took a trip to IKEA yesterday and it gave me some ideas. As a family of four, we have done a lot in the way of cutting back, but we still have too much stuff. Especially after attending church. I really feel as if we have too much. It’s so easy to accumulate things.

What do you have planned for today?

Among Animals – The Lives of Animals and Humans in Contemporary Short Fiction
By John Yunker (Editor)
(Ashland Creek Press, Paperback, 9781618220257, 232pp.)

The Short of It:

A deeply introspective look at the role of animals in society.

The Rest of It:

This is a powerful, and I’ll admit, at times, unsettling collection of short stories that center around animals and their place in society. I expected most of the stories to center around “man’s best friend” but the collection goes much deeper than that.

These stories include a man’s infatuation with a bird, a story told from a stray dog’s point of view, a woman impregnated (magically speaking) by a dolphin, a pregnant woman slowly becoming goat-like, and probably what was the most powerful story for me, one about an animal taken in as “meat” that suddenly becomes quite a bit more than that.

What I briefly mentioned above doesn’t even cover the half of it. My main reason for accepting this book for review, is that it also includes two favorites stories of mine, written by Midge Raymond (The Ecstatic Cry) and Jean Ryan (Greyhound). I was introduced to their writing through their story collections (Forgetting English and Survival Skills) some time ago and ever since, I’ve looked at short fiction in an entirely new light.

Short. Fiction. Can. Pull. You. In.

Yes. Yes, it can.

I know lots and lots of readers that shy away from short fiction. Trust me, I am a novel gal. I love to lose myself in a long novel but if you haven’t given short fiction a chance lately, you really should. Among Animals, in particular, really shook me up. I was all torn up over this one. It’s not a sad collection, but at the same time, it’s not a happy collection either. Each story seems to call the reader out, and then take you down a peg. It’s a little unnerving but at the same time, comforting. That’s a strange word to use for some of these stories but there was a solemnity to it all that made me revere the collection all the more.

As you can see below, the Otter Pup approved of it and how ironic that she’d find kinship with a book about animals.

Among Animals and Otter Pup

If you are looking to stretch yourself a little as a reader and have been trying to work some short fiction into your reading schedule, I cannot recommend this collection highly enough. It’s thought-provoking, somber but also totally in your face. I loved it.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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