Bats and Swallows is a beautiful book. The lovely cover will entice you to pick it up. The first story will capture your imagination and pull you in. From the haunting story, Baby Teeth, to the sly humour in stories like My Son, the Magician, I found the book impossible to put down. Once I started reading, I was compelled to read another story and then another. I highly recommend it!

At this time, the cover for Bats or Swallows isn't shown here. It is gorgeous, though; matte, with beautiful paper, touchable pages. And while one is not supposed to judge a book by its cover or its other physical parts, this one promises something it can deliver, and is a delight to hold. Teri Vlassopoulos, in her debut collection of short fictions, manages a restraint in her use of language and emotions that leads readers willingly, title after title, to the edge of a cliff. It's not until they turn the page, lean over the edge to look for what comes next, that they tip and fall. This is not a collection to read in one, greedy, helping. Having read one story, it's better to stop, close the cover, and take a breath.