The Best Little Book Club in Town

by Meera Syal

Irresistible short stories from some of the top names in fiction writing today. A chance meeting with a handsome Italian stranger... The Christmas list - with a difference A yummy mummy picks up the wrong bag, with surprising consequences The woman who wanted a life change, but got rather more than she bargained for A mother's instincts and a daughter' love life A woman drawn to the mysterious house on the hill... Here are stories of love, passion, mystery and hope - and the discovery that some of the more surprising things in life are often the most important... From Kate Mosse to Jodi Picoult, this is the must-have collection of the year.

Genres: Short Stories, Chick Lit, Anthologies

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Meera Syal MBE (born Feroza Syal 27 June 1961 in Essington, near Wolverhampton) is a British Indian comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. Her Punjabi-born parents came to Britain from New Delhi, and she has risen to prominence as one of the most UK's best-known Indian personalities. She was awarded the MBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1997.

Reviews

[Nana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emm... simple and nice short stories. But, some of it, i had to skip because little bit boring. Still recommended especially for woman.

Each stories all about woman's life. Love, family and friendship.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of short stories. I've heard of about a handful of these authors, read even fewer than that. Most of these were light and fluffy, very chick-lit, but I found myself liking more the ones with murder and paranormal aspects!

Individual story ratings:

Rising by Naomi Alderman 4* (cute)
Needs Must by Elizabeth Buchan 2* (meh)
Twelve Per Cent by Jess Callahan 3* (ok)
A Remnant From the Past by Mavis Cheek 3* (ok)
The Ammonite by Tracy Chevalier 4* (cute)
Grit in my Eye by Lee Child 5* (good)
A Night Out by Helen Dunmore 4* (cute)
The Promotion by Jane Fallon 3* (ok)
Breakfast with Mr Gillyflower 3* (ok)
The Bench by Esther Freud 4* (cute)
The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth 5* (good)
The Coiled Serpent by Daisy Goodwin 3* (ok)
The Safety Net by Sophie Hannah 5* (good)
Sweet Peas by Rachel Heath 3* (ok)
The Naked Truth 2* (meh)
Four Days to Christmas by Cathy Kelly 4* (cute)
Santa d'Eté by Douglas Kennedy 3* (ok)
Christmas List by Sophie Kinsella 2* (meh)
A Small Adventure by Santa Montefiore 3* (ok)
Radio Waves by Jane Moore 3* (ok)
The House on thr Hill by Kate Mosse 5* (good)
Crocodile Shoes by Jojo Moyes 5* (good)
Quality Time by Fiona Niell 5* (good)
Sunny Aspect by Elizabeth Noble 2* (meh)
Grating Expectations by Adele Parkes 3* (ok)
Ritz by Jodi Picoult 4* (cute)
The Wrong Category by Ruth Rendell 2* (meh)
Black Rock by Louise Sharland 5* (good)
The Rain in Spain by Catriona Stewart 4* (cute)
The Anniversary by Alison Weir 5* (good)

[Ruzaini Amiraa Roslan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the collection of short stories here. Some stayed in my mind days after I read them, but some did leave a bad taste in my mouth (not that they're not good, it's just that everything felt surreal after reading them). But overall, they are pretty enjoyable and can be read during your spare time.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like short stories! It mixes up my reading to have something quick and usually light. That said, I think the short stories in this collection were *too* short at about 7 pages a piece. It was really an insignificant amount of time to experience a character or a situation.

[Regie Lualhati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wonderful book. I felt like I was'visiting' a different home with each story & sharing their experiences.

[Miss J C Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely mix of short stories and for a good cause too

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Perfectly acceptable if you’re after something to keep in your bag or take to the beach, but there’s no substance here.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Best Little Book Club in Town is an anthology of short stories and extracts by thirty different authors, including a few very well-known writers: Jodi Picoult, Mavis Cheek, Sophie Kinsella, Katie Fforde, Lee Child, Tracy Chevalier, Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth Nobel, Jo Jo Moyes, Kate Mosse and Cathy Kelly. The subjects are many and varied: an abandoned baker finds love; a mother consults a therapist for a very different reason; the effects of per therapy at the asylum; an old crush turns out to not be what he seemed; a fossil excites a cripple; a story of Russian spies; backyard camping makes friends of neighbours; a job application surprise; a charitable deed reaps a reward; a purchase brings an unexpected reconciliation; a woman provides an alibi for her ex-husband; a tattooist saves a lady’s marriage; a lie about a suspect backfires; an accidental find brings sweet peas and hope; a divorce leads to life improvement; Christmas magic happens; a man throws away true love; a bout of organised Christmas shopping; a one-night-stand backfires; a holiday romance; a ghost saves a widow; red high heels save the day; Trekkies are a welcome sight; a real estate agent appraises her life; Venice kills a romantic moment; Mom takes a vacation from the family; a serial killer groupie becomes a victim; a day at the beach stirs painful memories; a rainy vacation rekindles a spark; and an anniversary night becomes a haunting experience. The pieces are between six and twenty-six pages long, so this is a collection of quick, easy reads; they were written to support Breast Cancer Care. Quite enjoyable.

[The Bookish Wombat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of short stories written by mainly female authors (with the exception of Lee Child and Douglas Kennedy). The overall "mood" I suppose is chick lit with some of the stories coming across as slightly more profound than that genre would suggest. There are also some crime fiction stories.

Some of the proceeds of the book were donated to the charity Breast Cancer Care and a number of the stories were first published in Woman and Home magazine.

I enjoyed all the stories to some extent, but my particular favourites were those by Helen Dunmore,Jane Fallon, Daisy Goodwin and Alison Weir.

The stories are all quite short so it's a great book to have in your bag while travelling or waiting anywhere.

[Chrissi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading this book which was a fantastic selection of short stories from a range of authors including Sophie Kinsella, Kate Mosse, Lee Child, Katie Fforde, Jodi Picoult and Alison Weir alongside many others. Some authors are better than others but it is still a fantastic collection of stories. Better still £1 is donated to Breast Cancer Care even more of a reason to buy it!

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a bit more from this collection considering the big-name authors of the short stories, but maybe I'm just too young. These are clearly meant for readers in their 40s or 50s, married or divorced. Also, since each story is only about 10 pages, there's not really enough time for the stories to develop.

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a series of short stories by different Authors, some were
good others not so good however I would recommend. Also every copy of
this book sold £1.00 is donated to Breast Cancer Care.

[Jodi Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, a good chance to discover authors you have not read before, there were 30 short stories in total, some authors I was familiar with and some i had heard of but never read any of there work.

[Shafinaz S · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the feel-good books for me. The stories actually sing to me. Honestly I can't remember all the stories in it. The contributors to the books are - i believe all the A-list writers and so, it is not a puzzle for them to be able to come up with so great stories.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely short stories ..some proceeds to breast cancer care...but most of the stories had appeared in the monthly Woman & Home mag so it was strange reading most again...

[Rachel Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great stories which I wished lasted longer. Fantastic for short chapter reading.

[Verity W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked most of the stories, really didn't like the Sophie Hannah - freaked the bejeezus out of me and I wished I hadn't read it! Still at least I know to avoid her now!

[Jacquie Denton · Rating 1 out of 5]

All good authors, but have decided I don't like short stories, so didn't bother

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very much mixed bag.

[Loise Enad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should have red this fastly but school's been hectic and i've been busyy thats why but all and all I love it. some authors kickin it

[Rdee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and interesting short reads for and by women