I recently had the privelege of spending an entire morning reading page proofs for Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet No. 21. I have to admit that I don’t always agree with Gavin and Kelly in their publication choices; their picks tend to be less accessible than mine would have been, stories that demand more from the reader in order to yield up their rewards (at times more than I’m wiling to give). Also they seem to like things a bit more open-ended. Both those trends are still present to a degree in issue 21—but I thoroughly enjoyed it, maybe more than any other of the issues I’ve read. Benjamin Parzybok’s “The Coder” and Alice Sola Kim’s “Night and Day at War” were my particular favorites, profound and startling as well as hilarious—but really I was quite impressed by the issue all around.
I wonder if this means my reading level has improved, or that this time around they have in fact chosen stories more suited to my meager comprehension.