The Best of CafeLit 12

 

This year we present a selection of some of the best stories from each month. There is a balance of longer and shorter stories, darker and lighter tales, serious and funny prose, experimental and conventional. Many of them invite you to reflect. There is also a welcome balance of old friends, writers who have contributed to CaféLit over the years, and of new voices.

Each story in this little volume is the right length and quality for enjoying as you sip the assigned drink in your favourite Creative Café. You need never feel alone again in a café. So what’s the mood today? Espresso? Earl Grey tea? Hot chocolate with marshmallows? You'll find most drinks in our drinks index.

 

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First, I loved the structure of the book, with stories assigned to each month and with each one designated a drink to enjoy while reading. Brilliant idea. The stories are all a pleasure to read and so diverse. I was particularly struck by the portrayal of extreme cold in January’s offering by Jim Bates, the poignancy of the disappointment of Ma in Never Count Your Chickens, the true-life pain and reconciliation in S. Nadja Zajdman’s How My Mum Came to Forgive Omar Sharif and Dawn DeBraal’s Good Times with a portrayal of a burgeoning friendship between two senior citizens. But every story brings something different and as each one is short, it’s the perfect book for the bedside table or the sun lounger. And add a drink of your own choice, of course!

 

I have to declare an interest here as one of the authors represented but this is a fine collection of short fiction to dip into and out of as you please. There are perspectives from across the globe and its cultural variations. Well worth snuggling up with, accompanied by your favorite drink. 

 

 

Contributors:

Swati Moheet,Agrawal,,Lynda Baker,Jim Bates, Anna Braverman, Lynn Clement, Sue Cook, Liz Cox, Chris Darrock, Mary Daurio, Dawn DeBraal,Tony Domaille,Jane Edgerley, Stacie Eirich, Lena Green, Clive Gresswell, Doug Jacquier, Gill James, Sara Jenkins, Rosemary Johnson,Dawn Knox, Henry Lewi,Eamon O 'Leary, Fleur Lind, Chris Pais, Jenny Palmer, Mari Phillips,  Hannah Retallick, Judith Skilleter, Roberta Smithies, Phyllis Souza, Jane Spirit, Allison Symes, Julie Wise,Julia Wood, S.  Nadja Zajdman. 

The Adventures of Iris and Zach by I. L. Green

 

The Adventures of Iris and Zach

 

Iris and Zach have an uneasy but intriguing run.

A vast patchwork landscape of life is displayed through stories relating both the wonder and absurdity we all recognize. With a focus on mental health, these stories take the reader from incarceration to freedom, fear to comfort. There are celebrations of life and poetic lows. The Yin and Yang aspects of life are recognized in new and deliberate examples that instil thoughtfulness and occasionally a smile.

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Dry River by Alicia J Rouverol

 

Sara Greystone’s career as a public defender is spiraling after a disastrous court case, and now her husband’s IT career is also in jeopardy. A move to California is supposed to get them both back on their feet, but the state is in the midst of a crippling economic downturn—and then Sara’s mother falls seriously ill. In the face of migration, illness, unemployment, and the tantalising possibility of infidelity, Sara has to work out who she is and what she really wants.

Spanning 1997 to 2012, Dry River echoes Wallace Stegner’s classic Angle of Repose, moving across place and time to chart the slow collapse of a marriage alongside a declining US economy.

RRP £9.50

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A Gentle Nudge by Mason Bushell

 

Stories to soothe your soul.

In a world drowning in negativity and dark events, we all need a little light and hope. With a little adventure, romance and even music, these short stories will give your hopes and dreams a nudge as they draw a smile.

A Gentle Nudge by Mason Bushell wraps you in calm.

 

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Let's Get Writing by Gill James

 

What shall I do with my Creative Writing group?

Here are a list of suggestions based on what you might do over a year, whether  you meet once a week or once a month. Each suggested session plan allows you to plan an interesting session with your group, and suggests what to do in the session, what you need to prepare before the session and how you might follow it up. Suggested timings are included.     

Have fun with my Let's get Writing. Those creative juices will soon be flowing.  

 

RRP £5.00  pay what you like £1.00+

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