New series not for the faint of heart

Posted: Monday, January 10, 2011, 9:56 am

There won't be any bubble-blowing or songs like "Skinnamarink" and "Wheels on the Bus" during the library's newest "storytime" series.

No, Strange & Twisted Tales is for adults only. Bring your lunch and your knitting, if you like, and listen to each month's bone-chilling tale.

Time magazine named Kelly Link's short story collection, Magic for Beginners, one of 2005's best fiction books. "Link's stories... play in a place few writers go, a netherworld between literature and fantasy, Alice Munro and J.K. Rowling, and Link finds truths there that most authors wouldn't dare touch."

On January 25, you'll meet convenience store managers Eric and Batu as well as their zombie customers in Link's "The Hortlak," which is from her Magic for Beginners collection.

"Big Rage," a short story from the collection White Time by award-winning Australian writer Margo Lanagan, will be the February 22 selected title. In it, a young woman, emotionally abused by her husband, gets revenge after finding a giant, wounded warrior, who appears as a manifestation of her anger.

Don't miss the March 29 program, where you'll hear "The Werewolf" and "The Erl-King," from Angela Carter's collection, The Bloody Chamber, and Other Stories. Both tales involve sinister transformations and strong characters who must take matters into their own hands if they are to survive.

Each program in the Strange & Twisted Tales: Storytimes for Grown-Ups series will start at noon at Old Worthington Library.

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