A review by cozylittlebrownhouse
Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day by Ben Loory
5.0
A delayed review, thanks to a career change right in the middle of attempting to read a pile of books from NetGalley!
I followed the suggestion put forth by author Ben Loory in his fabulous title and read most of his stories at nighttime, which proved frustrating because I had a difficult time putting the book down. I quickly developed the "just one more..." mentality while reading and loved being whisked away at night with his take on the modern fable. I was extremely pleased to see the book featured at my local Barnes & Noble during my last visit to the store - it definitely deserves attention for its creativity and heart. I have a hunch it may be one of those quietly successful books that is passed around from book lover to book lover and discussed among friends.
While I am not generally a fan of short stories, I was completely mesmerized and delighted by this collection which was just as magical as the two collections I often recommend to others: [bc:Kissing in Manhattan|26064|Kissing in Manhattan|David Schickler|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167780203s/26064.jpg|841724] [b:Kissing in Manhattan|26064|Kissing in Manhattan|David Schickler|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167780203s/26064.jpg|841724] and [bc:Magic for Beginners|66657|Magic for Beginners|Kelly Link|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652861s/66657.jpg|649937] [b:Magic for Beginners|66657|Magic for Beginners|Kelly Link|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652861s/66657.jpg|649937]. I love stories that put you on edge, have an air of mystery about them, spark some magic, and keep you guessing. Since I was reading this on my nook, I never knew when a story was going to end, and that was a huge part of the fun for me as well.
After reading the entire book, I thought long and hard about which stories affected me most, whether for pure enjoyment reasons or because they made me think after I had moved on. It was challenging, but I narrowed the list to ten of my favorites, and then narrowed it even more for this review. If you are curious even a little about this collection, please check out this fantastic debut and dive into Loory's imagination with some of the following...
(I am not giving away anything really, because I just want you to have at it! Here is a tasting...)
The Book - in which a book with completely blank pages becomes and incredible success
The Crown - in which a dish-washing employee discovers an invisible crown in the suds and begins to wear it with results he does not anticipate
The Octopus - in which an octopus has left the sea to live in the city but struggles with agoraphobia
The Tree - in which a tree that can walk is fenced in for public display
The TV and Winston Churchill - in which a television, frustrated with showing horrible and mind-numbing programming, decides to compose an opera about Churchill
I think this book will be one of my top ten of 2011 and I will be pushing it on everyone I know.
I followed the suggestion put forth by author Ben Loory in his fabulous title and read most of his stories at nighttime, which proved frustrating because I had a difficult time putting the book down. I quickly developed the "just one more..." mentality while reading and loved being whisked away at night with his take on the modern fable. I was extremely pleased to see the book featured at my local Barnes & Noble during my last visit to the store - it definitely deserves attention for its creativity and heart. I have a hunch it may be one of those quietly successful books that is passed around from book lover to book lover and discussed among friends.
While I am not generally a fan of short stories, I was completely mesmerized and delighted by this collection which was just as magical as the two collections I often recommend to others: [bc:Kissing in Manhattan|26064|Kissing in Manhattan|David Schickler|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167780203s/26064.jpg|841724] [b:Kissing in Manhattan|26064|Kissing in Manhattan|David Schickler|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167780203s/26064.jpg|841724] and [bc:Magic for Beginners|66657|Magic for Beginners|Kelly Link|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652861s/66657.jpg|649937] [b:Magic for Beginners|66657|Magic for Beginners|Kelly Link|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170652861s/66657.jpg|649937]. I love stories that put you on edge, have an air of mystery about them, spark some magic, and keep you guessing. Since I was reading this on my nook, I never knew when a story was going to end, and that was a huge part of the fun for me as well.
After reading the entire book, I thought long and hard about which stories affected me most, whether for pure enjoyment reasons or because they made me think after I had moved on. It was challenging, but I narrowed the list to ten of my favorites, and then narrowed it even more for this review. If you are curious even a little about this collection, please check out this fantastic debut and dive into Loory's imagination with some of the following...
(I am not giving away anything really, because I just want you to have at it! Here is a tasting...)
The Book - in which a book with completely blank pages becomes and incredible success
The Crown - in which a dish-washing employee discovers an invisible crown in the suds and begins to wear it with results he does not anticipate
The Octopus - in which an octopus has left the sea to live in the city but struggles with agoraphobia
The Tree - in which a tree that can walk is fenced in for public display
The TV and Winston Churchill - in which a television, frustrated with showing horrible and mind-numbing programming, decides to compose an opera about Churchill
I think this book will be one of my top ten of 2011 and I will be pushing it on everyone I know.