Good Housekeeping Book of Short Stories, edited by Pat Roberts Cairns (Arrow, £5.99 in UK)

Women's magazines are seldom given the credit they deserve for the lifeline they consistently offer to the short story form; this collection is based on twenty years of Good Housekeeping, and it features some impressively crafted pieces from writers as diverse as Penelope Lively, Clare Boylan, Alison Lurie, Rose Tremain and the sole male contributor William Trevor. Despite the diversity of narrative voices, however, the central theme is overwhelmingly unified: couples, and couplings, are the order of the day.