I've been a fan of Six Sentences for years - a contributor, too - and was excited to read the "6S The Love Book," which is, of course, all about love. Different kinds of love - romantic, parental, unrequited, unconventional. It's hard not to love love, and what's harder is to describe love in only six sentences.
Stories can get unexpectedly long (not in a bad way) even when they're only six sentences, and they're best when there are no grammar or punctuation cheats (comma splices, creative and incorrect use of semi-colons or colons, run-ons, etc.).
"Me, Not You" by Alan Girling is one of the (well-done) longer ones. It doesn't use cheats, and it has the kind of harsh honesty I love in flash fiction. The ending of this short, little story is unexpected and powerful, and that it's found early in the anthology - it's the fourth story - offers a sure sign of good things to come.
Other favorites are "Bits and Bytes" by Monideepa Tarafdar, who explores the challenge of closeness - real closeness - in the facebook age, and "Sleeping Tight" by Melissa Ryan, nine fabulous lines of waiting and wishing.
While there are some pieces in The Love Book that are overly sentimental or predictable, the collection overall is well worth owning. Carry it in your bag for when you're waiting in line, sitting in your car, or riding the bus or subway. Keep it on the kitchen table for when you're waiting for the microwave to ding. I can't think of a time or a place it wouldn't be beneficial to have a collection of good, very short fiction close by.
