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Feb. 4th, 2013

Sunday February 3, 2013 At Minneapolis Central Library, turned in a book I'd found on the street Saturday evening.

***Read: The Urban Fantasy Anthology; edited by Peter S. Beagle and Joe R. Lansdale. Introduction by Beagle.

The stories are divided into three sections: Mythic Fiction, with an introduction by Charles de Lint. Paranormal Romance, intro by Paula Guran. Noir Fantasy, intro by Lansdale.

Mythic Fiction: I liked Emma Bull's "A Bird That Whistles," though it didn't have the same impact as when I first read it. My preferred music genre is traditional folk; that was a plus for me. Emma Bull thinks any music, including trad folk, is improved by mixing it with rock; that was a minus for me.

The other four stories were good, but not to my taste.

Paranormal Romance: Eight stories, including one which I consider anti-romance (Kelley Armstrong, "A Haunted House of Her Own.") Liked: Patricia Briggs, "Seeing Eye" and Norman Partridge, "She's My Witch." Disliked: Suzy McKee Charnas, "Boobs."

Noir Fantasy: Didn't like any of them. Not too surprising; horror doesn't interest me, though some horror fiction has other elements I like.

Lansdale's section introduction contains a large, annoying inaccuracy. Horror was a commercial category long before Stephen King, let alone before King began writing. (Also: Margaret Thatcher did not establish the UK Conservative Party.)

***Shopped at the Lake Street Aldi. Aldi supermarkets are a wonderful example of American enterprise -- except for having been founded in Germany.