Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Lt A Fresh Start (Quick Reads)

It is that time of the year again in the UK, 'Quick Reads' are being published and hitting the bookshelves. With a passion for reading and promoting short stories in easy to read books these series of titles are an ideal opportunity to encourage non-readers to start reading. Many authors have supported this enterprise and various genres and writing styles used to encourage something for everyone.In "A Fresh Start" ten fine authors have been given the testing 'homework' to produce a very short story around the subject of new beginnings a fresh start. As with many of these titles the range of talent is such that you can find familiar authors or names you recognise and even writes previously unknown to you. In reading these books you have a good opportunity of catching a glimpse of their work and if their style suits your reading needs and motivates you to try a longer novel.I have always taken the chance to be introduced to new writers or to read a familiar one trying something new. Not everyone can manage to carry a story in such a few words which makes the exercise even more fun.To cram ten egos into a collection of short stories of about twelve pages each is a real achievement and shows the commitment to this project of promoting literacy.There is something for everyone here, especially those unpractised in picking up a book. Short and fun, fully formed but demanding just a short attention span. To be read in one sitting to compare the contributors craft or a story per day. Entertaining and fun to read.One of the best examples of Quick Reads to buy and give to someone to encourage them back into the world of storytelling. However, don't forget to read it yourself first it is a small gem.

Worthwhile short stories are hard to come but this Quick Read 2020 of 110 print pages, edited by Fanny Blake, delivers a variety of genres and some surprisingly imaginative stories on the idea of a fresh start. Of the ten stories I was impressed by four of them, all written by authors I had read before and these are mentioned below.Louise Candlish’s opening story is a delightfully dark tale of a woman scorned told in just ten pages and Mari Hannah uses her story to introduce her series character, Kate Daniels, as a nineteen-year-old ambitious rookie in a story that kept me guessing under delivering a slick and savvy ending that made me grin!JoJo Moyes contribution shows her middle-aged female turning her life around at the make-up counter in an unexpected way and Fanny Blake’s family drama of feuding sisters thrown together after their father’s death conveys real emotion from the estranged sisters.

This book is advertised as a collection of brilliant short stories from the best authors around, but I have never read such a boring selection of short stories. The front cover tells you that the book contains "ten gripping stories" , but you will be disappointed, as I was, because the stories are not gripping in any way. They lack any excitement or thrill, as each one develops, in fact, some of the stories go nowhere at all. The text is poorly written and very disappointing. I would not recommend this book.

I have so many short stories on my shelves, and I decided to start with the one that is comprised of ten even shorter stories! Each was packed with emotion, some drama, and some key take home messages. I was extremely impressed with just how hooked I could get onto the stories of characters that I've got to know in less than 5 pages!This book includes fiction from Fanny Blake, Louise Candlish, Mike Gayle, Mari Hannah, Sophie Kinsella, Jojo Moyes, Adele Parks, Ian Rankin, Mahsuda Snaith, and Keith Stuart. Some big names there! And I gave it a four star review on Goodreads.

A decent collection of ten short stories, great for summer reading, though because some were only a couple of pages long it’s difficult to connect with the characters or engage in the story. Saying that, for a pound, definitely worth a read and a few of the stories were entertaining enough.