So I’ve joined Mastodon. You can find me at @JXilon@mastodon.social. I figure I basically don’t use Facebook or Google+ or any other social media outside of Twitter so I could afford one more thing to keep up with.

I’m hoping to make my mastodon feed a happy sort of place more tightly focused on creative stuff than my Twitter is. To go with that theme I’ve started posting one photo of mine there every day and sharing one story (not of mine) every day. I’m trying to read at least one short story every day, and if I like it I’m sharing it on Mastodon. If I don’t I go to the well and share a favorite story I’ve read before.

At the end of every week I’ll be posting the stories I recommended on Mastodon here in one collected post.

So here’s what I shared this week:

Pockets by Amal El-Mohtar from Uncanny Magazine Issue #2

One of my favorite stories ever. Weird, Funny, Sweet, Touching. I love it.

Boneset by Lucia Iglesias from Shimmer #40

Weird, gorgeous prose, unsettling. A prime example, in my opinion as a reader of what a Shimmer story is. Check out these sentences: “Splashed in the blue sluice of twilight, the Bonesetter appears discreetly luminous. Lustrous as a black pearl, his skin is slicked with dusk’s light.”

The Shotokan Masters by Matt Wallace

You have to pay for this one, but it’s like 80 cents on Amazon. It was my first Matt Wallace story and he’s one of my favorite authors now. Saturday morning cartoons, the pain of loss & grief, the healing power of not just stories, but shared stories & sharing stories.

The Scenarist by Stu West from Fireside Fiction

This is a flash piece and it gives us a delightful look at a pulpy sci-fi universe through the eyes of a local doctor trying to fill positions at his clinic. Lots of fun from a great POV.

The Last Spell of the Raven by Morris Tanafon from Glittership Episode #47

You might have noticed the word episode there. Glittership is a podcast, but they also provide the text of their stories so you can either read or listen to this story with a definite Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell feel, but in a world where magic is both far more common, and far more dangerous to use.

So that’s this week’s round up. If you’re looking for some good reads give them a try.