Wednesday, April 11, 2007

A short story

You can tell it is still school holidays because I have done nothing interesting to write about. In fact today I haven't even left the house.

I have, however, spent far too much time on the internet. Yet again my eye was caught by something in The Guardian books blog. Apparently the National Short Story Prize shortlist is due to be announced tomorrow on the website Story.

This is a great website if you are interested in short stories, either as a reader or writer. It includes some quality short stories which can be downloaded, by writers such as Jackie Kay, Ian Rankin, Michel Faber and Rose Tremain. I had forgotten that I had previously explored this website and found a story which really made an impression on me.

'But' by Anne Donovan is a moving look at the issues faced by people who care for relatives with disabilities in the community. It is written in Scottish dialect so does take a little more concentration for those of us less familiar wih Scotland, but is well worth the effort. Click here to read the background to the story and download the file.

4 comments:

Catherine said...

I've just noticed your soundtrack list including Paul Weller's 'You do something to me'. I love that too and have been playing it a lot recently. I find my soundtrack changes constantly, sometimes it plays away quietly, sometimes it's on at top volume.

Recently 'Comfortably Numb' has been very loud indeed!

Cathy said...

Yes I love that Paul Weller track too. I think we all have changing soundtracks...I have times when I listen to very little, times when I go back to the music of my teens and twenties and other tmes when I am really into current stuff.

I presume you mean the original 'Comfortably Numb'rather than the Scissor Sisters version? Can't beat Pink Floyd really (my schoolphobic 15 yr old is well into 'Another Brick in the Wall'!)

Catherine said...

Of course I mean the Pink Floyd version, but Van Morrison does a terrific cover (with Roger Waters) and that's the one I love. We must talk about school phobia sometime.

Cathy said...

Marianne, I'd love to talk about the school phobia, but not on here.

Email me!