These stories are haunted not with ghosts, but with the loss of innocence, the debts that get demanded of girls when their hips start to curve, and the terror of not quite knowing what happens to the girls who venture behind closed doors with boys.
Meaghan
Yamashita continues to make her case as one of our of greatest living writers with this collection of stories, narratives, and imaginative engagements with Jane Austen. Yamashita's intelligence, sense of humor, and mastery over multiple prose styles cracks open our notions of identity, culture, and community creating space for new ways of reading about and thinking about how we become who we are.
Josh
My favorites in this collection are The Summer People, The Lesson, and The New Boyfriend, but they're all fantastic (and fantastical), with strong female leads to boot. Kelly Link has a wacky, clever, bizarre imagination. Perfect for curling up with during the next thunderstorm.
Catherine, Writer in Residence for Adults
Roxane Gay called this collection "outstanding" and "nearly flawless," so that should tell you something. The writing is beautiful, and each story so emotionally intense I had to take breaks while reading. Quade's strong and scrappy characters face their troubled lives with heart and tenacity in rural New Mexico.
Catherine, Writer in Residence Adult
Gorgeous language and moments of beauty in a collection of stories set in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.
Sarah
In this collection of short stories you'll find something eerie, magical, bizarre, and wonderful. All of these stories twist fantasy with reality for a perfect harmony. I'm a huge fan of Karen Russell, and this is probably my favorite story collection yet.
Heather
Our overlords are coming, but will they be robots or fairies? This hugely inventive short story anthology features authors as Alyssa Wong, Ken Liu, John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, and many more.
Rebecca
This collection of short comics encompasses many genres, but every story will give you a jolt of emotion. If you enjoy Kelly Link’s short stories, you’ll be smitten.
Marika
Reading Bakic's stories is like sitting down in a chair with uneven legs right as you’re told the authorities are on their way, & this time, they're not bringing the robots. Unsettling in unsettling ways, Bakic's mix of realism with science fiction & fabulism occupies the uncanny valley between the recognizable & the unrecognizable, unsheathing the weirdness of daily life & presenting a picture of humanity that is unsettling because of how quickly you recognize it.
Josh
A chef who takes on a series of challenges from a visiting alchemist, sentient programs learning the boundaries of their world, and an avatar of death walking an abandoned city trying to find new purpose are only a handful of the weird delights to be found in this wonderful short story collection. Whether you've read Jemisin's novels or are discovering her for the first time, there's a story in here for you to fall in love with.
Ari
