Our Japanese parent company often contributes a page to our monthly intramural newsletter. This is a chatty document that discusses local weather in our various sister companies’ territories, pets, parties, etc. This month, their article was on bonenkai, which is an annual tradition of having parties in December with your co-workers where you forget all the troubles of the year behind. This generally involves a lot of drinking. Also, since the definition of “co-workers” is rather loose, a person can end up attending several bonenkai parties. I found this amusing essay on the topic.
Last week I mentioned that I made the short list in the New Scientist flash fiction contest. Today I found out that the list consisted of just 10 stories selected from among over 700 entries, so I’m feeling pretty good! Judge Neil Gaiman wrote the following about the entries: “I really enjoyed reading the shortlist, and was impressed by the way people folded huge stories, even things that felt like novels, into 350 words or less, just as I was impressed by the sense of wonder that the writers generated, and the clash between the way we see the world now and the ways we’ve used to make sense of the world in the past…My congratulations to the finalists. You all have a great alternate past ahead of you.” The winning entry was posted today. The two runners up and remaining seven finalists to follow.
The publishers of Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads are giving away five hardcover mystery novels to two lucky people who sign up for their newsletter between now and Saturday.
The Closer was a strange affair this week. I didn’t realize it was going to be a two-part story until I saw that time was running out with a lot to yet be resolved. The kid was super creepy but I think we can eliminate him as the perp because he was e-mailing someone who was already dead. Unless he was canny enough to suspect that he was being watched. At first he just seemed strange, ignoring some questions completely and answering others. I tried to see if there was some rhyme or reason to it, but couldn’t. The smile he gave Brenda when his uncle was taking him away was scary. I suspect that the DNA tests will be surprising and that the 911 calls will be key, once they’re translated. I suspect Brenda is going to have a full house for Christmas dinner. Maybe they’ll have a bonenkai party.
