Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories
{5/5} “The element of change, as everyone knows, is Air. They say that every now and then when the wind blows in a certain direction, it can bring an excess of Air into people who’ve never been known for foolishness. So close your doors on those days; shutter your windows. Don’t go out onto the mountainside and breathe in the wind and look at the sky. You never know when you might accidentally open your heart.” (from “Wind”)
Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories by Naomi Kritzer, published in 2017
“The Golem” — The golem wakes up in 1941 and is given the name Margit by her creator. Hanna and Elena want her to help the Jews of Prague but the terribleness is already underway and one golem can’t stop it. Margit helps the resistance by carrying messages — since she knows the future, maybe there’s some other way she can help.
This is a stunning story that will make you say “wow.” It’s about figuring out what you can and can’t do, and then doing your best.
“So Much Cooking” — Natalie has a food blog but when a pandemic happens it turns into something a bit different. She manages to make recipes based on the things that she has. She also tries to help the people around her who need help. She opens her home to her nieces, because their mother is a nurse.
This is about the things you do during a pandemic because you have to, and the things you do to make it better.
Kritzer’s science fiction and fantasy stories are full of delightful characters who are looking for someone to love, or trying to do the right thing.
She writes about things you’ve read about before like dragons, Baba Yaga, and World War II — but her stories are unique and brilliant.
This is the 1st book I’ve read by Kritzer.