Continuing with short story reading for February, there are less because of the novel I read and also I’ve been otherwise busy. Next time will be the wrap-up.
I finished the Raffles story in Deep Waters, Mysteries on the Waves, edited by Martin Edwards, British Library Crime Classics and then set it aside for a bit while I read other things. I’ll get back to it later.
From Lost Lore: A Fantasy Anthology edited by Mark Lawrence. New (2017) original stories. Terrible Ten Press, Kindle Edition. I read just two more,
“Into the Woods” © 2017 by Timandra Whitecastle
“Paternus: Deluge” © 2017 by Dyrk Ashton
At which point I quit the anthology because I had read three stories in a row which I didn’t like, one that I really didn’t like, and I didn’t feel like continuing in hopes of another good one. I know that happens sometimes in anthologies like this, but there are too many good stories out there to bother with this. There is a second anthology by the same editor, which I will likely skip. So I can’t recommend this one.
From The Great Merlini: The Complete Stories of the Magician Detective by Clayton Rawson. I bought this ebook on the recommendation of Jeff Meyerson and I’m enjoying the stories a lot.
” The Clue of the Tatooed Man”
“The Clue of the Broken Legs”
“The Clue of the Missing Motive”
” From Another World”
“Off the Face of the Earth”
“Merlini and the Lie Detector”
“Merlini and the Vanished Diamonds”
“Merlini and the Sound Effects Murder”
“Nothing is Impossible”
I’ll be reading the last four of these in the next week.
From Michael J. Sullivan:
“Pile of Bones, A Legends story” This was a freebie with the Kickstarter for the final book in the series.
Next week will be the wrap-up for Short Story February. How is your short story reading for the month coming along?
Tip the Wink 
Read several stories from The Book of Magic edited by Gardner Dozois. Liked all 3 of the ones I read-by Andy Duncan, Matthew Hughes, and Lavie Tidhar. Reread my favorite Shirley Jackson story-The Summer People. Otherwise reading a novel. A little slow this week. Been having vision problems, esp in the morning. Got an eye appt in two weeks. May be starting to get cataracts.
First, I hope the vision is gonna be OK! I’ve had cataract surgery, it’s nothing to fear when the time comes.
As to reading, it’s been slow for me too, but I did read the fantasy novel. I almost bought that Dozois book.
A seized engine on the highway put a kibosh on my reading time this week. Since it would cost three times the car’s Blue Book value to repair, we’ve been on the search for a new vehicle. I did read Frank Owen’s 1947 anthology FIRESIDE MYSTERY BOOK, a fairly representative selection of stories from the pulps and slicks of the 30s and 40s, with top marks going to Cornell Woolrich (twice!) and to a true crime article by William Roughead. This’ll be my FFB on Friday.
I also read a few stories from Stephen King’s anthology FLIGHT OR FRIGHT.
Beyond that, I’ve been reading car ads. Grrr.
I’m looking forward to your February short story finale next week, Rick.
Sorry to hear about the car problems, Jerry. I usually enjoy car shopping, but then I buy one about every 12 or more years, and buy new. So the haggling with the dealer (though they are less inclined to do so) is the only thing, and I do the deep research. If you’re looking for used, then I have no advice for you.
That Fireside Mystery Book was the very thick one, as I recall. I look forward to your FFB.
I’m glad you like the Merlini book so much. It’s a fast, fun read. I finished the last collection in the massive O. Henry 200 Stories collection, THE VOICE OF THE CITY: Further Stories of the Four Million. As the title suggests, most of these are set in turn of the (last) century Manhattan, a milieu I prefer to his Western stories.
The Easter of the Soul
The Fool-Killer
Transients in Arcadia
The Rathskeller and the Rose
The Clarion Call
Extradited From Bohemia
A Philistine From Bohemia
(will be reading the last two today; will list next week)
From DEEP WATERS:
C. S. Forester, The Turn of the Tide (I have never read a Hornblower novel, though I have the first one, but I’ve liked his short stories that I’ve read)
Phyllis Bentley, A Question of Timing
Josephine Bell, The Thimble River Mystery
Edmund Crispin, Man Overboard (read all his stories years ago; a reread)
Kem Bennett, The Queer Fish
James Pattinson, The Man Who Was Drowned
L T. Meade & Robert Eustace, The Eight Mile Lock (entertaining but ludicrous)
R. Austin Freeman, The Echo of a Mutiny (reread; an entertaining Dr, Thorndike inverted mystery)
I read BURNING RIDGE, Margaret Mizushima’s fourth (fifth is just out) K-9 book about Deputy Mattie Cobb and her search dog Robo, set in Colorado. It was a very fast and tense book, possibly the best in the series so far. I certainly raced through the pages. I am reading three other books now, primarily the latest (fourth) Nick Heller book by Joseph Finder, HOUSE ON FIRE. This deals with the current opiod epidemic. A woman hires Heller to find the proof that her father had evidence that Oxycodone (or its equivalent) knew before he put out the drug how addictive and dangerous it was. Obviously, we are supposed to read the Kimball family for the real-life Sackler family. This is another very fast read. I like this series a lot. The first book was particularly good.
You’re zooming along with the stories.
I’m a believer that the Oxy thing is a problem because of misuse by the “patient” more than anything else. If the doc gives me ten for pain (as after my surgery) and I use them as directed, that should be fine. If I try to keep using them, that’s not fine.
When Jackie had her knee replacement, they gave her plenty of drugs, but she only took as needed and stopped as soon as she could.
Which is exactly what should happen.
We’re still waiting for the new Quartz countertop to be installed. The weather has been great (for us) lately: 40s and sunny. But the day that looks likely for the installation is this Friday: cold and snowy! I finished another volume in THE GREAT SF STORIES and a couple of novels. Home improvements are chaotic…until they’re complete.
We haven’t had any real Winter here, one snow that didn’t stick past Noon, and that’s it. Hardly any snow pack on the mountains. We’ll have drought this Summer.
Sounds like the timing on that counter top was off. When we redid our kitchen in Tustin, the countertop came and was installed the day after the cabinets were in.
I just finished the English Country House Murders book of short stories that you read and reviewed last year. I enjoyed almost all of the stories and I am working on a post for that right now.
I am also reading a book of short stories by Ruth Rendell and hope to finish that and report on it next week (or at least in March sometime).