The young man has never been afraid of hats before. In fact, he’s recently found himself admiring them. The hats on the heads of the men in this town have actually seemed to him quite marvelous.
The television thinks it knows better than the family that’s sitting there staring at it.
Why do they watch this garbage? it thinks. It’s so empty — so stupid, so dumb.
So the TV decides to stop showing the family football and game shows and soaps, and instead it shows them only educational programs. Mostly opera, and shows about Churchill.
The TV really likes Winston Churchill.
The family, on the other hand, does not.
Why does it only show opera? they say. And what’s with all this Churchill stuff?
— from The TV and Winston Churchill
The economical writing makes me feel as if I stumbled across a secretive stash of poetic tales written only for my enjoyment. Because of Loory’s masterful conjuration, every precise word he places in the narratives acts like a world-weary, yet determined, salmon swimming home upstream; his salmon leap past hungry grizzlies and then suddenly spot Bigfoot on the river’s shore, where, in the next moment, UFOs may land and doorways, perhaps, open — every nuanced phrase becomes important — and even an inanimate object, a rock on the shore’s edge discovered by a duck, is known to come alive. There is no waste. Many of the tales have open endings, which enhanced the thrill in each adventure, and allowed the end-of-the-story vacuum to be filled by my trying to understand the morals left behind. Along with empty boxes, monsters on the loose, people who learn the gift of flight, or grapple with their own violent tendencies, as in the very powerful story, The Snake in the Throat, you’ll ponder how human the messages are, how relatable — a truly remarkable gift from the author, who also doesn’t beat the moral of any story into the reader’s mind.
And then the boy sees that she’s an old woman, just as he’s an old man. And the two of them are wearing their wedding rings, just as they always have been.
Oh, says the old man, I must have dozed off.
It’s okay, says the woman, it’s late.
And the two of them kiss and pull up the blankets, and hold each other through the night.
– from The Ferris Wheel
I hope you find Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day as enjoyable and fun as I did. I reread several of these stories just to see how they were constructed. Most, like the best puzzles, did not reveal the answer to the writer’s riddle. This book also made it onto my list of the best books of 2011 — and that list is coming soon! Please, check out Ben Loory’s writing and have a very Happy New Year!
Love, love the new look Justin. It’s awesome. I also really loved the new Kipling and Zippy photo – because you know I actually LOOK for those!
I’m going to check this book out 😉
What a BEAUTIFUL site Justin! 😀
P.S. Tell Chris thank you for helping bring you to us in awesome format!
Agree with everyone else. Love the look. I also really want to check out the book. The cover art is compelling in itself. Happy New Year!
The next batch of comments were transferred from my old Posterous Blog:
zencherry (Twitter) said:
Always great book recommendations Justin! And the Zippy/Kipling pics? Adorable!
Richard Bach said:
How can I keep from buying his book after that taste? Impossible. Thank you.
I could have sworn you got a puppy named Kipling. Who’s that huge dog next to Zippy and what happened to Kipling?
Justin responded: Thank you very much, Maureen! Kipling passes note to La Mancha…
And, Richard, I think you’ll love Ben Loory’s writing … you may have to skip a few of them (some, not many, go to dark places)!
And that 21-pound puppy is Kipling all stretched out! She still has that puppy fur and the long coat threads are sprouting in tiny patches.
stauroylla88 (Twitter) said:
First I have to say that I love LOVE the way Kipling is always so close to Zippy (she grew so much) … Now for the Book … “The TV and Winston Churchill” — I dont know about the Other Stories … but this … I would definitely like to buy the book just so i can read that one!!! Thank you Justin …… S
Justin responded: You’d like the Churchill story and several others (there are 40 stories to choose from, and some worked, while others I found myself reading again and again . . . messing with another writer’s words, hmmm 😉
Writing in a second language — Wow — My hat is off to you! Kipling and Zippy are very impressed as well since they only speak Bark!
stauroylla88 (Twitter) responded:
LOL “another writer” No… not me …. you are that my friend … I just love to read …… thank you and zippy …. and the Star Kipling…..S
justin replied: Zippy is only 23 pounds in this photo but she looks much larger — it’s all those apples she’s scarfing down in the orchard 😉
Rebecca Fyfe said:
This review makes me really want to read it myself. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. And LOVE the picture of Kipling and Zippy! Beautiful, beautiful dogs!
Justin replied: Happy New Year, Rebecca 🙂
Ben Loory will always be on my list of authors to read! Kipling and Zippy send their warmest regards to you and your family.