Anthology Thursday

Okay, it's not really an alliteration per se, but close. It's my last day of work today. Yay. Canada Day tomorrow. Not sure if we'll go downtown or not. There are going to be a bazillion people here because William and Kate are visiting. They will be showing up at noon which means if I want to get close enough to see them I probably have to be there are 9:00 waiting and bored. My kidlet is not all that keen, especially as I'd have to pick her up at her Dad's even earlier. So maybe we'll skip it, perhaps go down for fireworks at 10:00. We'll see. A three-day weekend is always a bonus though. :-)

British Flash (87 pages)
Smashwords (Free)

This is a small collection of flash fiction (2-3 pages each) with a distinctly British flavour. I won't go into each one, but it's free so you have no excuse not to pick it up yourself. Some are quirky and amusing, some are memories of love lost, some tackle more serious themes. There are historicals, contemporaries and even a very appropriate paranormal with a perfect ending to the whole anthology. There are also a couple of f/f and and m/m/f so if you wanted to try one of those but didn't want to pay for it, here's your chance to see if you like it in a couple of pages. All excellent authors with different visions of Britain.

This anthology is a souvenir of the 2011 UK Meet, an occasion for GLBTQ supporters to get together in a relaxed setting to celebrate and chat about the fiction community they love. I'm looking forward to the Tea and Crumpet anthology which will be on sale soon with more comprehensive stories with a popular British flavour. 

Skater Boys edited by Neil Plakcy (265 pages)
Cleis Press


This is a paper book *gasp* that I picked up after Kassa recommended it. It's been in my purse forever and I would pull it out and read a story when I was stuck waiting somewhere. There is something for everyone here, but as the by-line reads "gay erotic stories". Some have a definitely romantic bent, and some are pure one-off erotica pieces. Some I adored, some I skimmed. :-) When you're screaming at the character (in my head of course, I do have some sense of decorum) "Are you f-ing nuts? He's a stranger for god's sake, wrap that sucker up!", probably not a favourite story. Some were kind of sad, some were funny and some left you thinking. So if you're in the mood for some hot skater action, or some more straight up erotica with only the slightest dash of romance, it's well done. As I said, not every story will likely appeal which speaks to the breadth of the stories. They aren't just all the same-old-same-old. It was worth a read.