The Santa Hat by Rebecca L. Marsh

 

I don't often read short stories, but it's always with the greatest pleasure that I open a book by Marsh. Her books are always beautifully written and wonderfully easy and entertaining to read. There is nothing to disappoint and everything to enjoy in this (my seventh book by Marsh!) charming and heartwarming collection.

In these stories, Marsh highlights that Christmas isn't all twinkly lights and sleigh bells ringing for everyone…for some, yuletide invokes not-so-happy memories and thus a desire to get through what for them is a miserable season as quickly as possible. And yet, a simple gift, a mysterious phone call, a stolen sandwich, a marital misunderstanding...are all it takes for Christmas to be the fun it was again.

An absolutely delightful anthology that shows there is often joy to be found in unexpected places and of course all perfectly and masterfully executed by Marsh.

See Also:

Beyond the Broken Shore
Remember the Butterfly
Summer's Runaway
The Rift Between Us 
When The Storm Ends  
Where Hope is Found

Hardly Even Rich: A Short Story by Dennis Canfield

Short stories have to have the same structure as novels: a beginning, a middle and an end. But in fewer words, a solid story still has to be told. In my opinion, anyway.

We have a small, but perfectly formed model right here.

Brian is prone to bending a few rules when he’s selling life insurance. Who’s going to find out a little omission here or a little omission there? He has a wife and a child to support. So when his rule-bending threatens to expose him, he finds himself dealing with a calculating widow. Enter Brian’s wife…

Canfield has an easy style which leaves you free to immerse yourself unencumbered into a story. And two things became evident: amongst other things, Canfield can write a good short story. Secondly, he has a future in crime writing.

This is a thirty-minute story with a tardis interior. A perfect way to pass that boring morning commute to work.

See also:

Ethan and the Key
Reverse Santa Clause
Silent Night - A Christmas Story
South Pole Santa - Back to Christmas
The Robin and the Sparrow

Splinter by Michael Bussa

A pleasant hour’s reading. This is a short story…but packed with punch. In this mini psychological thriller, Adam has been wheelchair-bound for twenty-one years after a tragic incident and lives with Ada, his sister. His psychiatrist wants to help this young man who has remained troubled, seemingly traumatised by the event. Believing that finding out what actually happened will help this young man, he makes every effort to uncover the truth. But it’s not plain sailing.

Writing a short story requires technique. There isn’t much time to captivate the reader and every sentence has to count. There still has to be a start, a middle, an end, the plot has to have some meat on it, and the reader has to care about the characters. With the requirement of economy of words, they have to be carefully chosen.

Bussa has achieved all of the above in little under eight thousand words and managed even to throw in suspense. There are a couple of twists. I’ll be honest…I did actually guess them early on, but I must stress this wasn’t because they were obvious...more like an intelligent guess!

If you like short stories and psychological thrillers, you need look no further.

Stranded Love by Massimo Marino

No, sorry, Sig. Marino, I wasn’t very keen on this collection of five short (very, very short) stories. They are dark, violent, creepy and unsettling. They left a rather bad taste in my mouth.

The aim, I think, is to show that love isn’t always expressed conventionally; you know, with roses, champagne and diamonds. That expression can sometimes take a hideously twisted, murderous route. Psychopaths don’t usually have intentions with good outcomes.

I thought the stories just a tad too short. No sooner had they got going, they ended. They were rather bumpy…didn’t flow at all well. I found myself checking I was still in the same story and hadn't moved on to the next.

I think I need a very corny, clichéd chick lit now to restore my mind to its former pure and angelic state.

Bad Spirits by DV Berkom

I don’t think Berkom’s books are good for me. They’re way too heart-pounding and action-packed: there’s no sitting back and relaxing while you read her books. It’s edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-mouth writing.

Spunky, no-nonsense, alpha-female protagonists are definitely Berkom’s speciality. And Kate Jones certainly fits the description to a T. She’s on the run from not one, but two, ruthless and unscrupulous drug barons. She’s got their money; they want her…preferably dead. Every corner she turns, hoping she’s one step further away from them and one step nearer safety, provides another nail-biting situation from which she has to extricate herself.

Captivating and attention-grabbing from the start, this short story is a mouth-watering appetiser to the following books in this thriller series, which I’ll most certainly be reading. Once I’ve caught my breath, of course.

Scrawling by Jonathan Gould

I wish, I wish, I wish Jonathan Gould would write a book a week. Well, that’s a tall order…perhaps a month. His writing is like an addictive drug. 

Scrawling is the third time we catch up with Neville Lansdowne, who has already found himself falling off the world (Doodling) and pushing it out of shape (Scribbling). Only now, he’s drowning. In a sea of words. Neville bumps into a variety of undersea-of-words characters, and once again, he is called upon to save the day.

Jonathan never fails to delight, enthrall and captivate with his incredible and clever imagination and creativity. 

This story is witty and sharp, but also satirical; satire is something Jonathan does particularly well. I guarantee this third outing with Neville will amuse, entertain and charm you, and like me, you’ll be fidgeting in anticipation of his next book.

Such is Life by Jeri Walker-Bickett

This was an unusual collection of five short stories. Unusual, I thought, because though fictional, they reflect very real situations.

I seem to find a collection of short stories invariably contains one I like the most and one which stays with me for one reason or another. The teacher story (Not Terribly Important) was my favourite (was it auto-biographical, I wonder?), and the most unsettling was the dog story (For The Love Of Dog). I did find it disturbing…be warned!

The remaining three stories feature: 

• An encounter in a launderette between a young man and woman, neither of whom have managed to fulfil their long-held ambitions and ended on a drifting path. Her intentions to continue along that path may just inspire him to do something about his own.

• A young mother and wife with mental problems is constantly in and out of hospital. Her problem is that she’s trapped in a revolving door of mindnumbness if she takes her pills, but without them her lucidity is crippled with pyschosis. On one particular day of torment she takes a stroll…

• A man who works in a carnival picks up a young student. The inevitable happens. But this rolling stone doesn’t reckon on a female take-it-or-leave version of himself.

This author has compiled a set of stories which are well written, well observed, and thought-provoking. The stories don’t necessarily end as you might expect because…well, that’s life. Most enjoyable.

Showstoppers by Helen Smith

The book I was reading before this turned out, regrettably, to be a very good cure for insomnia, so I was very ready to pick up a light-hearted, seventy-five page, mystery novella and the second in the Emily Castles series. (See Three Sisters.)

It didn’t disappoint. In this, Emily finds herself—just a little reluctantly—solving the mystery of who is sending her neighbour, Victoria, who runs a drama school (Showstoppers), some unpleasant letters regarding a video she made with a former boyfriend. (Nothing smutty, don’t worry.) Victoria has been harbouring a guilty secret about the video and frets that the author of the poison-pen letters will use it in some way against her. It’s not long before other members in Emily's neighbourhood become involved in solving not just the mystery of who is sending the letters, but…a murder too.

I felt the first Emily Castles mystery, Three Sisters, lacked some character detail, but as there are some recurring (besides Emily) characters (wonderfully eccentric and colourful ones!), we discover a little more about them and their personalities. I’ve come to like learning about the characters novella by novella! This 'drip-feed' process works rather well here. 

I like a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And this one doesn’t. I have to say that it's not really a sophisticated Poirot or Miss Marple mystery. It’s a little bit daft but tremendous fun: it’s easy and effortless to read, the characters are diverse, entertaining, and most are very likeable. (I say 'most' because, of course, murderers aren't really supposed to be likeable, are they?) 

Forty-five minutes in the company of Ms Helen Smith/Emily Castles very well spent.

Tales by Erin by Erin Harwik

As the title suggests, this is a collection of eight short stories, each of them as enjoyable as the other. Every one of them was written with a great deal of thought and feeling. The stories are diverse, as are the characters, and are intended—as the ‘blurb’ says—‘to capture a mixture of emotions’. They certainly deliver in that respect: emotions such as pathos, admiration, sympathy, disgust, compassion and pride…pride for those stories’ characters who come through adversity. 

It’s hard for me to pick a favourite. I liked them all, but if pressed to choose, I’d pick A C4 on the BW, a story about a young girl dealing with the fall-out of one tragic moment in her life. Erin writes with conviction and insight, so much so, it’s hard to believe that he hasn’t had the same experiences as the main characters of some of these vignettes. But I reckon he hasn’t because the outcome for the protagonist in his final tale, The Last Page, (a keen contender for my favourite!), was quite…final…! And that just illustrates the skill this author has with words. He draws you into the story and manages to make you feel as if you’re part of it, not an observer. 

Something to enjoy if you don’t want to read a full-length novel; you can dip in for a short read and be assured of a half-hour well spent. 

Love Letters by Jane Larry

This was a YA short story. Unfortunately, the immaturity of the writing, the poor editing (it couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether it was third-person or first-person POV, or if was in the past or present tense) were a bit of stumbling block to the enjoyment. 

The concept was reasonable enough; whilst her school friends are off enjoying their spring break, Lisa knuckles down to complete her English assignment: to compose a short story. She gets her inspiration from some love letters she finds in a library book. They only provide her with half a story, though, and not wanting to invent her own ending, with the help of John, she tries to find the author and subject of the letters for closure of the little romance and her own assignment. Her romantic notions, however, turn out to be very different from the actual outcome of the sweet love portrayed in the letters; and what’s more, her opinion of John, whom she thought to be a little shallow and cocky, undergoes quite a transformation.

There’s mileage in this short story, but it needs structure. The ending is rather rushed and garbled. The writing is a little disjointed and stilted (some not-quite-there phrases) and just a little juvenile. However, the main character(s) are quite convincing and likeable—I did like the fact that Lisa, perhaps not your normal run-of-the-mill teenager, was proud to be who and what she was—and the development of their relationship is touching. 

The author’s style is just a little rough around the edges, but she shows great promise.

Alpha and Omega - A Short Story by Caleb Stephens

I enjoyed this short sci-fi story. Peter’s life isn’t exceptional: he has a job, a wife (an unhappy one), an empty marriage, two children, and a 'bit on the side'. After a car accident from which he emerges uncannily unscathed, his life seems extraordinarily opposite. He adores his wife, and he uncharacteristically throws himself into being a hands-on dad. Life would be just peachy if only he didn’t have disturbing dreams and didn’t feel like he was observing his life, rather than actually living it. 

This was well constructed. Time is of the essence with a short story: you don’t have long to develop both character and plot, every word has to count and there should be an ending. Alpha and Omega delivers on all fronts, though the ending is very neatly enigmatic: it finishes the story, but on the other hand, there’s hint there could be more. 

A very enjoyable forty-five minute read.

3:53 a.m. by Nocomus Columbus

A little weird, a bit ‘out there’. I didn’t get it. Upon finishing, I felt I needed to reread it in order to try to understand, and therein, I think, lies the problem. A reread for me would be to revisit some thought-provoking elements, not as a necessity to comprehend. 

The story starts with a shocking murder, and the ensuing chapters flip back to the events leading up to it: four friends, secrets, betrayal, distrust, revenge and lies...all of which also contribute to a somewhat unexpected ending. 

This short story does need a pass through a good editor, but whether or not the quality of the editing was what clouded my perception, I’m just not sure. The plot line is good, strong, but it may have been too big for its word count, and…I don’t know whether this is intentional or not…I felt nothing at all for any of the characters. I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to the author and say that perhaps he’s just too clever for me. He certainly has a unique style. 

The simplicity of the cover embodies the ‘less is more’ concept and certainly arouses curiosity, which I believe is satisfied by a ‘challenging’ short story.

Escape to Love by Emma Calin

Escape to Love is a short story featuring Maria, a young single mother trying to put her years of physical abuse at the hands of her violent partner behind her, along with her young autistic daughter, Lucy. When her daughter is late home one evening, her anxiety is heightened by broadcast news that two prison escapees are on the loose, after a prison officer has been hit over the head and killed. One is a convicted rapist and murderer, the other a fraudster. Her daughter arrives home safely: but one of the escapees also turns up on her doorstep. Which one is he?

I have to be honest, the whole thing is just a tad incredible and unlikely, especially as Maria’s feelings towards the escapee turn to something quite improbable. The writing is rather ‘raw’ and unrefined, the text is riddled with punctuation errors and omissions, and the dialogue is a bit stilted. I think there’s more mileage in the plot which would have made it all a little more believable. And yet, I have to say it’s quite an enjoyable story that you can read in just an hour, and Maria’s emotional confusion over the situation in which she finds herself is well conveyed. The author shows promise: a good developmental and technical editor will buff this shortie to a shine. 

Choices and Chances by Patrick White

Choices and Chances is a collection of three short stories, each very different from the other, articulately and intelligently written.

The Streak is about a man whose social skills are somewhat undeveloped. He could be called a social misfit. He believes he’s a man who’s hardly noticed, but to his surprise, someone does… 

The Traffickers is the second story and my favourite of the three. A man finds the cost of making the wrong choices for the right reasons is a heavy one.

The final story (The Law of Unintended Consequences) is about Trevor, who objects to the ethics of a particular company and when fate puts an employee from that company, who also represents everything he abhors, in his path, he finds an opportunity to take revenge. 

The Streak was perhaps the story that left me with the most unanswered questions; or perhaps I wasn’t clever enough to solve them! The Traffickers was very well structured and a fine example of how a short story should be conceived. The last story was, if I'm honest, a little heavy-going, with an overload of information: I think the story outgrew its length and probably needed to step into something the next size up.

Overall, though, fine and skilled writing.

Thirteen by Jennifer Leigh Gladden

This is a short story which unfolds in an unexpected way.

Diana is thirteen years old, a young girl who should be on the verge of treading the troubled and stormy waters of teenagehood.  But she has to deal with her single alcoholic mother and look after her younger sister.  She regularly fleas from the house for short periods to avoid yet another confrontation with the string of men her mother brings home and finds refuge in the company of an elderly gentleman, Mr Alston, mourning the loss of his wife, who died some years previously.  Diana is wise beyond her years and they somehow help each other with their losses:  Mr Alston with his lost love, and Diana with her burden of responsibilities.  With Mr Alston's help, it becomes clear why despite her efforts to cope, she finds it all a struggle.

Jennifer Gladden manages to pull on your heartstrings in this story with the innocence of the young, the strength of an unquestioning young girl helping her mother (she is after all thirteen) and the poignant relationship of two people sharing their grief.  It’s a nicely balanced story with characters who find the resources from within them to cope with life’s tragedies.

Although the story deals with the less pleasant parts of life, it and the brave Diana draw you in right to the end.  If you like short stories, I recommend this one.

Buoyant Mary by Steven Stafford

I rather enjoyed this short story that falls under ‘horror’, despite the genre being quite a long way down my order of preferences.  I love it when that happens.  But…it isn’t the normally perceived type of horror.  It's a little bit different.

The story starts off with an air of being just a crime thriller, but there’s a subtle and clever twist at the end which leaves you thinking, ‘What was that…?’

Well-written and deftly constructed: the brevity of the story didn’t mean that any shortcuts were taken.  The portrayal of the main character was economically, but carefully executed and the well-chosen words gave you all the information required.

Well worth a half hour’s read.

Parable by S. A. Williams

This is a short story about a teenager, Sam, with an abusive parent. Seventeen is no age to have to deal with the fall-out, so thank heavens for his best friend, Jen, or J. C., wise beyond her years, who tells ‘stories’ (which may or may not be true…but what does it matter, it’s the final analysis that’s the important part) that play a role in helping him decide the sensible path to take. 

This was essentially an enjoyable short; one could say it had a moral. My only concern was that the characters were too big for the length of the story. Sam and his siblings’ family background was explosive enough and needed more air time; intelligent J. C. and her words of wisdom and their effect needed more space. And although, their friend, Owen, made a brief appearance, it was enough to make me want to know more about him. In other words, there’s a full length novel bursting to get out of this little package. 

The writing lacked clarity a little, but it’s promising and has a future.

Three Sisters by Helen Smith

I like mysteries, cozy or otherwise, whether they are short-story ones or full-length novels. So, I was looking forward to this. 

Three Sisters is a short forty-four-page mystery, which introduces us to Emily Castle. She attends a neighbourhood party in a large house inhabited by a rather flamboyant group of people. This is where a murder takes place and Emily dons her sleuthing hat to find the culprit; there are a number of suspects amongst the motley crew of party-goers. 

I found that the story was too short for the plot and characters, both of which were undeveloped. The characters were very colourful, their situation—albeit bizarre—rather interesting and deserved more attention. I really wanted to know more about Emily and how she found herself to be modern-day Miss Marple, and there were many unanswered questions behind the nature of her relationships with the party attendees, as well as between the attendees themselves. Unfortunately, the whole mystery was spoiled by the fact that half way through I realised the title gave away the plot, and I was less motivated to finish the tale. 

Helen’s style is light and easy-going, and this was a story with great potential, but I would like to see it in a full-length novel with more detail and perhaps with a more enigmatic title. 

How Santa became Santa Claus by Jennifer Longe

I didn’t like this, I’m afraid. It was a very, very short story, about someone called Nicholas who became St Nicholas and I suppose, as the title suggests, Santa Claus. 

As far as I'm concerned, Santa Claus is a fat jolly chap from the North Pole with rosy cheeks, a nice white beard and a pretty dynamic team of bionic reindeers who get him all around the world on a very special night. St Nicholas is St Nicholas with his own history, and I don’t think he would have known what to do with Dancer and Prancer any more than Santa would have known what to do with an angel.

There was an unnecessary anecdote at the end of the book (if you can call it that, it’s only a few pages long), in which I was told I can be sure ‘There is a God’. Not necessarily my point of view, and I was also informed that Christmas presents don’t always come wrapped in ‘shinning’ paper. That wasn’t the worst of the errors. 

This isn’t a £1.93 ebook. However, it could sit in a book of Christmas short stories happily enough, but it needs a revamp and a very thorough edit.

The Christmas Grandma Ran Away From Home by Nancy Warren

It's easy to identify with the protagonist of this book. Seventy-one-year-old Sandy has had enough: enough of cooking turkeys (which, as a vegetarian, she doesn’t eat), enough pies and enough shortbread cookies. She’s had enough bickering, feuds over the Xmas dinner goodies and fisticuffs with the mince pies.  Solution?  Run away.  Well, not so much run away, as down tools and leave them all to it. 

Sandy picks what she hopes will be the perfect spot to enjoy her fuss-free Xmas and finds an expected but very welcome little bit of icing on her own Xmas cake in the form of a gentleman.

A sweet and entertaining little seasonal tale sprinkled with charm, appeal, and feel-good: qualities I am beginning to become accustomed to from this author who knows how to strike the right chords.