Cresswell’s The New Book is a veritable potpourri of personal musings. There are book reviews, short stories, journal entries. This is a fantastic example of writing shorts of any kind. Each was equally engaging and entertaining.

I learned a new word from this! Several times a variation of the phrase ‘go crocodile’ was used. From context, I assumed it was akin to chaining, or queueing. It prompted me to go investigate further, learning it describes ‘a procession of people or objects, usually in relation to children’. The suggestion of movement makes it closer to chaining than queueing. I love learning new words and phrases from books I’m reading.

While I enjoyed all of the offerings within, my favourite were the journal entries, where the author tells of her adventures managing holiday cottages in Cumbria. They drew me in to the point that I really felt I was there. I work as the night auditor at a small inn/hotel, and really appreciated the trials and travails that can plague those in hospitality. I can safely say, though, that while I’ve had need to call the police on occasion, I’ve yet to have need of an ambulance. I do hope the guest in question was okay. Nosy me really wanted to know what happened to them though!

????? Highly recommended