Janice is a wonderful woman whose authenticity pulls you along...the breadth and originality of supporting characters makes this debut an immersive delight' Dorset Magazine What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Adult Mystery? Niece inherits uncle's small shop with a flat (her childhood bedroom) above. Uncle had a place for everything and everything in its place. Manilla envelopes. Estranged but they solved puzzles in the shop in the past. Found 2023. [s] As we follow Janice we are introduced to some of her favourite clients, such as the recently widowed Fiona and her son Adam, famous singer Geordie and the unpleasant Mrs Yeahyeahyeah who Janice only keeps as a client because of her dog, an adorable but apparently foul mouthed fox terrier named Decius. When Mrs Yeahyeahyeah asks Janice to clean for her mother in law, she reluctantly agrees to at least visit , and it is a decision that will change her life. Mrs B is a feisty woman in her nineties who is determined not to leave the home she shared with her beloved husband, the now deceased Augustus. The meeting is not promising at first, but it is soon apparent that Mrs B can see there is more to Janice than meets the eye. Could she be the one who finally convinces Janice, the keeper of stories, that she has a story of her one, and one that is worth sharing with the right people. I absolutely loved it! So different, clever, funny, and charming.” – Katie Fforde, Sunday Times (London) bestselling author

Article: How to Develop a Reading Habit: A Guide to Cultivating a Lifelong Love for Books August 22, 2023 This book is very different from what I expected but in a good way. I really enjoyed reading the various stories and I was sad to reach the end of the book. I highly recommend it as it’s a very good read. So begins a charming tale that shows us how literature (and dogs) can bring people together and enrich their lives-and that sometimes the people you are overlooking can have QUITE an interesting story to tell! Geordie– a famous opera singer who, aptly, hails from Newcastle. He admires Janice both as his cleaner, and as a woman. In part, this book has been inspired by her own love of stationery, which started in her childhood. ‘I have particular memories of new crayons, pencil cases, and exercise books at the beginning of the school year. These gave me a huge amount of pleasure – as did playing Post Offices when I was little.’

Absolutely spellbinding...a warm-hearted, thoughtful, funny and yet deeply poignant’ Celia Anderson, author of 59 Memory Lane Fictionophile’s OCTOBER 2023 Reading Wrap-Up #bookblogger #MonthlyWrapUp#Fictionophile October 31, 2023

It tells the story of Janine, a cleaning lady who's through a lot in her life. And she collected stories on her way, some sad, some beautiful. Life-affirming, hopeful fiction that can definitely fit into the 'Uplit' genre, this wonderful novel will definitely be on my list of 'Best Books of 2022'. Highly recommended! Stories are the lifeblood of our collective spirit, the way we remember who we are and where we come from.” After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.This book was a different read to my normal, but i loved it, ir reminded me of my childhood when my dada would make up stories of Hobgoblins and leprechauns in the woods..... Charlotte championed The Keeper of Stories and fought for it to be published,’ Sally tells me. ‘If she hadn’t, I’m not sure what would have happened.’ The ending of the book was beautiful. I enjoyed how things came together; enough was left to the imagination while most things were cleared up. Mrs B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn’t everyone have a story to tell? Cleaner Janice knows that it is in people’s stories that you really get to know them. From recently-widowed Fiona and her son Adam; to opera-singing Geordie; and the awful Mrs ‘YeahYeahYeah’ and her fox terrier, Decius, Janice has a unique insight into the community around her.

Janice is a wonderful woman whose authenticity pulls you along...the breadth and originality of supporting characters makes this debut an immersive delight’ Dorset Magazine Mrs B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn't everyone have a story to tell? It’s about the friendship between her, a runaway vicar who is 57 and an older man called Malcolm,’ says Sally. ‘It’s a bit of a love story, as well as being about friendship.’MY THOUGHTS: I love to sit in cafès listening to the conversations going on around me. Sometimes it's amazing what you overhear. That may be why this book really resonated with me. Janice and I have a lot in common. We both collect stories, although she is far better at it than I am. And my practice husband, as I like to refer to him, and her husband Mike, could be twins. Janice is a quite woman who would not stand out in a crowd. Not because she's unimportant but because that's the way she wants to be ,she wants to fade into the shadows and not bring attention to herself. Janice is a cleaner, a cleaner who visits lots of houses cleaning and collecting their stories. She now has a whole library of stories inside her head tore tell. I loved Janice - she is one of life’s observers- quiet and unassuming but watching and noticing everyone and everything. Gathering up stories as she goes about her life, Janice has forgotten her own powerful and emotional story. Absolutely spellbinding...a warm-hearted, thoughtful, funny and yet deeply poignant' Celia Anderson, author of 59 Memory Lane Janice is a cleaner, the best in Cambridge. She also collects stories, of both those she works for and people she encounters in her life. Her personal life is not easy and little by little it is revealed why this is the case. This is mainly a book about friendships and about how the past can impact your future. The story is well told and emotions are dealt with sensitively and realistically. Janice comes to realize her worth as the book progresses and starts to let friends into her world .