Donkey Boy and other stories by Mary Smith #amreading

Donkey Boy and other stories is a pot-pourri of tales that could accompany you on a journey to pick up and read in instalments, or you might find, like me, that you end up reading one story after another, late into the night.   Each tale introduces a character, either from home or abroad, with

What Tim Knows and other stories by Wendy Janes

The short stories in this book are connected to significant moments in the lives of a group of people who feature in Wendy Janes’ novel What Jennifer Knows. There is no need to have read the novel first but it certainly gave an added dimension to me. The first story, Beauty, describes the paramount need

The House with the Lilac Shutters by Gabrielle Barnby

I have mixed feelings about short stories.  In some ways they can be perfectly formed like poems and they can be read in a limited time window but lacking the total commitment to a plot it is unlikely that the reader can be involved with the characters as in a novel.  In Gabrielle Barnby’s book

The Joker by Georgia Rose

This short story is a welcome return to Melton Manor for loyal readers of The Grayson Trilogy but it is also a stand-alone story and a delicious taster for anyone tempted to read A Single Step. Will Carlton, one of the characters from the trilogy, now reveals his innermost thoughts. We knew he was charming