So this guy walks into a publisher's office...

"Under the Rug"
Two weeks passed and it happened again.

Yeah sounds like the beginning of a joke, I know. 1954, Harris Burdick walked into a publisher's office, handed him 14 illustrations paired with a title and caption and told the publisher "I have stories to accompany these. Are you interested in publishing them?" The publisher looked at the drawings and was astounded. They were all unrelated to one another and would be great stories. He agreed to see the stories Burdick would bring in the next day. The next day came and Burdick didn't show. He never showed and thus began the mystery of Harris Burdick.

No one knows what happened and if this was the man's real name, if he actually had stories, or if something tragic happened to him. What is left, however, are brilliantly inspiring images and captions for creative writers. Chris Van Allsburg put the images together in a book, so anyone may view them and might I suggest you do so...IMMEDIATELY! As a middle school girl, we were assigned to write a story about one of the images. They were all so thrilling and held so much potential. Since then I have loved the pictures. Who doesn't love a good mystery? All I wanted were the stories that accompanied them. Luckily, Van Allsburg put together 14 well known writers to write their versions of the stories in The Chronicles of Harris Burdick from Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux) to Stephen King.

"The Harp"
So it's true he thought, it's really true.

I must say that after years of waiting and forming story lines in my head, I was disappointed by many of the stories. They were not fantastical enough for my liking or I didn't think some of them really paired with the picture or caption. But isn't that what always happens when someone takes something you love and plays with it? From a more objective point of view, the stories were all different. Well written and always with some fantastical or sci-fi underlining. There is such a variety here, that it's hard not to find one story you liked. This is a great children's book, but remember that these are not the real stories...just another writers interpretations. The drawings are still a mystery and perhaps that's exactly what Burdick was going for. He wanted to inspire young writers (in age and at heart) to write! So do! Get absorbed in the images and the mystery and create your own adventures and inspire young ones around you to do the same. What a great way to get people using those creative juices.  Maybe you can do it better than the famous writers themselves.

You Survived the War, Now Survive the Homecoming

Never date a military man. That is the lesson "You Know When the Men are Gone" by Siobhan Fallon taught me. The book is a collection of short, loosely tied together stories. They are all about the relationships of military personnel and the families of these persons. Perspectives change from story to story, but the themes run deep from frustration, fear, hurt, heartbreak, hope, loss, disappointment, love, and longing as individuals make their way through their deployment or that of a loved one in Iraq.

The stories circle around Fort Hood, a military base in Texas, where wives wait for their men to return from war. The men overseas dream about the women who they believe are yearning for them. Here is a book that opens your eyes to the complications of living an army life and the strain it puts on personal relationships. How fragile relationships are and how even the strongest men have weaknesses. The one thing you think you can rely on, your love and family, become twisted and complicated. It's not just the distance affecting the relationship and sometimes love isn't enough to make it work.

This is a fascinating read. Fallon held my attention from page to page, story to story. One of my worries was having to get to know each new narrator, but I found myself drawn into each character. The stories are captivating. Since the author is a woman, I expected all the stories to be from the female perspective, but was happily surprised to find many stories from the male point of view as well. However, you could tell that this is a woman writing because the stories got into the emotional world of each character in a way that I rarely see men tap into. You won't want to put this one down. I highly suggest reading it.

Getting Squirrely with Sedaris (oh puns)

David Sedaris. If you don't already know this name, I highly suggest you acclimate yourself with it. Admittedly, I have not read much of his work, but what I have read, or heard from him always intrigues me and usually makes me giggle.

In "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk", Sedaris takes social issues and puts them in animal terms. No one likes being preached at. Lord knows I've had to sit through too many boring sermons by people who don't know how to write or engage an audience, so I REALLY don't want to read something of that sort. Sedaris, however, has a fun way of getting social commentary out there without slapping you across the face with it. Only fun little taps and maybe some light slapping. In this book of short (o so short) stories, he talks about those annoying habits people have, the strange things we do, snobbishness, and so much more. He observes the actions of society and individuals and writes about it in an eye-opening, dark, and humorous way. The best part is, he doesn't use humans! O the brilliance! This method takes a step back from the formality and somewhat harshness of dealing with a reflection of yourself in a character and instead transfers it to sheep, owls, squirrels, etc. Who can resist a good animal tale?

Think about 'Aesop's Fabels'. Teaching lessons or commenting on life through cute and cuddly animals is sometimes a better approach to certain issues. Although Sedaris is bringing up different perceptions, life choices, and morals/values, he does not end his stories with 'here's what you should learn from this'. They're cheeky, darkly humorous, and poignant. I could use another read through the stories to fully comprehend the meanings, but they are not difficult to capture where Sedaris is going with each tale.

Pick up "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk" and give it a read. It will take you maybe a couple hours to get through, so why not? It is short and entertaining with those pesky little messages peeping through the pages. On top of all that, there are pictures! Who doesn't love a book with pictures? This was the perfect break book for me. Nothing fluffy, but a nice pause from all that long and tedious reading. Good for an upcoming pool/beach day.

Shivers down your back....

In order to get into the season I have decked out my apartment with pumpkins, a few Halloween decorations, and other fall favorites. But I needed to REALLY get into the halloween mindset, so a little Poe always does the trick (along with ghost shows and scary movies)! He may not be Wes Craven, but this is classic horror we're talking about people! He was the granddaddy of all the greats and he's just a creepy dead writer (anyone who was in love with a family member is kinda odd in my book).

SO...I read 'The Cask of Amontillado', a short little number that isn't frightening until you start thinking about it. It's a tale of revenge, as are a lot of Poe's pieces, and somewhat of the psychological consequences thereof. The ending was a little creepy to actually picture, but it's tame in comparison to other Poe stories, so I still think I need to read some more. I would suggest giving it a read. It takes a matter of minutes to get through, so why not? I still need some more Poe frights! 'The Black Cat' creeped me out when I was a kid. It reminds me a bit of pet semetary with the dead cat coming back to life. Poe must have been one messed up guy to think of all this stuff, but they say there's a thin line between genius and insane. I think Poe may have slipped a little bit between them.

A little later.....
Ok so I just picked up my Poe book again to read 'The Pit and the Pendulum' and I needed to talk some more about him. I adore his style. He doesn't start his stories off by giving background or reminding you that this is a story, he dives right into his subject as if you're part of all the has preceded. I always start off a bit confused about what's going on, but then he works you in. In 'The pit...', he begins with the characters mental state and it feels like he's working out his current frame of mind and situation to himself. Poe effortlessly makes his audience a part of the current situation, which is the most frightening part of his tales. You feel the damp walls that the character feels, hear the raven's caw, and fear for the outcome of the situation. He's brilliant, and although sometimes dry at first and the language can be difficult, Poe is a master.