This is like a literary snack. I have a couple more of these Penguin snippet type books. I think I will use them to catch up on my book challenge. Lol.

Back to the story. Nice tongue in cheek Nick Hornby style stories. Makes me feel like reading another one of his books if my to-read pile wasn't already so populated. ( )

A pair of Nick Hornby shot stories which feel a bit like fragments or exercises. Both stories are wittily done -- both read a little like writing exercises instead of full-blown ideas -- but they're worth the time invested reading them.

The first story ("Otherwise Pandemonium") is about a teenage boy who suspects the world is going to end shortly, and how he reacts to that suspicion. The second is about a family dealing with the revelation of their son's odd career choice, and how the mother finds the whole situation -- which others might find distressing -- oddly positive.

There is nothing special here, and I wouldn't suggest -- even for a second -- that you buy the $11.99 ebook versions of this book on Amazon or B&N. There simply aren't enough words here to support that kind of price.

I bought the book used and as a Hornby fanboy I'm glad I did, but I'd a lot less happy if I'd spent $12 for 56 pages. Enjoy it, but there's not much here, so enjoy it cheaply.

( )

Due racconti di Hornby, uno scritto per celebrare i 70 anni della Penguin Books. "Not a Star" è stato da poco tradotto anche in italiano. ( )

Two fascinating short stories, one sinister, the other hilarious.