Fables & Foibles Stories and Essays, by Howard Jarmy, is a short story collection about characters whose everyday lives are filled with unique aspects. For some, their tale is a fable, in which they use a creative mind to solve problems. On the other hand, life is best described as a foible, or the result of getting off track when plans go awry.

In "About Sunsets", Zeus and other gods are considering a course of action relating to the natural progression of a normal day. Should they have complete light all the time? Perhaps an everlasting night is the solution? The resulting conversations are both amusing as well as thought-provoking. I found it interesting Zeus would bother asking the opinion of mythological beings rather than just making the decision himself. After all, he is the most powerful Greek God there is.

"How I Found Love" examines a modern dilemma. What does one do when it comes to dealing with traffic? Obviously, people could find ways of getting from place to place besides using their cars. This would be entirely too simple. Jarmy gives his lead character a truly novel idea - a gigantic slingshot. A background in physics might have helped, for propulsion sends the poor man into the airspace of two jets. Whoops!

"Lies" focuses on a small untruth gone amok. A woman shaves a few years off her age, in order to make her sweetheart think he's older. After they get married, she maintains the falsehood. What, then, does she do when it comes time for her to take early retirement? The actual difference in age between husband and wife was not much. Personally, I think I would have kept my correct age and let any significant other walk out the door if he has a problem with it.

Since my town will have local elections before too long, "Confusion On The Coast" hit a chord with me. When stones are thrown at a group of birds, a firestorm is released. One woman in particular, Miss Mathilda, is quite vocal in her displeasure. Now then, there is a bit more to the story than one person's words, of course, but that fails to stem the tide of public opinion.

"Mrs. Henwattle's Case" is a classic tale with a twist. An affair between two married people gives way to a severe lapse in sanity. The indignation in the main female voice is clearly felt as one reads this story. However, I wanted to conk this woman with a baseball hat. Where was her brain? The private detective should have thrown her out on her ear once he heard her story.

In keeping with the season, "Pumpkinmania" will bring every reader a smile. Those familiar with the contests at a county fair are going to recognize the competitive spirit between the two main characters. A twist at the end makes this tale even more enjoyable.

Jarmy is clever enough to put his short story titles in alphabetical order. While it might have helped if they had been separated into sections by "Fables" or Foibles", there is something for all to enjoy.