21st Century Literature discussion

Yesterday I received two e-mails with links to short pieces related to a pandemic. I thought others might find them of interest. The report is a good example of the curve when no preventative action was taken (and probably could not have been).

The first is a short story adapted from Katherine Anne Porter'snovel Pale Horse, Pale Rider. It came via an e-mail from The New York Review of Books -- https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2020/03...

The second is a report by a senior medical officer on the USS Leviathan during WWI -- http://storyoftheweek.loa.org/2020/03...

Thanks for posting, Linda. Hope to check these out later this week!

Thanks, Linda, I'll try and get to them this week as well.

I note two kinds of people right now. Those rereading The Stand and watching Contagion on Netflix, and those who think the first group are crazy.

I've never read The Stand (and do not have Netflix) but when I looked at the GR reviews starting with newest, I see that it does indeed seem to be quite popular these days! I think I will download the audiobook and give it a go!

Ha! Current situation doesn't make me want to read about fictional pandemics. Doesn't make me want to avoid that either. I don't typically read by topic when it comes to fiction, I guess.

I’m part of the latter category. My anxiety and panic attacks won’t let me read things like that

I already own the audiobook of Swan Song, maybe I'll make that my post-apocalyptic reading.

I saw LitHub describe it as "if you find reading about pandemics strangely soothing," and I definitely fall into that category.

I read Pale Horse, Pale Rider recently. Reviewed here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

It was actually a helpful reminder that things could be a lot worse, and just a really excellent story (barely a novel, I think it's only about 50 pages) in general.

Although I'm not sure I have the stomach for "Influenza on a Troop Ship."