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Soiled Reputations by David Hobson. Waterloo, ON: Flip Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-9682389-0-4 120 pp. $15.95 + $2.50 S/H.

This the time of year when many of us are heading out into the garden. When the day's work is done, pick up this book of stories to read and your aches will disappear. Here are ten humorous short stories, linked by their cornmon characters and a gardening theme. Neighbours Cynthia and Riley are gardening rivals, and therein lie the tales. Their escapades with garden gnomes, competitive pumpkin growing, and illicit crops will have you chuckling out loud. Pun lovers will delight in the stories and storytellers will find the extensive use of dialogue fun to explore orally. Author Hobson is not only a writer and award winning organic gardener, he is a storyteller. This
makes the stories easily adaptable to oral telling since that is how he uses them himself.
Chapter four of the book was short listed for the prestigious Leacock Festival Humorous Short Story Competition. Recommended for anyone who likes to garden, and for tellers looking for a source of humorous stories. Buy two copies: one for yourself and one for a friend (or neighbour).
While you're waiting for the books to arrive, visit David's web
site at www.golden.net/ -dhobson/
Order from Flip Publishing, 162 Herron Place, Waterloo, Ontario N2T 1H2. Make cheques payable to David Hobson.

The Second Story Review, Vol 3, No. 1, March 1998