Short Stories I Read In June

Today, I’m here to talk about the short stories, podcast episodes, and other miscellaneous posts I read and listened to in June.

St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid by C.L. Polk (Tor.com, June 5, 2020)

The first short story I read in June was St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid by C.L. Polk. This was an immersive story. It felt like a coming of age tale, and it was excellent. Polk’s writing is deft, and the story flows so well that I felt like it was over too soon. The voice of the narrator is vivid, and the world built here was detailed and full of bees and magic—both helpful and dangerous—that felt organic to the environment. St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid is the kind of story that leaves a lasting impression, and it’s world was one I want to read about again. I already have a copy of Polk’s novella, and I want to read it soon.

Two Truths and A Lie by Sara Pinsker (Tor.com, June 17, 2020)

The second story I read was Two Truths and A Lie by Sara Pinsker. The story followed Stella, who was home visiting her parents. While there, she ended up helping an old friend clean out a relative’s house after their death. Immediately, I enjoyed Stella’s perspective, as she tried to figure out what was going on—with her memories and what that had to do with an old, unsettling TV show from her childhood. From start to finish, this story was an engrossing and chilling read with an atmospheric tone that captured the creepy/horror aspects of some of the darker fairy tales. It did it in a subtle way that gradually built up the tension as the story progressed, and I never knew what was going to happen next. What made this one so memorable was the feeling it invoked: how it rapidly went from feeling very “every day” and somber, to mysterious, and then to eerie. The twists were fantastic and unexpected, even to the very end of the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this one.

From Around the Web

• Not Until We Get A Turn: Retellings, Tropes, And Who Gets To Tell Stories (Kalynn Bayron; Tor.com; June 8, 2020)
• Raise Your Voice: Bethany C. Morrow’s A Song Below Water (Alex Brown; Tor.com, June 8, 2020)
• Nature, Horror, and the Inherent Darkness of the Human Condition (Alexis Henderson; Tor.com, June 4, 2020)
• Print Run Podcast episode 132
• The Role Publishing Plays in the Commodification of Black Pain (L.L. McKinney; Tor.com, June 17, 2020)
• Our Opinions Are Correct Podcast episode 60: Why Stories Need Good Dialogue

Short Stories I Read In May

Today, I’m here to talk about the short stories and miscellaneous posts I read in May. It was definitely a slower month, and I didn’t read as many things as I would have liked. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed everything I did read. So without further ado, here is what I read…

Beyond The Dragons Gate by Yoon Ha Lee (Tor.Com, May 20, 2020)

Reading Beyond The Dragons Gate was an experience. I loved this story, and in a lot of ways it reminded me of the Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie. It was due to the questions that it asked (and the commentary) about the sentience of the AIs present in the story—and if those same AIs really had a choice in the face of duty (for soldiers too). In a lot of ways, this story was way too short. I’m happy with what I read, but I would definitely like more of it.

Have your #Hugot Harvested At This Diwata-Owned Café by Vida Cruz (Strange Horizons; Issue 4 May 2020)

Food and heartbreak are at the focus of this story. I liked it a lot, especially the descriptions about the food, the people who worked at Heartbreak Café, as well as the idea behind the establishment to begin with. This story also handled its themes well, and all around this one was another great read.

From Around the Web

• Howl-ever It Moves You: Diana Wynne Jones and Hayao Miyazaki Do the Same Work With Different Stories (Elyse Martin; Tor.com, May 5, 2020)

Old Birdcages vs. New Birdcages

    Hey, you remember those pretty birdcages at the bottom of each review, right? Yeah, well, they've just been changed.  No, we haven't been taken over by aliens, it's just that as it stands I’ve gotten tired already of our old ratings.  Sure, the birdcages were elegant and relatively nice, but they’re a bit plain—so I decided to revamp them.  Of course, sticking with the whole silhouette theme for Our Thoughts Precisely, I needed to find something that would look good, as, well, a silhouette. I eventually came up with a tree, which the birdcages could hang from.  Low-and-behold, here is our rating system's new look:

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, I think they look pretty neat.  In other news, our Giveaway Policy page has finally been finished, and our Review Policy page has been updated. So, what do you think—old or new?



Hello from the Our Thoughts Precisely Team

      Hello and welcome to Our Thoughts Precisely, a site dedicated to just that, our thoughts on books.  On the blog, we’ll post reviews of books from YA and Middle-Grade genres.  But most importantly we’re in it to have fun while sharing our opinions. For more information regarding the blog, please visit our About, FTC, and Review Policy pages.