In een corsettenfabriek op het Oostenrijkse platteland werkt een aantal jonge vrouwen die allen op hun manier streven naar hun ideaal de liefde te beleven zoals die wordt voorgesteld in romannetjes en reclame.

Als dochter van een fanatieke evangelist heeft een klein meisje het niet gemakkelijk.

De vrouwen van een dorpje in Wales maken kennis met Duitse bezetters in deze herschreven versie van de Tweede Wereldoorlog.

Fifty years ago a girl disappeared from her home in Norway. She ran after a lamb and found herself travelling right across Europe to Palestine, and back through 2000 years to meet the Holy Family in Bethlehem. There she met angels, shepherds, wise men and other biblical characters who joined her on her pilgrimage; and she heard of many of the things that happened in the world in the last 2000 years. In present-day Norway, a boy acquires a strange old Advent calendar. Hidden in each of the windows is a tiny piece of paper. Little by little these pieces unfold the girl's story and as we learn what happened to her, another story is revealed - that of the strange old man who made the calender.

A unique and powerful story about a fifteen year old boy who tries to deal with his mother's mental illness by writing letters to Leonardo da Vinci. On his fifteenth birthday, Matt receives a card from his mother - the mother he grew up believing was deceased. Feeling betrayed by both his parents, Matt's identity is in disarray and he begins writing letters to Leonardo da Vinci as a way to sort out the 'mess' in his head. Through the connections he makes between his own life and that of Leonardo, Matt unravels the mystery that his life has become and discovers his mother's secrets and the reasons behind his abandonment.

"Realising that his New Year is probably going to be a disaster, as usual, our narrator, on impulse, walks into a travel agency to book a week in the sun. Sensitive to his limited means and dislike of Muslim countries, the travel agent suggests an island full of 21st century hedonism, set in a bizarre lunar landscape - Lanzarote. On Lanzarote, one can meet some fascinating human specimens, notably Pam and Barbara - 'non-exclusive' German lesbians - who can give rise to some interesting combinations. Will they succeed in seducing Rudi, the police inspector from Luxembourg, currently living in exile in Brussels? Or will he join the 'Azraelian' sect, as they prepare for humanity to be regenerated by extra-terrestrials? As for our narrator, will he consider his week's holiday on the island a success?"

Als een 19e-eeuwse Italiaanse meestervervalser een antisemitisch document verzint over de joodse begraafplaats in Praag, heeft dat grote gevolgen.

Een kleine onenigheid 's ochtends vroeg in het echtelijk bed bepaalt hoe een man en vrouw later op de dag ten opzichte van anderen reageren.

Een boerenzoon keert terug naar de ouderlijke boerderij in Noord-Holland om zijn zieke vader (tijdelijk?) te vervangen.