We’re already into our third month of the Mid Sussex Reading Challenge and we’ve loved hearing about your varied reads so far!
February’s challenge was to read a collection of short stories and the theme definitely divided opinion! Did you enjoy your short stories, or were you not so sure? We’ve got reviews below from five local readers who all chose very different collections of short stories, to varying levels of enjoyment!
Sarah from East Grinstead read:
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
and rated it 4 out of 5
Having never really enjoyed short stories in the past, for February’s challenge I turned to a classic that had been on my shelf for years. The skill of Conan Doyle to unravel a mystery in a few pages, had me quickly turning them, seeking the resolution to the clues of 12 imaginative stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and his side-kick Dr John Watson. All the while, the image of Jeremy Brett as Holmes (a part he played for Granada TV to sublime perfection) was ever present! I would certainly recommend for some light-hearted page-turning reading by a former local author.
Sarah from East Grinstead on “The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes”
Rose from East Grinstead Library read:
Pilgrims by Elizabeth Gilbert
The book is a collection of short stories around the theme of cowboys in America; with a few exceptions, including someone working in a vegetable market overnight – this particular vegetable market has been involved in some sort of a murder investigation in the past! – and there are about twelve stories in all. It’s easy to read and is under 300 pages so it won’t take long to finish. I really like the author’s style of writing and her use of dialogue is spot on for good ol’ Western cowboys. All of the stories were quite funny in places! Overall, a very good, surprising and unputdownable read!
Rose from East Grinstead on “Pilgrims”
Kirsty from our Books, Reading & Engagement Team read:
I Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian
This book lures you in with the tagline “The truth was that if a woman bit a man in an office environment, there would be a strong assumption that the man had done something to deserve it…”
This is a curious, bleak and pretty revolting collection of stories about women. Each story takes a woman in a situation – such as at a party, or suffering from a skin condition – and gives it a shocking, often fantastical and unpleasant spin. Not a nice read – but thought-provoking.
Kirsty on “I Know You Want This”
Germania from Haywards Heath read:
This Year Will Be Different by Maeve Binchy
and rated it 5 out of 5
It is a series of short stories about Christmas in different households and countries. The way they developed the story in a few pages was fascinating with the marvelous gift of a happy ending in every case. I enjoyed reading it very much.
Germania from Haywards Heath on ‘This Year Will Be Different’
Michael from Hurstpierpoint read:
The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver
and rated it 2 out of 5
The novella story was about a sort of love triangle where the man clearly chose the wrong partner. I found the conclusion to be weak and gained no satisfaction or emotion from the story. The other stories in the book did not improve and I eventually, and unusually for me, abandoned the book about halfway through.
Michael from Hurstpierpoint on ‘The Standing Chandelier’
You can reserve any of the above books to collect from your local West Sussex library by visiting our library catalogue.
What did you read in February? Did you enjoy your book, or are you glad to be moving onto the next challenge? Let us know by submitting your own review – we love hearing what you’ve been reading and publish as many as we can on our blog!
You can also keep in touch by joining our Facebook group or tweeting us @WSCCLibraries using the hashtag #MidSussexReadingChallenge.
Mid Sussex Reading Challenge 2020 