Christmas Short Story Reviews.

I enjoy writing a short story. I love the fact that you can devour a story in one and then move onto the next one but still feeling satisfied. Perfect for the busy person. Over the last few days I’ve had the pleasure of reading these three festive books:

1. 'It Doesn’t Show Signs of Stopping' by Geralyn Corcillo

2. 'Silent Night' by Wendy Clarke

3. 'The Big Event' by Anne John-Ligali

There are no spoilers in this post but I’d love to share my thoughts on all three books, so grab a cup of hot chocolate (with marshmallows and cream), curl up and get comfortable.

It doesn’t show signs of stopping by Geralyn Corcillo

'In this 12K short story, Los Angeles jazz club owner Dan Allport has been flirting with Tanya Diaz via text for months, ever since he met her that one day she was in town last fall. But she had to fly back to New Orleans, where she runs a center for troubled teens, and it seems so unlikely that they'll ever get to see one another again. But then on Christmas Eve, Tanya gets the chance to go see Dan. If she can make it through a storm up from the gulf, an unexpected adventure with two teenagers, and the unpredictable calamities of flaming rum punch, she just might get to do more than texting with Dan this Christmas.' (Blurb taken from Amazon).

There are two main characters in this story, Dan & Tanya. What I loved is, through Tanya’s job, the story introduces a further two characters. This then opens up a second story line which is just as intriguing and is intertwined with Tanya & Dan’s journey. I found myself hoping for the happy ending, but I was uncertain as to whether I was going to get it.

When I did reach the end of the book, I thought the epilogue was clever and unique. I thought it was an imaginative way to end the story. Geralyn has also shown her creativity as you can continue to read about the main character Dan in ‘Queen of the Universe’ and Tanya’s can be found in ‘Catch a Falling Star.’

The book cover is cute and perfect for the wintery season and is currently priced at 99p, which I think is a fair price.

Silent night by Wendy Clarke

Project Christmas: Andrew and his children are grieving. Can he make this a Christmas his late wife would have been proud of?

On My Own: Bella needs to get away from it all but her Christmas cottage by the sea holds more than a few surprises.

Silent Night: Christmas Eve, a starry night and two young men who have more in common than they realise.

A Christmas Present Called Abbie: Dan plans to have the perfect Christmas on his own – until daughter Abbie turns up.

Do You Believe in Angels: Sometimes you need to have belief to hold a family together.

A Song for Christmas: Being in a pop band doesn’t make you a good candidate for a step-dad… or does it?

The Memory Purse: Mr Bhadu’s memory purse is almost full. Can Tracy provide the perfect final memory for him this Christmas?

All I Want for Christmas: What will Keith do when the present his step-daughter wants for Christmas is sold out?

Cancelling Christmas: Having always thrown the best Christmas party, Geraldine decides that this year enough is enough.

The Greatest Gift: David discovers the best gifts are not always the biggest.

Christmas Strike: When Jan goes on strike on Christmas Day, it takes a special person to put things right.

Finding Santa: Emma is scared Santa won’t find her when they’re snowed in at the airport.

Together for Christmas: Julie and Kevin have always spent Christmas with their best friends. It might be time for a change.' (Book Blurb taken from Amazon).

‘Silent Night’ consists of 13 short stories that are all based around Christmastime. Each story focuses on families and relationships. Some are funny, others are heart-warming, whilst one or two stories left me feeling thoughtful and reflective.

My favourite stories from the collection are ‘A Song for Christmas’, ‘The Memory Purse’, ‘Cancelling Christmas’ and ‘Christmas Strike’.

In ‘A Song for Christmas’ I enjoyed the suspense as I didn’t know which direction the story was going to take. The story has been written from both of the main characters' viewpoints, their thoughts and feelings laid out for the reader to follow and ponder, which I think makes for a creative & interesting read.

‘The Memory Purse’ is a unique story which is full of kindness and gentleness. I felt as though I wanted to meet the main character, Mr Bhadu, and spend time with him as he comes across as a caring and kindhearted man. The relationship that unfolds between Tracey and Mr Bhadu is lovely to watch. A lovely little heart-warming story.

‘Cancelling Christmas’ I found to be fun, light-hearted and entertaining. I wasn’t sure how the story was going to finish, however, the couple’s daughters change events which lead to a warm and fuzzy ending.

‘Christmas Strike’ is a humorous story and, as a mum myself, I can relate to being responsible for the household chores, but through tiredness also wanting to put my feet up. As well as the story being funny, it also has an emotional theme running through it, as Jan and her mother in-law spend time together.

One of the stories I didn’t enjoy as much was ‘Silent Night’. In this story two men are sat talking to each other and sharing their thoughts on Christmas and family. I didn’t enjoy the story as I couldn’t find common ground with the characters and I enjoy reading about female characters and their lives, rather than male characters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to those who love women’s fiction. I love the seasonal cover and I think at £1.99 it is fairly priced.

The Big Event: Friendships Online by Anne John-Ligali

'You are cordially invited to the party of the season where you'll meet Constance and her friends in action. Constance Jeffries is excited when she gets the chance to meet up with virtual friends at a get-together in a London hotel. She’s been tweeting and messaging her lovely friends for years and feels they must be just as excited to finally meet her in person too. Or so she hopes. A short story about the importance of ‘real’ friendships and how it’s the little things that matter the most. A gorgeous venue, a room full of friends, what could possibly go wrong? '(Book Blurb taken from Amazon).

The Big Event is a story set at Christmastime, however, Christmas is not the focus of the book so it is ideal for any time of the year. The cover is simple yet beautiful and the price of 99p is good.

The book is a short and unique story which has left me eagerly waiting to read part two. Anne uses detailed and descriptive language which led me to feel as though I was at the party. The idea of meeting virtual friends in reality is an interesting one and the various reactions and responses she received from people was thought-provoking. I wondered whether some of these reactions may be true if we were to mingle with our online friends?

I would definitely recommend this short story and I am looking forward to reading other books by Anne in the future.

Rebekah Louise has written two short story books, you can view them below.