I’m not finished reading ‘Brainstorm’ but I don’t generally read non-fiction without also having some fiction on hand to relax with. I have read T Kingfisher’s book of short stories Toad Words before but I needed to refresh myself on the details when I hosted the Storytelling Circle during the St. John’s Storytelling Festival last week.

I have been trying for years to find the right angle to tell the title story from. Even though it is in first person, and very well-written, it wasn’t quite in the right language for *me* to tell it aloud. Meanwhile, Kingfisher’s language is delightful and playful, and it feels like she is telling you the story personally, like her phrasing is an in-joke for the two of you. It’s really fun.

I like how she takes well known tales and spins them a little to get a new perspective and I often find myself saying, ‘Huh, never thought of it that way.’ when I read her work.

I’ll be telling other stories of hers once I have her permission and once I find the right angle again.(Yes, I had her permission to tell Toad Words.)

She has a variety of short story collections and books available and if you like quirky stories based on traditional tales, you should check them out.