Upside Ann

 A short zombie story written in the apocolypse described originally by R. R. Haywood.  Two quotes.  One I thought was funny and one I take as a warning to myself...  You can decide which is which. "Where do we put her?" "Ditch?" "That's grim." "Got a better idea?" "....Hedge?" "Yeah.  Let's pretend that's less weird." "Not until the silence stopped sounding like safety and started sounding like loneliness."

A book of short stories.  Plenty of women.  Plenty of men having sex with women...sometimes with multiple women - though not at the same time.  I did not understand these stories.  I'd follow the plots - and was interested in a few of those - to reach the end to find a paragraph or two of philosophy that left me completely lost.  I'd like to think that if I learned Japanese and read the book in its native tongue, I'd "get it".  I know better.  My only hope was to read it as part of a literature class and be able to listen to a guided discussion of what I just read.  Obviously, I wouldn't be participating.  Please, if you read it- pick one story and help me through.  I will read it again.  I mean, look, I re-read a 350-page novel to learn who "Charlie" is.  In the meantime,.... "Yesterday is two days before tomorrow."   That is as deep as I go today.

 As you might expect in a book that presents a love story between gods of the Underworld (Hades and Thanatos) with goddesses of nature (Persephone and Asphodel), the interesting quotations center on love and death.  I have long known I am not a romantic person.  (I had romance in my youth.  It was glorious.  Today, I'm tired.)  And as far as romantic stories go, I am no judge.  I found this one weak.  I much preferred the romantic fantasies of Sarah Maas.  Maybe because her female characters are so bad-ass and Asphodel - eh - whiny?  Thanatos, as a character, felt limp.... though he had one great exchange.  "I am not a plaything.  I am a force of nature.  And I don't like ostentation.  I find it looks redundant on me." "Redundant," Del sneered.  "What does that even mean?" A cloud passed over the sun, swathing the cottage in shadow, and he locked his eyes on hers.  "Death need not prove it should be ...