Changes

From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to search
no edit summary
[[Category:New Reviews|Short Stories]]
[[Category:Short Stories|*]]__NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
{{Frontpage
|isbn=B08NF79QXT
|title=Cherry Blossom Boutique
|author=Brooke Adams
|rating=3
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=Thirty-one-year old Liberty Rossini has had her shop, the Cherry Blossom Boutique, for just six months when she's nominated for - and wins - the Retail Best Newcomer Award. She's delighted and the two people she's brought with her to the event couldn't be more pleased. Sonja, her mother, is an ex-model and Brazilian: you can see where Liberty got her looks from. Jessica's thirty-four and Liberty's best friend: they've known each other since university and Liberty adores Jessica's husband, Charles and their four-year-old daughter, Ava. Life would be perfect for Liberty if it wasn't for one thing: she misses having a man in her life.
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=B08KKQ85FN
|title=But Never For Lunch
|author=Sandra Aragona
|rating=4
|genre=Short Stories
|summary=''If a woman approaching the menopause can be likened to a Rottweiler in lipstick, an Ambassador nearing retirement resembles a pampered peacock about to be released into the company of carrion crows or, more to the point, about to discover the real world of bus timetables and paying his own gas bills.''
 
You don't get many better opening sentences than that, do you? We first met His Excellency and The Ambassador's Wife in [[Sorting the Priorities: Ambassadress and Beagle Survive Diplomacy by Sandra Aragona|Sorting the Priorities]] and we learned what it was like to be moved around countries like accompanying baggage by the Italian Government but the time has come for HE to retires and for Sandra Aragona to become The Wife of Former Ambassador... They have left The Career and settled in Rome. Well 'settled' rather overstates the situation and their dog, Beagle, has no intention of slowing down any time soon, despite being sixteen and deaf.
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=B08CHJLNBS
|summary=''Nights of the Creaking Bed'' is a collection of short stories by Toni Kan. The series of stories tell of the lives and lusts of an assortment of characters living in and around Lagos, Nigeria. Nigeria, in this collection, is imbued with its very own heart of darkness. Danger stalks the shadows and people are killed for nothing more than a wrong look. Kan writes with a vitality and passion that allows these cynical stories to achieve a glimmer of hope.
}}
{{Frontpage|class-"wikitable" cellpaddingisbn=1529014484|title=Exhalation |author=Ted Chiang|rating=5|genre=Science Fiction|summary="15" <!Over the past twenty-eight years, Ted Chiang has published fifteen science fiction short stories, these magnificent stories have won twenty- INSERT NEW REVIEWS BELOW HERE-->seven major science fiction awards so if you are a science fiction fan it is likely that you have already come across some of the work by Ted Chiang. If you haven't then take this opportunity to do so now. Trust me; your imagination will be grateful.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=1794467440|title=Watchwords |author=Philip Neal|rating=4|genre=Short Stories|summary=This satisfying collection of short stories has a provenance at least as beguiling as the provenance of the antique watches that inspired it.
<!-- Philip Neal -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1794467440lost a watch.jpg|link=http://wwwIt was a watch he was fond of and had been told was like a 1930s Cartier.amazonInstead of mourning its loss, he began to collect vintage watches that resembled it.co.uk/dp/1794467440/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"| ===[[Watchwords by Philip Neal]]=== [[image:4starAnd that's how he became a watch collector. An eBay purchase led him to the Antique Watch Company watch repairers in Clerkenwell.jpg|link=Category:{{{ratingThe eBay purchase was a fake, but the friendship that grew between the buyer and the repairer of watches was not and the seed of an idea for a book was born.}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories{{Frontpage|isbn=1529006031|title=Return to Wonderland|author=Various Authors|rating=4.5|genre=Short Stories]] This satisfying collection of short stories has |summary=In following a provenance at least as beguiling as young girl called Alice down the provenance of rabbit hole a few years ago, when the antique watches that inspired it. Philip Neal lost a watch. It first book she was a watch he was fond of in [[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (150th Anniversary Edition) by Lewis Carroll and had been told was like a 1930s Cartier. Instead Anthony Browne|hit 150 years of mourning its lossage]], he began to collect vintage watches I found that resembled I didn't really find too much favour with it. And that The wacky-for-the-sake-of-it did not gel, and I don's how he became t remember loving it more as a watch collectorchild. An eBay purchase led him But I would suggest I am the perfect audience for this book. I had every chance to enjoy these short stories that come at the Antique Watch Company watch repairers in Clerkenwell. The eBay purchase was a fakecore from a tangent, but the friendship that grew between show the buyer and the repairer benefits of watches was not and the seed of an idea for a book was bornoblique glance. [[ Watchwords by Philip Neal |Full Review]]  <!-- Various-->|-| style=I've always preferred coming to an author'width: 10%; verticals output through their least obvious, allegedly throw-align: top; text-align: center;away pieces, and it's the same with franchises – I'|[[image:1529006031.jpg|link=http://wwwd more likely go for Bree Tanner's short novella than the whole Twilight saga (although that remains just a hunch, for obvious reasons).amazon.co.uk/dp/1529006031/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] For another thing, there was every reason to expect some kind of greatness here – with Carroll much loved by millions, surely pieces written with that love in mind could only provide for success after success? }}{{Frontpage| styleisbn=''vertical-align: top; text-align: left;''1846974658|title=The Long Path To Wisdom|author=Jan-Philipp Sendker|rating=4|genre=[[Return to Wonderland by Various Authors]]===Short Stories [[image:4.5star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]]On my travels around the world, I have a tendency to end up in any bookshop that is selling English-language books, [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] In following a young girl called Alice down and while I buy as many second-hand escapist tales as the rabbit hole a few years agonext person, when what I'm really looking for is the first book she was in [[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (150th Anniversary Edition) by Lewis Carroll and Anthony Browne|hit 150 years of age]]local' – the cookbook maybe, the maps definitely, but above all: the folk tales. If I found that ever get to Burma, I didnwon't really find too much favour with it. The wacky-for-the-sake-of-it did not gel, and need to hunt, I can read before I don't remember loving it more as a childgo. But I would suggest I am the perfect audience for this book}}{{Frontpage|isbn=B077969HN8|title=Alternative Medicine|author=Laura Solomon|rating=4. I had every chance to enjoy these 5|genre=Short Stories|summary=Laura Solomon's publisher describes the short stories that come at the core from a tangent, that show the benefits in ''Alternative Medicine'' as ''black comedy with a twist of the oblique glancesurrealism''. I've always preferred coming to an authorm rather glad that I didn't see this until ''after's output through their least obvious, allegedly throw-away pieces, and it's the same with franchises – I'd more likely go for Bree Tannerfinished reading as I's short novella than the whole Twilight saga (although that remains just m not normally a hunchfan of either, for obvious reasons). For another thing, there was every reason but I've come to expect some kind of greatness here – with Carroll much loved by millions, surely pieces written with that love in mind could only provide for success after success? [[Return to Wonderland by Various Authors|Full Review]]two conclusions about the book: what the publisher says is correct - and I really enjoyed it. The comedy is not ''too'' black and the surrealism is gentle and perhaps best described as a twist or flick of reality when you were least expecting it. Your comfort zones are going to be invaded in the nicest possible way.}}<!-- Chiang -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=9386897504| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Tales of Love and Disability|author=Laura Solomon[[image:1529014484.jpg|linkrating=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1529014484/ref4|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Short Stories| stylesummary="verticalI've always believed that less-alignable writers produce longer books: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Exhalation by Ted Chiang]]=== [[image:5starit takes a great deal of skill and talent to write a short story which holds the reader and keeps them coming back for more.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Science Fiction|Science Fiction]], There are far too many collections of short stories which are all too easy to put down and forget after you've read a couple of pieces. I've recently read a couple of novellas by Laura Solomon - [[:Category:Short StoriesMarsha's Deal by Laura Solomon|Short StoriesMarsha's Deal]] Over the past twenty-eight years Ted Chiang has published fifteen science fiction short stories, these magnificent stories have won twenty-seven major science fiction awards and [[Hell's Unveiling by Laura Solomon|Hell's Unveiling]] and enjoyed them, so if you are a science fiction fan it is likely that you have already come across some of the work by Ted ChiangI was intrigued to see what she could do with an even shorter form. If you haven't than take this opportunity to do so now. Trust me; your imagination will be grateful. [[Exhalation by Ted Chiang|Full Review]]}}{{Frontpage<!-- Sendker -->|isbn=1986586898|-| styletitle="widthGoing To The Last: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Short Stories About Horse Racing[[image:1846974658.jpg|linkauthor=http://wwwK D Knight|rating=4.amazon.co.uk/dp/1846974658/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] 5| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Short Stories|summary===[[The Long Path To Wisdom by JanIn the opening story, a man whose wife has deserted him visits Sandown with little money but comes away with cash in his pocket -Philipp Sendker]]=== [[image:4starand his wife.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]], [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]] On my travels around In ''A Grey Day'' an owner struggles with the problem of whether or not to run his horse in the world, I have a tendency to end up in any bookshop that Gold Cup when the ground is selling English-language booksagainst him. My favourite was ''The Story of H'', and while I buy the story of Foinavon. H is depicted as many second-hand escapist tales as the next person, what I'm really looking for is a kind horse who only wanted to please people. After changing hands on various occasions he came to the 'local' – the cookbook maybe, the maps definitely, but above all: the folk talesyard of John Kempton. If I ever get to BurmaH (or Foinavon) was entered in the Grand National and considered a no-hoper. In one of the most dramatic runnings of the race, I won't need a pile-up occurred at the 23rd fence. Foinavon, who had been many lengths adrift, cleared the fence and galloped to huntthe line, I can read before I gowinning the race at odds of 100/1. [[The Long Path To Wisdom by Jan-Philipp Sendker|Full Review]]}}<!-- Laura Solomon -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=9386897296| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Hell's Unveiling|author=Laura Solomon[[image:B077969HN8.jpg|linkrating=http://www3.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077969HN8/ref5|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Short Stories| style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|==summary=A little while ago I really enjoyed [[Alternative Medicine Marsha's Deal by Laura Solomon|Marsha's Deal]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] Laura Solomon's publisher describes and I was delighted by the opportunity to read the short stories in sequel, ''Alternative Medicine'' as Hell''black comedy with a twist of surrealisms Unveiling''. IIt'm rather glad s probably not much of a spoiler to say that I didnMarsha bested the devil in 't see this until 'Marsha'afters Deal'' I'd finished reading as I'm , but the devil is not normally a fan of either, but Ione to take defeat lying down. He've come s out to two conclusions about the book: what the publisher says is correct - and I really enjoyed it. The comedy is not wage war on Planet Earth and particularly on Marsha (who's thought of as a 'toogoody two shoes'' black and the surrealism is gentle and perhaps best described as a twist or flick of reality when you were least expecting itin Hell). Your comfort zones Although a strong person, she's vulnerable where her foster children are going concerned. Daniel is framed for a crime he didn't commit and sent to juvenile detention and refused permission to return to be invaded in the nicest possible waylive with Marsha. [[Alternative Medicine by Laura Solomon|Full Review]] <! Then, of course, there are all the other children who are not only targeted but -worst of all - Laura Solomon subverted to the devil's evil ends. He's out to prey on their fears and weaknesses and as with many foster children, their self-esteem is very fragile. This is no small->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; textscale operation, either -align: center;"|[[image:9386897504.jpg|link=http://wwwthe devil has set up a training complex on earth, complete with an elevator to Hell.amazon.co.uk/dp/9386897504/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]}}{{Frontpage| styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"1979217440|title=Marsha's Deal|author===[[Tales of Love and Disability by Laura Solomon]]=|rating=4|genre=Short Stories [[image:4star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [Marsha didn't have an easy ride in life the first time around. She'd been afflicted with [https:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrodysplasia_ossificans_progressiva fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva]] I've always believed that less-able writers produce longer books: it takes , a great deal rare disease which turned parts of skill and talent her body to write a short story which holds the reader and keeps them coming back for morebone when they were damaged. There are far too many collections of short stories which are all too easy Finally, she was unable to put down stand her life any longer and forget after you've read a couple of pieceswent to Dignitas, the Swiss euthanasia clinic. IShe've recently read a couple of novellas by Laura Solomon d thought that would be the end, but after cremation, her body went straight to hell and she found herself face-to- [[Marsha's Deal by Laura Solomon|Marsha's Deal]] and [[Hell's Unveiling by Laura Solomon|Hell's Unveiling]] face with the devil. And that was when she made the pact. In exchange for details about some of those who had been close to her - their strengths and enjoyed them, so I was intrigued weaknesses - she would be reborn on the same day to see what she could do with an even shorter formthe same parents but would live her life free of disease. [[Tales of Love and Disability by Laura Solomon|Full Review]]<!-- K D Knight -->}}{{Frontpage|-isbn=150690551X| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Roses in December|[[image:1986586898.jpgauthor=Matthew de Lacey Davidson|linkrating=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1986586898/ref4|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Short Stories| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text''Roses in December'' is a collection of twenty-align: left;"|===[[Going To The Last: Short Stories About Horse Racing by K D Knight]]=== [[image:4two short stories. And when I say short, I mean ''short'', with each just a few pages long and some brushing the flash fiction genre, such is the brevity.5starI think the shorter the story, the harder it is to write and the more difficult the task of engaging, then satisfying, the reader.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] In So it is to the opening story a man whose wife has deserted him visits Sandown with little money, but comes away with cash immense credit of Matthew de Lacey Davidson that I sighed in his pocket - and his wifeappreciation many times while reading. In ''A Grey Day'' an owner struggles with He has a good sense of which moments of the problem of whether or not human experience to run his horse capture in order to make the Gold Cup when the ground is against himpoint he wants to make. My favourite was ''The Story of H'', the story of FoinavonSome highlights:}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Onymouse_Quick|title=Quick and Quirky: Short Stories with Quips!|author=Fred Onymouse and Ann Onymouse|rating=1. H is depicted as 5|genre=Short Stories|summary=Quick, and indeed, quirky, are positive attributes, I'm sure you'd agree – apart from perhaps in surgeons. I like things that have a kind horse who only wanted to please peoplequirk, and I approve of the quicky. After changing hands on various occasions he came to I've been dabbling in the yard world of John Kempton. H (or Foinavon) was entered in the Grand National and considered creative writing for a no-hoper. In one of the most dramatic runnings of the racefew years now, a pile up occured at and whenever anyone asks what it is I mostly write, I define it with the 23rd fencecatch-all safety net of ''flippant''. Foinavon, who had been many lengths adriftSo this book should be right up my street, cleared the fence being as it is a bijou selection of illustrated and galloped to the line, winning the race at odds of 100/1. [[Going To The Last: Short Stories About Horse Racing by K D Knight|Full Review]]fairly large-print short stories. }}<!-- Laura Solomon -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=Hill_Strange|title=Strange Weather| styleauthor="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Joe Hill|rating=5[[image:9386897296.jpg|linkgenre=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9386897296/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Short Stories| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[HellStrange Weather is a collection of four short novels all linked by, unsurprisingly, strange and cataclysmic weather. Each novel is distinct and showcases Hill's Unveiling by Laura Solomon]]=== [[image:3restrained yet vivid style which takes everyday events and makes them bitingly, acerbically macabre or blindingly beautiful, often switching from one sentence to the next.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]]As Hill himself says ''the beauty of the world and the horror of the world were twined together'', [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]], [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]]never is this truer than in Strange Weather where moments of abject horror are coupled with raw beauty.}}{{FrontpageA little while ago I really enjoyed [[Marsha|isbn=Dick_Electric|title=Philip K Dick's Deal by Laura SolomonElectric Dreams|Marsha's Deal]] and I was delighted by the opportunity to read the sequel, ''Hellauthor=Philip K Dick|rating=3|genre=Short Stories|summary=Philip K Dick's Unveiling''stories were originally published in the 50s, but they are more present than past. It's probably not much of a spoiler to say that Marsha bested On the devil in big screen ''MarshaBlade Runner 2049's Deal'', but relaunched the devil is not one Dick-inspired cult classic to take defeat lying down. He's out to wage war on Planet Earth reviews of pure praise; and particularly on Marsha (whoslightly smaller screens, Channel 4 has adapted the author's thought of as a 'goody two shoes' in Hell)short stories for TV. Although a strong personStartlingly, sheDick's vulnerable where her foster children are concerned. Daniel is framed for a crime he didn't commit current relevance reaches beyond fiction and into the factual: his topics from intrusive advertising and sent loss of privacy to juvenile detention and refused permission to return to live with Marsha. Then, the increasing machination of course there society are all the other children who are not only targeted, but - worst of all - subverted to the devilheadline material in today's news. It is as if half a century after their inception, Dick's evil endselectric dreams are becoming reality. He's out to prey on their fears and weaknesses and as with many foster children, their self esteem is very fragile. This is no small-scale operation, either - the devil has set up a training complex on earth, complete with an elevator to Hell. [[Hell's Unveiling by Laura Solomon|Full Review]]  <!-- Laura Solomon -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1979217440.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1979217440/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Marsha's Deal by Laura Solomon]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]], [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]], [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]] Marsha didn't have an easy ride in life the first time around. She'd been afflicted with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrodysplasia_ossificans_progressiva fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva], a rare disease which turned parts of her body to bone when they were damaged. Finally she was unable to stand her life any longer and went to Dignitas, the Swiss euthanasia clinic. She'd thought that would be the end, but after cremation her body went straight to hell and she found herself face-to-face with the devil. And that was when she made the pact. In exchange for details about some of those who had been close to her - their strengths and weaknesses - she would be reborn on the same day to the same parents, but would live her life free of disease. [[Marsha's Deal by Laura Solomon|Full Review]]  <!-- Davidson -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:150690551X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/150690551X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Roses in December by Matthew de Lacey Davidson]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] ''Roses in December'' is a collection of twenty-two short stories. And when I say short, I mean ''short'', with each just a few pages long and some brushing the flash fiction genre, such is the brevity. I think the shorter the story, the harder it is to write and the more difficult the task of engaging, then satisfying, the reader. So it is to the immense credit of Matthew de Lacey Davidson that I sighed in appreciation many times while reading. He has a good sense of which moments of the human experience to capture in order to make the point he wants to make. Some highlights: [[Roses in December by Matthew de Lacey Davidson|Full Review]] <!-- Onymouse -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Onymouse_Quick.jpg|left|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788039122/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Quick and Quirky: Short Stories with Quips! by Fred Onymouse and Ann Onymouse]]=== [[image:1.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] Quick, and indeed, quirky, are positive attributes, I'm sure you'd agree – apart from perhaps in surgeons. I like things that have a quirk, and I approve of the quicky. I've been dabbling in the world of creative writing for a few years now, and whenever anyone asks what it is I mostly write, I define it with the catch-all safety net of ''flippant''. So this book should be right up my street, being as it is a bijou selection of illustrated and fairly large-print short stories. [[Quick and Quirky: Short Stories with Quips! by Fred Onymouse and Ann Onymouse|Full Review]] <!-- Hill -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Hill_Strange.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/147322117X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=147322117X]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Strange Weather by Joe Hill]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Horror|Horror]], [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]], [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]] Strange Weather is a collection of four short novels all linked by, unsurprisingly, strange and cataclysmic weather. Each novel is distinct and showcases Hill's restrained yet vivid style which takes everyday events and makes them bitingly, acerbically macabre or blindingly beautiful, often switching from one sentence to the next. As Hill himself says ''the beauty of the world and the horror of the world were twined together'', never is this truer than in Strange Weather where moments of abject horror are coupled with raw beauty. [[Strange Weather by Joe Hill|Full Review]] <!-- Dick -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Dick_Electric.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1473223288?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1473223288]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams by Philip K Dick]]=== [[image:3star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Science Fiction|Science Fiction]], [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] Philip K Dick's stories were originally published in the 50s, but they are more present than past. On the big screen ''Blade Runner 2049'' relaunched the Dick-inspired cult classic to reviews of pure praise; and on slightly smaller screens, Channel 4 has adapted the author's short stories for TV. Startlingly, Dick's current relevance reaches beyond fiction and into the factual: his topics from intrusive advertising and loss of privacy to the increasing machination of society are all headline material in today's news. It is as if half a century after their inception, Dick's electric dreams are becoming reality. [[Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams by Philip K Dick|Full Review]] <!-- Mettler -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Mettler_15.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/191158636X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=191158636X]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Fifteen Minutes by Erinna Mettler]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] Our world is obsessed with celebrity culture - and in this advent of social media, the updates on celebrity come 24 hours a day, delivered to us on our televisions, our magazines, on our phones and our computers. In focusing on these heightened and airbrushed lives though, are we missing the more interesting and human stories that are out there? That's what Erinna Mettler considers in ''15 Minutes'' - short stories that feature celebrity encounters told through the eyes of ordinary, but no less compelling, characters. [[Fifteen Minutes by Erinna Mettler|Full Review]] <!-- Hodgkinson -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Hodgkinson_Dark.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1782273824/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Dark-Blue Winter Overcoat and other stories from the North by Sjon Hodgkinson and Ten Hodgkinson (editors)]]=== [[image:3star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]], [[:Category:Literary Fiction|Literary Fiction]], [[:Category:Short Stories|Short Stories]] A compilation like this should be nigh on brilliant. It's not one author's best short works, it's that of a dozen. It's not from one snapshot in time, as some were written the year of publication and some in the 1960s. It's not from one tiny patch of author's desk or one set of laptop keys, but from the entire Nordic world, whether that be urban Scandinavia, the Faroes and other island groups, or Greenland. That is a world that's changing – as the Greenland-born author now living in Brooklyn, and the Iraqi blood on these pages, testify. It's a world where new roads and new building works mean a family living on the edge of the forest at the beginning of the story are being surrounded by other life by the end, and with the influence of centuries of folklore featured, a lot more than that changes – sometimes it seems to be even the characters' species… [[The Dark-Blue Winter Overcoat and other stories from the North by Sjon Hodgkinson and Ten Hodgkinson (editors)|Full Review]]}}
<!-- DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->|}Move to [[Newest Spirituality and Religion Reviews]]

Navigation menu