Customer Reviews

Bedtime Stories: The short, long and tall tales of a sleepwriter

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The new release from author Barbara Worton is a delicious mix of miniature stories, poems and incidental thoughts for you to ponder. "BedTime Stories: The short, long and tall tales of a sleepwriter" cannot be labeled or placed neatly into a box and that is the beauty of it.

Sleep is an elusive treasure for millions of people and had been for Babara Worton for years. In the forward she admits counting sheep only led to thinking about bills and `now I lay me' was simply too scary. With a love of books and writing, she had never been able to carve time out of a busy day to write, so she combined the need for restorative sleep and the desire to write, dubbing herself formally a "sleepwriter." Beginning with the first word or sentence that enters her mind, she writes, three pages, unedited and uncorrected. At the conclusion of the the third page she is ready to drift off into a state of sweet slumber. From rubber ducks to the city dump, Worton's subjects are as pitch perfect as only love, loss, success and failure can engender. How many of us have searched for hidden messages in alphabet soup? Or missed a loved one so much it hurt? In one particularly touching story, entitled "Merc i," she reveals the heart ache associated with losing a loved one and the very real desire to feel they are still with you in some way. At the end of the book, Barbara includes "How to Become A Sleepwriter," which provides the basic framework for aspiring sleepwriters. She also invites readers to take the sleepwriting challenge and share your progress with her and the Great Little Books team. In addition to earning some much needed zzz's your sleep story could be selected for publication in a future edition of BedTime Stories.

Barbara Worton is a born storyteller. Sometimes provocative, sometimes hilarious, but always honest, the stories are mini flights of fictional fancy crafted around the ordinary objects present in our daily lives. Uninhibited, richly textured and beaming with a quiet brilliance that touches the soul, BedTime Stories gives you permission to set your imagination free and encourages you to find meaning in the mundane.

I recommend this Great Little Book to everyone! This is a perfect stocking stuffer or birthday gift for the book lover in your life. Refreshing, chock-full of personality and written with an awe inspiring clarity of spirit that is thoroughly entertaining, you will read and re-read these stories, as this is one of those rare books that is meant to be savored, slowly and often. Adorable, amusing and thought provoking, sleepstories are as addictive as chocolate -I anxiously await the next delicious edition.

Finally we have some bedtime stories for grown-ups. Barbara Worton is a terrific writer and if you are an insomniac like I am, you might want to try the sleepwriting technique described in her book for some really good restorative sleep. The stories are insightful and beautifully written.

Barbara Worton's BEDTIME STORIES delivers in a way that will have you laughing and wanting more as you go from story to story. Designed for those who might want something to settle into bed with, you will find yourself wondering what happens next and even writing your own continuation in your head as you are supposed to be relaxing and heading for bed.

A book that people of all backgrounds and age groups can read, enjoy and appreciate.