A cat, a hat, and a piece of string

Stories are like Russian dolls; open them up, and in each one you'll find another story. Come to the house where it is Christmas all year round; meet the ghost who lives on a Twitter timeline; be spooked by a newborn baby created with sugar, spice and lashings of cake. Conjured from a wickedly imaginative pen, here is a new collection of short stories that showcases Joanne Harris' exceptional talent as a teller of tales, a spinner of yarns. Sensuous, mischievous, uproarious and wry, here are tales that combine the everyday with the unexpected; wild fantasy with bittersweet reality. "A vibrant tombola of stories...each a commute-friendly 20-or-so pages long." Time Out "An excellent mix of stories - some dark and mysterious, others heart-warming and thought-provoking." Good Housekeeping (Reader Recommended) "Harris is an intriguing writer, so this is worth a punt, if only to savour the seasonal horror of the story about a house where it's Christmas all year round." The Lady "Strongly plotted and written in registers that are variously comical, sad and surreal...Best of all is 'Cookie', where delicious gluttony - Harris's forte - gathers a sharp note of menace." Independent "Harris inhabits a world where fantasy and reality collide in a most inventive way to produce a series of delightful, bittersweet yarns." Bella