Mementos: A Unique Collection of Short Stories & Flash Fiction—Book 3 by Theodore Jerome Cohen is a series of unrelated narratives. Cohen used photographic prompts to write his stories because, as he says, photos are memories, and “memories [are] the prompts we use to spin words and phrases into literary tapestries.” Some of the photos and accompanying stories are based-on-fact incidents about a future president, Ronald Reagan, when he was a young radio announcer, a humorous story about attractive adult twin women, and a look into the future if climate change continues. There are more than 40 stories altogether. Cohen says there is a story “for almost every genre and taste,” and he’s correct. Many of the stories contain a surprising twist at the end.

This is a charming, entertaining book. I liked the way Cohen mixed so many types of stories—whimsical, sad, historical, humorous, inspirational, and more. As a fan of Ronald Reagan, I enjoyed the account of a snippet of his life. I laughed out loud at the twins as well as at a story about a model railroad. The story about life in the future because of our changing climate made me think. Overall, almost all of Cohen’s stories bring a moving, compelling reaction to his readers, which I’m sure is what he intended. The photos are all beautiful and although some are sad, there is nothing offensive. I recommend Mementos: A Unique Collection of Short Stories & Flash Fiction—Book 3 by Theodore Jerome Cohen to anyone who wants to be amused, inspired, or entertained.

Mementos: A Unique Collection of Short Stories and Flash Fiction, Book 3 by Theodore Jerome Cohen is a collection of 45 exquisitely written short pieces. Each story is based on a photograph and a prompt line for an online weekly contest. The stories include useful footnotes. Mr. Cohen describes the entries as complete stories with “plot, characters, hook, and slam-bang finish.” And his writing lives up to this description, making for quick, pleasurable literary reading. Some are only a few paragraphs, others several pages with a vast variety of settings and moods that demonstrate Mr. Cohen as a versatile and imaginative writer. His prose is direct, breezy, without frilly flourishes. He shows the ability to go deep into character quickly and empathetically, making each story a pleasure to absorb.

Mementos is a perfect coffee table book for those idle times when a quick brainteaser hits the spot like a fine wine. I enjoyed taking in the photograph, then the prompt line, and imagining where I might have gone with it. Then I read Mr. Cohen’s take and enjoyed the surprise of how perfectly the brief tale matches the set-up. It might be a man’s daughter and dog missing in a California wildfire, or a little girl awaiting her daddy not knowing he was just killed, or a SWAT team firing 110 rounds at a suspect, or a man’s wife and her boss mysteriously disappearing during a Black Friday shopping rush, or an “Old Dog” sign slowing down a neighborhood’s traffic, or even a fly on a wall warning a man of his imminent murder. The variety and perfection of these vignettes are mind-blowing. Take them one at a time and savor them. Mementos: A Unique Collection of Short Stories and Flash Fiction by Theodore Jerome Cohen is, indeed, as the title promises, one of a kind.