Keep it Short – Short Story Anthologies to Dip Into

We all know what it’s like to have our attention pulled in a dozen different directions.  Between work, study, family, friends, social media, the television, the internet in general, sometimes our attention spans get a bit short and we need something we can dip in and out of easily when we read.  This is where short story anthologies come in handy!  You can pick one up, read one story, two or the whole book if you get the momentum to.  Here I’ve selected some recent ones for you to try.

The city of mist : stories / Ruiz Zafón, Carlos
“Presents a complete collection of the author’s short stories, some of which were not previously published. A boy decides to become a writer when he discovers that his creative gifts capture the attentions of an aloof young beauty who has stolen his heart. A strange gentleman tempts Cervantes to write a book like no other, each page of which could prolong the life of the woman he loves. And a brilliant Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece.” (Adapted from catalogue)

Daddy : stories / Cline, Emma
“In ten remarkable stories, Emma Cline portrays moments when the ordinary is disturbed, when daily life buckles, revealing the perversity and violence pulsing under the surface. She explores characters navigating the edge, the limits of themselves and those around them: power dynamics in families, in relationships, the distance between their true and false selves. They want connection, but what they provoke is often closer to self-sabotage. What are the costs of one’s choices? Of the moments when we act, or fail to act?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Dead-end memories : stories / Yoshimoto, Banana
“First published in Japan in 2003, Dead-End Memories collects the stories of five women who, following sudden and painful events, quietly discover their ways back to recovery. In “House of Ghosts,” the daughter of a yoshoku restaurant owner encounters the ghosts of a sweet elderly couple who haven’t yet realized that they’ve been dead for years. In “Tomo-chan’s Happiness,” an office worker who is a victim of sexual assault finally catches sight of the hope of romance. Yoshimoto’s gentle, effortless prose reminds us that one true miracle can be as simple as having someone to share a meal with, and that happiness is always within us if only we take a moment to pause and reflect.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Filthy animals / Taylor, Brandon
“‘Lionel had been out of the hospital for only a few days when the potluck invitation came.’ In the linked stories at the heart of Filthy Animals, a young man tentatively re-engages with the world. Recently discharged from hospital, Lionel meets two dance students at a party. Charles and Sophie’s relationship is difficult to read but Lionel is drawn to them both. As he navigates their sexually fraught encounters he is forced to weigh his vulnerabilities against his loneliness – and to consider his return to life.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

First person singular : stories / Murakami, Haruki
“A riveting new collection of short stories from the beloved, internationally acclaimed, Haruki Murakami. The eight masterful stories in this new collection are all told in the first person by a classic Murakami narrator: a lonely man. Is it memoir or fiction? The reader decides. The stories all touch beautifully on love and loss, childhood and death . . . all with a signature Murakami twist” (Adapted from catalogue)

Five Tuesdays in winter : stories / King, Lily
“Told in the intimate voices of unique and endearing characters of all ages, these tales explore desire and heartache, loss and discovery, moments of jolting violence and the inexorable tug toward love at all costs. A bookseller’s unspoken love for his employee rises to the surface, a neglected teenage boy finds much-needed nurturing from an unlikely pair of college students hired to housesit, a girl’s loss of innocence at the hands of her employer’s son becomes a catalyst for strength and confidence, and a proud nonagenarian rages helplessly in his granddaughter’s hospital room.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Ghost Lover : stories / Taddeo, Lisa
“Behind anonymous screens, an army of cool and beautiful girls manage the dating service Ghost Lover, a forwarding system for text messages that promises to spare you the anguish of trying to stay composed while communicating with your crush. At a star-studded political fundraiser in a Los Angeles mansion, a trio of women compete to win the heart of the slick guest of honor. In these twelve riveting stories, two of which have been awarded the Pushcart Prize, Lisa Taddeo brings to life the fever of obsession, the blindness of love, and the mania of grief.” (Adapted from catalogue)

The haunting of Hajji Hotak : and other stories / Kochai, Jamil Jan
“A luminous meditation on sons and fathers, ghosts of war, and living history that moves between modern-day Afghanistan and the Afghan diaspora. In playing “Metal Gear Solid V,” a young man’s video game experience turns into a surreal exploration on his own father’s memories of war and occupation. A college student in “Hungry Ricky Daddy” starves himself in protest of Israeli violence against Palestine. And in the title story, “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak,” we learn the story of a man codenamed Hajji, from the perspective of a government surveillance worker, who becomes entrenched in the immigrant family’s life” (Adapted from catalogue)

The memory librarian : and other stories of dirty computer / Monáe, Janelle
“Whoever controls our memories controls the future. Janelle Monáe and an incredible array of talented collaborating creators have written a collection of tales comprising the bold vision and powerful themes that have made Monáe such a compelling and celebrated storyteller. The Memory Librarian serves readers tales grounded in the human trials of identity expression, technology, and love, but also reaching through to the worlds of memory and time within, and the stakes and power that exists there.” (Adapted from catalogue)

Natural history : stories / Barrett, Andrea
“A masterful new collection of interconnected stories, from the renowned National Book Award-winning author. The six exquisite stories in Natural History are set largely in a small community in central New York state and portray some of her most beloved characters, spanning the decades between the Civil War to the present day.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

For more short story suggestions, check out this list on the catalogue.