This year it Will be Different by Maeve Binchy

 

This is a superb collection of short stories, all set around Christmas time.

I first came across Maeve Binchy when I bought a very tatty copy of her Light a Penny Candle from a second-hand bookshop in Spain. It made a good holiday read.  Thereafter, I’ve been willing to buy her books in hardback as soon as they come out.

As I read this time I tried to work out why her writing is so effective. Her characters are very believable.  She gives us a strong sense of time and place. The stories are plausible and help us to make sense of life.

This Year It Will Be Different is an engaging collection of stories which can be read at any time, not just at Christmas.    

  

 

Shifting Horizons by Sheena Billett

 

This month I’m recommending Shifting Horizons: Stories of lives lived and journeys taken by Sheena Billett

I can hand on heart say that this is the best book I’ve read in the month of December. What a joy that this is a book written by one of my writing friends. Yes several of the stories in this volume have appeared in CaféLit and Sheena also has work on Secret Attic where I’m also published. So, it’s rather obvious that Sheena writes the type of story I like to read and hope to write.  

As I read I tried to define what it is about them that I like. I’ve concluded:

·         They all have a convincing voice.

·         They make you think.

·         The language is simple but not dull.

·         There are solid story arcs though they are also subtle.

·         The ending is often upbeat.

·         There is some room for the reader to decide what is actually happening.

·         They are not clichéd

So Sheena Billett’s Shifting Horizons, highly recommended. 

 

Scratched Enamel. Heart by Amanda Huggins

This month I’m recommending a collection of short stories Scratched Enamel Heart by Amanda Huggins.  Find details  here.  

Amanda asked me to review it for her. I did this gladly and I was pleased to create five star reviews on both Good Reads and Amazon. I can’t post them yet as the book isn’t out until 27 May but here’s what I’m saying:

“The short stories in this collection give a strong sense of time and place and allow the reader to follow the characters as they make a journey. Sometimes this is an actual physical journey, at other times it is a journey of the soul. Each story too brings with it an atmosphere that we cannot ignore. We are drawn to the characters and their settings.”

And here are a couple of extracts from other reviews:

“Her use of all the senses in her stories is wonderful. When she describes food being eaten, it is as if you were there watching the food being eaten! This is hard to pull off well. All of the stories will move you and make you wonder what you would do if you were this character faced with this situation. Huggins creates a miniature world with every story, and you are drawn in, almost hypnotically.” (Allison Symes)

"This short fiction collection contains twenty-four emotionally-charged stories that take readers on a journey to households and communities in a range of countries. Through these stories, Amanda Huggins cleverly shows us the commonality of emotional experience. That feelings of isolation, love, grief, loss and regret occur in different backgrounds and cultures. And equally, that hope and the promise of a fresh start is possible. Amanda Huggins writes in a beautiful and empathetic way to immerse readers in the challenges and dilemmas she presents to her characters. As readers we care about these characters and learn from them. This is a truthful, authentic and essential read." (Gail Aldwin)

Well worth pre-ordering, I’d say.  

Manchester Happened by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

I do keep buying books.

The one I’m recommending this month I bought at one of a series of talks organised by the Portico Library in Manchester,  Rewriting the North.

Makumbi is Ugandan and has a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Lancaster.  

It appealed for two reasons:

1. Much of it relates to Manchester and I live in Greater Manchester.  
2. I’m a fan of short stories anyway. These I find excellently crafted and nicely unpredictable.

To boot, this is a gorgeous hardback.

Sadly I have no more shelf room for it so I’ll be depositing it at the Book Nest in the Millgate Centre in Bury in the next few days.   

Click on image to view on Amazon. 

The Pier Falls by Mark Haddon

It's rare for me not to be able to predict the ending of a short story or indeed even what is going to happen next. The collection of stories delighted me because every single one took me by surprise.

'Wodwo' starts off like a rerun of Alan Ayckbourn's Season's Greetings where a family come together to celebrate Christmas and the cracks begin to show. Except Mark Haddon's story turns even more sinister than Ayckbourn's very quickly. 'Bunny' might set out to be a salvation story. We are kept waiting for the overweight title character to be saved. 'The Woodpecker and the Wolf' goes through some bad phases but the ending is surprising. 

All of the stories are on the dark side.  The title story tells of a disastrous accident. 'The Gun' will surely end badly. 'The Boys Who Left Home to Learn Fear' leaves us with the opposite of hope. 'The Weir' brings two struggling characters together. Perhaps it is very appropriate that this is the final story in the collection. We are left with a little hope this time.     

Haddon gives each story a unique and convincing in voice. If you've read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time you'll know that control of style is one of his fortes. You won't be disappointed here.

  

The book was a gift from a friend. This edition is hard back and has a delightful cover. It was easy to hold which is not always the case with thick hardback books. Just think of some of the later Harry Potters. It also has a handy bookmark ribbon. It includes Haddon's sketches. The font, its size and line- spacing are all just right. This all makes it a delightful book to own.