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When my friend Christopher Golden announced the forthcoming The Twisted Book of Shadows anthology - which will start accepting submissions in February 2018, so mark your calendars! - I started considering what I could write and submit. That led to thinking about my favorite short stories, which is a pretty short list (no pun intended) as I tend to gravitate towards longer stories, full-length novels and serialized television. I started asking friends, colleagues, and patrons of all ages about their favorite anthologies and short story collections, and here's what we've got!

Jules, who runs the fantastic blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, loves Naomi Shihab Nye's Honeybee, which offers both poems and prose. She calls it "a rewarding read" - "the results are both striking and moving, yet she manages to throw some humor in there, too." Check out her review of the collection, which includes quotes from the text, with the author's permission. (I love this note from the author: "If I see a lone bee hovering in a flower, I wish it well.")

Allison seconds the recommendation for Naomi Shihab Nye, saying her work is "off all charts. I’ve never read anything by her that didn't have at least a touch of honeyed language. One of my other favorite short story/essayists is Bailey White who used to read her short stories and essays on All Things Considered. Her first book was Mama Makes Up Her Mind. Barbara Kingsolver and bell hooks are two others I love."

Author and artist Sarah Jamila Stevenson, whose novels include The Truth Against the World and The Latte Rebellion, enjoyed the anthology Slasher Boys and Monster Girls edited by April Tucholke. "This 2015 anthology featuring some big names in YA literature brings a fresh perspective to classic horror tropes - and it's not for the faint-hearted. I'll never think of the Mad Tea Party in the same way again, that's for sure..."

Rachel's favorite anthology is The Best Science Fiction of the Year 3 edited by Terry Carr. "This anthology got me hooked on science fiction and fantasy when I was around 12 or 13, and I have been hooked ever since," she said. It contains two of her favorite short stories, Of Mist, Grass and Sand by Vonda N. McIntyre and The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. LeGuin, both of which she considers "still incredibly relevant today." Prompted by our conversation, she looked up the full table of contents and added, "One of the ones I'd forgotten about, that hits me in a completely different way now, is The Women Men Don’t See, written by Alice Bradley Sheldon under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr."

When I asked the aforementioned Christopher Golden to list some of his favorite anthologies, he included "all of Charles L. Grant's legendary Shadows volumes and Kirby McAuley's Dark Forces, which were all hugely influential on me as a teenager and into my twenties. The horror stories in those books inspired me as a writer and as a reader…and later as an anthologist in my own right."

As for collections, he said, "The easiest and truest answer is that Stephen King set the bar with Night Shift and Different Seasons. If you go back and read those today - the former a collection of short stories and the latter a quartet of novellas - you'll see the master at work. King didn’t realize it at the time, but those were STATEMENTS, establishing the benchmark for weird fiction. Years later, I wrote the introduction for Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts and I had no idea of his parentage. I should have known, reading those stories, because that set a bar for a new generation. Others that should absolutely be on your weird or horror fiction collection list include all six volumes of Clive Barker's groundbreaking Books of Blood, Shirley Jackson's The Lottery and Other Stories, and Robert Shearman's Remember Why You Fear Me. On the fantasy side, Robert Holdstock's The Bone Forest is an overlooked marvel, and Kelly Link's Stranger Things Happen is remarkable."

Thanks to Chris for giving us so many recommendations -- and for giving me a segue to share my own! I really enjoyed Golden's fantastic short story collections The Secret Backs of Things and Tell My Sorrows to the Stones. The titles are fantastic and the collections fully deliver. He recently released Don't Go Alone, a collection of collaborations, which includes Joe Golem and the Copper Girl (co-written with Mike Mignola and part of their series of Joe Golem novels and comics), Ghosts of Albion animated films and books), and Wellness Check (co-written with Thomas E. Sniegoski and part of their fantastic dark fantasy series The Menagerie, which I really love).

Looking for books for younger readers and/or more classic fare? As a kid, there were collections of myths and scary stories that I read multiple times. Check out my booklist packed with short story collections and quick reads for elementary through high school readers. Have fun adding titles to your to-read pile, and feel free to leave your short story recommendations in the comments below!

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From Slam to Sonnets
Multiple Bookish Notes
Science Fiction
Short Stories

On behalf of Ballou Library in Washington DC, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

By guyslitwire.blogspot.com
Published On :: Thu, 07 Dec 2017 08:31:00 +0000

The final total of books gifted to Ballou Library via the October Book Fair & Cyber Monday holiday shopping (which continued all week), comes in just over 200 titles! Thank you so much for buying books and helping to spread the word for this DC high school!

The wish list remains open year-round and there are a ton of great books on it, all of them chosen and approved by Ballou students. These are books the teens want and we so enjoy doing everything we can to get these books to them.

In the coming days I will be moving things around a bit on the list, getting series books together so they are easier to find. (I really really REALLY wish that amazon had "search by title" and "search by author" functions. So frustrating!) And we will, of course, be continuing to assist Ballou to fill its shelves next year and hope that you will return to the list and also help us spread the word about the amazing work done by librarian Melissa Jackson.

Have a lovely holiday folks, and thanks again for all you do to support this high school library.

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Book Fair for Boys

Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork

By guyslitwire.blogspot.com
Published On :: Sat, 09 Dec 2017 00:03:00 +0000

Sara is a journalist who wholeheartedly throws herself into her work as a journalist for a newspaper in Juarez. Mexico however is a country where journalists sometimes do their work under threats to themselves and their families and going to the police is not always a good idea. Sara soon finds that if she wants to pursue this particular story she could be putting the lives of herself, her younger brother Emiiano and their mother in danger.

Emiliano is a soccer star at his high school and in addition to this he is also a member of a school group called Jiparis who do hikes through the desert in order to build character in the young men, some of whom were involved in unsavory activities before joining the group.

One part of the Jipari pledge goes , "I will be honest with myself and others". This is easier said than done especially in a city like Juarez. One of the characters tells Emiliano, "everything is a spiderweb" and the speed with which he is enveloped in said web is astounding. Emiliano tells himself that he wants to help his family and friends out but are those his real reasons? Like any teen he wants to be seen as cool and there is also the small matter of a girl he wants to impress.

The first part of the book is told from each character's viewpoint and the author weaves the tale together in a very credible way showing how circumstances

Make no mistake, Disappeared is not a peaches and cream, hunky dory teen novel. It is a gritty and very realistic novel with a ripped from the headlines quality to it. The city of Juarez and the violence there doesn't dominate the headlines as it did a few years ago, but Stork's novel is a timely reminder that evil still exists and that it takes many people working in tandem to defeat it.

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Everyone's Got Issues

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

By guyslitwire.blogspot.com
Published On :: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 14:00:00 +0000

Lots of authors are publishing gritty, raw stories grounded in current events and this book by Nic Stone is another that falls into this category. The young man on the cover bears an uncanny resemblance to Trayvon Martin what with the hoody and all. Also on the cover is a quote from author Jason Reynolds proclaiming the novel to be "raw and gripping". That quote alone was enough to make me pick this book up as it will for many readers, I am sure.

Justyce is bright, articulate and for the most part just a regular high school kid trying to make it to graduation and then make his way to a prestigious college if all goes well. In the novel's intro we meet him trying to do right by his on again, off again girlfriend Melo who is about to make a bad decision. His actions are somehow misconstrued by a passing police officer and before he knows it Justyce ends up face down with a face full of asphalt. This is only the precursor to what is destined to be an eventful Senior year to say the least.

As it so happens Justyce's grades have allowed him to gain entry to one of Atlanta's most prestigious private schools where seemingly every teacher has at least three degrees. Most of the students are bright, many come from well to do families such as his best friend Manny whose parents are successful professionals. As you would expect, the campus is not very diverse and some of the students display white privilege (perhaps a bit too predictably by lamenting the fact that minorities have it "easy") Justyce's way of dealing with the many, many changes occurring in his life is to write letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He's studied the Civil Rights leader's speeches in class and is trying to reconcile the words and the values espoused therein with the realities of daily life. As if that isn't complicated enough, there is also the not so small matter of the evolving relationship with his debate partner SJ.

I've read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely and this novel is just as gripping, timely and relevant. Stone does a great job balancing the heavy stuff with some touchy feely stuff so it isn't too hard to digest. Well worth a read.

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Everyone's Got Issues
First Love

Saying Goodbye to Guys Lit Wire

By guyslitwire.blogspot.com
Published On :: Tue, 16 Jan 2018 14:30:00 +0000

This is the final post for Guys Lit Wire.

We started this site many years ago (I'm honestly afraid to even see how many years), after an online discussion about how teenage boys seemed less willing to browse for books they wanted than teenage girls. (The argument being that if the guys had more easy to find recommendations, they would read more but when they didn't know how to find books on subjects they liked, they just gave up looking.)

So that was what we set out to do (as evident from the site's name): recommend some books that we thought teenage boys would like. This often meant books from a boy POV, or graphic novels that might lure in reluctant readers, or nonfiction that might appeal to specific audiences that don't read a lot but like certain subjects. What all of these books had in common is that one of our many contributors thought it was a good book and deserved some more attention from readers who would probably love it if they knew about it. We certainly hope that all kinds of kids and teens (boys and girls) have picked up a book because of something we posted here.

Beyond that, we also supported several schools and organizations devoted to getting books into the hands of kids who needed them via underfunded library shelves. Cumulatively, over 10,000 books have been bought & shipped due to our efforts. Most recently, for Ballou Sr High School in Washington DC, over 200 books were bought off their wish list by our readers and sent their way at the end of 2017.

Support for the Annual Book Fair for Ballou will continue, as I take those posts over to my site, Chasing Ray, and continue to host the book fair there. Please follow me on twitter, (@chasingray), for updates on that effort.

Personally, Sarah Stevenson & I would like to thank everyone who was with us on this ride. We are both writing much more heavily now on our own projects and bring an end to GLW with a heavy but grateful heart. Simply put, it is time. All of us at the site are confident however that we accomplished far more here than we ever thought possible. The archives will remain live and there are a ton of great book recommendations to peruse; be sure to check them out.

Sincerely,

Colleen Mondor & Sarah Stevenson

January, 2018

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GLW General Information

Doplatek cestovce za zrušený zájezd je nemorální, zlobí se Dostálová

By www.idnes.cz
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 22:00:00 GMT

Zákon, díky němuž mohou cestovky místo vracení peněz nabízet vouchery, podle ombudsmana Stanislava Křečka nechrání jejich klienty. Poukazuje přitom na případ rodiny, která musí cestovní kanceláři naopak doplácet za dovolenou, která se nejspíš neuskuteční. Podle ministryně Kláry Dostálové může být takové jednání nekalou obchodní praktikou.

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Ekonomika - Domácí

Slabá koruna může zdražit zájezdy, říká zástupce cestovek

By www.idnes.cz
Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Cestovní ruch v mnoha zemích zamrzl, dovolené v zahraničí přesto mohou zdražit. Očekává to místopředseda Asociace cestovních kanceláří Jan Papež. Důvodem je podle něj oslabení koruny kvůli pandemii, kterou nazval tichou intervencí.

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Ekonomika - Domácí

Third Brighton player tests positive for coronavirus

By www.bbc.co.uk
Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 10:09:03 GMT

A third Brighton player tests positive for coronavirus.

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A Name To Conjure With (470K) - Donald Aamodt - Научная фантастика

By lib.rus.ec
Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 07:07:40 +0000

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Franse grenzen blijven zeker tot 15 juni dicht - De Tijd

By news.google.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 19:57:00 GMT

Franse grenzen blijven zeker tot 15 juni dicht De Tijd
Viroloog Peter Piot aangesteld als bijzonder adviseur van Commissievoorzitter Von der Leyen Het Nieuwsblad
Peter Piot wordt Europese coronaman De Tijd
Hele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

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Valerie De Booser poseert op zwoele wijze. En haar nieuwe liefde? Die reageert ZO! (foto) - Zita.be

By news.google.com
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 18:00:31 GMT

Valerie De Booser poseert op zwoele wijze. En haar nieuwe liefde? Die reageert ZO! (foto) Zita.beHele verhaal bekijken via Google Nieuws

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Zes vriendinnen schrijven elk hun levensverhaal: “Ik was beschaamd en heb hier met niemand over gepraat. Tot nu” - Het Nieuwsblad

By news.google.com
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Zes vriendinnen schrijven elk hun levensverhaal: “Ik was beschaamd en heb hier met niemand over gepraat. Tot nu” Het Nieuwsblad

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Will Kansas City's challenging regular season schedule affect its chances to repeat as Super Bowl champions?

By
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 22:06:53 +0000

The Kansas City Chiefs will look to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2020, but their regular season schedule won't offer any concessions.

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NHL execs express mixed feelings over proposal to hold draft early

By
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 23:45:24 +0000

There are mixed feelings among executives about the idea, ranging from frustration to begrudging acceptance.

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midwest

How to run an experience lab

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 10:56:49 +0000

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TodaysMeet

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 09:38:45 +0000

Full Article

Webwatch
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)
social networks

Storify

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Mon, 02 Mar 2015 14:21:56 +0000

Full Article

Webwatch
social media
social media tools
stories
web tools
webwatch
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)

Canva - a simple design tool

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2015 12:02:50 +0000

Full Article

Webwatch
data visualisation
design
graphic design
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)

Powtoon - create animated videos and presentations

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Fri, 07 Aug 2015 11:32:21 +0000

Full Article

Webwatch
animated videos
animation
cartoons
creativity
presentations
social media tools
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)

Preserving the history of social work: Golden Bridge

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Fri, 04 Sep 2015 10:45:43 +0000

Full Article

Webwatch
Canada
orphans
children
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)
migration
social work history

Medium - a simple way to create stories

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Mon, 16 Nov 2015 09:35:15 +0000

Full Article

Webwatch
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)

Pilotlight - pathways to self-directed support

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Fri, 15 Jan 2016 13:07:24 +0000

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Webwatch
mental health
personalisation
self-directed support
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)

Hospital to Home: Evaluation report

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Thu, 12 May 2016 15:30:35 +0000

Full Article

Reports
discharge from hospital
hospital social work
hospital social workers
hospitals
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)

Your Options Understood (Y.O.U.)

By www.iriss.org.uk
Published On :: Tue, 02 Aug 2016 16:25:49 +0000

Full Article

Webwatch
advocacy
disabilities
disability
disabled people
self-directed support
Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS)

Never Give In To U-Haul!

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:00:00 -0700

This defies just about every law of physics I can think of.

~NSHA

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Cooked to Perfection

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Wed, 08 Jan 2014 10:00:00 -0800

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cooking
food
there I fixed it
teapots sausages

Homemade Capacitor

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Thu, 21 Jun 2012 04:00:00 -0700

On the right, we see an example of what a capacitor should look like. On the left, we see a kludging masterpiece.

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Red Means Stop, Green Means Push

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:00:00 -0700

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You Had 4-by-7 Jobs to Do!

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Wed, 26 Sep 2012 04:00:00 -0700

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I've Got a Drill to Grind

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:00:00 -0800

For when you're in the kitchen but want to feel like you're in the garage.

~Not-"Not-So-Handy Andy" Jack

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It's Now Safe to Use the Toilet

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Thu, 10 Oct 2013 12:00:00 -0700

Submitter TurboJens explains this fix: The fill valve split in half and the floater does not cut off the water supply. The towel keeps the water inside and the wrench keeps it from overflowing.

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towel
plumbing
there I fixed it
toilets
wrench

Ingenious Roof Repair at a Small Town Bowling Alley

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Sun, 09 Dec 2012 05:00:00 -0800

Somewhere, a LOLrus is missing a lot of buckets...

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You Said You Wanted Something to Dry Your Hands On

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 10:00:00 -0700

What's the problem?

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undewear
bathroom
there I fixed it

No worlds left to conquer? Why PVL could soon be lost to league - NewsClicks

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Rick Moranis in Disney Prop Culture: Actor’s rare screen appearance - Jimmys Post

Medical officer advises older people to remain cautious as restrictions are eased - Ballarat Courier

'That's who I am': Life for the Victorians out of work - The Age

3 ASX 200 shares to buy before the market rebounds - Motley Fool Australia

Which is the cheapest ASX bank stock on the market? - Motley Fool Australia

Elon Musk threatens to 'exit California' over virus restrictions - 9News

NY to expand testing for poor communities - NEWS.com.au

South Korea takes first cautious steps into a post-Covid world - The Guardian

Coronavirus crisis: Premier Mark McGowan details phase two of WA’s road to recovery to roll out May 18 - The West Australian

NSW warns ‘complacency biggest threat’ as most states move to ease Covid-19 restrictions - The Guardian

Sydney mother defends decision to take her son to COVID-19 lockdown protest - Daily Mail

WA coronavirus restriction easing not enough for pubs, beauticians, tourism industry - ABC News

Coronavirus: China threat to put tariffs on Australian barley ‘concerning’ - The Australian

Jackie Trad resigns as Queensland's Deputy Premier and Treasurer, Steven Miles and Cameron Dick to take on portfolios - ABC News

Ten arrested and police officer injured at protest against Victoria’s Covid-19 lockdown laws - The Guardian

Collected Brevity: Anthologies and Short Story Collections

On behalf of Ballou Library in Washington DC, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Saying Goodbye to Guys Lit Wire

Doplatek cestovce za zrušený zájezd je nemorální, zlobí se Dostálová

Slabá koruna může zdražit zájezdy, říká zástupce cestovek

Third Brighton player tests positive for coronavirus

A Name To Conjure With (470K) - Donald Aamodt - Научная фантастика

Franse grenzen blijven zeker tot 15 juni dicht - De Tijd

Valerie De Booser poseert op zwoele wijze. En haar nieuwe liefde? Die reageert ZO! (foto) - Zita.be

Zes vriendinnen schrijven elk hun levensverhaal: “Ik was beschaamd en heb hier met niemand over gepraat. Tot nu” - Het Nieuwsblad

Will Kansas City's challenging regular season schedule affect its chances to repeat as Super Bowl champions?

NHL execs express mixed feelings over proposal to hold draft early

How to run an experience lab

TodaysMeet

Storify

Canva - a simple design tool

Powtoon - create animated videos and presentations

Preserving the history of social work: Golden Bridge

Medium - a simple way to create stories

Pilotlight - pathways to self-directed support

Hospital to Home: Evaluation report

Your Options Understood (Y.O.U.)

Never Give In To U-Haul!

Cooked to Perfection

Homemade Capacitor

Red Means Stop, Green Means Push

You Had 4-by-7 Jobs to Do!

I've Got a Drill to Grind

It's Now Safe to Use the Toilet

Ingenious Roof Repair at a Small Town Bowling Alley

You Said You Wanted Something to Dry Your Hands On

The Finish Line: Cast Stone and EIFS

The Finish Line: Changing Stucco to EIFS

The Finish Line: Firestopping

Alternatives to LEED

Exoskeleton in the Job Site Closet

American Industrial Partners to Acquire PPG’s Architectural Coatings Business

NCS Trust ‘sad and disappointed’ at government plans to shut it down

Fundraising Regulator appoints four new committee members

Veterans’ care charity to merge into larger counterpart

Tech giant’s philanthropic arm gives almost £500,000 to two London charities

Graybar Targets Ways to Make Business Strong and Sustainable

Manufacturer Rises to Green Challenge

“Commitment to the Environment”

CBC's Salto brand unveils Unica

TOLI's Mature a sustainable choice

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