It Could Only Happen in Oxford

(Turl Street Storytellers, £7.99)

Perhaps a copy of this should be placed in Oxford hotel rooms beside the Gideon’s Bible. Written by graduates of novelist Sara Banerji’s creative writing classes, the stories are all set in Oxford.

The first story is by Lesley Maile. Her two characters, no strangers to the prison system, celebrate their love by visiting the Hotel Malmaison for a drink — but end up staying longer than originally planned.

Sara Banerji has included her own story in the collection, taking her readers to Mesopotamia, the narrow island which is part of University Parks. It is a moving tale of misunderstanding and loneliness.

Kathleen Daly offers a cameo set in Duke Humfrey’s Library and Neil Hancox takes the reader on a 40-year journey that links with the Museum of the History of Science.

Kamini Khanduri chooses the lily pond in the Botanic Garden as the setting where her central character wanders aimlessly while pondering the haunting image of a girl with green eyes.

The stories were all inspired by a particular building or place in Oxford, and each is followed by a short factual description of the venue. A map in the front shows each location, enabling readers to discover parts of the city they may not have known existed.