I got this fair-condition ex-library softcover from Better World Books. It's a collection of stories ranging from outright horror to psychological suspense to just-plain-weird. Some of my favorites:

"Mortal Coil", which reminded me of Machine of Death, an anthology about a machine that can tell anyone what they'll die of - though it doesn't tell them when. This story opens with a cosmic message to the people of Earth apologizing for giving them more knowledge of their own mortality than animals have, but not giving them *all* the knowledge - and now they're going to tell everyone how they'll die. But one man doesn't receive the postcard with his cause of death on it, and begins to think that if he's immortal maybe he should be taking care of other people's deaths... Darkly humorous twist here, but a pretty bleak look at human nature.

"Clown Envy" turns the fear of clowns on its head, and has its characters running off to become clowns - with surreal results.

"Custard Cream" pairs a broken marriage and a fear of spiders and becomes... very odd indeed.

"Pang" is a parable about relationships, centered on the idea of giving one's heart away, or keeping someone else's heart - here, the actual physical hearts are being kept, some better than others.

"Featherweight" opens just after a couple has had an accident in their car. The man thinks his wife is dead, but then she starts talking to him - only it appears they're stranded high in a tree, with her trapped by the crumpled car, and... with mysterious creatures flocking to the windows...

I left this book on a table in front of Harlow's Pub at Grove and School Sts. at around 4:30; hope the finder enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2017 Heads Shoulders Knees Toes release challenge, for the embedded "ear" in the title. ***