Vintagereads: 13 books

If man is a wolf unto his own kind, then how does he see things between himself and his best friend? And when that best friend gets to know the wolf within his own self, where do they stand? How does it end?The life of a solitary man is often made bearable by a good friendship with a big dog....

Christmas, a time of giving. How exciting a prospect! To receive the unexpected, and to give more than just material things, because what counts is the idea, of course. And giving some part of yourself, now that’s some idea, because what is there to lose?The morning of Christmas Eve, a young...

When the day's end is nigh, and the fast buck's the only ticket out of Stone-cold-soberville, then the good matron might just become a mother to the motherless drunk, and little does she know ...All city life’s a stage, and all the drunks and sober citizens mere players. A man out...

Science and fiction, by definition, are not from the same pod. And yet, between the two of them, they have spawned some kind of existential magic. It could very likely leave you moon-struck even if it never flies you anywhere near the stars.How many drunks does it take to save the world? And...

Concerning people's ideas about fish, you always find there's a catch to it. And people's ideas about people, they seem to get from the same place as their ideas about fish. Boyhood, the adventure of discovering all about big fish, small ponds, and the one that got away. And the big...

Truly, there is no other meal quite like breakfast, especially when served by a bright-eyed waiter who regards your private delectation of the offerings to be a thing as preordained and sacrosanct as a fly-free meal. But fellow breakfasters may sometimes disregard the premises of civilisation and...

When humans learn to love, they soon know the fear of losing that love. When love is lost and fears come true, we must needs learn to laugh. Here are five tales inscribed upon the wings of love, to make the heart soar, five tableaus of dread, drawn in different strokes by the chill hands of evil and...

What is it that draws the human heart into the big city? On the beat along the seamy side, a rookie cop is on the point of making the discovery of a lifetime, about the beauty of the unlovliest places.People have the same old needs wherever you find them. The scales of what is good for them...

Is there life after advertising? Not that anyone has the time to care, since all the fun is in the here and now. And yet, like German humour, the life of the freelance adman is no laughing matter. Coping with the familiar demons, one's 'friends' from the profession, well it is about...

Why are family fortunes built? Could years of honest toil and a keen lookout be enough to keep a clan together? Grandma was well on the way to fulfilling her grandest wish, when an enigmatic cat entered her world and cast a yellow-eyed glare upon her soul.When a young man plans to build a life,...

How does one know where death and danger lurk? What ordinary household furnishings could hold the mystery of your past, and the awesome surprise and devastation of your future? A fine Persian rug. A man and his genetic history come face to face in a final intertwining of fate so scary that you could...

Did you know that you could laugh your way out of a dangerous corner and an embarrassing moment? This boxed set of five short stories will take you on an unusual journey of suspense and mirth. You might start finding flies in your soup, and something fishy is bound to arise in your experience among...

Like a morning cloud, the dream of love sometimes comes floating close by, and sometimes so close, so perfect, so real, that it must remain but a dream.A man of hard-bought wisdom comes into daily contact with a girl from a different caste and culture – a girl so pure and innocent, that she...