Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Hey Sheiks and Shebas, I’m pos-i-lutely thankful that you’re at Jazz Age Wednesdays! Yes, November is National Novel Writing Month (#NaNoWriMo), even at Thanksgiving (USA). And yes, I’m still woefully behind on my word-count toward drafting a novel of 50,000 words in a month… but I’m so grateful for all of you that I’m stopping to write this little vignette. In gratitude, I’ve included a list of books that were popular during the Roaring Twenties along with links where you can get the books free at Project Gutenberg!
Turkey Time for Pip
The New Yorker magazine, November 1928
“Paisley Idelle Peabody, I’ll have no complaining,” Granny Phanny stated firmly.
“But Granny, that’s practically all day! Why can’t I do those errands for you?” I offered in my most reasonable voice.
“Because I said so,” was my grandmother’s answer. “Don’t make me tell you again,” she added when I opened my mouth to offer a pos-i-lutely valid alternative. “Now that turkey has to cook between four and a half and five hours. Here’s a schedule for basting it. That’s all you have to do.”
My eyebrows might have gone up a tad, but I am sure there was not a calculating expression on my face or anything like that. So, I don’t know why she had to be such a bearcat about it. However, Granny pointed at the oven and then turned that boney finger back at me and shook it.
“The only other thing you have to do is stay put!” she warned and I slouched down in the white ladderback chair.
“But Granny, I’ll be so bored!” I pleaded.
“That’s why I sent you to the library yesterday. You have plenty of books to choose from to read. But mind you, keep to that basting schedule,” she instructed with a final wag of her finger.
The heels of Granny’s oxfords click on the wood floor as she went to the foyer. With a pearl hatpin she secured her favorite roll-brim hat to her head, and pulled on a pair of white gloves. Then she left.
“Horsefeathers,” I muttered, but I brought all the books to the kitchen table.
Some of these actually look pretty good, I thought as I read the title and author of each volume.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles* by Agatha Christie
The Age of Innocence* by Edith Wharton
This Side of Paradise* by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Main Street* by Sinclair Lewis
Glinda of Oz* by L. Frank Baum
Queen Lucia* by E. F. Benson
Dream Psychology: Psychoanalysis for Beginners* by Sigmund Freud
Applesauce! It was hard to decide. I got up and basted the turkey and then sat down to choose a book.
The end
***
I wonder which book our flapper will read first. What about you? Have I interested you in a good read? All of those listed above are available free, and in a variety of formats at Project Gutenberg. You’ll find descriptions and reviews of these and other Jazz Age books at this Goodreads link.
Speaking of books, here are links to the books about Pip and her friends.
Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I
The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle
I really appreciate you taking time to visit Jazz Age Wednesdays here at Teagan’s Books. You’re the bee’s knees! To all of you in the USA, and anyone else who wants to celebrate a day of gratitude — Happy Thanksgiving.
This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
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I’d take the headline a step further and ask, “So what if…” this or that. The other person would throw out a potential next step, and we’d go on with the “what if” getting wilder and more imaginative as we went, although it would still trace back to the original headline or concept. I even did a post about it a couple of years ago. It created some fun conversations — some 
The initial “what if” added two other new supernaturals to the cast of characters. The chain of what if also brought a character from the short story, 
