Short Stories 366:78 — “The Half-Life of Marie Curie,” by Lauren Gunderson

Sometimes I think Max (and myself) owe a lot to Audible for our continued health, as listening to audiobooks is one of the ways I make it through winters with a husky, and he often ends up getting longer walks thanks to captivating stories if I check and see I've got, say, ten minutes left …

Short Stories 366:77 — “Beast,” by Anne Shade

You all know I love a good retelling, and even better when it's a queer retelling. I imagine you also likely know how much I adore interconnected short(er) fictions, and so I leapt on Femme Tales the moment I read the blurb, which should surprise no one. Anne Shade takes three fairy tales: 'Beauty and …

Short Stories 366:76 — “No Valley Low,” by Alyssa Cole

I love it when short fiction gives us another glimpse of characters we already know and love, and Alyssa Cole does this with "No Valley Low," which returns us to the wonderful Sofronia and Ivan, from Let It Shine, and sets the clock ahead a few years into their relationship. And things... aren't going well. …

Short Stories 366:75 — “A Deeper Echo,” by David Jón Fuller

Raising the spectre not only of war and PTSD but of the abhorrent residential school history of Canada, "A Deeper Echo" takes us to Winnipeg, Canada in 1919. This time, the speculative element is at the forefront of the story, in the form of Thomas Greyeyes, Ojibwe veteran and father in search of his children, …

Short Stories 366:74 — “The Diary of a Hounslow Girl,” by Ambreen Razia

This was an unexpected delight from Audible, as part of their Audible Originals series. Originally a stage play, this was performed by the writer (and actress) and as such the level of performance was pretty much set on eleven from the first step. It's about sixteen year-old Shaheeda, a British Muslim teen and begins with …

Short Stories 366:73 — “The Lighthouse Keeper,” by Daisy Johnson

I've always loved stories about outsiders, and especially those who see or feel or understand the world in some way others don't. With "The Lighthouse Keeper," Daisy Johnson walks a fine line with her main character in this regard: read one way, she is exactly the character I just described, a woman who has had …