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  • In Defense of Short Stories
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In Defense of Short Stories

  • Charlotte D.
  • Monday, March 14
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Short stories sometimes get a bad rap - but these collections just might change your mind about the writing form.

I am a bona-fide, passionate fan of the short story. I love writing them, I love reading them, and I love recommending them to people. However, many people, when hearing the term "short story," may think of the boring ones they read in middle or high school. A lot of people have been burned by short stories, and I get it - I really do. Short stories might seem heavy or dull or like the author is trying to do too much in just a few short pages.

“A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick – a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.” – Neil Gaiman

What makes short stories magical to me, though, is that there is so much done in those few pages. A good short story is as though a poem and a novel were fused together - there is the gorgeous language and mood of a poem coupled with the narrative and characters of a novel. To write a good short story requires the brevity of a poet but the plotting of a novelist. To read a good short story requires an open mind - you are not necessarily going to be reading a logical, linear piece of writing. Instead, a short story might artfully and successfully capture a mood or a feeling. It could change your day or outlook or even your life.

For me, that book was Birds of America, a collection of short stories by the author Lorrie Moore. I hope that perhaps the books below might be one of those books for you - if not life-changing, then at least mind-broadening or even just a pleasant or needed read.

The Best American Short Stories 2021

The Best American Short Stories 2021

Published in 2021
xx, 275 pages ; 22 cm.
Find
Book
 
What We Talk About when We Talk About Love

What We Talk About when We Talk About Love

Carver, Raymond, 1938-1988.
Published in 1989
159 pages ; 19 cm.
Find
Book
 
This is How You Lose Her

This is How You Lose Her

Díaz, Junot, 1968-
Published in 2012
213 pages ; 22 cm
Find
Book
 
Long, Last, Happy

Long, Last, Happy

New and Selected Stories
Hannah, Barry.
Published in 2010
459 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Find
Book
 
Sing to It

Sing to It

New Stories
Hempel, Amy, author.
Published in 2019
ix, 149 pages ; 22 cm
Find
Book
 
In the Not Quite Dark

In the Not Quite Dark

Stories
Johnson, Dana, 1967- author.
Published in 2016
202 pages ; 23 cm
Find
Book
 
My Monticello

My Monticello

Fiction
Johnson, Jocelyn Nicole, author.
Published in 2021
210 pages ; 25 cm
Find
Book
 
If I Had Two Wings

If I Had Two Wings

Stories
Kenan, Randall, author.
Published in 2020
211 pages ; 22 cm
Find
Book
 
Pretty Monsters

Pretty Monsters

Stories
Link, Kelly.
Published in 2008
389 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Hold
Book
 
Her Body and Other Parties

Her Body and Other Parties

Stories
Machado, Carmen Maria, author.
Published in 2017
245 pages ; 21 cm
Find
Book
 
Going Away Shoes

Going Away Shoes

Stories
McCorkle, Jill, 1958-
Published in 2009
258 pages ; 19 cm
Find
Book
 
Bark

Bark

Stories
Moore, Lorrie.
Published in 2014
192 pages ; 22 cm
Find
Book
 
Dear Life

Dear Life

Stories
Munro, Alice, 1931-
Published in 2012
319 pages ; 22 cm
Find
Book
 
The First Person Singular

The First Person Singular

Stories
Murakami, Haruki, 1949- author.
Published in 2021
245 pages ; 21 cm
Find
Book
 
High Lonesome

High Lonesome

New & Selected Stories, 1966-2006
Oates, Joyce Carol, 1938-
Published in 2008
1 online resource.
Find
Ebook
 
You Want More

You Want More

Selected Stories
Singleton, George, 1958- author.
Published in 2020
xiii, 362 pages ; : 24 cm
Find
Book
 
You Think It, I'll Say It

You Think It, I'll Say It

Stories
Sittenfeld, Curtis, author.
Published in 2018
226 pages ; 22 cm
Find
Book
 
Grand Union

Grand Union

Stories
Smith, Zadie, author.
Published in 2019
245 pages ; 25 cm
Find
Book
 
Afterparties

Afterparties

Stories
So, Anthony Veasna, 1992-2020, author.
Published in 2021
260 pages ; 22 cm
Find
Book
 
Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine

Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine

Stories
Wilson, Kevin, 1978- author.
Published in 2018
269 pages ; 22 cm
Find
Book
 
If you want more short stories (or you're an aspiring writer of short stories), be sure to check out some more resources available with your Richland Library card:
  • - Short Edition
  • - Pressbooks
  • - Indie Author Project
And be sure to check out our new online hub for writers and local authors!
Author

Charlotte D.

Customer Service Specialist

Tags
#BroaderBookshelf
Book Recommendations
Writers
Audience
Adults
Seniors
Teens (12-18 years)
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