“Gobsmackingly good.” (Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month)
“I assumed it would be good, but it’s like… really good.” (Meagan Karimi-Naser, audiobook narrator)
“These refreshing new voices are a joy to read and make me want to come up with my own interpretation.” (Tara Theoharis, creator of The Geeky Hostess and multiple nerdy cookbooks)
Seven stories of love and impending doom.
What happens when….
Escaped demons threaten prom? An energy drink breaks the fabric of space-time? A smug VR gamer is forced to team up with her last-choice player? The pursuit of the perfect university application goes way too far? A first date turns into a chase across alternate universes? A wizard fanboy accidentally becomes a hero? Death’s secretary tries to save her favorite human from dying?
Bad ideas—that’s what.
One prompt. Seven writers. Seven wildly different stories.
Monday Night Anthology is a multi-genre collection featuring unique interpretations of the same idea. From romance to satire, fantasy to humor, this volume brings fresh narratives and surprising twists that will make you believe in the brilliance of bad ideas.
Featuring stories by Kristina Horner, Stephen Folkins, Jennifer Lee Swagert, Katrina Hamilton, Shay Lynam, Sunny Everson, and Maria Berejan.
KRISTINA HORNER is an author who writes contemporary and urban fantasy for young adult and middle grade readers. She runs a small, independent publisher called 84th Street Press through which she has published multiple anthologies, including 'Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas' and 'The Mistletoe Paradox'. She created the writing podcast 'How To Win NaNo', has written for a number of tabletop RPGs, including 'Vampire: The Masquerade' and has been a consistent winner of National Novel Writing Month since 2006.
Kristina lives and works out of her home in Seattle, Washington alongside her husband Joe and their son, Maximus. When she’s not writing, she can be found in her garden or playing board games. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @KristinaHorner.
Anthology including stories inspired by the title "Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas." They're all different, and while none of them are classics we'll be seeing in anthologies for years, none of them are real clunkers either.
Full disclosure, I was given an e-copy of this book by the publishers in an exchange of an honest review and am I the luckiest person to have that happen to me?
Normally, I wouldn't have picked an anthology - they've rarely been my cup of tea. Which is why I'm so thrilled this book found me instead of the other way round! Why? Because it's GREAT!
I LOVED EVERY PIECE IN IT!
The concept is really creative - a collective of authors get together and agree to write each a story under the same title. And that's the only rule. And that's what makes this collection super exciting to read.
I'll give you only one spoiler (it's not RLY a spoiler, don't worry) - all the stories have generally feel good mood to them, even if there are scary SCARY moments, monsters and people in them.
And for a bookworm like me, the fact that all stories inside are somewhat related to a book club and books (surely that's not a spoiler) was just music for my ears ♥️
It was impressive the variety of magical stories that went into that anthology! There's a bit of Potter-like magic, some off-to-be-the-wizard magic, a smidge of the-worst-witch magic... It's all in there! 🧙♀️
I have to say, I'll be definitely looking more into anthologies after this. I'll also be def checking more of Stephen Folkin and Maria Berejan, whose stories absolutely nailed it!
Big thanks to @84thStreetPress for offering the e-book to review and to all the authors in the anthology for their amazing work!
I've read their second anthology "The Mistletoe Paradox" that I've liked very much, and this one is the same. One of the strongest quality of this writers group is that their stories are all different. Also, I've read the reviews and sometimes, we don't have the same favorite story or least favorite. That's a good thing since it shows that there are stories for everyone. Now, for a lil review for each story:
Kristina Horner: a trio of friends must find and capture demons that have escaped before their prom night. A mix of Buffy and Charmed, but with its own flavor. Sweet and funny, love the lil twist at the end.
Stephen Folkins: the funniest of this anthology! You know those Team This and Team That in pop culture? Like Team Jacob-Team Edward or Team Cap-Team Iron Man? Well, take a group of guys in a book club, arguing about the characters from the book they've read, and really arguing like those Teams, and bam! they're now IN the book and they know it!
Jennifer Lee Swagert: in an online game, two strangers get put together against their will when their first partner get killed. One is thrill to play with such an advanced player; the other, not so much. And yet... I think it was my favorite story. It was original, the characters were awesome and it had this sweetness, but not overbearing. Really loved it.
Katrina Hamilton: written in second-person, the narration is quite special and interesting. In this students, you follow students who have to jungle multiple clubs so that they can have good recommendations later for college. But it's not easy when there are boys to also consider! It's a nice story. Not in my favorites, but I've liked it.
Shay Lynam: a group of students stay behind at school after it have been locked but two of them find themselves... elsewhere, and try to get back. I like the descriptions, the things with the books and worlds. But I didn't really get close to the two main characters and I must admit that I saw coming that twist at the end. Maybe because I read the same thing in a Goosebumps book. Sorry!
Sunny Everson: a young wizard, who always thought he was only a backgroung character, will find out that he has more worth than that. It's a not quite parody of Harry Potter. We can see that it's meant to make fun of it, highlight some of its flaws, while also being serious about other stuff. So, in a way, this story also made my think of Rainbow Rowell's books. I really liked it and I would really love a sequel!
Maria Berejan: a secretary in the afterlife tries to save her favorite author, while also climbing the hierachy in her job and dating her handsome crush. It was a fun read, love the characters and it was also exciting: will she succeeded at saving that man's life?
The last story was a collaborative piece between all authors. Something light and fun that breaks the fourth wall. They must had fun writing this!
So, a solid 4 stars. Even 4 and a half. Like with the other anthology, I love the book itself: the cover illustration, the smoothness of the book, everything! Finally, I've backed this on kickstarter and if there are other anthologies, I'll probably back again since I love the first two. :)
Overall, this book feels like a bunch of writers who love YA literature (and more specifically, YA fantasy) came to play: all the short stories in the anthology have the same title, which is fun and interesting already, but there’s something about putting “Book Club” in that title, thereby forcing all the stories to be, in some way, about books and/or clubs (=groups of friends), that makes for a delightful metaliterary anthology with the theme of friendship/connection somehow coursing through it.
Here’s a little of my thoughts on each story:
Kristina Horner’s fun and sweet story on demon huntresses in high-school brings to mind a younger version of Buffy, and I felt like it did relatively a lot of worldbuilding in very little space.
Stephen Folkins’ story – the only one whose title is very slightly different (it’s “Boys’ Book Clubs and Other Bad Ideas” instead of "Boys, Book Clubs," etc.) – was a really enjoyable metaliterary romp poking fun at YA fantasy.
Jennifer Lee Swagert’s story is a lovely tale of unlikely friendship and, like the previous story, it’s another dive into a fictional fandom (this time of a VR video game) with all its lore, slang, and norms; I LOVED it.
Katrina Hamilton’s story is the only one of the bunch that has zero fantasy elements – it’s purely a high-school story with silly high-school problems – but somehow the stakes here felt like the highest, and I became invested in this nerdy Mean Girls world. The story has a unique narration style, too, which worked for me and created a nice, quick pace.
Shay Lynam’s another high school story, though this time it’s a fancy Academy in a beautiful, old building, and then (of course) there’s a supernatural twist. Honestly, this one started out really slow for me, but it picked up, switched genres a bit, and it might be worth it for that ending…
Sunny Everson’s story is a Harry Potter parody – we’re at a Hogwarts-like wizard academy and there’s a Chosen One and a Dark Wizard and all that, but our protagonist is a self-described background student who’s starting a book club. I really, really loved this one. It’s also kinda gay, though, unfortunately, only very slightly so.
Maria Berejan’s is a delicious story of a demon working as a Death Day Coordinator at the Afterlife Library, and, well, things happen. This one is definitely one of my favorites. It feels like the most different story in the anthology, but it still goes back to the theme of books and their readers, and in a really interesting and beautiful way.
***
I supported this book on Kickstarter and got a physical copy when it came out (and seriously, what a beautiful cover!).
With one prompt seven writers create coming of age stories that are sure to delight readers. This book has a bit for every one whether you are a die hard romantic fan, a fantasy lover, a bookworm or just someone who enjoys a bit of adventure in your life. From kissing demons, to finding yourself trapped in a book, to a chaotic date in a multiverse, gaming competitions and some wizards as well as a special appearance by death. Boys, Book Clubs and other ideas is sure to keep you interested enough to turn the page and find a great new story awaiting you. Personally I loved Stephen Folkins humorous story and classic spin on shipping your favorite characters together. I’ve always been a sucker for villains with a golden heart so I would definitely suggest Ophelia choose Septimus for this one. I agree with Jace. A close second for me is Kristina Homer’s story it reminded me of my high school days, having first crushes and the butterflies in your stomach. I love the supernatural twist and demon slaying. While going to high school and attending your prom. The last story was enjoyable as well. It’s always fun when you have morbid characters who are funny like Death’s secretary trying to save Peter her favorite human. This anthology is full of surprises, you won’t regret picking this book up.
In this statement, I express my opinion on an anthology I recently read. While I did enjoy a portion of the collection, I found that the majority of the works were unremarkable or just "meh" to me. Specifically, some of the stories had pacing issues that made it difficult for me to fully engage with the narrative. Some stories were too slow-paced for an anthology, while others were too fast, which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the collection.
Despite my mixed reaction to the anthology, I found it fascinating to see how each author interpreted the main theme and brought it to life in their own unique way. In particular, I found the second story by Folkins to be my favorite, as it was the one that most closely captured the essence of the anthology's theme.
In my opinion, this anthology would be well-suited for readers who are looking for an adventure, particularly those in a younger age range. While I did enjoy the entire collection, I still think that it's worth recommending to others who are interested in exploring different interpretations of a central theme.
Thank you to BookTasters and 84th Street Press for providing me with an e-book in exchange for an honest review
A wonderful collection of genres and interpretations of the prompt/title. These seven stories shifted gears, explored emotions, and tugged at my heart at many points. The characters and settings were brought to life in surprisingly short stories, and many were visually developed to the point that I felt fully immersed in the world (especially Stephen Folkin’s story).
Fantastically well-written, each and every story was sound in the little details as well as the plot and pacing, making them all a joy to read. I liked some of the stories more than others, which is expected in a multi-genre anthology. My favourite was the last one by Maria Berejan. Paige was superb as a main character, and her workplace is one I’d love to read lots more about. Elements of the story (particularly the footnotes) reminded me of the Hitchhiker’s series by Douglas Adams.
I’ll be looking out for more by these authors together and individually. I’d highly recommend this collection to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Goosebumps, anyone who’s played or read fantasy (epic or otherwise), and those looking for a book to curl up with (with or without a can of Gland Blast).
Many thanks to Booktasters and 84th Street Press for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
What an amazing book. I backed this on Kickstarter and it was the best decision. All of the stories were such a unique take on the same prompt. You could tell how much heart the authors put into each of their stories and the little Easter eggs they left for the readers to find.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in reading outside of their typical genre but doesn’t know where to start. I can’t wait to lend out my copy and share this with my friends and family. Who knows maybe I can even start a book club with it 😉
For the first time reading an anthology, I must say, I am impressed!
This one in particular had 7 different stories from 7 different authors (who I haven't read from before) under one topic which consists of my favourite things lol. Obviously I have my favourites among all the stories and so I might just end up checking more of those authors.
Would I read something like this again? I mean sure, as long as it was inviting, thrilling and adventurous as thus one. There were many laughs and many relatable things in these short stories which shocked the hell out of me to be honest.
So many different stories with such pole apart characters and yet all are around book clubs and boys and yes so many bad ideas. I didn't have a favourite story but I didn't have any story that I hated all together as well. I like that I get to experience these writers in one setting and I like the fact that with one book I have experience contrasting emotions in every chapter. So yeah, give it a shot if you like reading about demons or have the fantasy to drive inside your favourite book or just simply you like books.
I won this title in a goodreads giveaway. It has a very interesting premise with all of the stories based on the same title. Some leaned way more into fantasy then others. A few had very clear influences where it was easy to see what they were parodying and others felt very original although that could be because I am not a prolific fantasy reader. A few of the endings left me wanting more and a few of them weren’t over fast enough but I enjoyed my read through them.
A kind of book I’d recommend to someone young. It’s kind of lovely, jolly and full of fantasy. It’s a collection of short stories by different authors yet the theme seems articulate.
Laid back Monday nights sipping on something mellow. Horror stories with a good ending and friendships forged in rivalry.
Getting sucked into books, I really enjoyed that. Trapped in alternate dimensions wow. All in all great writing styles.
When I chose to read this book, I wasn’t really expecting it to be a fantasy book. It's an interesting anthology full of fluffy and lighthearted stories. This book is magical as the authors managed to condense and fragment warmth despite their individuality. This is a book you can reread whenever you want to lift your spirits.
Great story collections. It was a fun read and a fantastic way of sliding through short stories in one anthology under one title to the book. However, part of the story collection did not really get to me (personally), I didn’t think they were rhymed with the other stories and the adventurous YA vibes. I really enjoyed my read through the stories anyways, specially the second and the last ones.
One prompt, seven stories. What a great idea! Love the subtlety of the title change of the second story to Boys’ Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas instead of Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas. That punctuation makes a difference.
Full disclosure, I backed this on Kickstarter and I am throughly pleased with this book. Al different takes on the same prompt and each as intriguing and delightful to read as the next. So glad to have supported this book and I hope to see more from this collective in the future!
I had lots of fun with this collection. I think my favorite story was Sunny Everson's just cause I got the biggest kick out of it, but they were all very good. Looking forward to reading the next collection!
There was a governing prompt but each story was compelling and exciting to read in their own way. It's one of my shorter reads but it felt like I experienced a whole array of flavors in one sitting.
This books is a collection of 7 short stories all based around the title. All of the stories are well written, and even though they all share a title, the stories are very different.
What a fantastically diverse set of stories! Each one was very different, but very compelling. I didn't want any of them to end, I hope future anthologies have continued stories with these characters!!
I backed this book on Kickstarter. I really liked how each author took a singular prompt and came up with such different, interesting stories. I enjoyed reading all but one of them. 6/7 ain't bad!