1/5. For Valentine's Day, a week of stories about passion - but not necessarily the romantic kind.
"Her Ronny understood women. He used to shrug when he saw the bags, he knew she liked to have pretty things. If she'd bought something extra pricey she'd cook him a nice meal and make a fuss of him." By Kathryn Simmonds

It's St Valentine's Day tomorrow, so what better way to mark this festival of love than with five stories about: a widow who has to shop; a country fellow who loves to hunt; a woman with a compulsive need to read; a skinny lady who eats an average of 100 desserts a day; and a husband who finds his koi carp more attractive than his wife? The link between each tale is a passion that leads the individual to a moment of epiphany - be that ruin or joy - but this is where all similarities end. Today's story, for example, is that of a lonely woman who fills "the gaping great hole" since her husband's death by squandering all their savings on clothes and bags and jewellery. Wednesday's tale, however, is a very funny look into the mind of a woman who faces an "emotional meltdown" that can only be salvaged by getting her hands on a quality work of fiction. A mellifluous mix of emotions, really, which rather suits Valentine's Day after all. (Jane Anderson)