Legend - I know there’s something awful about attaching a singular value to a piece of literature…but in the interests of curating and culling, I’m doing so.
——
Don’t waste your time. Avoid. You’re not missing anything worthy.
Skip and don’t feel bad. Possibly readable for a once-through, but don’t expect much.
Recommend. In the middle of an ocean of content. Not too bad. not too good. Put it on your list. But not too high up.
Strong recommend. Read sometime. Soon.
Classic. Most definitely read before you’re dead. Sooner rather than later.
Note: I suppose there will be disagreement on multiple levels for those familiar with any of these. As it regards the age: The 16+, 18+ and 21+ designations have less to do with graphic content, and more to do with thematic (there may be graphic content, but my designations have more to do with the thematic maturity level of the story, and those who might most appreciate such themes, given life experience, interests, and development). In other words, if you’re a 14-year old reading this, you might find it more dull and irrelevant than titillating or exciting to skip to stories with these age designations.
——
A Great Day for Brontosaurs
Don’t clone dinosaurs
Not feasible, but we could…
reverse engineer!
-Michael Swanwick, 2002, 13+, First read Feb 2022. Recommend
A La Carte
Dad pushes his son
Butt heads, what will he become?
Loves food, each other.
-Jeffrey Archer, 1988, last read February 2024. Career, future, dads, sons, generational conflict, dreams, success. 13+. Recommend.
A Walk in the Sun
She crash-lands on Moon
Keep alive until help comes
Stay ahead of sun.
-Geoffrey A. Landis, 1991, 13+, First read Feb 19, 2022. Strong recommend
A Significant Find
Archaeologists
They’re looking for the big one
A cafe, be careful.
-Jeffrey Deaver, 2017, March 2023, 13+, betrayal, art, ego, relationships, surprise endings. Recommend
After Georgia O’Keefe’s Flower
She goes to artist
Wants to use image of hers
Discuss many things.
-April 2023, 16+, art, feminism, gender. Recommend
Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer (2011)
Ancients live in flesh
in future, you upload self.
mom takes her, one day.
-Ken Liu, 2011, read Feb 2023, Moms, civilization, technology, identity, exploration, poetry (Auden), 13+, Strong recommend
All the Flavors
Mining Idaho
Chinese immigrants, girl
Folk tale, friendship.
-Ken Liu, 2012, 16+, March 2022, Strong recommend
After Twenty Years
“We will meet here then,”
the friends decide, “no matter.”
But people do change.
-O. Henry, 1906, all ages, last read March 2022. Recommend.
An Advanced Readers' Picture Book of Comparative Cognition
Parents make choices
Scientist writes a letter
Wife in space, loves kid.
-Ken Liu, 2012, 13+, science fiction, read Feb 2022. Recommend
The Arcadian Deer
Poirot’s car breaks down.
Young sad man, a missing maid.
Dancer in ill health.
-Agatha Christie, 1947 in The Labors of Hercules, 10+, detective fiction,
Skip and don’t feel bad
August Heat
Artist draws court sketch,
Then sees same man randomly
Wait until midnight…
-W.F. Harvey, 1910, Ghost story? 13+. May 2022. Recommend
Bad Latch
Pregnant yoga moms
Thinks: “she does it all perfect”
But life is messy.
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, 21+, March 2022, Strong recommend
Bang! You’re Dead
Johnny doesn’t die.
Thinks the war is children’s game.
Ducks all the bullets.
-Ray Bradbury, 1944, 13+ (last read January 13, 2021)
Recommend
The Behavior of the Hawkweeds
Pairs of small conflicts
Mendel, heredity laws,
Dead relationships.
-Andrea Barrett, 1996, 16+, from Ship Fever: Stories, last read March 8, 2022). Recommend
Big Surprise
Dig a hole! man says.
Kids are afraid, one stops,finally digs.
-Richard Matheson, 1959, read 20230821, 13+ (intense), 6th sense, boundaries, twist ending, childhood, Recommend
Black Box
A citizen spy,
she reflects, undercover,
on what she must do.
-Jennifer Egan, 2012, 16+ (first read Feb 28, 2022). Classic
The Black Phone
A boy is kidnapped
There is a phone in the cell
Not supposed to work…
-Joe Hill, 2004, 16+ (first read Sept 13, 2022). Strong recommend
The Black Pits of Luna
Boy Scout trip to Moon
Little brat brother gets lost
How to not parent.
-Robert A. Heinlein, 1948, 10+
science fiction, in The Past Through Tomorrow (last read March 15, 2021) Recommend
The Blue Hotel
Swede in a small town
Amidst men trapped in blizzard
Cheating, fight, a death.
-Stephen Crane, 1898, 16+, May 2022, Recommend
The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species
Record, remember:
Alien species’ thinkings
about tracking past.
-Ken Liu, 2012, 13+, read Feb 2022. Strong recommend
The Cask of Amontillado
Insult not forgot.
Through catacombs, dark, damp rot,
Terrifying revenge.
-Edgar Allan Poe, 1846, 13+ horror/Gothic (last read January 14, 2022). Classic
Button, Button
Fifty thousand bucks
”Push the button, someone dies…
…but you don’t know them.
-Richard Matheson, 1970, 16+, read June 2023, choices, free will, empathy, greed, human motivation. Strong recommend
Charlie the Barber
He, daughter, cut hair
Punks come in, PTSD,
Survive, not revenge.
-Joe R. Lonsdale, 2017, read March 2023, 18+, hard boiled dialog, violence, fatherhood, revenge, PTSD, survival. Strong recommend
Cheap at Half the Price
He’s her third husband
She wants perfect birthday gift
Devious shopper.
-Jeffrey Archer, 1994, Twelve Red Herrings, last read February 2024, 13+, socialites, plotting, strategy, birthday gifts, shopping, upper class, diamonds, twist ending. Recommend
Clean Sweep Ignatius
Rampant corruption
New guy will clean things up good
Goes to extreme lengths
-Jeffrey Archer, 1988, last read February 2024, 13+, corruption, bribery, government, problem-solving, twist ending, Classic
Crime of Miss Oyster Brown
Two spinster sisters,
But one has disappeared, so…
Man investigates…
-Peter Lovesy, 1991, 13+, April 2022, Strong recommend
Day of Reckoning
He saw his mom die
little boy, scared, something’s off…
who killer her? don’t know.
-Richard Matheson, 1960, mothers, psychology, horror, last read 20230714, 18+. Recommend.
Death Ship
They crash on planet
Three of them see themselves…dead
Illusion…or what?
-Richard Matheson, 1953 from Fantastic Story Magazine, 13+ (June 13, 2023), sci-fi, hallucination, reality suspension, space. Recommend
Dirty Little War
Vietnam rages,
two perspectives: a party,
and those on the ground.
-Michael Swanwick, 13+ (first read March 2022). Recommend
Do-Over
She wants to meet him
Years later, post-school event
Gender, what if this?
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 21+, April 2022, Recommend
The Dog Said Bow-Bow
No interfaces,
but Dog and Savant sneak in
scoundrels, tables turn.
-Michael Swanwick, 2002, 16+, first read Feb 2022. Strong recommend
Double Sin
Poirot holiday.
stolen antiques, helps woman.
All not as it seems.
-Agatha Christie, 1961, 10+, detective fiction, in Double Sin collection (last read April 2021) Recommend
Dress of White Silk
She's locked in a room
She love her mom’s dress, mom’s gone.
Friend talks mean ‘bout mom…
-Richard Matheson, 1951, moms and daughters, horror, last read 20230717. 16+. Strong recommend.
Drive My Car
She drives him around,
quiet, he rehearses, sad;
reflects on gone wife.
-Haruki Murakami, 2014, 16+, (first read March 7, 2022). Recommend
Duel
Man on the highway
Gets on trucker’s bad side, no!
Stalked, he is the prey.
-Richard Matheson, 1971, decision making, courage, fright, driving, last read 202306235. 16+. Strong recommend.
En Famille
Man’s life, starts as boy
A girl, their dads, addicts
What is passed along?
-Ed Gorman, 1996, May 2022, 18+, Strong recommend
First Lead Gasser
A man on death row
Slow, sad, wants to find his mom
To share plot by her
-Tony Hillerman, 1993, May 2022, 16+, Recommend
The First Miracle
Boy in Bethlehem
census, finds pregnant woman,
changes life, world.
-Jeffrey Archer, from A Quiver Full of Arrows, last read feb 2024, all ages/13+, Christmas, ancient history, Bible, religion, twist ending. Recommend.
The Flying Machine
China, long ago:
Look! servant says, Man in sky!
Emperor says No.
-short story by Ray Bradbury, 1953, 13+ (last read March 4, 2021) Strong recommend
The Foster Portfolio
He’s investment guy
New portfolio is big
But man wants secret.
-Kurt Vonnegut, 1951, 13+, May 2022, money, relationships, career, recommend
The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man
1989,
Baseball, bullies, trouble, mom
Okay to just quit?
-Karen Joy Fowler, 2002, childhood, parenting, activism, adolescence, motherhood, 13+, don’t fully understand-feels incomplete, read 3/23, skip
Gender Studies
Her shuttle driver
likes Trump; she loses license
Quick hotel…regret?
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, 21+, March 2022, skip
Ghost Days
Three stories told
Children, parents, remember
A spade artifact.
Year 1905
Jumps to 2313
Symbols, urns, meaning.
-Ken Liu, 2013, read Feb 2023, memory, parents and children, civilization, 16+. Recommend
Girls and Boys, Come Out to Play
Pheromones, gods made;
satyrs, post-utopia,
Dionysus lives.
-Michael Swanwick, 2005, 16+, speculative fiction, last read Feb 2022. Recommend
Good Hunting
He and dad hunt them.
Girl survives, used by men
Cyborgs, revenge, love.
-Ken Liu, 2012, 18+, (March 2022), Recommend
The Grass is Always Greener
Starts with homeless man
Ends with big rich CEO
Ev’ryone’s jealous.
-Jeffrey Archer, 2000, To Cut a Long Story Short, last read March 5, 2024, 16+, perspective, career, society, class issues, jealousy, envy, worries, responsibilities, Strong recommend
Graven Image
Meet at restaurant
Needs job, asks powerful man
Snubs not forgotten.
-John O’Hara, 1943, first read March 27, 2024. 13+. Politics, class, exclusion, 1940s, psychology, anti-Semitism. Recommend.
Harrison Bergeron
All must be equal!
Handicap the strong, the smart!
Don’t be better than.
-Kurt Vonnegut, 1961, 13+, 1ast read Feb 18, 2022. Classic
Hello, Said the Stick
Soldier in desert
Picks up stick, it talks, weapon?
Careful who you trust.
-Michael Swanwick, 2002, 13+, read Feb 22. Recommend
Here We Are
Newlyweds on train
Talk of wedding, things get dark
First day very tense.
-Dorothy Parker, 1931, 13+, read September 2022. Strong recommend
High Stakes
Gambler running hard
Escapes out to window ledge
Says ‘never again!’
-John Lutz, 1984, 16+. Recommend.
The Holiday Man
He hates work, really.
He lies on couch, in office,
And it’s horrific.
-Richard Matheson, 1957, read 8-21-23, 16+, recommend
How Far It Could Go
She meets with a man
To rough up her petty ex
He gives her advice.
-Lawrence Block, 1997, May 2022, 16+, Classic.
In a Grove
Crackly dialogue
He visits old film guy pal
In cabin, with gal.
-John O’Hara, 1960, 18+, great pulpy dialogue, Strong recommend.
It Can’t Be October Already
Ev’ry year, same thing:
he gets himself arrested
he’s got a story.
-Jeffrey Archer, 2007, Cat O’Nine Tales, last read March 2024, homelessness, crime, society, cleverness, kindness, 13+. Recommend.
Kino
Man opens a bar
Jazz, reading man, a woman
Rain, snakes, running, grief.
-Haruki Murakami, 2015, 21+, loneliness, recovery, music. May 3, 2022. Recommend.
Lambing Season
Alone she shepherds
One night, a comet?…but no.
Approaches, watches.
-Molly Gloss, 2002, Hugo, Nebula Award nomination, 13+, solitude, work, aliens. December 13, 2023. Recommend.
The Last Day
World is ending
Debauchery, death, fun
Who will he die with?
-Richard Matheson, 1953, read 20230725, 18+, death, mortality, faith, mothers, sons. Strong recommend
The Last Geek
Hordes gather to hear
from the last of his strange kind:
remnants of circus.
-Michael Swanwick, 2004, 16+, last read Feb 2022. Recommend
The Literomancer
Girl, Old Man, friends
Eat, learn history, Cold War.
China, U.S., hate.
-Ken Liu, 2010, 18+ (very brutal), (March 2022), Hesitantly recommend (hard read)
The Litigation Master and the Monkey King
He’s crafty lawyer
Helps weak in ancient China
Tortured for helping.
-Ken Liu, 2013, 18+ (strong violence), March 2022, Recommend
Little Free Library
Woman’s library
mysterious borrower
enchanting ending.
-Naomi Kritzer, 2020, 13+, First read Feb 21, 2022. Strong recommend
The Lost Children
Pied piper plays loud
City kids hear and follow
to be entertained.
-Ursula Le Guin, 13+, First read Feb 21, 2022. Recommend
The Lottery
Terrifying story
Small town normal folks draw straws
will haunt forever
-short story by Shirley Jackson, 1948, 13+ Classic
The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary
Time travel is real
Event can be seen just once
Seven thirty one.
-Ken Liu, 2011 novella, 18+ (horrific descriptions of medical experiments on Chinese by Japanese Unit 731 during WWII), Classic
Maxwell’s Demon (2012)
It’s World War II
she’s US, but sent over
to Japan as spy.
She is U.S. born
Japanese, World War Two
Physics, forced to help.
-Ken Liu, 2012, read Feb 2023, War, science & technology, sexual violence, racism, 20th century history, sacrifice,16+. Strong recommend.
The Message
Decayed old world
visits with estranged daughter
he barely knows her.
-Ken Liu. 2012, read Feb 2023, Dads, daughters, relationships, civilizations, archaeology, exploration, sacrifice, 16+, classic
Miss Temptation
Young woman, new town
Shy angry man rejects her
They talk, work things out.
-Kurt Vonnegut, 1956, 16+, loneliness, gender, relationships, May 2022, recommend
Mono no aware
A space ark, earth’s last
A boy remembers Japan
Then, his sacrifice.
-Ken Liu, 2012, 16+, March 2022, Strong recommend
Mother Tongues
You can sell language
Her Mandarin would pay lots
Pay for daughter’s school.
-S. Qiouyi Lu, 2019, Read 20221028. Language, communication, technology, moms, sacrifice. Strong recommend
Murder-Two
Teen murders mother
Old classmate defends the boy
Motives are suspect
-Joyce Carol Oates, 1998, 21+, skip
Mute
Boy, seven years old.
Parents die, can’t talk, but smart.
What is going on?
-Richard Matheson, 1962, read 202308, 13+, mothers, sons, child raising, psychology, language and words, communications, sound, love. Strong recommend
Never Stop on the Motorway
Someone’s following…
…it’s night, they speed up, alone,
she is terrified.
-Jeffrey Archer, 1994, Twelve Red Herrings, last re-read February 2024, 13+, fear, stalking, survival, twist ending, Strong recommend.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
Nighttime on a plane
he sees something on the wing…
not something…someONE?
-Richard Matheson, 1962, read 20230717, 16+, planes, creatures, not being believed. Classic
Off the Record
New mom, journalist
has to take babe on work trip
Interviews starlet
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, from You Think It, I’ll Say It, 18+, ennui, journalism, moms, celebrity - recommend
Old Man at the Bridge
Spanish Civil War
Fascists approach, old man waits;
fears for his dear pets.
- short story by Ernest Hemingway, 1938, 10+ (March 5, 2021) Strong recommend
One Hour, Every Seven Years
She travels through time
From Venus, age 9,30.
Where is my timeline?!
-2017, read 20221021. Time travel, identity. Recommend
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
A perfect city.
All are happy, there is joy.
Just one little thing…
-Ursula Le Guin, 1973, 16+ (Feb 08, 2022) Classic
Only the Dead Know Brooklyn
Runs in a guy
Guy takes map over Brooklyn,
walks around, then leaves.
-Thomas Wolfe, 1935, 16+, first read March 27, 2024. NYC, language, travel, walking, vernacular, cities. Skip
Openness
You reveal layers
With a blank, how much you share
Talking is lost art.
-Alexander Weinstein, 2016, read 20221024. Language, words, communications, technology. 16+, recommend
The Paper Menagerie
Mom’s origami,
he’s embarrassed of her though
culture, her love lives.
-Ken Liu, 2011, 16+ (March 2022), Strong recommend
Perfect Match
Algorithms choose
Help you with all of your life
Is this good, rebel!
-Ken Liu, 2012, 16+, (March 2022) Recommend
The Perfect Murder
He’s angry, kills her
Another man’s on trial
He’s quite invested…
-Jeffrey Archer, 1988, last read February 2024. Courtroom, trial, murder, sociopath, jealousy, twist ending. 16+. Strong recommend.
Plausible Deniability
Private exchanges
His bro, unhappy with wife.
Different wavelengths.
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, from You Think It, I’ll Say It, being in your 40s, betrayal, relationships, in-laws, brothers. Recommend
The Prairie Wife
She has fam, two kids
Keeps tabs on influencer
They once had a thing
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, from You Think It, I’ll Say It, 21+, surprise, celebrity, envy, ennui - recommend
The Prisoner
He’s in a prison
Two hours til he will die
They have the wrong man?
-Richard Matheson, 2001, frustrating conclusion, intense, death, mistaken identity, incarceration, last read 20230714, 16+. Recommend.
Putois
What’s a good excuse?
Invent a man you can blame!
That rascal Putois.
-Anatole France, 1907, first read March 27, 2024. 13+, existence, reality, belief, mythology. Strong recommend.
The Queen's Birthday Telegram
He turns a hundred
gets special message from Queen
wants same for his wife.
-Jeffrey Archer, 2010 from And Thereby Hangs a Tale, last read Feb 2024, 13+, relationships, aging, twist ending. Recommend.
Real Artists
She loves the movies
job offer, learns dark secret:
the Algorithm.
-Ken Liu, 2020, read 20221020, creativity, technology, futurism, culture, movies, storytelling, artificial intelligence / AI, 13+. Recommend.
The Reborn
Humans, aliens
live together, connected.
bombing, memory.
-Ken Liu, 2014, read Feb 2023, Relationships, memory and memories, identity, reality, civilization, 18+, strong recommend
The Regular
Murder mystery
Noir, future, she has regret
Over a bad choice.
-Ken Liu, 2014, 18+ (March 2022) Recommend
Regular Couple
Honeymoon, times two.
Her old classmate, high school tiffs.
Making marriage work?
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, from You Think It, I’ll Say It, 18+, memory, marriage, being in your 30s. Recommend
The Rocket
A dad dreams of space.
Saves cash, one in fam can go.
Finds way for them all.
-Ray Bradbury, 1951, from The Illustrated Man, all ages (April 26, 2021) Classic
Season of Disbelief
Old woman, small town
Kids say: “you’ve always been old!”
They do not buy it.
-Ray Bradbury, 1950, from Collier’s, 13+, aging, youth, memory, collecting, artifacts & treasures, death, childhood, perception, (read last Dec 6, 2023), Recommend
The Secret Life of Bots
Suicide mission
Save earth, positron device
Bots do own thinking.
-Suzanne Palmer, 2017, Read 20230219. Aliens, robots, survival, 13+. Strong recommend
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Heroic daydreams.
Pilot, doc, killer, pilot,
Man escapes the real.
-James Thurber, 1939, from The New Yorker and My World and Welcome to It (1942), all ages (March 2021) Classic
Shipshape Home
Apartment deal:
wife suspects something’s not right,
she’s so very right.
-Richard Matheson, 1950, sci-fi, invasion, psychology, 16+ (April 19, 2023) Strong recommend
The Shot
There was an insult
Story told, picked up years later
Duels, heroes, gone.
-Aleksandr Pushkin, 1831, first read March 27, 2024. 13+. Russia, Russian literature, honor, insults, conflict, anger, memory. Recommend.
Simulacrum
Holographic tech
you can interact with too
Betrayal, dads, moms.
-Ken Liu, 2011, 16+ (March 2022) Recommend
The Skysailor’s Tale
Philly, steam punk alt,
Brits won the war, pirates, love
A dad’s travelogue.
-Michael Swanwick, (first read March 2022, 16+) Recommend
Slow Life
Saturn’s moon, Titan
She’s stuck, going to die,
something speaks in dreams.
-Michael Swanwick, 2002, 16+ (March 01, 2022) Recommend
Souls Burning
He visits old pal
They watch crime outside window
What can a man do?
-Bill Pronzini, 1984, May 2022, 16+. Recommend.
Speech Sounds
She travels silent
No more communication
A brief connection.
-Octavia Butler, 1983, 18+ (October 12, 2022) Strong recommend
The Standard of Living
Two friends walk New York
”If you had a million?”
Then they price something.
-Dorothy Parker, 1941, 13+, last read March 27, 2024. Wealth, class, money, imagination, games, envy, NYC. Strong recommend.
State Change
Keeps her soul so close
In ice cube, close at all times.
Cigarette box, box.
-Ken Liu, 2004, 16+, First read Feb 21, 2022. Recommend
Stuck on You
She falls for poor him
Just needs him to do one thing…
involving a ring.
-Jeffrey Archer, 2010, And Thereby Hangs a Tale, last read March 2024, femme fatales, theft, relationships, romance, heist, 16+, Skip (doesn’t stick the ending)
There Will Come Soft Rains
World has ended.
Nuclear, a house remains
Man’s self-destruction.
-Ray Bradbury, 1950 from Colliers
13+ (January 6, 2022) Classic
Third from the Sun
He’s sneaking his fam
onto spaceship to survive
they, neighbors migrate.
-Richard Matheson, 1950, read 20230717, 13+, immigration, end times, saving family, sci-fi, Classic
The Three-Day Blow
Two drunk cabin friends
Talk books, baseball, life, breakups.
Nothing is over.
-Ernest Hemingway, 1925, from Our Time, 13+ (March 14, 2021) Recommend
Tin Marsh
Venus prospectors.
Their hate grows, it gets ugly.
One stalks the other.
-Michael Swanwick, 2006, 16+ (March 1, 2022) Recommend
Tired Old Man
Writer at party
Bored, talks to old man at length
Was he really there?
-Harlan Ellison, 1975, 16+, May 2022, Recommend
Too Many Crooks
They break into vault
But they’re late to the break-in
Bumble their way through…
-Donald Westlake, 1989, May 2022, 13+, Strong recommend
Triceratops Summer
Dinosaurs appear!
Something unfolds, what’s the plot?
There is a payoff.
-Michael Swanwick, 2006, 13+, (March 02, 2022). Strong recommend
The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains
Dwarf on quest for cave
Seeking gold, he hires help
The truth is chilling.
-Neil Gaiman, 2011, 16+ (last read March 2022). Classic
No Such Thing as a Vampire
It’s getting his wife
in the night, a bite, no, no,
he will make it stop…
-Richard Matheson, 1959, read 20230821, twist ending, vampires, superstition, relationships, 16+ recommend
A Visit from Santa Claus
Man takes son to mall,
wife stays in car, left alone,
He’s planned this all out.
-Richard Matheson, 1957, read 20230822, relationships, Christmas, longing, resentment, grass is greener, 16+, recommend
Vox Clamantis in Deserto
She envies classmate.
Goes home, meets boyfriend, uh-oh.
College, friends, first times.
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, 18+, March 2022, Recommend
Volunteers Are Shining Stars
Volunteers her time
Women’s shelter, bond with boy
Trouble with woman
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, 18+, April 2022, Skip
War
Parents grieve on train
argue about love for kids
in war and sadness.
-Luigi Pirandello, 1918
10+ (January 6, 2022) Strong recommend
The Waves
Humans drift in space
Biologic immortals
State to state, then…light!
-Ken Liu, 2012 novelette, 16+, March 2022, Skip and don’t feel bad
Wedding Gig
Band plays at wedding
Mobster’s sis, she is quite large
Do not laugh at all!
-Stephen King, 1980, 16+, skip
Welcome to the Monkey House
Future birth control
Mandatory, sex no fun
But there are rebels.
-Kurt Vonnegut, 1968, from Welcome to the Monkey House, skip
Who Am I This Time?
He’s quiet, except
when he’s on stage, he explodes
maybe there’s romance?
-Kurt Vonnegut, 1961, from Welcome to the Monkey House, recommend
Who Killed the Mayor?
Small town, Italy
Bad man murder’d; who did it?
Lot of confessions.
-Jeffrey Archer, 2017, last read March 2024, 16+, Italy, murder, romance, twist ending. Strong recommend
The World Has Many Butterflies
They play secret game
It’s: “You Think It, You Say It”
Wrong intimacy.
-Curtis Sittenfeld, 2018, 21+, March 2022, Recommend