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Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation #5.2 - Blind Justice
Stories To Make You Smile: The Reading Agency
A seriously entertaining collection of feelgood stories guaranteed to put the smile back on your face written especially by ten bestselling novelists:
Jenny Éclair
Mark Watson
Veronica Henry
Eva Verde
Richard Madeley
Katie Fforde
Dorothy Koomson
Vaseem Khan
Helen Lederer
Rachel Hore
From a hilarious race against time to a moment of unexpected eavesdropping, from righting wrongs in rural India to finding joy in unlikely places, these stories are all rich in wit and humour, guaranteed to lift your spirits and warm your heart.
Stories to Make you Smile is a co-commission between The Reading Agency and Specsavers as part of World Book Night 2021.
Jenny Éclair
Mark Watson
Veronica Henry
Eva Verde
Richard Madeley
Katie Fforde
Dorothy Koomson
Vaseem Khan
Helen Lederer
Rachel Hore
From a hilarious race against time to a moment of unexpected eavesdropping, from righting wrongs in rural India to finding joy in unlikely places, these stories are all rich in wit and humour, guaranteed to lift your spirits and warm your heart.
Stories to Make you Smile is a co-commission between The Reading Agency and Specsavers as part of World Book Night 2021.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2021
About the author
Fanny Blake
33 books113 followers Fanny Blake was a publisher for many years, editing fiction and general non-fiction before becoming a freelance journalist and writer. She has written several bestsellers and acted as ghost writer for a number of celebrities. She is also Books Editor of womanandhome magazine. Her novels include The Secrets Women Keep (Orion) and With a Friend Like You (Orion).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
July 29, 2021
Stories to Make you Smile is a co-commission between The Reading Agency and Specsavers as part of World Book Night
A book of short stories, some of which I really enjoyed, and others not so much, but they provided a pleasant interlude, along with a few smiles (so it’s befitting of its title). It gave time to draw breath before returning to my usual high octane rides!
A book of short stories, some of which I really enjoyed, and others not so much, but they provided a pleasant interlude, along with a few smiles (so it’s befitting of its title). It gave time to draw breath before returning to my usual high octane rides!
May 1, 2021
Short, nice book that does exactly what the title says. Stories didn't wow me, but was just a nice experience.
July 5, 2023
It was okay. Some stories made me smile and some stories confused me as to why they were in this audio book. But there was one Stories that I really liked and could listen to often (when I'm in a sad mood). Other than that, the other stories were okay, but not very stunning. There was also a story that was really good, but it was a really sad, tragic story. Why was it in this collection???
October 20, 2021
I downloaded this for free on World Book Night and read through it in one sitting. It was a lovely little book and the stories inside were fairly amusing. Some of them less so, but all pleasant enough in their own way. After each story there was a bit about the author which I quite liked.
A great way to celebrate World Book Night!
A great way to celebrate World Book Night!
June 9, 2021
Reflections and lessons learned:
Richard Madeley wrote a book?! Hold on, Madeley wrote a short story about JFK that was quite intriguing?!?
A mixed bag where half of the stories were good, and the other half not so interesting... wonderful narrations though
Richard Madeley wrote a book?! Hold on, Madeley wrote a short story about JFK that was quite intriguing?!?
A mixed bag where half of the stories were good, and the other half not so interesting... wonderful narrations though
March 15, 2023
This really did make me smile. Its very lighthearted and fun. Each story is very short and sweet. I enjoyed this thoroughly and it brightened up my day. 5*
December 22, 2023
Audiobook. Enjoyed the majority of these short stories but a couple were absolute duds
June 18, 2021
Stories to make you smile
Unfortunately none of them made me smile
Unfortunately none of them made me smile
April 24, 2021
Review to follow
April 26, 2021
Loved the idea behind this book! I am part of one of the lucky organisations to receive and distribute these books as part of World Book Night. Some great stories which I feel will resonate with a variety of audiences.
April 28, 2022
Not a lot to say…a collection of very forgettable stories
November 4, 2023
I picked this one io because I truly needed some stories that would make me smile, and because I quite enjoy Jenny Eclair. Some of the stories were fun and smile-inducing, while a few just didn’t resonate with me. It’s been a while since I’ve read a short story collection, so I’m glad I picked it up!
July 30, 2022
short sweet
Perfect length stories to read before bed. No concentration needed just enjoy each story for 10 mins or so. Also a great opportunity to try out some different authors. I will be looking out for these writers in the future.
Perfect length stories to read before bed. No concentration needed just enjoy each story for 10 mins or so. Also a great opportunity to try out some different authors. I will be looking out for these writers in the future.
September 13, 2022
I don’t know about making me smile, but this is a decent collection of short stories, which provided me company and entertainment for a few hours. Love the narrator’s voices. Decent selection of them too.
August 11, 2024
A couple of the stories were funny and did make me smile, but a few I think I missed how they were meant to make anyone smile they quite serious in nature, and in parts, I thought quite sad,maybe I was just in my feelings a bit too much and I didn't see the happiness in those stories,so maybe I'll read it again on a different day but right now only a couple made me smile the rest for me were questionable 🫤.
Happy reading, everyone 📚☺️
Happy reading, everyone 📚☺️
August 15, 2021
Heartwarming stories from well known authors - they really are stories to make you smile. The Reading Agency has brought out a fantastic book this year! Granted only a few stories were my favourite, but I think all the authors told fantastic stories in just a few pages. It's also a brilliant way to explore new authors writing styles without committing to 200+ pages!
December 3, 2022
I don’t think any of these made me smile, they were kind of boring all in all.
May 17, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 funny short stories, a couple of them were 😴
July 9, 2023
I don’t think any of these stories made me smile 🤙
May 25, 2021
When I saw this collection of small stories was free on kindle for World Book Night, of course I downloaded it straight away! I read it one day, it was perfect to pick up in between things during the day as each story only took about 5 minutes to read.
From family drama to single mothers helping each other out, an interview gone wrong, blind dates and retail therapy. This collection has got a bit of everything for everyone. I had only read books by one of the 10 authors before (Dorothy Koomson), but I had heard of quite a few of them already. I love collections like these as it gives you an opportunity to get a snapshot of what an author’s writing is like, and I really enjoyed these!
If I had to choose, I’d say that Behind My Fat Back, The First Birthday Party and Blind Justice were my favourites. I know, I didn’t really narrow it down choosing 3 out of 10 books 🤦🏻♀️😂
I’d definitely recommend this little read, it’ll be perfect for if you’re in a bit of a reading slump and want something short and sweet to help get you out of it!
From family drama to single mothers helping each other out, an interview gone wrong, blind dates and retail therapy. This collection has got a bit of everything for everyone. I had only read books by one of the 10 authors before (Dorothy Koomson), but I had heard of quite a few of them already. I love collections like these as it gives you an opportunity to get a snapshot of what an author’s writing is like, and I really enjoyed these!
If I had to choose, I’d say that Behind My Fat Back, The First Birthday Party and Blind Justice were my favourites. I know, I didn’t really narrow it down choosing 3 out of 10 books 🤦🏻♀️😂
I’d definitely recommend this little read, it’ll be perfect for if you’re in a bit of a reading slump and want something short and sweet to help get you out of it!
June 9, 2021
I appreciate that this was free from my work which is lovely, but I did not get a lot out of it. The two stories that made me smile were Blind Dates and The First Birthday Party, but the rest were full of cringey boomer humour and predictable plots.
May 22, 2021
I loved this collection of stories, put together by the Reading Agency for World Book Night, an eclectic mix of different backdrops, characters and animals. My only reservation is the title. I sympathized with a shopping addict, winced at a misunderstanding during a job interview and celebrated when the detective worked out who stole the office files so 'stories to create empathy' might be more apt.
I will definitely go on to read novels by some of these authors as I have enjoyed the book so much. Thank you to the Reading Agency for the free download as part of the World Book Night celebrations.
I will definitely go on to read novels by some of these authors as I have enjoyed the book so much. Thank you to the Reading Agency for the free download as part of the World Book Night celebrations.
May 31, 2023
Nuda nuda i jeszcze raz nuda
April 23, 2021
Free ebook for World Book Night 2021. A fun mix of short stories by a fabulous selection of authors. It did make me smile and was a pleasant way to spend a reading hour
June 4, 2021
A lovely little collection of stories for World Book Night. Downloaded it for free and enjoyed it, but would be slightly disappointed if I had paid full price for this small collection of stories.
January 1, 2023
Stories that really did make me smile!
Such a lovely book of short stories! Each one had a feel good factor and I found myself either stifling a giggle or smiling by the end of them.
I haven’t read anything by any of the authors except for Katie Fforde but this book has definitely made me rethink that. Every single author had me absorbed in their few pages of story within the first couple of lines.
I would recommend this as a short read for anybody who wants to read something that will make them smile. It is also one that can be picked up and put back down easily with them being such short stories.
This book does exactly what it says on the cover… makes you smile!
Such a lovely book of short stories! Each one had a feel good factor and I found myself either stifling a giggle or smiling by the end of them.
I haven’t read anything by any of the authors except for Katie Fforde but this book has definitely made me rethink that. Every single author had me absorbed in their few pages of story within the first couple of lines.
I would recommend this as a short read for anybody who wants to read something that will make them smile. It is also one that can be picked up and put back down easily with them being such short stories.
This book does exactly what it says on the cover… makes you smile!
February 18, 2024
Load of rubbish, don't waste your time!
January 20, 2024
A nice diversion from life, not all happy stories.
June 25, 2021
Sadly, these did not make me smile. If anything, they made me depressed at how the older generation looks upon everyone younger/not in the same social class as themselves. They're mostly more "oh sod it, this >insert situation< is ridiculous! I'm getting out of here!" stories than happy feel-good ones (I didn't mean to, but I kept thinking #OKBoomer). There are some about kids, some about whirlwind romances, some about #FirstWorldProblems... You might need to be an older (probably British) female who's gone through the whole child-rearing thing to really get the most out of this anthology. There are some sweet tales -the most memorable to me being a short mystery involving an elephant in a truck as a sleuthing sidekick that was too short to be rewarding but cutely written all the same. I can see how many were meant to be amusing, but instead it left me miserable about how everyone else must see the world.
July 8, 2024
Stories to Make You Smile features 10 very short novellas by Richard Madeley, Katie Fforde, Veronica Henry, Dorothy Koomson, Helen Lederer, Mark Watson, Rachel Hore, Eva Verde, Vaseem Khan, Jenny Eclair. It is edited by Fanny Blake.
The stories range from a job interview that is not all it seems to a shopping trip of two girl friends to take the mind off an embarrassing local newspaper article about one of them. We go from a Los Angeles newspaper office on the day JFK was shot to rural India and the investigation by a private detective who has a baby elephant in tow! Not all of the stories made me smile although most of them were uplifting in one way or another.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on Audible. I read this for the 52 Book Club Summer Reading Challenge 2024, for prompt 4, 100 metres sprint, a short story collection.
The stories range from a job interview that is not all it seems to a shopping trip of two girl friends to take the mind off an embarrassing local newspaper article about one of them. We go from a Los Angeles newspaper office on the day JFK was shot to rural India and the investigation by a private detective who has a baby elephant in tow! Not all of the stories made me smile although most of them were uplifting in one way or another.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on Audible. I read this for the 52 Book Club Summer Reading Challenge 2024, for prompt 4, 100 metres sprint, a short story collection.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews