Por Ashley, Cashmere Library
Summer days might feel longer, but with everything there is to do once the warm weather hits, sitting down to read a full-length novel might be low on our list of priorities. This is where short stories can make a big impact!
Short stories are the perfect choice for our packed schedules, for those getting back into reading after a long hiatus, and for those seeking to explore new genres and reading experiences.
Below, we’ve gathered a selection of intriguing short story collections for you to spend a long afternoon with – we hope you enjoy them!
Your Utopia by Bora Chung
Humanity’s many possible futures, however practical or improbable, are laid out eerily and humorously in Chung’s short story collection featuring destruction by disease, dream police, sentient AI, and the indomitable perseverance of nature. This is a short story collection that will leave you thinking about the questions it poses for humanity long after you’ve set the book down.
The Lost Tomb by Douglas Preston
Douglas Preston’s nonfiction collection is an intriguing caper through time and culture – from ancient Egyptian burial chambers to the jungles of Honduras, to an attempt at solving a mysterious Italian murder case. Each article is steeped in research and based on true events, masterfully entrapping you in The Lost Tomb alongside Preston as he skillfully navigates each new discovery. This is a perfect collection for fans of narrative non-fiction, scientific thrillers, and true crime aficionados.
Green Frog by Gina Chung
Equal parts fantastical and true to life, the stories in this collection are hopeful and heartbreaking, full of danger and full of joy. Chung is a master at capturing emotion, and her characters, from talking dolls, anatomically correct hearts, vengeful fox demons, and estranged children and parents, will claw their way into your heart and refuse to let go. This short story collection is celebrated as one of NPR’s 2024 “Books We Love.”
Diversity Quota by Ranjan Adiga
Complicating the idea of a single immigrant narrative, the stories in this short story collection move from the United States to Nepal and back again, illustrating how displacement can lead to suffering or hope – sometimes all at once. In Adiga’s stories, the lines between “winners” and “losers” in a rapidly globalizing world become frayed and warped, and moments of survival are captured in unexpected ways.
Ruined A Little When We Are Born by Tara Isabel Zambrano
A stunning exploration of family and motherhood against the backdrop of Indian diaspora and culture. Zambrano weaves elements from the physical and supernatural worlds to beg the question: are we all ruined a little from our first breath?
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