after harvest
cows stubble graze, &
egrets hunt in the wake.
Secondary Feeders [Haiku]
Reply
DAILY PHOTO: Cliff
Image
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Ceiling’s Edge [Haiku]
cloud ceiling,
almost touched atop a hill,
parts in the distance.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“Not All There” by Robert Frost [w/ Audio]
I turned to speak to God
About the world’s despair;
But to make bad matters worse
I found God wasn’t there.
God turned to speak to me
(Don’t anybody laugh)
God found I wasn’t there—
At least not over half.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
PROMPT: Luxury
What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?
Luxuries, by definition, can be done without.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Two Views of Széchenyi Bridge
BOOKS: “HK24” by The Hong Kong Writers Circle
HK24: Twenty-Four Hours of Hong Kong Stories by Stewart McKayMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Hong Kong Writers Circle
This collection of twenty short stories is connected by the theme of events taking place in a single day in Hong Kong. Besides this commonality of setting, there is no other connective tissue between the stories. Tonally, the pieces range from hilarious to tragic. There are suspenseful genre fiction stories as well as realist literary fiction (i.e. telling the story of work-a-day characters engaged in events of everyday life.)
I found “Mummy, Daddy, Angry Birds” by Carsten John and “Rent” by Sharon Tang to be the best humor pieces, and “Egrets” (Paul Clinton Corrigan,) “Help Yourself” (Edmund Price,) and “Joss” (Dimple Shah) to be the most thrilling and intriguing dramatic pieces. All the stories were well-crafted, but some did stand out more than others. A few of those realist pieces that explored “mundane” expat life in Hong Kong made for engaging and distinctive reading. And Hong Kong is uniquely situated for tales of an urban shaman or a Triad shooting.
This is the thirteenth volume of a series put out by the Hong Kong Writers Circle. Each volume has a different theme (besides being Hong Kong connected.) Hong Kong is one of those places that is authentically itself, not to be confused with anywhere else, and that offers a great opportunity to build fascinating tales that could only take place there. [I found it interesting that “should I stay or should I go” was a repeated theme across multiple stories.]
I picked this book up as a piece of travel literature for an upcoming visit to Hong Kong (I make sure to read a work of literature from every country I visit — provided I can find anything translated.) I’d highly recommend this book for readers interested in short fiction with that distinctive Hong Kong flavor. I intend to look into other volumes in the series, myself.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
BOOK: “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982” by Cho Nam-Joo
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-JooMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Simon & Schuster / Scribner
This fictitious biography explores the tribulations of being a woman in modern-day South Korea. It tells the tale of the titular lead from birth through a middle-aged motherhood. It discusses issues ranging from disappointment at having girl children to feelings of anxiety in a world laden with horny boys to the subtle sexism of the modern workplace.
The book blurb calls this book “riveting, original, and uncompromising.” I’ll give it “uncompromising,” and I have insufficient experience with the book’s “peers” to challenge the “original” claim, but I do have to call BS on the “riveting” bit. In fairness, the point of the book seems to be to offer a brutally typical life experience — not the novel-shaped extremes of a rollercoaster existence. The fact that the book is not riveting doesn’t make it unimportant or unworthy of reading. However, this is not the book one should pick up expecting to read on the edge of one’s seat. It’s well-crafted literary fiction with an important message, but “compelling” is not an appropriate descriptor. The book suffers from a progressive increase in drag as one reads onward.
Still, I’d recommend it for readers of literary fiction interested in varied cultural experiences. It’s a quick read with fine character development.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
PROMPT: Taglines
30% More Nuts.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“I fear’d the fury of my wind” by William Blake [w/ Audio]
I fear’d the fury of my wind
Would blight all blossoms fair & true,
And my sun it shin’d & shin’d,
And my wind it never blew.
But a blossom fair or true
Was not found on any tree;
For all blossoms grew & grew
Fruitless, false, tho’ fair to see.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 