Some short books read recently

All books by facebook friends and bought after they promoted them there!

Brief Encounters by Kate Harrison
Not really a book - just a short story included with the start of another novel, but it was free so who's complaining? Hope's on a train, on a surprise trip arranged by her sister, and is dreaming (or is she?) about the various men who've passed through her life, coming to terms with the end of each relationship.
Enjoyable, but as I said, very short. I would have preferred it to be included with other short stories - I never read the starts of novels included with other books.

The Blue Rinse Brigade by Douglas McPherson
A set of four stories, originally serials, about four elderly ladies who are helping the local police catch murderers. They're not your usual blue rinse ladies - one's ex MI5, one's ex-police chief, etc. They know what they're doing, and they do it better than the local constabulary.
I really enjoyed this. It raced along - the perfect light read that you don't have to think too hard about. Bit Scooby Doo in places but why not? Could have done with a better proof-read as I spotted quite a lot of mistakes but that unfortunately is pretty common in self-published ebooks.

Ten Weeks to Target by Della Galton
Janine has 10 weeks to fit into her outfit for her niece's no-expense-spared wedding so she starts going to slimming classes. There she meets gorgeous Pete who has a lot of weight to lose (as well as a wife, before Janine can get to grips with him...)
Lovely little book which I read in one train journey, and which is probably the perfect example of an ebook novella. Should we call them enovellas, I wonder?

Woman Walks Into a Bar by Rowan Coleman
Another perfect little novella. I really liked the structure of this one - single mum Sam is trying to find a new man through internet dating (set up by her daughter). Between the story of Sam's everyday life we get the stories of the dates. There's 'the one who lied about his age', 'the one who never showed up' etc. And Sam's backstory - her horrendous experiences at school and her later abusive relationship with her daughter's father - is very neatly dropped in. Really keeps you turning the pages.

Novel: Plan it, Write it, Sell it by Lynne Barrett-Lee
Great little how to book, which does what it says on the cover. Lynne's an advocate of the planning approach, building your novel from the inside out. I definitely work better with a plan, and am going to try to do more planning with my next novel.