Yesterday's challenge also ended up being bedtime reading...

Yesterday's reading:

Short Story: Uncle James or the Purple Stranger by E. Nesbit (from Book of Dragons)

• Another delightful tale. Love the childlike logic in this that means animals are all the wrong size (Elephants tiny, Rabbits huge) and why they're like this.

Poem: Do not Stand at my Grave ( Read more... )

I got very distracted yesterday with the arrival of The Girly Comic Book 2, editing webpages, writing blogs/press releases and plugging it, so I didn't finish doing my Bradbury Challenge until late night.

Yesterday's reading:

Short Story:The Rocket by Ray Bradbury (from R is for Rocket)

• Another story examining a man's dreams vs destroying his family, ( Read more... )

Today's reading:

Short Story: Bill the Bloodhound by P.G. Wodehouse (from The Man With Two Left Feet & Other Essays)

• An entertaining and amusing story about an inept private detective and a touring musical production.

Poem:Two Legends by Ted Hughes (from Crow)

• Intrigued by the idea of this collection being inspired by myths and legends, but this first ( Read more... )

Nodding off on the bus on the way home from work at lunchtime didn't bode well for today's reading...

Short Story: Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft

• Not the best story to choose on a tired day due to it's length and Lovecraft's formal prose style.
• I have read/seen things inspired by Lovecraft, including the fabulous comic book adaptations of some of ( Read more... )

Today's reading:

Short Story:The Book of Beasts by E. Nesbit (from The Book of Dragons)

• A wonderful fairy tale type of story where a young boy is unexpectedly whisked off to be King, and accidentally makes some magical mistakes.
• Lyrically and joyfully written with a disturbingly violent undertone.

Poem: Anne Hathaway by Carol Ann Duffy (from The World' ( Read more... )

Today's reading:

Short Story: The Fog Horn by Ray Bradbury (from R is for Rocket)

• The tale of a pair of lighthouse keepers and a strange experience.
• The whole story evokes a powerful sense of loneliness. From the language used to describe the fog horn sound and sea and the happenings in the story.

Poem: The Saga (random wikipedia poem) by Simon Bucher ( Read more... )

Today's reading:

Short Story: Mr Fiddlehead by Jonathan Carroll (from The Wokman Who Married a Cloud)

• Jay's copy of this massive collection of Carroll's short stories arrived yesterday, so it seemed appropriate to try a story from it. Carroll has been recommended to me before, but I've never read any.
• This story is superbly written, as Carroll manages ( Read more... )

What I read yesterday:

Short Story:Library Pictures by Stuart Douglas (from Faction Paradox: A Romance in Twelve Parts)

• The story starts off in a formal writing style reflecting the time period of gentlemen and steam trains it appears to be set in. Then we jump around moments in time and between the first character and when a teenager in an ( Read more... )

Thanks to Jay for the new icon for these posts.

Today's reading:

Short Story: Nothing Lasts Forever by David N Smith & Violet Addison (from Faction Paradox: A Romance in Twelve Parts)

• A member of the Faction Paradox (time terrorist cult) Brother Bow has grown up in the safety of The Loop, living in the same afternoon over and over again. He decides to ( Read more... )

Think I'll get Jay to make me a new icon for these posts, so they're easier for people to recognise & skip if they're not interested.

Today's reading:

Short Story:The End of The Beginning by Ray Bradbury (from R is for Rocket collection)

• Thought this one built up tension well, dealing the every day reality of the parents and their worry as their son ( Read more... )