5/5 for a short story
929305
Hell is Everyone But You by Scott Kinkade is a short story that was touching on many levels.  It tells of a chance meeting in a holiday resort of two people that just want to escape reality. Fiction writers would say that it's harder to write a short story than a long novel. The challenge is not to rush things or introduce characters that are not fleshed out. This is a challenge that I feel Scott handled really well. This story encourages as well as offers hope for us all. One other thing I took from this story was the sensory sensitivity that people with Asperger's feel.
4230152
I'm usually not one for science fiction, but when I saw that Miss Blum was offering free copies of her new short story collection to reviewers, I was more than happy to jump at the chance. :)

All written in first person, this was a great round-up of short, Sci-fi stories. Quick and easy to read, it was perfect for me the other day. :)

Heavens Jubilee -- 5 stars

I LOVED THIS STORY, OKAY. *tries to calm down* Seriously though. The whole theme of redeeming the souls of the 'subjects' (I want to say more there, but...spoilers.), gaahhh. It was so, so powerful and really had me thinking. :)
My favorite story of the collection!  (And I love that song too, so that's a plus of course. ;))

Zanes Consequences -- 3 stars

This was my least favorite of them all. How it showed that you should always listen and pay attention was interesting, but there really wasn't any consequences shown. It was just like "oh, I can still do *that* so it's okay." Like I said, there wasn't really any consequences. Gramps succeeded in making me laugh though, so 3 stars. ^_^

Hope Is All Thats Left -- 3.5 stars

Again, rather short, and this one kind of feel flat to me. It seemed like they didn't really 'need' to cling to that hope; everything came pretty easily to them. Also, at times it felt like a chapter of something longer, instead of its own story. But it did have a good message which I enjoyed, it just wasn't a favorite.

Darrens Choice -- 4 stars

This was another super short story, but it didn't come off as too short in my opinion. There was a good message of humble, Christ-like, sacrifice which was amazing. I really liked this one. :D

New Life -- 4 stars
Wow. This. Was. Just. So. Great. Such a unique sci-fi-feeling twist on salvation through the Master. <3

Star Kitty: The Data Files  -- 4.5 stars

Such a cute and funny kitty-cat-cuddly story!! :) I went in to this one a bit hesitant, only because I'm not a 'cat-person'. (Puppy dogs are more my thing. <3) But I have to say...this story surprised me. Miss Blum did an incredible job of pulling off an adorable story told through the eyes of a cat without it being clich or confusing.
This wasn't my favorite story (although the ending was PRECIOUS!!), but I have to give 4.5 stars for the amazing writing. :)

*I received a free e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.*
3189843
I really enjoyed this short story. And recommend it to any fans of "Master of Crows"
1902034
***I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review, which was published on book blog Will Read for Feels.

I was initially asked to review Mama Cried by author Talia Haven last year, before wed introduced the crime genre, so I decided to hold off on talking about it until we opened up the blog to stories of this type. Well, that time is now, though Ill warn you that this review is going to be short and sweet as its about a short story thats about 3,600 words long, so its easily a one-sitting deal perfect for a short commute or a bedtime read.

Its difficult to discuss the plot in depth without giving away pretty much all of the story, but I will say that the concept and progression behind this novel takes you to some deep, dark places perfect for soul-searching if you don't mind that what you find might not be too pretty. The juxtaposition of iconic symbols of innocencechildren and puppiesand death and despair makes each element shine through quite brightly.

As for the characters, I might have wanted a bit more development in this area, as they sometimes felt more like agents used to bring the story forward than people to be booed or cheered on. This is true especially of the main protagonist and antagonist, which I think muted the feels in this read a little bit, since I wasn't too invested in either character. However, I did enjoy the way the author explored the ideas put forth in this novel, and despite the heaviness of the read (by subject matter, so thats a good job on the authors part), I was left satisfied with the way everything worked out.
559642
The story was short but had good content. The characters were so believable and had depth to them. I enjoyed the short story very much
4914291
I enjoyed this short story very much.
Wish the story was longer, since the ownership of the story just returned to her it might have been nice to develop and expand on it.
Oh, well. It's still a good read.
1439560
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

For a short story, this sure packed a big punch! There was so much story for so few pages. It wasn't that there was a huge, tremendously big story to tell, but I wasn't left wondering about so many things that often happens when I read a short story.

We meet Joey and Will, and understand the connection between them with just a few pages. It was written so well. I was grateful that the story didn't immediately jump to a sexual connection like many do. Joey is 16 and Will is 21. While there might be some attraction in some way, that wasn't the focus of their connection. For Joey, it was like a simple, basic need for human connection and understanding at a time that seemed unlikely. For Will, there was something about Joey that just called to him. Again, even thought it was just a few pages, I FELT that connection between them. The dragon melted me!

When Joey and Will meet up years later, it is clear to see that they were both affected by those first meetings, much like I was. They knew who the other was just by seeing him across the room. Poor Joey had so much emotional stuff on his plate, but Will (true to the character that we meet 5 years earlier) just plows right through it and does not let that bother him. My heart broke for Joey and I found myself cheering as he opened himself up to Will.

I do wish we had gotten more story regarding Joey's relationship with his mother, but I did not find that the lack of information deterred from the story or kept me curious. Will and Joey were the stars here, and they sure did shine. One thing I really wish we had in this book? MORE. I would've loved to see them work through some of Joey's emotional growth. I really loved these guys and 40 pages was not enough.
1150671
I really enjoyed this volume of short stories. Mike did a great job of being very thoughtful in shaping the characters and allowing their humanity to show throughout each twist and turn.  It can be very dificult to unpackage a great story in the short story genre, but I think he did a wonderful job of telling the story in a way that did not discount the reader or the characters.  My favorite story was wasted identity, I felt as if the story was very detailed and imaginative in its description of the characters and the world that they live in.  It was effortless to use your senses and feel as if you were there and taking it all in.  I would definitely recommend this book to those who love a good read!
2265683
Great short story!  You are one of the great authors! I only wish that it was longer!
3777607
Really enjoyed this one, and the short story at the end end was fun, too. I Highly recommend it. A+
70667
I loved this short story. Please consider writing more about these cute characters...I want to know what happens next for them :)
4382299
I love finding gems like 'My Skool' online. Great little short story that completely pulled me in and didn't let go until the end.
I don't want to ruin the story in this review, but if you'll spend a buck on an iPhone app or a cheeseburger, then you owe it to yourself to spend 99 cents on this fantastic and original short story that will easily stay on your mind all day.
3285547
This was a great short read. Sure there were a few typos, but for the cost, it didn't bother me. What it had was excellent storytelling skill. This was the first of Wendy C. Allen's books I have read and I highly recommended it for light, quick reading entertainment. It wets my appetite read to  more of this authors short stories.
1664211
Really enjoyed this short story; it was well written and had a nice twist at the end. I just wish it was a bit longer.
3241651
5 Stars
A clever short read with a solid point, this story gets the job done and done right. With poetic appeal, the suspense level builds up from the first page to the last, frightening the reader just enough to make it worthwhile. The two primary characters, Denise and her boss, are very well drawn and comprehensible. Author Bauer tosses in sufficient realistic details to make the reader nod with satisfaction: "yes, this could happen to me." An enjoyable read and well worth the time spent, "The Winter of Her Discontent" convinced me to go seek out other stories by Chris Bauer.

"The Winter of Her Discontent" is a work of short horror from the Spectres line of Untreed Reads.
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Winter-of-Her-Discontent/dp/B006XL1CCU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Winter of Her Discontent</a>
1119070
I'm normally not a big anthology reader I'm always hesitant to read them because I'm afraid the length of the stories will be too short leaving wanting more. This one I wanted to read for two reasons:

1. 100% of the proceeds will support The Trevor Project. A group that works with youth in crisis and suicide prevention.
2. The authors involved with the project.

I'll be honest, not all of the stories worked for me so I will only focus on the ones that did.

TruNorth by Alexis Hall
Beautiful writing. The author managed to pull us into their world. It's about finding yourself and your place in life. It was very nicely written.

A Taste of Coffee and Cream by Amy Jo Cousins
Although I did struggle a bit with the writing style Jude's journey swept me away. Amy Jo Cousins managed to make her pain real and it made me want to hug her and tell her it would get better. And Owen and his mother- I just loved them.

First In Line by Annabeth Albert
It was a nice easy read- Just wished it could've been longer so the story would've been a bit more developed.

The star of this anthology for me was:

Vanessa North's A Song for Sweater-boy
This story was absolutely wonderful. Vanessa North did a fantastic job depicting Jamie's autism. I just loved the way she developed Jamie and Ash's relationship. I found myself moved by their love and loyalty to each other and their loved ones. It was an exquisite short story that really managed to move me. Amazing writing.

I am going to rate this 5 Stars. It's for a great cause and I love that it was geared towards a YA audience. Our youth need our love, support, and understanding- to know that there are people in their corner and all these stories do just that.

**ARC was kindly provided by the authors for an honest review.**
**This review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.**
526198
Like any short story collection, many of the stories I couldn't put down, others didn't capture my interest as well. I will first comment on  my two favorties: "The Mansion on the Hill" and "Boys." "The Mansion on the Hill" was a great story with unexpected turns from beginning to end (like the car on the winding road). I liked all the characters and I still wanted to know what happened to them after the end of the story (I wanted to see the narrator's wedding). "Boys" was a wonderful short piece. You can feel the sentimentality of two boys in a household. It is sweet, short and full of emotional baggage, I loved it. These stories are both worth reading and I won't give away any details because that would spoil it for those who haven't read Demonology. Other worthy mentions are "The Double Zero" or "Demonology" not as great as the previous two I bragged about but also good stories. I actually know people in Ohio like the characters in "The Double Zero" and it was almost too familiar.
With some of the stories I had trouble adjusting to the voice of the narrators. They were like scrambled, neurotic thoughts until Moody finally found a focus or nitch for the story. I wasn't crazy about any of the stories involving Gerry and his girlfriend except for the second part of "The Carnival Tradition". That one had the most substance. My absolute LEAST favorite line in these stories is in the first part of "The Carnival Tradition" when the angelic hispanic boy from the "known drug location" is yelling "It's your town now,...Your town." I thought that was very lame since the scene itself was already a very obvious metaphor for several things going on in the story. Stories like "Drawer" and "Forecast from the Retail Desk" were, for me, completely forgettable as well.
However, I gave this an overall rating of four stars because the stories I did like made for an overall good read. It is a group of short stories and I'm aware that sometimes they are placed together because they all have a similar theme or some kind of connection to each other, even if the reader does not recognize this. Also, even the best writers don't always create literary masterpieces. Rick Moody is definitely a talented writer and I'm sure will come up with many more wonderful stories.
If you would like another decent collection of short stories, pick up Bonnie Jo Campbell's Women and Other Animals.