Last Week's Reads

Okay, the good news is that I'm more or less back on track with my reading list. The bad news is I still didn't have a lot of time to digest enough to comment on them, Hornby style. But I can at least tell you that I've read...

• David R. Bunch, "The Escaping"
• James Cross, "The Doll-House"
• Jonathan Lethem, "Planet Big Zero"
• Carol Emshwiller, "Sex and/or Mr. Morrison"
• Me, "Code of Conduct"
• Damon Knight, "Shall the Dust Praise Thee"

I will take a moment to mention that all save the third and fifth pieces were from DANGEROUS VISIONS and that Damon Knight's story, the shortest one I've read thus far (I think...I haven't counted pages) is a standard for genre flash fiction for me, as far as I'm concerned. This is of particular importance now, not just for the obvious reason, but because I'm working my way through PIECES FOR THE LEFT HAND as well as the recently released NEW SUDDEN FICTION.

PASSAGE OF THE WEEK

Were we viable? Did we have to convince others, or was it enough just to convince ourselves?

The question was made immediate by our careers as students. Did it matter that you were smarter than your English teacher if she could fail you for cutting class to smoke pot in the park?

-Jonathan Lethem, "Planet Big Zero"

Next week: A Susanna Clarke piece. In fact, I think I'll do a reversal--one genre piece, more mainstream with the rest.