Changes

<!-- Pop Up Projects -->{{Frontpage|isbn=1737030942|title=Bag O'Goodies|author=Jolly Walker Bittick|rating=4|genre= Anthologies|summary=Sometimes, you deserve a treat and mine was Jolly Walker Bittick's ''Bag O'Goodies''. I first encountered his writing about a year ago, when I read his [[image:PUP_RisingCape Henry House by Jolly Walker Bittick|Cape Henry House]], a rollicking tale of what happens when five young men find a base for their partying. Right now, I didn't want a full-length novel, so I turned to this anthology of verse and short stories. Bittick's writing has matured - and so have his characters. Well...jpgmost of them!}}{{Frontpage|isbn=140638853X|title=Somebody Give This Heart a Pen|author=Sophia Thakur|leftrating=5|linkgenre=https://wwwAnthologies|summary=Sophia Thakur's debut anthology is a collection of poems that are all unique, whether in relation to their style, length or theme. The collection is split into four sections, titled 'grow', 'wait','break' and 'grow again', guiding you through a process which is one of the foundations that the anthology is built on.amazonEach section begins with a foregrounded title page containing various small pieces of writing, ranging from a quote by a Nigerian playwright, to African proverbs.coThis provides a nice introduction to the section before you are immersed in the beautifully written and eloquent poems that Thakur has clearly put her heart and soul into.uk/gp/product/1910959375?ie}}{{Frontpage|isbn=UTF8&tag1789016789|title=thebookbag-21&linkCodeYou're the Froth On My Soy Cappuccino: Poems for the Present|author=as2&campDon Behrend|rating=1634&creative4|genre=6738&creativeASINAnthologies|summary=1910959375]]''You're the Froth On My Soy Cappuccino'' begins with ''A Modern Love Story'':

[[imageHa! How can you not laugh at this gently mocking take on love in the hipster world? }}{{Frontpage|isbn=PUP_Rising|title=Rising Stars:4star.jpgNew Young Voices in Poetry|linkauthor=Category:{{{Pop Up Projects|rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies=4|genre=Anthologies]] |summary=This collection brings together five emerging voices in poetry. And despite what the publisher says, I wouldn't personally impose an age restriction on the writing here. Each poet uses words that will appeal to many readers. I found this particularly so with Jay Hulme's poetry. [[Rising Stars: New Young Voices in Poetry by Pop Up Projects|Full Review]]<br> <br> <br>}}{{Frontpage<!-- Stevenson -->[[image:Stevenson_Garden.jpg|left|linkisbn=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1910959103?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1910959103]]Stevenson_Garden =|title==[[A Child's Garden of Verses by |author=Robert Louis Stevenson]]==|rating=2 [[image:2star.jpg|linkgenre=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] [[:Category:Children's Rhymes and Verse|Children's Rhymes and Verse]] summary=Robert Louis Stevenson was a very versatile writer; he delved deep into the human psyche when he wrote ''The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' but he did not restrict himself to representations of the gothic and the persecuted. He also wrote brilliant children's adventure stories such as ''Treasure Island'' and ''Kidnapped'', but, again, he did not restrict himself to prose writing because here he demonstrates his ability to write poetry. [[A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson|Full Review]]<br>}}{{Frontpage<!-- |isbn=Esiri -->Poem[[image:Esiri Poem.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1509860541?ietitle=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1509860541]] ===[[A Poem for Every Day of the Year by |author=Allie Esiri]]==|rating=4 [[image:4star.jpg|linkgenre=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] [[:Category:Children's Rhymes and Verse|Children's Rhymes and Verse]] summary=For those who do not read much poetry, for those who do not know where to start, this is a fun and easy commitment to take on. Reading a poem a day does not take long, mere minutes, and with over three-hundred poems in here there's bound to be a poem that speaks to each reader directly. [[A Poem for Every Day of the Year by Allie Esiri|Full Review]]<br> <br> <br>}}{{Frontpage <!-- Herbertson -->[[image:Herbertson_Wordsworth.jpg|left|linkisbn=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1903385598?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1903385598]]Herbertson_Wordsworth|title===[[William and Dorothy Wordsworth: A Miscellany by |author=Gavin Herbertson]]==|rating=5 [[image:5star.jpg|linkgenre=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] summary=William Wordsworth was a defining member of the romantic literary era. He was part of the first wave, and his poetry helped to shape a large part of it. Nature was the key: existing in nature, finding one's own true nature and becoming natural in the process were the driving forces behind it. [[William and Dorothy Wordsworth: A Miscellany by Gavin Herbertson|Full Review]]<br> <br> <br>}}{{Frontpage <!-- Mahfouz -->[[image:Mahfouz_Muslim.jpg|left|linkisbn=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0863561462?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0863561462]]Mahfouz_Muslim ==|title=[[The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write by Sabrina Mahfouz]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|linkauthor=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] [[:Category:Literary Fiction|Literary Fiction]] What does it mean to be British and Muslim? This is a question these writers tackle with stunning clarity. Modern day British society has a varied sense of cultural heritage; it is a society that is changing and moving forward as it adds more and more voices to the population, but it is also one that has an undercurrent of anxiety and fear towards those who are minorities. So this collection displays how all that fear is received; it comes in the form of stereotypical labels and racial prejudice, which are themes eloquently reproduced here. [[The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write by Sabrina Mahfouz|Full Review]]<br> <!-- Holland -->[[image:Holland Cheap.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1524633127?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1524633127]] ===[[View from the Cheap Seats by Barry Holland]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] A little bit about Barry Holland: he was born in Newport, South Wales, to working class parents. He loves rugby and his son - his son is his favourite rugby player, which is just as it should be. He is a qualified engineer but is unable to work because of mental ill health. All of these things feed into ''View from the Cheap Seats'', which is a collection of poems and imaginings as vivid and immediate and striking as you could hope for. Barry sounds like a thoroughly nice bloke and his book was a pleasure to read.<br> <!-- Marshall -->[[image:Marshall EFT.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1468313177?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1468313177]] ===[[The Book of English Folk Tales by Sybil Marshall and John Lawrence]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]], [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] From ghosts to witches, to giants and fairies, ''The Book of English Folk Tales'' is a fascinating collection of stories retold by social historian and folklorist Sybil Marshall. Out of print for over three decades, this beautiful new clothbound edition is complete with wood engraved illustrations by John Lawrence and is sure to capture the attention of a new generation of lovers of folklore. [[The Book of English Folk Tales by Sybil Marshall and John Lawrence|Full Review]]<br> <br> <br> <!-- Trotman -->[[image:Trotman_Winter.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1445664747?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1445664747]] ===[[Winter: A Book for the Season by Felicity Trotman (editor)]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]], [[:Category:Reference|Reference]] This seasonal anthology contains a nice mixture of poetry, nature and travel pieces, and excerpts from longer works of fiction. Felicity Trotman, a freelance editor and member of the English Civil War Society, has arranged the material into three sections: 'The Old Year', 'Christmas, Sacred and Secular', and 'The New Year'. This creates an appropriate sense of chronological progression, and also serves to make Christmas the heart of the book. Black-and-white illustrations – maps, photographs and engravings – are interspersed throughout, and each author gets a short paragraph of biography and background.<br> <!-- Elphinstone -->[[image:Elphinstone_Winter.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1471159809?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1471159809]] ===[[Winter Magic by Abi Elphinstone (Editor)]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]], [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] With everything from dragons to mysterious crimes, voice-stealing witches to time travel, and magical worlds to first performances of world-famous ballets, this is a collection of short stories that delights from start to finish. Anthologies of short stories can sometimes fall flat, with one or two good ones and then a bunch of mediocre fillers, but this collection has no weak links...all the stories are good, and most of them are brilliant. I felt entirely caught up in each individual world as I read, loving the varied and extremely likeable heroines throughout. [[Winter Magic by Abi Elphinstone (Editor)|Full Review]]<br> <!-- Phinn -->[[image:Phinn_Virgin.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1444779400?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1444779400]] ===[[The Virgin Mary's Got Nits by Gervase Phinn]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Humour|Humour]], [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] Christmas in our house is the time we tend to get on a plane and head to either sun or snow, anywhere that is far, far away from the madness at home, last minute dashes to the shops on Christmas Eve, and food cupboard stockpiles that would imply supermarkets are shutting for a month, nor a mere 36 hours. But I do remember the feeling of Christmas when I was younger, back when it was magical, and back when you knew exactly what the season would bring with carol concerts and school nativities and Christmas parties. This book is an anthology of those moments, and it took me right back to the wonder of Christmas as a child. [[The Virgin Mary's Got Nits by Gervase Phinn|Full Review]]<br> <!-- Ayrton -->[[image:Ayrton_Pasaran.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/184668997X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=184668997X]] ===[[No Pasaran: Writings from the Spanish Civil War by Pete Ayrton (editor)]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] In ''¡No Pasarán!: Writings from the Spanish Civil War'', Pete Ayrton has chosen a majority of texts by Spanish writers, arguing that the conflict has long been written about from the point of view of the international brigades. [[No Pasaran: Writings from the Spanish Civil War by Pete Ayrton (editor)|Full Review]]<br> <br> <br> <!-- Edwards -->[[image:Edwards_Manor.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0712309934?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0712309934]] ===[[Murder at the Manor: Country House Mysteries (British Library Crime Classics) by Martin Edwards (editor)]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime (Historical)|Crime (Historical)]], [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] I'm not big on short stories, but two factors nudged me towards this book. Firstly, it's broadly golden age crime, one of my weaknesses and secondly, the editor is [[:Category:Martin Edwards|Martin Edwards]], a man whose knowledge of golden age crime is probably unsurpassed and he's done us proud, not only with his selection, but with the half-page biographies of the writers, which precede each story. There's just enough there to allow you to place the author and to direct you to other works if you're tempted. It's an elegant selection, from the well known and the less well known, all set in and around the country house. [[Murder at the Manor: Country House Mysteries (British Library Crime Classics) by Martin Edwards (editor)|Full Review]]<br> <!-- Colfer -->[[image:Colfer_Place.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/191041137X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=191041137X]] ===[[Once Upon a Place by Eoin Colfer (editor)]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]], [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] You know the bit of the blurb on every ''Artemis Fowl'' book, where Eoin Colfer had it said about how you pronounce his name? That wasn't the intention of an up-and-coming author to be recognisable; rather, it was pride. Pride in the difference of it, of the Irishness of it. Ireland, it seems to me, is more full than usual of people, things and ideas, and places that are different by dint of their singular nationality – and so many deserve to have pride attached to them. The places might not be the famous ones, but they can be the source of pride, and of stories, which is where this compilation of short works for the young comes in, with the authors invited to select their chosen place and write about it. [[Once Upon a Place by Eoin Colfer (editor)|Full Review]]<br> <!-- Cleeves -->[[image:Cleeves_Murder.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1909823740?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1909823740]] ===[[The Starlings and Other Stories by Ann Cleeves (editor)]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]], [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] Six authors, known collectively as 'Murder Squad', and their six accomplices were each given photographs of the remote landscape of Pembrokeshire by acclaimed photographer David Wilson and asked to come up with a short story inspired by what they saw. Some of the stories will be more to your taste than others, as is only to be expected in such a varied anthology, but none are weak and if you enjoy crime short stories then this book could be a real treat. [[The Starlings and Other Stories by Ann Cleeves (editor)|Full Review]]<br> <!-- Milne -->[[image:Milne_Love.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1405276150?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1405276150]] ===[[Love From Pooh (Winnie the Pooh) by A A Milne]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]] For a small book, a small review – this is a quite delightful little thing, about which not a lot can be said. It is a gift book pure and simple, much in the way that Pooh Bear was a little simple at times (''Pooh… thought how wonderful it would be to have a Real Brain which could tell you things''). With it comes a simple blurb, and almost instructions that it is for giving, and there is a space for a loving dedication at the beginning, which is again only apt, as it is all about love. Love of honey, love in friendship, love of all various kinds, but just love. It can't help but make you most warm-hearted. [[Love From Pooh (Winnie the Pooh) by A A Milne|Full Review]]<br> <!-- Walton -->[[image:Walton_Scifi.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1472111613?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1472111613]] ===[[What Makes This Book So Great: Re-Reading The Classics Of Science Fiction And Fantasy by Jo Walton]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]], [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]], [[:Category:Science Fiction|Science Fiction]] Jo Walton has published over ten books, several of which have been award winning. On top of that, she has a voracious appetite for books - both as a well respected writer of original fiction, but as a well respected reviewer too. Not only does she have time to do all that, but she also writes a regular column for Tor.com, on Science Fiction and Fantasy books, and it is these columns that a selection of which are collected here. [[What Makes This Book So Great: Re-Reading The Classics Of Science Fiction And Fantasy by Jo Walton|Full Review]]<br> <!-- Tennant -->[[image:Tennant_Grub.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0704372983?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0704372983]] ===[[Did We Meet on Grub Street? by Emma Tennant, Hilary Bailey and David Elliott]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Entertainment|Entertainment]], [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]], [[:Category:History|History]] Essentially, the three authors (all of whom have long careers in the book industry) revel in the idea of being whining old curmudgeons who miss the good old days of publishing. This unashamed nostalgia provides the focus of the book and allows the writers to recount numerous anecdotes from their days in the publishing business. Whilst the primary audience for this book may well be students of creative writing and media studies, it also serves as an interesting exploration of an aspect of modern history: how a once-burgeoning industry is now a shell of its former self, much like a lot of manufacturing. Because of this, I was disappointed that no space was given to a consideration of how the rise of the e-book and Kindle has directly damaged both the sale of books and the potential for new books to be written (fewer real books sold = fewer financial advances paid to writers = fewer books written). Also, given the clear love of books as treasured artifacts, the dismissal of the Harry Potter phenomenon seems truculent, given the impetus the series gave to reading amongst both the young and adults. [[Did We Meet on Grub Street? by Emma Tennant, Hilary Bailey and David Elliott|Full Review]]<br> {{newreview|author=Otto Penzler (editor)|title=The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries

|genre=CrimeAnthologies|summary=Nostalgia What does it mean to be British and Muslim? This is a big part question these writers tackle with stunning clarity. Modern-day British society has a varied sense of cultural heritage; it is a society that is changing and moving forward as it adds more and more voices to the Christmas experiencepopulation, but it is also one that has an undercurrent of anxiety and fear towards those who are minorities. So this collection displays how all thatfear is received; it comes in the form of stereotypical labels and racial prejudice, which are themes eloquently reproduced here.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Holland Cheap|title=View from the Cheap Seats|author=Barry Holland|rating=4|genre=Anthologies|summary=A little bit about Barry Holland: he was born in Newport, South Wales, to working-class parents. He loves rugby and his son - his son is his favourite rugby player, which is just as it should be. He is a qualified engineer but is unable to work because of mental ill-health. All of these things feed into ''View from the Cheap Seats'', which is a collection of poems and imaginings as vivid and immediate and striking as you could hope for. Barry sounds like a thoroughly nice bloke and his book was a pleasure to read.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Marshall EFT|title=The Book of English Folk Tales|author=Sybil Marshall and John Lawrence|rating=4|genre=Anthologies|summary=From ghosts to witches, to giants and fairies, 's provided in sack'The Book of English Folk Tales'' is a fascinating collection of stories retold by social historian and folklorist Sybil Marshall. Out of print for over three decades, this beautiful new clothbound edition is complete with wood-loads engraved illustrations by John Lawrence and is sure to capture the attention of a new generation of lovers of folklore.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Trotman_Winter|title=Winter: A Book for the Season|author=Felicity Trotman (editor)|rating=4|genre=Anthologies|summary=This seasonal anthology contains a nice mixture of poetry, nature and travel pieces, and excerpts from longer works of fiction. Felicity Trotman, a freelance editor and member of the English Civil War Society, has arranged the material into three sections: 'The Old Year', 'Christmas, Sacred and Secular', and 'The New Year'. This creates an appropriate sense of chronological progression and also serves to make Christmas the heart of the book. Black-and-white illustrations – maps, photographs and engravings – are interspersed throughout, and each author gets a short paragraph of biography and background.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Elphinstone_Winter|title=Winter Magic|author=Abi Elphinstone (Editor)|rating=3.5|genre=Anthologies|summary=With everything from dragons to mysterious crimes, voice-stealing witches to time travel, and magical worlds to first performances of world-famous ballets, this hefty tome is a collection of short storiesthat delights from start to finish. Anthologies of short stories can sometimes fall flat, with one or two good ones and then a bunch of mediocre fillers, but this collection has no weak links... Sherlock Holmesall the stories are good, Hercule Poirot and Brother Cadfael jostle Morsemost of them are brilliant. I felt entirely caught up in each individual world as I read, Rumpole loving the varied and Vic Warshawski for space extremely likeable heroines throughout.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Phinn_Virgin|title=The Virgin Mary's Got Nits|author=Gervase Phinn|rating=4.5|genre=Anthologies|summary=Christmas in our house is the time we tend to get on these tightly packed pagesa plane and head to either sun or snow, anywhere that is far, far away from the madness at home, while lesser known last-minute dashes to the shops on Christmas Eve and long since forgotten writers furnish new and unexpected pleasures food cupboard stockpiles that would imply supermarkets are shutting for even a month, nor a mere 36 hours. But I do remember the most well-read feeling of Christmas when I was younger, back when it was magical, and back when you knew exactly what the season would bring with carol concerts and school nativities and Christmas parties. This book wormsis an anthology of those moments, and it took me right back to the wonder of Christmas as a child.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1784082252</amazonuk>

{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=Ayrton_Pasaran|title=Burnt TonguesNo Pasaran: An Anthology of Transgressive Short StoriesWritings from the Spanish Civil War|author=Chuck Palahniuk, Dennis Widmyer and Richard ThomasPete Ayrton (editor)

|genre=Short StoriesAnthologies|summary=Saying certain things out loud just don’t sound right. Some things are so disturbing or politically incorrect In ''¡No Pasarán!: Writings from the Spanish Civil War'', Pete Ayrton has chosen a majority of texts by Spanish writers, arguing that you are best off leaving them inside your head, or better yet not thinking the conflict has long been written about from the point of view of them the international brigades.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Edwards_Manor|title=Murder at allthe Manor: Country House Mysteries (British Library Crime Classics)|author=Martin Edwards (editor)|rating=4.5|genre=Anthologies|summary=I'm not big on short stories, but two factors nudged me towards this book. When these words are spoken they could lead to Firstly, it's broadly golden age crime, one of my weaknesses and secondly, the sensation editor is [[:Category:Martin Edwards|Martin Edwards]], a man whose knowledge of Burnt Tongue; an aftereffect golden age crime is probably unsurpassed and he's done us proud, not only with his selection but with the half-page biographies of knowing what you said was wrongthe writers, which precede each story. Are There's just enough there to allow you prepared to enter place the world of Transgressive Fiction that aims author and to direct you to disturbother works if you're tempted. It's an elegant selection, alienatefrom the well known and the less well known, disgust all set in and question?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178329552X</amazonuk>around the country house.

{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=Colfer_Place|title=RoguesOnce Upon a Place|author=George R R Martin and Gardner Dozois Eoin Colfer (Editorseditor)

|summary=George R R Martin is undoubtedly You know the bit of the biggest blurb on every ''Artemis Fowl'' book, where Eoin Colfer had it said about how you pronounce his name ? That wasn't the intention of an up-and-coming author to be recognisable; rather, it was pride. Pride in modern day fantasythe difference of it, of the Irishness of it. Ireland, it seems to me, is more full than usual of people, things and ideas, and Gardner Dozois an American science fiction author places that are different by dint of considerable renowntheir singular nationality – and so many deserve to have pride attached to them. Here The places might not be the famous ones, but they can be the two collect twenty one source of pride, and of stories , which is where this compilation of short works for the young comes in, with the authors invited to select their chosen place and write about it.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Cleeves_Murder|title=The Starlings and Other Stories|author=Ann Cleeves (editor)|rating=4|genre=Anthologies|summary=Six authors, known collectively as 'Murder Squad', and their six accomplices were each given photographs of the remote landscape of Pembrokeshire by acclaimed photographer David Wilson and asked to come up with a short story inspired by what they saw. Some of the stories will be more to your taste than others, as is only to be expected in such a varied anthology, but none are weak and if you enjoy crime short stories then this book could be a real treat.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Milne_Love|title=Love From Pooh (Winnie the Pooh)|author=A A Milne|rating=5|genre=Anthologies|summary=For a small book, a small review – this is a quite delightful little thing, about which not a lot can be said. It is a gift book pure and simple, much in the way that Pooh Bear was a little simple at times (''Pooh… thought how wonderful it would be to have a Real Brain which could tell you things''). With it comes a simple blurb, and almost instructions that it is for giving, and there is a space for a loving dedication at the beginning, which is again only apt, as it is all about love. Love of honey, love in friendship, love of all various kinds, but just love. It can't help but make you most warm-hearted.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Walton_Scifi|title=What Makes This Book So Great: Re-Reading The Classics Of Science Fiction And Fantasy|author=Jo Walton|rating=5|genre=Anthologies|summary=Jo Walton has published over ten books, several of which have been award-winning. On top of that, she has a voracious appetite for books - both as a list well-respected writer of original fiction, but as a well known -respected reviewer too. Not only does she have time to do all that, but she also writes a regular column for Tor.com, on Science Fiction and Fantasy books, and it is these columns that a selection of which are collected here.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Tennant_Grub|title=Did We Meet on Grub Street?|author=Emma Tennant, Hilary Bailey and hugely loved David Elliott|rating=3.5|genre=Anthologies|summary=Essentially, the three authors(all of whom have long careers in the book industry) revel in the idea of being whining old curmudgeons who miss the good old days of publishing. This unashamed nostalgia provides the focus of the book and allows the writers to recount numerous anecdotes from their days in the publishing business. Whilst the primary audience for this book may well be students of creative writing and media studies, it also serves as an interesting exploration of an aspect of modern history: how a once-burgeoning industry is now a shell of its former self, much like a lot of manufacturing. Because of this, I was disappointed that no space was given to a consideration of how the rise of the e-book and Kindle has directly damaged both the sale of books and the potential for new books to be written (fewer real books sold = fewer financial advances paid to writers = fewer books written). Also, given the clear love of books as treasured artefacts, the dismissal of the Harry Potter phenomenon seems truculent, given the impetus the series gave to reading amongst both the young and adults.}}{{Frontpage|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1783297190</amazonuk>Penzler_Big|title=The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries|author=Otto Penzler (editor)|rating=5|genre=Anthologies|summary=Nostalgia is a big part of the Christmas experience, and that's provided in sack-loads by this hefty tome of short stories. Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Brother Cadfael jostle Morse, Rumpole and Vic Warshawski for space on these tightly packed pages, while lesser-known and long since forgotten writers furnish new and unexpected pleasures for even the most well-read of book worms.