"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." – George R. R. Martin
I listened to this wonderful time travel story on the first episode of Wil Wheaton’s new podcast, It’s Story Time with Wil Wheaton.
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Love, Death by Caroline M. Yoachim (2015) — 5,385 words (about 22 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #66, November 2015.
A story at the crossroads of family and technology, winner of the Nebula award for best short story.
Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200 by R.S.A. Garcia (2023) — 6,861 words (about 27 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny Magazine issue #53, July/August 2023.
Simply one of the best short stories I have ever read. There is so much feeling in it.
The Comebacker by David Eggers (2023) — 6,400 words (about 26 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in The Atlantic, September 2023.
This book has gone on and off my list many times. Originally published in 2020, it won both the Locus and Nebula awards for best novella, so I added to my list. But when I thought about actually reading it, it didn’t appeal and came off. I finally read it as the podcast Writing Excuses used it in their “Close Reading” series discussing tension. The way they talked about it, finally got me to read it. I listened to the audiobook on my travels as a soccer referee.
The narrator tells of her adventures fighting monsters that look like human members of the Ku Klux Klan. These are the same monsters that caused her trauma as a young girl. Now she takes her revenge hunting and killing them. But something seems a little different when a new kind of Klan monster shows up. And they seem to have a plan for her she knows nothing about.
This is a supernatural horror about the terror of racism and its effects. There is a bit of gore, but the horrors are more visceral and emotional. I think the author is trying to bring home to the read the tangible feelings of fear and hopelessness for these victims of hate and discrimination. It succeeds well.
My rating: 4/5
This amazing story captures the feeling of trying to say the things that you feel when emotionally overwhelmed and there just aren’t the words. A marvelous experience.
Junebug by Sarah Hollowell (2023) — 6,700 words (about 27 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Apex Magazine issue #140, September 2023.
This is one of the stories I read as a kid in a volume of Hugo winners that kindled my love for short science fiction.
Or All the Seas with Oysters by Avram Davidson (1958) — 3,539 words (about 14 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, May 1958.
A poignant story about a mother doing her best for her daughter and the challenge this creates.
The Letters They Left Behind by Scott Edelman (2023) — 7,461 words (about 30 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed Magazine issue #159, August 2023.
A rich story with so many layers for its brevity. Subtle. Much is explored without coming right out and saying it. The story really sank into me.
A Guide to Matchmaking on Station 9 by Nika Murphy (2023) — 4,052 words (about 16 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine issue #204, September 2023.
This is the most recent five-star story I read. I read it this morning. It is an intriguing allegory exploring difference and change.
After the Invasion of the Bug-Eyed Aliens by Rachel Swirsky (2025) — 9,750 words (about 39 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Reactor magazine, 19 March 2025.
For March my book club reads women’s fiction or a book written by a woman. We selected this book. It was published in 2018 and proceeded to win numerous awards including the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Awards for best novel. I finished it the night before our book club meeting this past Wednesday.
The book is an alternate history. In the spring 1952 with Dewey as president (not Truman), a meteor strikes and wipes out the entire east coast of the United States. The damage to the whole planet is so bad that the world immediately starts making plans to get off of it. Elma is the main character and narrator, a female computer (one who does math, not a machine) and former WASP pilot who dreams of becoming an astronaut.
The book starts with a bang, literally. You are dropped right into the action as the meteor hits in the first few pages. A number of the computers in the new space agency are former WASPs eager to get into space. The male leaders are eager to maintain the status quo while Elma’s husband is the image of support. In this way, it was a bit cliché for me. And certain aspects of the story seemed a bit drawn out. Overall I really enjoyed the novel. It always kept me wanting to find out what happened next. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.
My rating: 4/5