A superb collection of short stories that celebrate the power of the written word. Giving an innovative take on the many forms of reading that bombard us in our everyday lives - from e- to junk-mail, gardening to cookbooks, tourist guides to romance novels - these stories play with them all. They illuminate the gap between living and reading, that moment when words become light. These stories are funny, wise, moving and compulsive. They are examples of 'light reading' in their accessibility, but there is also depth and a beautiful style, offering the very best in literary reading.