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TBR of Doom: Short Story Edition
🕑 Added 2023-01-19 01:13:20 +0000 UTCI'm not the biggest fan of short stories. I love them if they're connected to larger universes, little side quests attached to characters and stories I already know, but other than that, I mostly find them frustrating. Because if I love them, I always want more, and short stories are only a little morsel. A tiny bite. A literary amuse bouche if you will.
This is not saying short stories are bad or easy to write--they are neither of those things. Short stories are very difficult to write, because you have to do a lot with a little in both words and page count. I'm just saying I don't usually have the urge to go read them.
That being said, short story collections by a bunch of authors can be a pretty great way to find new authors to read. Here are a few that I've picked up that you might enjoy.
Vampires Never Get Old--this one is YA and chock full of some really great names. The whole point of the collection is to let under represented voices bring fresh blood (see what I did there?) to the vampire collective.
Hex Life--this one is full of both YA and Adult authors, all women, putting for fun new stories about witches. Frankly, you had me at witches.
Kelly Link--okay, this isn't a book title, but an author. She has several collections and I consider her a master at the short story. So if you're into it, this is a good author to start with.
Angela Carter--was known for her dark fairytale reimaginings. I think the Bloody Chamber is her best known book, so maybe a good place to start.
How Long 'Til Black Future Month? --this is fantasy and sci-fi collection by NK Jemisin and honestly, there's a reason she won back to back Hugo awards. Just really good at what she does.
Unexpected Magic by Dianna Wynne Jones--even if her name doesn't immediately ring a bell, you probably know her by her best known title Howl's Moving Castle. If you like fairytales and fantasy, she amazingly good at whimsy.
Blood Child and Other Stories by Octavia Butler--if you're a sci-fi or fantasy fan and you have dipped your toe into Butler's stories yet, this might be a good place to start. She was an amazing writer--and if you're local to me, a Washington state writer as she lived here for awhile. She was also the first sci-fi author to get a Macarthur Genius Grant.
Okay, friends, what about you? Do you love short stories? Dislike them? Haven't ever read one outside of school? Let me know in the comments along with any collections you think I should check out.
-Lish
