BOOK: Toasted Ravioli by Joshua Ebling, Jennifer Shew, P. Anthony Mast Jr., Den Dotson, Marqua McGull, Jane Wallace Reed, Mike Beckett

Here's a review I posted for a book I borrowed direct from one of the authoers. See Toasted Ravioli by Joshua Ebling, Jennifer Shew, P. Anthony Mast Jr., Den Dotson, Marqua McGull, Jane Wallace Reed, Mike Beckett (Book) in Literature & Fiction.

Amazon.com: Toasted Ravioli: Books: Joshua Ebling,Jennifer Shew,P. Anthony Mast Jr.

I spoke about this book enthusiastically to friends, family and coworkers while I read it and they each got the immediate wrong impression. This is not a cookbook nor is it a restaurant review guide. These are wonderful short stories.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend this book. It is well suited for fans of short stories and creative fiction of all types. There are dramatic stories of life and death, teenage angst and suicide, ghosts and legends, fantasy and horror, historical fiction, alcoholism, death and despair. There are even a few short poems thrown in for flavor. "Something for everyone" cannot really capture it properly.

Most importantly, it is deeply rooted in the unique traditions, culture and history of the Greater Saint Louis area. Familiar locales featured briefly include but are not limited to; the Saint Louis Zoo, the Landing, the Eads and MLK bridges, Highway 159, the Veiled Prophet Parade and --of course-- the Arch.

Perhaps my favorite story deals with a father and son dealing with a tragedy of the death of the mother. While this happens in the background, their more immediate concern is dealing with the accidental death of a stray dog --and its ghost!

"A Night on the Train with Trolls" is also interesting, mixing elements of mythical beasts with modern St. Louis.

The endings of these tales will constantly surprise you, some with open-ended questions and some with twists worthy of M. Night Shyamalan, Twilight Zone or Stephen King. They are all good stories with vivid character depth despite their short length.