| Title | : | Just in Case: Twenty-one Bite-sized Stories |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | Published September 1, 2019 |
Just in Case: Twenty-one Bite-sized Stories Reviews
-
JUST IN CASE is an enjoyable, fast read, made up of flash fiction short stories. They are vivid and though short, well described. I could envision the characters, their actions and emotions. The shortest is just a half a page and the longest was probably less than ten, but there was a complete story nonetheless. I read this in a few days, a few stories at a time. As usual, I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. I like that many are open ended, allowing each reader to interpret the story and take their own meaning from it. The stories are a bit darker than what I usually read, but in small doses, it was perfect. An interesting and enjoyable book.
-
This book is a very quick read. Perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time to read or you need to kill a bit of time. These short stories are of regular moments told in a poetic style highlighting the characters’ emotions at the time. The outcomes of the stories are often left up to your imagination. Some of the stories are downright chilling and I enjoyed the ones with a spookier vibe. My favorite of the short stories was probably “Butterflies” which had the most magical feel to it. There is a good variety of tales in this book everything from ordinary to fantasy, and plenty tinged with horror or grief.
I was given a free copy of this book and read it for review during the tour hosted by XpressoTours. You can find that full post here:
https://odbookreviews.com/2019/10/02/just-in-case/
3.5*/5* -
Joined the Just In Case Blog Tour organized by
Xpresso Book Tours! My review will be up on September 30 on my
blog! -
JUST IN CASE was a delightful, fast read, which I finished in just half a day. The stories are short, vivid, and left me wanting more. The author weaves tales using carefully chosen imaginative words that not only set a scene, but get us deep into character point of view. The shortest is just a half a page and the longest was probably less than ten, but the amount of real estate had nothing to do with the reading experience. I devoured each one, then reread it to savor it, to marvel at the author’s ability to use words as if she was wielding magic, making us see and feel with intensity. My favorite was the tale of a mailman and his favorite customer, a man with wolf-dog hybrids, but I don’t have a least favorite. They were all so very good. I will be reading more by Laura McHale Holland!
What I Loved About JUST IN CASE
1. The Writing. The author has the ability to draw me deeply into a story that takes no more than five minutes to read.
2. The Length. As someone with ADD, I loved that I could read a story while I was waiting for water to boil or my computer to boot up. I could set it down and not have to remember where I was because that story was over.
3. Reader Interpretation. Due to the nature of the storytelling, so much is left for the reader to interpret, and each one had me thinking about it long after I was done reading.
4. Quirky Characters. Many of the tales had richly drawn characters that were fun and a little different, making them a delight to read.
5. Darker Subject Matter. I loved the darker tones of many of the stories without ever becoming macabre. Perfect for reading during an autumn evening by a warm fire.
Bottom Line
Wonderful short tales of fascinating characters wrapped up in spectacular storytelling.
Disclaimer
I was provided with a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. -
Holland's Just in Case is a collection of flash fiction stories. For those who are unfamiliar with this writing style, flash fiction is snapshot writing. Most of the time, these stories are mere paragraphs long, often way shorter than major news stories, some shorter than minor news stories even! The stories in this collection run the gamut from creepy to quaint.
Really, there's a definite talent to writing flash fiction, and writing it well. I've tried my hand at it. I suck. I'll stick to my poetry, thanks! Holland definitely does it well. 'Cold Case' was a favourite, a play on the folktale of 'Hansel & Gretel' that startled an amused laugh out of me. 'Drifting' was another favourite. It was poetic; a tribute to nostalgia and growing old. Other faves include 'Believe Me', about unimaginable loss, 'Butterflies', about a surreal disappearance, and 'When She Wakes Up', about the nature of what is real and what is not.
As with poetry, flash fiction often offers the reader the chance to find meaning significant to them, or to really consider certain aspects of society, or psychology. A few of these stories I wish were just a chad bit longer. Most were perfect in length given the genre. What I do wish was that there were more that twenty-one of them! As was, I flew through this in about 45 mins.
*****Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for XPresso Tours. -
I received a signed print copy of this book from the author through the internet and the following is my opinion.
It takes a skilled author, like Laura McHale Holland, to be able to write stories with the brevity she has succeeded to doing for the 21 Flash Fiction [micro] contained in this book. I should know because I’ve already written a book where the vast majority of the 100 stories are only five sentences long.
There’s nothing missing in any of these stories, they’ve got a beginning, a middle and an ending; they’re also fraught with a myriad of developed characters as well as emotions. The content of each of the stories are not one-dimensional as they all are fully developed, containing allegorical implications and familiarity, nor are they limited to a particular genre of writing directed at a particular kind of audience.
The physical book, with its small size, 4” x 6” and less than a ¼” thick, can quite easily be carried in a handbag, large purse or even in a pocket of a jacket.
For wanting to give her readers a sense of being part of the story, like being in the shoes of a protagonist, or witnessing the story taking place right in front of them, as an aficionado of Flash Fiction, I’ve given the author, Ms. Holland, the rating of 5 STARS which she has garnered. -
Just in Case is a collection of 21 stories, but they're all in the vein of flash fiction. Only a few sentences long, the stories can be read in any order you'd like, and only take a matter of minutes to get through. Each one is strange and unique in its own way. Some of the stories weren't really my cup of tea, but they were still okay. Others were weirdly fascinating and mildly dark. Like the title story, Just in Case. Only a handful of sentences long, that ending just kind of slaps you in the face. I liked it.
Cold Case was another fun one. In fact, I'd love to see the basic premise of that story fleshed out into a full-blown novel. That would be amazing.
No Need is an amusing little read about a woman who taunts the barista at the coffee shop. It reeks of pettiness, and I loved it so much.
Before is another story I think would be awesome if it were to be fleshed out. It's got the beginnings of a suspenseful thriller or straight-up horror novel.
And the last story, When She Wakes Up, is just plain odd. I found it strangely disturbing.
If you're looking for a short, quick read that will stir your imagination and make you wonder, check out Just in Case.
3.5 stars from me. -
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the Xpresso blog tour for its release.
This was a very short, but fun read! I’m a huge fan of flash fiction, so when I saw the chance to read a flash fiction compilation, I jumped at it. It’s one of the most difficult writing styles to do well – at least in my opinion – and the author executes it with great skill. Usually with anthologies, I stretch out the reading over a couple of days and take breaks in between pieces. For this one, though, I found myself hopping from story to story back-to-back, and every time I was fully immersed. No matter how long or short each piece was, they all felt fully complete – a difficult thing to do in the shorter pieces.
Several of the pieces stood out to me, my favorites being When She Wakes Up, Butterflies, and the titular Just in Case.
If you’re looking to add to a collection of anthologies, be sure to grab a copy of this one! The pieces are ones you’ll find yourself going back to more than once. -
Just in Case is a collection of very short stories. The majority of these are one page or less. I read this entire volume in about an hour. As I usually find with most collections, there were some that I was intrigued by and some that didn't work for me. Some of them seemed like they were an idea for a story jotted down, but then were never elaborated on so they were included in here.
A few really stand out in my mind as ones I would want to have be longer. "When She Wakes Up" and "Before" were chilling and left me wanting more. I also liked 'Nephew" and want to know what happened next. I would recommend trying this one out. There is definitely something for everyone in here. -
I needed this read! It was such a refreshing change of pace to devour these micro stories. Admittedly, I don't do much short story reading and it was so nice to have these creepy, fantastic, tidy, vivid tales to snack on!
This style is so hard, and she just NAILS it. Each tiny tale packs a full sized punch and her world building is second to none for such compact stories!
Highly recommend this anthology if you need some tiny tales with big impact in your life! -
I'm a true fan of Laura McHale Holland's writing. She's inventive, fun, sometimes dark, always engaging. This volume is a great choice when you have only ten minutes to read. Check out her other books on Amazon!
