Thia Reads A Lot’s Reviews > A BBC Christmas Collection > Status Update

West: What is this story about? I haven't the foggiest. I listened to it twice and I still don't get it. The narrator lives alone, working as an actuary for insurances. She has upgrades, is she human ou mechanical? There are jellyfishes somehow. 1*

East: 2* No point to this story, really. A teacher has a new colleague, she starts to appreciate him, he changes school after Christmas.

South: Very depressing story. Somehow, the world has gone to shit, people try to grow their own food. A lot of introspection from the narrator, no names, nothing happening really. 2*

North: Very strong accent, hard for me to understand at points. A man is waiting for his daughter in the airport, convinced she won't come, but she does. It's sweet I guess but there barely is any story here. 2*

The Christmas Present: My favourite story so far, there's real Christmas spirit in this one. 3*, quite predictable. A man missed his night train, goes drinking, shares his wish with Santa to be 11 yo again for a week. He wakes up as an 11yo, pretends to be sick from work, becomes involved with his family and reunites with his estranged father. Sweet story, but nothing extraordinary. Drama. Longer than the rest so far

Good President Wenceslas: 2* Big yaw. The perfect president of a country decides to give gifts to a poor man who lives in an hovel. What's the point of this story?

4 of the 5 short stories I've read/listened to so far have been by Alexander McCall Smith. Maybe I just don't like that author. I will wait for a few more stories, but I won't continue for long if I always give the stories 1 or 2*.

How to Escape in Gaelic: Old man escapes his retirement home with the gardner by building a balloon. Overly elaborate escape plan. You're not in jail, you can leave. 2*

The Revenge, or Otherwise, of Herbie Bontemps: 1* Chef gets "revenge" on a food critic by serving him a sabotaged salmon en croûte with scotch bonnet pepper. The food critic likes it, the chef gives him the recipe. Doing something wrong without any consequence. Also, making poutine sounds disgusting.

Motordrome: 2* Very predictable. Widow inherits her husband's Motordrome business. She doesn't like his cousin who is managing it, so she gives it to the two men who worked on the bikes. She leaves on a third motorbike, feeling free.