Me-Time Tales: tea breaks for mature women and curious men

by Rosalind Minett

Enjoyed Sue Townsend, Fay Weldon? Then look forward to a much expanded edition of these satirical tales.
Women of all ages feature together with their obsessions. There’s tattooed Jess in her prime at 16, dismal Daryl, neurotic Mrs W., multi-mother Pru, Marian fighting middle-age, not to mention the lady who cannot admit to her name or her age. You’ll also encounter a loving mattress, a mangy dog, an array of fish and a prosthesis.

Genres: Short Stories

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

A chartered psychologist in my other life, I enjoy writing about ordinary people in unusual situations, or unusual people struggling to fit in. My style is light, but even in humorous stories, there is always a dark edge.

Historical fiction: a trilogy set in WWII told from the perspective of a young boy. A Relative Invasion. Book 1, Intrusion, Book 2 Infiltration out in paperback and ebooks. Amazon Ratings 4.8 and 5.0 . Book 3 Impact to follow late 2016.

My collection of ironic short stories, Me-Time Tales: Tea-breaks for mature women and curious men, is available in paperback and e books. New edition, April 28th 2016.

Crime Shorts, a series. No. 1, updated, new cover. A boy with potential, no. 2, Homed, no. 3 Not Her Fault. Kindle only.

Two other novels (psychological dramas) are in the editing stage.

My other interests are Fine Art, Architecture, Dance and my hobby is sculpture. There's a similarity between creating characters in writing and creating forms in three dimensions or ‘cutting them down to size’.

The avatar stands instead of an author headshot. It saucily re-works Picasso's girl to show a word processor rather than a mirror. The two faces represent my serious and irreverent sides, the observer/recorder and the internal/external selves.

On Amazon I review literary and historical fiction, world literature in translation, children's books and some non-fiction. No dystopia, vampire, chicklit. When I like something, I take trouble to promote it.

I have two blogs: the quirky Me-Time Tales, and characterfulwriter, about the process of writing, where I also review.

http://fictionalcharacterswriting.blo... and http://characterfulwriter.com

Reviews

[Marjorie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the short story and have read quite a few over the years, be they collections from various authors in one volume or in a single volume. There is something special about a perfectly formed short tale that makes the heart sing with satisfaction. Unfortunately, that is not the case with these 13 tales and 1 poem. The author has either forgotten that each story needs a beginning, middle and end or is so caught up with trying to provide allegory that the story suffers. There is, therefore an unresolved aspect to the majority of these tales; in fact I felt like they were either failed chapters for the start of a book or a precis for a book rather than a complete tale in its own right.

Underwhelmed - 2 Stars
Charming enough tale but told in abrupt sentences that distract you from the characters. Nice touches of whimsy but not quite enough to make it a good read. Loved the double cross at the end though and I have to say I do think Pete did the right thing by Marian.

Blind Date - 2 Stars
Told from the perspective of a 16 year old girl and there is a brave attempt made to emulate the speech and language of this contemporary age group. Sadly comes off as forced and the superficiality of the main character is rather unpleasant and not indicative of real people but rather a media friendly interpretation.

A Fitting Matter - 4 Star
By far the best story in the book and one of the longest. I loved the early portion dealing with the trials and tribulations of getting your first bra. Just the right amount of humour combined with the pathos of the family estrangement and the denouement tied everything up with a nice shiny bow.

Finding Out - 3 Star
This one is a ghost story with a little bit of witchcraft thrown in and is one of the longer tales. This length gives the characters - Sara and James - time to develop and for the background of the haunting to be explained. Their experiences with the apparition are vastly different but Sara's is told in compelling detail. This is where it then falls apart unfortunately as the ending is rushed and feels tacked on just to close the tale off.

Staying Put - 1 Star
I can see what the author is trying to achieve with this claustrophobic little tale but sadly she does not pull it off. Left me feeling confused and disappointed.

Eaten Up - 2 Star
Moments of fun in this tale of mother's words warping a childs view - If you don't eat up you won't have babies! Unfortunately mother was wrong and now we have 6 under the age of 5 to cope with. Good description of the agony and ecstacy of child rearing but again felt rushed.

Lament - 2 Star
Traditional poem in rhyming lines, not bad but not great either.

First Feast - 3 Star
This one in particular felt like the synopsis for a longer form story which then failed to materialise from the author's imagination. Wonderful description of the boarding school and the first glimpse of plentiful food after the end of World War II but that is by far the best bit of the story.

A Slight Invasion - 3 Star
What do you do when the babies don't come? She submits herself to interminable rounds of IVF, he decides to be unfaithful. Quirky story but unresolved in the end; I am sure the Book Clubs will love this one as there is much to discuss about motivation and where the tale may have gone but it does leave you feeling a little cheated.

The Real Prize - 2 Star
This one is all about how the love of a good woman bettered one man and his former friend and colleague's decline in the same time period. The narrator is unlikeable and although this perhaps feel like one of the closest to an intended short story it still has, that word again, a rushed feeling to the prose.

A Change Of Support - 2 Star
Great description of a controlling relationship and how one person can strip everything from you whilst making you believe it is for the best, Matt does everything that the Mental Health websites tells us to check to see if our partner is a narcissist. The author has clearly watched one too many Infomercials (that Insomnia can be a right pain can't it) as the mattress Matt buys for her has all the blurb from one and from the tale of trying to unpack it I am sure the author either caved in and purchased or knows someone who did. The early half of the story is the best bit and it rapidly becomes strangely surreal and unappealing.

A Material Trip - 2 Star
I cannot remember one single thing about this story so maybe I should downgrade it to 1 Star. However, I have marked it in my trusty notebook as a 2 so it will stay that way.

Well Woman - 3 Star
We all know how important it is to keep an eye on our health and one of the oft purported ways is to have a Well Woman check annually (or a Well Man if you are, you know, well male). This is a fun tale told with a tongue in checking knowing nod to all ladies about the horrors of that back opening gown and the intrusive poking and prodding. I now find myself wanting my own little prosthesis for a stress ball.

Anti-Dote - 3 Star
Odd little tale of aging and how it creeps up on us as our memory of being young and attractive as only youth can render us is how we eternally see ourselves. Quite heart wrenching actually when she realises that the beige blur in the mirror is not a fault in the glass but a problem with her age and gravity and time's deleterious effects on the human form.

There is a good range of tales here to cater for most tastes but it is the execution that, in my opinion, lets them down. Passed a rather boring Saturday afternoon well enough but I do feel my time could have been better spent with another author.

[Ronald Keeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me-Time Tales by Rosalind Minett starts out with a challenge. Am I qualified to read this? Billed as a collection of tea-breaks for mature women and curious men, I decided I could fit into the curious category. It was biologically impossible to fit into the first target audience and I had stumbled over “mature.” It is difficult for me to read a collection of stories without making comments on each one. That makes for long reviews. So …

Marian in Underwhelmed is a woman of amazing patience. She put a lot into her developing relationship with Pete; she seemed to be more his teacher about how to act in relationships than his girlfriend. A man of very few words, Pete gave her only the gifts that she told him she wanted. Pete was not able to articulate clearly a promise he wanted Marian to make. Surprisingly, Marian gave him her word without knowing what the promise entailed. She felt it was a good investment in their future. Things didn’t quite go as she would have predicted. I was struck by the extremely accommodating view of life situations that Marian demonstrated. There is something here about lemons and lemonade.

In the story Blind Date, Nick wanted to introduce his sister Jess to someone new. Before Jess agreed to meet Mark, there had been phone conversations. Mark sounded good but he also seemed to be full of himself. Jess agreed to the date and was taken to a pub by brother Nick where the two would meet Mark and another mutual friend, Tony. When Jess saw Mark, she was so impressed that she couldn’t look at him too directly or too long or she would start blushing. It was when it was time to leave the pub that she detected Mark’s “fatal flaw.” Would it be enough to keep Jess away? This tale was remarkable to me for its British English and slang. I’m sure there are several words or expressions I still do not know but that did not take anything away from a very appealing story.

In A Fitting Matter thirteen-year-old Peggy has lots of questions for her mom. Some she can ask her mom only and some she cannot ask of either her mother or father. She doesn’t want to talk to her father about buying her first bra and her mom thinks she is too young. Peggy is adamant about the purchase; she and her classmates have agreed on a joint buying trip. Peggy has questions about her family. Her father is older than her mother by several years. Neither father nor her mother will permit questions about her grandmother or her aunt Barbara, both relatives on her mother’s side. Her grandmother and Aunt Barbara had left for the United States years before with no explanation. No contact was encouraged or even allowed. There were no explanations. But when the seventy-year-old Barbara returned to England for a visit with the fifty-four-year-old Peggy, she was determined to get to the root of the family rift. Her parents were dead, and Barbara should feel comfortable to speak. She did, and skeletons fled the closet.

In Finding Out, Jamie Denton and Sara Barrett are teamed together as a reporter and photographer unit. They would learn by doing under the supervision of an industry legend mentor. Neither could understand why they didn’t get some of the more desirable assignments. This last one, to investigate ghost sightings in Tricklam village, would make them a laughing stock to their colleagues. But there was no arguing with Mr. Bramlingham. The two began by interviewing village elders, most of whom agreed that there had been increased recent sightings of a ghost. The two novice staffers would have to investigate the area where the spirit had been seen. Their investigation would take place late at night in foggy and cold conditions. Jamie and Sara did, in fact, see and experience something. Separated during their sightings, when they compared notes later, the two knew they had both experienced the same incident. The problem they faced was in proving their stories to their mentor. Not surprisingly, the spirit or spirits had not left photographic evidence. Working their way through the dilemma might either sink their careers or turn into a life-long project.

In Staying Put readers learn of a woman’s escape attempt from a life that resembles slavery. Was it a success? What caused the situation to occur in the first place?

Remember the times when it was difficult to open a jar of pickles? How about ketchup? Jars that have been on a shelf too long are very difficult to open. Lids are too firmly secured; they have been Screwed on too tight. But that is possibly not what readers thought when they read the story title.

Prunella’s mom nagged her to eat throughout her childhood. In Eaten Up, mom told Prunella that with such poor eating habits, Prunella would never be able to have babies. Prunella’s mom was wrong.

Lament is written as a poem. Think about yourself or any of your friends contemplating retirement.

In First Feast, food inspires Art. Food even becomes Art. Food replaces normal support systems for young Elfreda.

The title for this story, A Slight Invasion, is both ironic and a complete understatement. This might be the saddest story of the collection.

The Real Prize was not the large check won by correctly decoding a clue in the crossword puzzle competition. Ricky and Des were schoolmates and close friends. Des didn’t mind that Ricky copied off him and won competitions and prizes. Although the two worked in the same printing company, Ricky rose rapidly in the company and received many perks while Des never got much higher than the mail room working as a gofer. Then Des met Sylvia, a deaf and mute woman. Des learned sign language and Sylvia trained Des to become more motivated and caring about advancement. Des advanced, Ricky didn’t. Then came the day Ricky had to deliver a prize to Ricky. It was the same day Ricky and Sylvia shared a secret.

A Change Of Support doesn’t appear in the table of contents. I suppose some sort of formatting error caused this story to appear as an immediate follow on to the above story. It was a bit confusing as I had to read a few paragraphs to realize this is a different story from the one above. In this story, Harriet gets a new mattress. Her old one had been with her all her life. This new mattress would change shape for the first few days as it decompressed from the tight packaging it had been delivered in. The delivery person said it would seem to grow to fit her and the process would take a few days. Harriet was experiencing a time of several changes in her life. She had just gotten rid of a tightly controlling boyfriend, Matt. She had almost lost all her old friends as she submitted to his controlling behavior. Finally, a few events Harriet wanted to attend made her see the light. Matt had deviously prevented her from going and Harriet recognized his behavior for what it was. She had finally gotten rid of him by ignoring him. The mattress was a nice and unexpected present though. She should thank him.

A Material Trip to the city to buy a dress or two. That was what Elaine planned and she would be home to have supper with Brian. But she had stumbled into a robbery. The robber, “Dimitri” liked her and had held her hostage while he counted the money from the robbery. It was a lot, enough to buy a house years before she and Brian would ever be able to save enough money for a purchase. She had missed the last train home and her policeman husband Brian was going to interrogate her about her long absence. Should she just chuck her old life and go off with Dimitri and the money? Interesting choices.

Well Woman is a story I completely do not understand. I am sure it has to do with the title I don’t know what a “well woman examination” is. I get what the importance of the stolen item is but for this story I cannot connect any dots. This is a nice illustration of the difference between American and British English.

Anti-Dote illustrates the passage of time. As a last story of the collection, it is perfectly placed.

There is a lot for me to appreciate in this collection of tales. For me, the most entertaining element is the language used. The differences between British English and American English made one story, Well Woman, a complete mystery and another, Blind Date, nearly incomprehensible. The latter story had lots of slang and that adds another dimension to language difficulty. I give this book five Amazon stars solely based on its originality. It is only 140 pages but the denseness of the content with its twists and turns made it a slow read. Slow does not mean unenjoyable. I liked the collection, but these stories play with a reader’s mind. It sells for USD 2.99 on Amazon. It is not a Kindle Unlimited read. I have no idea how I obtained it. I noticed that the author’s companion piece to this, Curious Men (He-Time Tales) is available on Kindle Unlimited and I will read it next. It is 163 pages. I expect to find it equally puzzling and enjoyable.

[Katherine Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me-Tales is a delight. I could envision its women characters, some tongue -in cheek at the surface while underneath, these protagonists retain and sift life's details. The tales presented are balanced with working and career women, women concerned with fertility and motherhood, women that struggle with men. Most exhibit the ability to adjust, to survive. Each story is written with edge, usually humorous, most with realizations that are arrived at through colorful particulars.

My favorites: The first tale of a business woman forming a relationship in a park with a man and his dog. Then the schoolgirl buying her first bras at Selfridge's, not knowing about her connection to an American relative. A wife that hates the smell of fish confronting her pregnancy and her husband's preferences at the fish market. A woman given everything from an adoring, affluent husband, and how that wears off.

I enjoyed these tales for the piquant writing, the skill in setting and character that heightened and made the tales real. They were stories with believable issues, much enhanced by the lively style and perspective that gave strong reading moments.

[Karen Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of amusing and pertinent short stories, with expertly-crafted characters – you will definitely find (at least one if not many) favourites amongst them. From Marion, a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it, or so she thinks, in Underwhelmed – a delightful take on middle-aged loneliness and the perils of miscommunication, told with a clever wit that had me laughing out loud.

Then there’s Blind Date, a clever poke at today’s shallow and image-obsessed society. Or the problems choosing a first bra can evoke in Fitting Matter. One of my favourites, One Too Many, takes a humorous look at society’s attitudes towards family and virility – maybe Mum doesn’t always know best! In First Feast, a young tragic bereaved and inhibited girl is transformed by a teacher’s good intentions.

This is just a sprinkling of the treats in Me-Time Tales, which will have you alternately laughing, crying and sagely nodding your head – J.R. Minett is an extremely talented writer, and I’m eagerly looking forward to reading more of her work.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not usually read short stories but I was pleased when Goodreads sent me this interesting collection of 9 short stories and 1 poem as they lived up to their billing as being quickly and enjoyably read in a tea break.

The author’s professional background as a psychologist shines through as she observes the darker and less pleasant side of human nature. There was a distinct air of pathos in these largely suburban tales about women, even when laced with wit. The first story concerns a woman meeting a man with a dog in her local park. The twist at the end largely sets the scene for the rest of the collection of tales of various well-crafted characters who are cleverly depicted, if not in a way that induces sympathy in the reader, by Rosalind Minett.

Mine must have been an extended tea break as I found I had devoured the book in a greedy single sitting, and I would be really interested to read a full-length novel by this talented writer.

[Fran Macilvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Me-Time Tales' by Rosalind Minett

This is an interesting collection of short stories written with confident, accessible style.

A writer concerned with observing the human condition (in this case, of mostly mature ladies) would, I think, tread a very careful line between well-observed narrative and coldness; and in this the author succeeds, though for some reason, I find myself warming more to the stories in the second half of this volume.

There are some lovely passages and tender touches which bring into sharp relief the dilemmas of wifedom and motherhood, without offering easy answers. For this I am grateful: careful, watchful writing of this sort makes a welcome change from much of the frothy literature that women are expected to enjoy. This is definitely writing for grown-ups.

All the best with this.

Fran Macilvey, author, 'Trapped: My Life With Cerebral Palsy'

[Morgen Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"clever weaving", "stunning endings"

I reviewed this collection for my blog and you can find the review in full at http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/201...

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a mixed collection although all of the stories link together in that they are reflective of different moments during the lives of women, dealing with aspects of life that the male identifying side of humanity may not be all that familiar with. Some of the stories are very much snap shots of life moments with no real beginning or end, while others are traditional stories with start and end points, although even these don't always wrap themselves up neatly (let's be honest, life is rarely neat so it works). A couple of the stories really stuck in mind, particularly A Fitting Matter which is all about the trials of getting your first bra when your parents are rather reserved and yet their own pasts turn out to be not so innocent either. I also loved Finding Out, which starts as a folklore/ghost story but quickly turns into something more sinister and disturbing as past attitudes are shown in all the discriminative glory.

[Selaya Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed - a refreshing collection of stories about the trials & tribulations of being female! One other bonus which I did not expect: it's written in real English; right down to the slang! Brought back so many memories from my childhood and teen years. Arguments with my Mother (the bra story is especially poignant!) and/or Aunts, first "dates" etc. - it's all there. If you do decide to indulge yourself, grab a copy of the O.E.D. - it'll help where Webster's can't!

Might have to look out for the "Curious Men" equivalent - you know - just to balance things out!

[Danzaiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

As my attention span seems to be faltering, I was in the mood for a collection of short stories. These seemed to satisfy my 'need-to-read' addiction. The stories were well constructed and engaging, and I did enjoy reading them. Unfortunately however, I couldn't provide you with a summary (let alone a review) of any of the stories. It's not the author problem; it's mine.
"...rage at the dying of the light."

[Sarah Brousseau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 104/75: Me-Time Tales: tea breaks for mature women and curious men by Rosalind Minett. I needed something uplifting, cute and easy to read on this Sunday night. I couldn't sleep, nothing I did helped... And then the first story I read here involved a dog and now puppy fever is real! These stories fit the bill and what I needed at this moment. Thank you.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a strange set of stories each entertaining in its own way.
A look into another’s life and how they think and feel.
Each has a different story to tell and lets me see how they handle each scenario.
Great read made me smile

[Cherie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fun Read

Enjoyable collection of short stories about women, where the author investigates every day things and gives them an interesting spin.

[Gwen Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different

I really appreciated each different story. A few grammatical errors, but not enough to get in the way. A very fast read.

[jacqui jeromson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ingenious

A collection of very different stories, very satisfying to read, left me wanting more! Very keen to read more of the same.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. I found the stories to be a bit weird. Not what I was expecting.

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute short stories.

Loved dipping into these as and when I had the time. Each tale is unique and gripping. Decisions decisions decisions....

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I voluntarily review this ARC of this book. I got this bookfunnel giveaways and It was a good story.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories are 5-star, but most are 4-star

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘It is like a brilliant illustration from a book she’s never seen.’

British author Rosalind Minett began her career in the arts as a dancer - in RADA (for those outside the UK, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) - but switched directions when she studied psychology at Birmingham, Sussex and Exeter universities and became a Psychologist. This combination of experience offers her the ability to crawl inside the psyches of her characters while creating a proscenium arch setting in intricate details for her chosen subject - whether writing comedy, historically influenced novels or crime tales - before enjoying a career as a chartered psychologist. She is successfully able to wear the twin masks of comedy/tragedy and still maintain a rather phenomenal sense of finding the humor in the worst of situations and the compensatory dark side of the best of incidents. She is a hell of a fine writer!

Rosalind takes a beak from her usual foray and offers a collection of fourteen stories that as she states, ‘I did enjoy writing these stories! They probably represent my irreverent side very clearly. Perhaps you'll recognize your girl-friend, neighbor, mother, mother-in-law, daughter or even yourself, and smile or cringe. My characters are truly fictional, but their obsessions are out there in the world and you'll have encountered more than one.’

Even the titles offer a hint of the perceptions of odd characters and odd life circumstances – UNDERWHELMED, BLIND DATE, A FITTING MATTER, FINDING OUT, STAYING PUT, FIRST FEAST, EATEN UP, LAMENT, A MEANS OF SUPPORT, A SLIGHT INVASION, THE REAL PRIZE, A MATERIAL TRIP, AS FOUND, and ANTI-DOTE
.
And a sample of her inimitable writing flair is suggested here- ‘Marian took stock of her fifty-year-old self when she was only forty-five. It meant wearing support knickers and a suggestive smile. It meant thinking positive, just as she advised her sales colleagues every day. Cerise was her positive colour and she let collars or scarves of it peep out from behind her grey coat, navy mac or black fleecy. She kept her eyes wide open; wide enough, she thought.’(Marian encounters an eligible older man and his dog in the park and after hopes are raised for an affair Marian gets stuck with the dog instead) ‘It made something to look forward to after work, the walk. And there were other parks she could take the dog to. She bought a gentian blouse with pointed collars that poked invitingly out of her coat lapels. You never know. With a dog, life is full of possibilities.’

Funky little tales that offer immediate reminders of ourselves or people we have encountered – only rarely with the degree of quality humor and life lessons Rosalind creates. This is a treasure trove of fine short stories about being alive – at a certain age.

[Awesome Indies Book Awards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include ME-TIME TALES Tea breaks for mature women and curious men by ROSALIND MINETT in the library of Awesome Indies' Badge of Approval recipients.

Original Awesome Indies' Assessment (4 stars):

Put the kettle on!

Me-Time Tales is a book of ten short stories described as ‘tea breaks for mature women and curious men’. Each story has a female protagonist with a particular set of circumstances to deal with.

Yet, this book should appeal to a much wider audience, as the ages of the women in the stories vary from teenager to pensioner. We see women at all stages of their life, the unexpected changes that happen in their lives, and how the women deal with them. Their expectations of life, marriage, and family feature in the stories, and Minett skilfully juggles time, covering those years of life within a few pages.

While the opening story ‘Underwhelmed’, about a woman in her fifties on the lookout for a partner, seemed to be dragged out with slightly flat prose, the next one was both sharper and shorter. ‘Blind Date’ followed the same theme, but this time we have a teenager looking for a boyfriend. However, in less than a handful of pages, Minett successfully conveys the shallowness and cruelty of our emotions and behaviour regarding appearance and deformity. It was a powerful story, darkly funny, light, but with an underlying pathos.

And that sums up many of the stories in this book. Minett has, for the most part, a flowing readable style, uses humour well in a slightly flippant way, which contrasts and softens the harsher moments in some of her stories, leaving the reader with an overall bittersweet experience. The stories are enjoyable, but often with a message, or an unexpected twist.

Stories range from a just a few pages to around a dozen, and Minett varies the level of intensity of the different stories. Some leave the reader with a smile at the end, others evoke a more reflective feeling. The last story in the book certainly leaves the reader thinking and was a good choice for the final story.

Each story would be ideal for a tea (or coffee) break, a quick read before bed, or a commute to work. The book is also short enough to read in one sitting. 4 stars.

[Fontaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing collection of stories, taking us into the worlds of various women. There is terrific variety, here, and something for everyone to enjoy. All the pieces are strong and well crafted, but I especially enjoyed 'A Slight Invasion' with the arrival of results from the fertility clinic, on the same day as another event is revealed.

First Feast is a different take on eating disorders and body image. I liked the phrase ' her daughter's pencil box body'.

The women in the stories are strong, unique, recongnisable.
The theme of fertility running through these stories gives a very strong impression of babies as a force of nature, especially in the story Eaten Up.

I don't have a favourite in this collection, as they are so individual and take the reader to unexpected places.

I think that these tales will be enjoyed by many (men as well as women) who will recognise themselves, their nighbours, their parents in some of these stories.

Ms Minett holds up an unforgiving mirror to her readers, but the gentle humour in many of the stories, saves this collecton from being too harrowing and dark.

I congratulate Ms Minett and thank her for an extraordinarily good read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

These tales of women cover all the ages of our existence and poignantly, and with some amount of humor, point out our flaws, both those internal to being a woman as well as those forced on us by societal norms. Women have expectations of the world about being married and having children and enjoying a fulfilling life. The world places just as many expectations on us for those same things, and often we are torn between being who we want to be and becoming what others want us to be.

I found the first story in the book quite humorous with the use of irony and the well-drawn personality of the narrator, though I predicted the outcome of the story early on. Knowing the outcome did not inhibit my enjoyment of how the tale ended. Each story carries a unique voice and the characters are well-designed and written. Every word is intentional and meaningful, telling the tale without excessive "flowery" writing, yet still providing solid settings. The stories were told from different points of view, including the tricky 1st person/present tense style, and all stories kept my attention and left me with points to ponder about how girls and women perceive the world.

Rosalind Minett deserves 5 Stars for this collection of short stories.

[Lucy Middlemass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me-Time Tales is a collection of nine short stories and a poem featuring women's voices. They're quick and easy to read, full of enjoyable observations and dark humour. Minett's characters are exhausted, ignored, cheated on and overwhelmed, but these stories give them space to be heard. Many of the women are aware the world isn't quite their own, and they take it on anyway.

I felt some of the characters were more realistic and better developed than others, and not all of them are easy to have sympathy with. It's also not always clear what the author wants the reader to take from the story, but that's rather more thought-provoking than it is frustrating.

In my favourite story, As Found, a woman visits a private clinic for a health assessment. She is greeted by a female nurse and then assessed by a male doctor. She feels generally dehumanised by the ordeal, but in a moment of boredom finds the most surprising way to relieve her stress.

In other stories, Minett explores more familiar themes such as infidelity, family and growing up with charm and humour. Recommended simply for people interested in other people's lives.

[book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this. But it never showed up in the mail so I got an ePub by email.

I will not write a recap of every single one of the stories since I know many others have done that. Instead I always just write what I loved or disliked by the books I read.

I really liked this book. It was perfect for how much time I currently have for reading
Since I'm currently studying for my exams I don't have time to sit with a thick book, so all these short stories where nice to have.
They are perfect for when you are on the go. I read one of them while taking the bus and I loved that I wasn't hanging on what will happen next. I finished the story before I got off at my stop. Another reason to like this book.

The stories are filled with humor and there was one story I liked the best. The second one, the blind date. It reminded me of something that happened to a friend of mine.
And it showed us that we should not be so shallow and judge everything and everyone by their appearance.

Have a good read, I surely did

[Robin Hawdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are delightfully quirky, amusing, and well written stories. As the author herself says 'quick and easy to read', which makes them ideal bedtime or coffee break 'dip-ins', something I appreciate in a story collection, which fulfils a different function to the full length novel. The characters are real and often moving in their small town, suburban way - usually enduring slightly sad or unfortunate lives, but invariably finding a small redeeming and unexpected victory to lighten their path - and the colloquial style and snappy off-beat dialogue helps to maintain the feel of authenticity. Not quite five stars for such a simple collection, but certainly five star writing.
Robin Hawdon - author/playwright.

[Cherry Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and humorous, these easy to read stories are deceptively deep and thought provoking.
There's a tale for all ages in this entertaining set of short stories by Rosalind Minett. From the humour of "Underwhelmed", through the surprises and lesson in life of "Blind Date" and the irony of "A Fitting Matter", the glorious gluttony in "First Feast" and the unexpected twist in the final story of "Anti-dote", the ten tales are character driven, sometimes unnerving and always amusing. Told with wit and clarity, they are ideal to dip into whenever a bit of me-time is required.

[Andy Peloquin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a lover of short stories, but this collection was surprisingly enjoyable. Some of them were simple, while others had twist endings that I was definitely not expecting.
A lot of the stories are reminiscent of a simpler time before modern technology made the world so much more complicated and complex.
I found myself smiling and laughing at a couple, while a few really struck me with the force of the writing. The stories are fairly well-written, and the book overall is one I enjoyed.

[Catherine Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely buy books of short stories but, having just finished the delightful ‘Me-Time Tales’ by Rosalind Minett, I am encouraged to do so more often! They were all thoroughly enjoyable; Ms Minett has a deft turn of phrase, and is equally at home with pathos and humour. She covers broad ground in ‘Me-Time Tales’ - from a visit to the Well Woman clinic (the character in the story notes that it is well worth going private as the afternoon tea is so much better than on the NHS), to ‘bad Aunt Barbara’ and the Veronica bra, gluttony and blind dates. Great stuff! When can we expect a second serving?

[Dee Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me-time tales is a great collection of stories featuring a variety of women who all face a dilemma of some kind. I won't give too much away as the twists at the end of the stories are what make these stories so interesting. I liked the way that colour was used through out to carry the stories along and add depth and layers. All the protagonists have something to make us smile, nod our heads or tut-tut as we declare that we would never do that.