Magic for Beginners | 
As @sarahbarnes pointed out in a recent review of Kelly Link's collection “Get In Trouble,“ the paranormal elements & kooky happenings are only incidental to the story; narrative party favors in a way, The same can be said for book 9 of #202Halfway There are several stories in this collection that I just have not been able to stop thinking about since I read this collection by an author who is clearly advanced in short story magic,
so-soI‘m generally a fan of Link‘s work & really liked Pretty Monsters, another short story collection, so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it proved to be more of a miss than a hit for me. I loved the first story, The Faery Handbag, & liked a couple others but there were several others I found myself skimming. Even though I didn‘t love this one, I‘ll read more by Link. She‘s an excellent writer & I‘ve loved much of her other work.
Back to short stories while I‘m out and about…
#OutAndAbout #ReadingOnTheTrain #ShortStories
Somehow I got it in my head that I really wanted to read Melville‘s Bartleby so off to the bookstore I went…and while there I found Kelly Link on sale…and how could I resist? Obviously, I couldn‘t! 😬
#Bookhaul
#BookCoverChallenge
Day 148.
Here I will note 365 books (or as many as I will have before I get tired) that have shaped my taste in literature. No explanations, no reviews. Just the cover of the book.
I do not challenge anyone. You are all welcome to take part.
pickIt's not just the stuff in Kelly Link's stories -- the mysterious pajamas, the cat skin suits, the storytelling phone sex line, or the characters named Soap, Gordon Strangle Mars, and 'The Witch's Revenge'. Any story can have zombies, ghosts, or "an enchanted ___" but Link has a genius for nesting stories within stories, without losing the forward motion of the main narrative. She does all this playfully, without any boring parts sneaking in ?
Kelly Link succinctly and poetically summarizing my anxieties about someday becoming a parent.
#bookhaul
These are from two book orders I made during the covid crisis. One was delayed and took two months to arrive after I placed the order, which was frustrating, until I realized that these books will likely sit on my TBR shelf at least three times as long 😅
It's my first time reading Schweblin - looking forward to it based on the reactions. I love the other three authors, so my expectations are pretty high for all of these.
First episode of Magic for Humans season 2 is a Christmas episode. Win!
#HolidayEpisode #TeamNutcracker #WinterGames
@Clwojick @StayCurious
6 points
pickThis was a re-read for book club and it hasn‘t lost any of its magic. Kelly Link somehow manages to create vivid, unexpected worlds yet still leave much to the reader‘s own imagination. I love her so much.
#7days7covers Day 4
Posting covers I love for 7 days with no explanation. @danimgill if you haven‘t been tagged already do you want to join in?
pickKelly Link is not only a gifted short story writer, she is great at putting together collections. There was only one story I didn't really enjoy, and that's probably because it was the closest to fairy tales (not my favorite genre). The rest of the stories were fab, with relatable characters who experienced crazy things (zombies and aliens and all sorts of other sci-fi craziness abounds, but in a very easy-to-swallow way).
#24in48 #MountTBR2019
Jeremy prays to all the dark gods that he never receives the gift of knowing what people are thinking. Its a dark road and it ends up with you trapped on late night television in front of an invisible audience of depressed insomniacs wearing hats made out tinfoil and they all want to pay you nine-ninety-nine per minute to hear you describe in minute, terrible detail what their deceased cat is thinking about, right now. What kind of future is that?
Jeremy's mother is an orphan. Jeremy's father claims that she was raised by feral silent-film stars, and it's true, she looks like a heroine out of a Harold Lloyd movie. She has an appealingly disheveled look to her, as if someone has either just tied or untied her from a set of train tracks.
Took my book for a walk around the garden. I needed the outside time, but it is Too Hot and Too Humid to be out there for very long. My favorite thing is reading outside.
#24in48
My next read for #24in48 and some 24in48 swag. It's going to hit almost 100 today, and I'm super glad this Airbnb has air conditioning! How is everyone else doing so far?
So excited to visit this bookstore on a recent stop in Brooklyn! I had the very special chance to hear this author speak and knew I had to track down one of her books. She was so funny and engaging in person!
#Easy #MayMovieMagic
'Get in Trouble' was my favorite story collection that I read last year. I felt like Link's approach was fresh and imaginative: she could create whole worlds in just a few pages without sacrificing characters or story. I've heard a lot of good things about this collection, and I love the title 🎩🐇
@rohit-sawant @Cinfhen
so-soNot bad, per se... but it was the single weirdest book I‘ve ever read, and I‘m counting William Burroughs‘ Naked Lunch in that. To me it felt like the stories were slices of longer tales, like you were only reading the middle. How to make sense of a story when you missed the beginning and the end?
@Christine You may know that Pittsburgh is having a rough time right now. I cannot tell you how blown away and moved I am by your thoughtfulness & generosity just when I need it most. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE everything. And I now own the best pen ever made!! @monalyisha #WitchPleaseSwap is better than XMAS. Thank you!
#IPutaSpellonYou #OctoberXFiles
Kelly Link put a spell on me, and now this is high on my list of story collections to read.
Oh, and I put a spell on Screamin Jay Hawkins as you can see here.
@Robothugs @Cinfhen
Some water park reading! I‘m enjoying it quite a bit so far. The first story reminded me a lot of Clive Barker‘s Weaveworld where an entire world is contained in an ordinary object.
@Craftylikefox you nailed this #makerswap!!! #hufflepuff themed cowl and mug warmer which will be perfect for cold weather and coffee! 💛🖤 A marauder‘s map book sleeve (which my son is already trying to steal), chocolate, a book I‘ve been wanting since I saw another litten post about it, and yarn with knitting instructions. I tried knitting a few years back and made myself a cowl, but haven‘t gotten back to it since so this is perfect! ⬇️
Broke my rule & signed up for another swap. I blame you guys. You were supposed to be watching me! 👀😅
I couldn‘t resist a #shortstoryswap. See @CSeydel ‘s post or visit the following link for more information:
https://goo.gl/forms/HzK3WOXw3sB5fMwK2
Registration open through June 7th.
Great idea, @CSeydel 🙌🏻!
Went to a branch library that I rarely visit to borrow a *very important* and specific Pirates of the Caribbean book for my son‘s obsession of the moment; left with that plus a bonus stack of treasures from the $1 shelf. 😁
pickKelly Link is surprisingly creative. Short stories are fun because you do not have to read them in order and you can come back to the book when it suits you. I recommend "The Faery Handbag" and "The Great Divorce". #Itsmagic #it‘smagic
#NewYearReads @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @bookloo
Waiting on my Wing Stop order to be ready... #alwayshaveabookhandy
Pleased to discover that most of my owned short story collections are by women! I've read stories in each of these but haven't read any cover to cover yet. My favorite so far is Magic for Beginners. I love everything I've read by Kelly Link. #readingwomenmonth #shortstorycollections
@thereadingwomen
I read Magic for Beginners in a magical realism class in college (one of the best classes ever obviously!) & through the same class was able to meet Kelly Link, who was funny & witty in a quiet sort of way, the kind of person you could watch a Buffy marathon with & have an interesting discussion about "strong women", fandom, & representations of magic mirroring real life dilemmas. #readathonstories @Liberty
pickThe fucking queen, as usual. Stories so packed with weirdness and wisdom and unease that they make me dance a little.
bailedSo I have learned that Kelly Link is emphatically not for me. This book is a collection of short stories. The first story - The Faery Handbag - was the strongest, but it ended on an unsatisfactory note. The following stories were just torture for me to get through. They felt absurd, lacking in discernible meaning, and often cruel and disturbing. That combination was too much for me and I gave up at about 53%, right after Catskin.
Love them!!! @mklong you did such a great job!! I've been wanting WSABF for so long and Kelly Link is new to me and sounds right up my alley! The Terror Squad completely agree. The grumpy one even came out from one of his caves to join in all the excitement! Thank you so much for thinking of me, and thank you @BookishMarginalia so much for organizing this!
I'm reading this slowly and really enjoying it. My favorite so far is "The Faery Handbag."
My holiday to-read pile. We'll if I can escape the relatives long enough...
"Kissing Jake is like kissing Natalie or Natasha, except that it isn't just for fun. It feels like something there isn't a word for in Scrabble."
so-soI bought this after being underwhelmed by her latest collection, Get in Trouble. I wanted to give her a second chance. I think this was stronger but not by much. Maybe I've just read too much Neil Gaiman, but these stories are way derivative and kinda dull. Shame.
I checked Kelly Link out of the library after a #shortstories challenge hosted by Books on the Nightstand. I loved this book & have been reading short stories ever since. A whopping 3 years. #somethingforsept @RealLifeReading
Stepped off the T today at my stop and was handed this 💎. One of my favorite stories about my favorite city. #boston #bostonbookfestival #thefaeryhandbag #onecityonestory
In pursuit of the perfect #bookrainbow - I think my paperbacks got me the right range of colors finally
😊💕
#somethingforsept #septemberphotochallenge #shelvingbycolorisfun
Walter Tevis' “The Queen's Gambit.“ Beth Harmon remains one of my favorite characters that I have encountered all year. This was a one sitting read for me & I experienced so many different emotions while reading it. A true favorite. 10mo