donnambrownuk

Stories to Enjoy is an eclectic mix of short stories from Tom Mach, covering everything from the down to earth to the downright other worldly. My favourite story involved a woman who combined telekinesis and fraud to make a great living: by using her abilities she was able to alter old stamps, moving the gum or the franking from one stamp to another so the high value ones ended up in pristine condition. Very ingenious and with quite a twist to the tale (which I won’t reveal).

Not all of the stories resonated with me and at times I found it a little difficult to connect with the characters – alas, this is sometimes the downside of the short story – but generally I found the tales to be very engaging. They are ‘quick reads’, allowing you to dip in and out of the volume or perhaps even read it in one sitting, as I did.

Stories to Enjoy is quite a remarkable volume in that it probably has something for everyone. While readers may not enjoy every tale (or they might – who can say?), the chances are that the book will pass from hand to hand and at least one of the stories will engage the recipient. Therefore, it’s an excellent choice for a family bookshelf or communal reading room.

I understand Mach is also a novelist and I would be interested to see how his writing talents translate to a fuller arena in which to develop characters and stories. As a short story writer it’s clear he’s very confident in his genre and able to produce very compelling reads. I would certainly be interested in reading more of his stories in the future.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review. I did not receive any additional compensation. All views are my own.