Genres 101: Short Stories

A collection of stories spanning centuries of time in mercurial Florida examines the decisions and connections behind life-changing events in characters ranging from two abandoned sisters to a conflicted family woman.

On a beach in the Dominican Republic, a doomed relationship flounders. In a New Jersey laundry room, a woman does her lover's washing and thinks about his wife. In Boston, a man buys his love child, his only son, a first baseball bat and glove. At the heart of these stories is the irrepressible, irresistible Yunior, a young hardhead whose longing for love is equaled only by his recklessness--and by the extraordinary women he loves and loses.

"A dazzling new collection of short stories--the first major new work of fiction from the beloved, internationally acclaimed, Haruki Murakami since his #1 best-selling Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. Across seven tales, Haruki Murakami brings his powers of observation to bear on the lives of men who, in their own ways, find themselves alone. Here are vanishing cats and smoky bars, lonely hearts and mysterious women, baseball and the Beatles, woven together to tell stories that speak to us all. Marked by the same wry humor that has defined his entire body of work, in this collection Murakami has crafted another contemporary classic"-- Provided by publisher.

From the author of the both excellent We Should All Be Feminists and Americanah, this 2009 short story collection dissects ties that bind family, lovers and friends. In 'The American Embassy', a woman applies for asylum but leaves unable to describe her son's murder in exchange for visa and in 'Tomorrow Is Too Far' a woman unveils the awful secret of her brother's death.

From one of the 20th century's greatest voices comes the complete volume of his short stories featuring Nick Adams, Ernest Hemingway's memorable character, as he grows from child to adolescent to soldier, veteran, writer, and parent--a sequence closely paralleling the events of Hemingway's life.

Stories feature men and women without education, insight, or prospects, who, ironically, are too unimaginative to ever give up.

A collection of nine stories explores the human soul and female experience in such tales as the award-winning, "Mrs. Fox," in which a married woman transforms into a vulpine; and "Case Study 2," in which a social worker struggles with a foster child raised in a commune.

Themes of heartbreak and the sadness of aging women dominate this collection of stories by the renowned Canadian author.

"From the Pulitzer finalist and universally beloved author of the New York Times best sellers Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove, a stunning new collection of short fiction that showcases her extraordinary gifts of language and imagination"-- Provided by publisher.

From Edgar Allen Poe to Kelly Link, M.R. James to Neil Gaiman, H. H. Munro to Audrey Niffenegger herself, Ghostly reveals the evolution of the ghost story genre with tales going back to the eighteenth century and into the modern era, ranging across styles from Gothic Horror to Victorian, with a particular bent toward stories about haunting--haunted children, animals, houses. Every story is introduced by Audrey Niffenegger, an acclaimed master of the craft, with some words on its background and why she chose to include it. Niffenegger's own story is, "A Secret Life With Cats."

Take a journey through time and genre to discover stories where queer teens live, love, and shape the world around them. Seventeen young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction.

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies.

An anthology of stories in various genres, featuring disabled characters and written by disabled creators, ranging from established best selling authors to debut authors.

A collection of short stories explore what it is like to be young and black, centering on the experiences of black teenagers and emphasizing that one person's experiences, reality, and personal identity are different than everyone else's.

It began as a world divided: common Red bloods serving the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Return to the deadly and dazzling world of Red Queen in Broken Throne. This collection contains novellas, maps, bonus scenes, journal entries, and much more.

Hurricanes, evil twins, bootleggers, Ouija boards, iguanas, superheroes... As fantastical as these stories can be, they are always grounded by sly humor and an innate generosity of feeling for the frailty, and the hidden strengths, of human beings. Get in Trouble expands the boundaries of what short fiction can do.

An illustrated edition of the fantastical book featured in the Miss Peregrine series, this collection includes unusual fairy tales about wealthy cannibals, a fork-tongued princess, and the origins of the first ymbryne.

To respect yourself, to love yourself, should not have to be a radical decision. And yet it remains as challenging for an American girl to make today as it was in the past. In The Radical Element, twelve writers tell the stories of girls of all colors and creeds standing up for themselves and their beliefs.

Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. Meet Cute is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today's most popular YA authors, from Nina LaCour's piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, to futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee.

Discover a terrifying world in the woods in this collection of five hauntingly beautiful graphic stories that includes the webcomic sensation "His Face All Red." These are fairy tales gone seriously wrong, where you can travel to the neighbor's house (though coming back might be a problem), or find yourself a young bride in a house that holds a terrible secret.

Summer meets love in both fantasy and reality in this anthology featuring renowned writers of both teen and adult fiction. Maybe it's the long, lazy days, or maybe it's the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom.

Careful--you are holding fresh ink. You are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written--whose next chapters are up to you. Thirteen YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play. Featuring award-winning diverse authors and stories about diverse characters.

To understand mental health, we need to talk openly about it. In (Don't) Call Me Crazy, thirty-three actors, athletes, writers, and artists offer essays, lists, comics, and illustrations that explore a wide range of topics, from their personal experiences with mental illness to help for better understanding how every person's brain is wired differently.

One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner-city lot into a productive and beautiful garden, and in doing so, the gardeners are themselves transformed.

"A collection of ten short stories that all take place in the same day about kids walking home from school"-- Provided by publisher.

Thirteen. It's an age of wonder...or dread. The best year of your life...or maybe the worst ever. You've just become an official teenager, even though you're not quite sure you feel like one, but you're no longer a kid, either. Here, from fourteen different points of view, are stories about that wonderful, terrible time. The big bar mitzvah that goes suddenly, wildly, hilariously out of control. A first kiss -- and a realization about one's sexual orientation. A crush on a girl that ends up putting the boy who likes her in the hospital. A pair of sneakers that a kid has to have, no matter what. Written by some of today's finest writers for young adults, these stories -- by turns funny and sad, wrenching and moving -- truly capture the agony and ecstasy of being thirteen.

A collection of eleven short stories focusing on the everyday adventures of Hispanic young people growing up in Fresno, California.

More traditional and modern-day stories of ghosts, witches, vampires, "jump" stories, and scary songs.

The haunted season has arrived in the Antler Wood. No fox kit is safe. When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who hungers for their flesh, a witch who tries to steal their skins, a ghost who hunts them through the snow . . . and other things too scary to mention. Featuring eight interconnected stories and sixteen hauntingly beautiful illustrations, Scary Stories for Young Foxes contains the kinds of adventures and thrills you love to listen to beside a campfire in the dark of night.

In 1935, when her mother gets a job housekeeping for a woman who does not like children, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to stay with relatives she has never met in far away Key West, Florida.

A collection of stories about Connor, Risa, and Lev after they have destroyed the Proactive Citizenry and are, apparently, free to live in a peaceful future.

In separate stories five young men learn about their identities through encounters with persons different from themselves.

A collection of twenty-seven of Eleanor Farjeon's stories, chosen especially by her for this volume's first publishing in 1955.

A collection of ten tales by the celebrated author of horror and mystery stories.

Twelve mysteries. Twelve authors. One challenge: can YOU solve the crimes before the heroes of the stories?