I actually finished two books in February (!), so let's start with those.
Four short stories and a novella, all with a fairy tale feel, which suits me down to the ground. The stories are all quite different, actually, and while I enjoyed them all, there were a couple of the shorter ones that really stood out for me. My favourite was The Story of the Eldest Princess, in which the princess, and others, are aware of their fairy tale roles, and both understand and subvert what is expected of them. I also liked The Glass Coffin, the tale of a simple man finding his happy ever after by fulfilling a series of tasks and being a generally decent chap - very traditional in some ways but with some twists thrown in. The titular novella, which forms the bulk of this book, is also very good. I actually wasn't sure about it at first - it took me a little while to find my stride with it - but as it developed and the magical elements emerged it drew me in. The thing I liked best about it were the layered narratives, the stories within stories (the main character being a storyteller of sorts) that built up to give added depth and nuance to the main thread.
Currently available as an ebook, or you can pick up second hand copies in print (I actually did both, because I wanted to support the author/publisher and also have a physical copy). This is an alternate history fantasy novel, in which the Plantagenet kings made a deal with dark forces, won the Battle of Bosworth and continued to rule, and magic is widespread across Europe but forbidden in England. It is an engaging adventure story with some classic coming-of age themes that carries you along on the characters' journey, and has some good world-building threaded through it to develop your understanding of how everything works alongside the main characters, Mathias and Tagan. There are hints of a much bigger story still to be told, and a destiny unfolding for the characters, particularly towards the end of the book. Sadly at the moment I don't believe there are plans for a sequel, but I would gladly read one if such a thing ever materialised!
And here some pieces I read online in February, that I felt inspired to save and share:
No Rhyme, Or Reason by Jude Higgins (in Fictive Dream) - a sad little story about loss and motherhood, overlaid with nursery rhyme elements that somehow add to the melancholy.
The First Law of Thermodynamics by Michael Logan (in Lunate) - A longer short story that beautifully portrays love, and coping (or not) with the certainty of losing that love to the shadow of illness.
Whatever Comes Your Way by Sam Payne (in Spelk) - this piece uses a child's perspective on a single conversation to show the reader that something awful is going on in her life [I feel like I bookmarked a lot of potentially upsetting stories in early February, sorry!]
Emily, Don't by Kelsey Ipsen (in Okay Donkey) - this one just grabbed me when I first read it; it's about being young and stupid, and not knowing what you want but knowing you don't want what you have.
Pure and Simple by Shelley Roche-Jacques (in Ellipsis Zine) - a tiny story about bees, and honey, and anger, that also manages to be about all the misguided hatred and nationalism that sometimes seems to be all around us.
On Repeat by Laura Besley (in Reflex Fiction) - a stream-of-consciousness, single sentence flash that stunningly conveys what new parenthood must sometimes feel like.
a list of things that are white by Matt Kendrick (in Fictive Dream) - is it a flash, is it a prose poem, does it matter? This is lovely, tinged with sadness; I'm still not quite sure I know what it's about but I don't care, it's like reading someone else's dream.
My Sister, My Sister by Aisling Flynn (in Lunate) - a strange story with the feel of a folk tale, but with some hard edges.
Marks by Monica Dickson (in X-R-A-Y) - a great example of using an unusual structure in a flash; telling a whole life story through key moments, tied together by graffiti.
The Paper Son by Bradley Sides (in Spelk) - another piece with, I think, a slightly fairy tale vibe (shades of Pinocchio maybe?), small and perfectly formed. (Maybe I just see fairy tales everywhere!)
One good thing I'm finding about saving these lists of stories to post, is that it makes me read them all over again and remember what I liked about them so much the first time!
So that's it for now - March's post will follow (hopefully before the end of April...). Look after yourselves out there folks! 😘
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