Anthologies & Short Stories

Book SynopsisFor fans of Alice Munro and Carol Shields comes an emotional and hopeful collection of short stories that delve into the tragedies that befall each of us in the search for goodness and meaning. The English poet, William Blake said, joy and woe are woven fine. So it is in The Crooked Thing. A collection of intense and emotional stories, there are traumas and betrayals, loves and losses, missed opportunities and discoveries, and above all, hope. In tales delicate and steely, a troubled young ferryman finds himself with an unexpected passenger, a songbird finds its voice, a mother learns to let go of her son and, after a chance encounter, an aging ballerina dances again. In her debut story collection, Mary MacDonald brings each narrator to face their own existence, taking the reader into darkness, passing through fear and resistance, to seek redemption and freedom. At their core these are love stories; they move us, disturb us, and upend our beliefs, to show us characters not all that different from ourselves.

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Book SynopsisOff-beat, provocative, philosophical, Music from a Strange Planet traces the fault lines of identity and emotional attachment. Grief, tenderness, and longing soak the pages, admitting the reader into the intimate places of the heart: An awkward child envisions herself as a darkling beetle; an unemployed business analyst prefers water-walking over rebranding himself; after being kidnapped, a psychologist rejects the idea of marrying herself; and in the squatters district, a biogenetically-altered couple visits an attic to observe a large cocoon. From the ruins of a dystopian city to the inner self-created landscapes of a coma victim, this unique story collection places characters at the core of their vulnerabilities. With a masterfully crafted tone and a register that ranges from contemplative to comic, the subversive, immersive stories in this collection brim with humanity. Expect your planet to tilt a little to the strange after reading this engaging, vivid and incisive collection of stories.

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Book SynopsisIn This Unlikely Soil, prize-winning writer Andrea Routley delivers stories of queer women navigating love and life against the lush, isolated backdrop of Canada?s West Coast. A dog that bites, a bear suffering from a hemorrhoid, an aggressive willow tree, berried-up Dungeness crabs and erotic mussels? The dense West-Coast landscape of This Unlikely Soil echoes the fraught search for connection of the rural-dwelling queer characters in this quintet of novellas. Finalist for the Malahat Review Novella Prize, this sophomore collection from Lambda Literary Award-finalist Andrea Routley explores the queer state of wandering, violence, and loss with surprising humour and compassion.

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Book SynopsisAward-winning author Darcy Tamayose returns with Ezra''s Ghosts, a collection of fantastical stories linked by a complex mingling of language and culture, as well as a deep understanding of grief and what it makes of us. Within these pages a scholar writes home from the Ryukyu islands, not knowing that his hometown will soon face a deadly calamity of its own. Another seeker of truth is trapped in Ezra after her violent death, and must watch how her family-and her killer-alter in her absence. The oldest man in town, an immigrant who came to Canada to escape imperial hardships, sprouts wings, and a wounded journalist bears witness to his transformation. Finally, past and present collide as a researcher reflects on the recent skinwars that have completely altered the world''s topography. Binding the stories together is an intersection of arrival and departure-in a quiet prairie town called Ezra.

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Book SynopsisHere are the best short stories and novel extracts from the 2015 Pikihuia Awards for Maori writers as judged by Witi Ihimaera, Sir Wira Gardiner and Poia Rewi. The book contains the stories from the finalists for Best Short Story written in English, Best Short Story written in Maori and Best Novel Extract. For more than ten years, the Maori Literature Trust and Huia Publishers have organised this biennial writing competition to promote Maori stories and writers. The awards and the publication of finalists' stories have become popular as they celebrate Maori writing and uncover little-known writers.

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Book SynopsisHere are the best short fiction stories, short non-fiction pieces and poetry from the Pikihuia Awards for Maori writers 2023 as judged by Emma Espiner, Carol Hirschfeld, Maiki Sherman, Mike Ross, Hemi Kelly and Robert Sullivan. This competition, run by the Maori Literature Trust and Huia Publishers, is held every two years to promote Maori writers and their work. This year, the awards sought short non-fiction and poetry, along with short fiction, from writers in te reo Maori and English. The competition attracts entries each year from writers of all ages and those who are starting out to seasoned authors. This collection of finalists' work celebrates Maori writing, introduces new talent and gives an opportunity for Maori writers to shine.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1987 and reissued for the first time, In Fifteen Minutes You Can Say a Lot restores an essential New Zealand writer to new generations of readers. In Fifteen Minutes You Can Say a Lot begins with Texidor's most fully achieved piece of work, These Dark Glasses. Distinguished by sophisticated writing and acute psychological insight, it is set on the south coast of France during the Spanish Civil War. The stories which follow range from Spain and England to New Zealand, where she writes unsentimentally and unerringly of the environment of the time. Goodbye Forever, the unfinished novel which concludes the volume, is Texidor's most sustained piece of writing on New Zealand. The central character, Lili, is a Viennese refugee who arrives amongst the writers of Auckland's North Shore. She is exotic and alone, and her slow collapse is plotted with minute observation.

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Book SynopsisPresenting thirty-five stories from seven collections published over more than forty years, Vincent O’Sullivan’s Selected Stories is a milestone in the career of one of New Zealand’s leading writers. `Vincent O’Sullivan’s short fictions go straight to the heart of human experience. They are by turn tender, deeply moving, unsparing and often witty, endowed with a sly humour that cuts through his characters’ foibles and pretensions. He is simply one of our very best storytellers, with total mastery of his craft.’—Fiona Kidman `These finely attuned, wry and deeply moving stories that have been gathered together here are executed with such compassion and grace that we might not even be aware at the time of our reading just how much they have taught us about what it is to be human and frail in this large world.’—Kirsty Gunn `Vincent O’Sullivan ranks with the best worldwide. His stories are as fine as any being written today.’—Kevin Ireland

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Book Synopsis‘The first time I read Freya’s work I thought . . . uh oh. And then I thought, you have got to be kidding me. And then I thought, God fucking dammit. And then I walked around the house shaking my head thinking . . . OK – alright. And then – finally – I thought, well well well – like a smug policeman. Listen – she’s just the best. I’m going to say this so seriously. She is, unfortunately, the absolute best. Trying to write a clever blurb for her feels like an insult to how right and true and deadly this collection is. God, she’s just so good. She’s the best. She kills me always, every time, and forever.’ —Hera Lindsay BirdTrade ReviewThe first time I read Freya’s work I thought . . . uh oh. And then I thought, you have got to be kidding me. And then I thought, God fucking dammit. And then I walked around the house shaking my head thinking . . . OK - alright. And then - finally - I thought, well well well - like a smug policeman. Listen - she’s just the best. I’m going to say this so seriously. She is, unfortunately, the absolute best. Trying to write a clever blurb for her feels like an insult to how right and true and deadly this collection is. God, she’s just so good. She’s the best. She kills me always, every time, and forever." — Hera Lindsay Bird

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Book SynopsisA science educator in domestic chaos fetishises Scandinavian furniture and champagne flutes. A group of white-collar deadbeats attend a swinger’s party in the era of drunk Muldoon. A pervasive smell seeps through the walls of a German housing block. A seabird performs at an open-mic night.Bug Week is a scalpel-clean examination of male entitlement, a dissection of death, an agar plate of mundanity. From 1960s Wellington to post-Communist Germany, Bug Week traverses the weird, the wry and the grotesque in a story collection of human taxonomy.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1989 and reprinted numerous times, Six by Six remains the definitive introduction to the classic New Zealand short story. Six by Six is a big, generous book. It shows the full range and vitality of New Zealand fiction published in the twentieth century. These are stories of pace and invention, mischief and melancholy, darkness and joy. From a two-page sketch by Patricia Grace to Maurice Duggan's short novel 'O'Leary's Orchard'. From classics like Katherine Mansfield's 'The Garden Party' and Frank Sargeson's 'Conversation with My Uncle' to the contemporary brilliance of Owen Marshall and Janet Frame. Edited by Bill Manhire.

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Book SynopsisFinalist for the Indigenous Voices Awards. On the edge of normal, challenges take many forms—the everyday can be an adventure and the ordinary a triumph. A young woman in a group home investigates a mysterious piece of knitting. An obsessed bag boy does grim battle with a squirrel. A woman, an asparagus bag and a garbageman have a tumultuous short-term relationship. Otherwise unremarkable achievements become epic on the edge of normal. In the tradition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Room and If I Fall, If I Die, this uplifting short story collection explores the world through the eyes of protagonists whose perspectives are informed by their unique circumstances. Some are struggling with physical challenges while others seek to overcome psychological barriers. Far from being defined by their limitations, these characters revel in achievements others take for granted and find wonder in unexpected places. By celebrating the private triumphs of people who are all too often dismissed, Ashton reminds us all of our own humanity.

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Book SynopsisPara Handy has been sailing his way into the affections of generations of Scots since he first weighed anchor in the pages of the Glasgow Evening News in 1905. The master mariner and his crew - Dougie the mate, Macphail the engineer, Sunny Jim and the Tar - all play their part in evoking the irresistible atmosphere of a bygone age when puffers sailed between West Highland ports and the great city of Glasgow. This definitive edition contains all three collections published in the author's lifetime, as well as those that were unpublished and a new story which was discovered in 2001. Extensive notes accompany each story, providing fascinating insights into colloquialisms, place-names and historical events. This volume also includes a wealth of contemporary photographs, depicting the harbours, steamers and puffers from the age of the Vital Spark.

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Book SynopsisMurder Squad, a group of award-winning crime and mystery writers, celebrate their twenty-first birthday with a bang in this criminally good collection of short stories.A dawn swim turns deadly in a brand-new short story starring DCI Vera Stanhope . . . Two bored cell-mates play a game with chilling results . . . A hen night in an isolated cottage brings new meaning to ''I will survive'' . . . A train traveller teaches a valuable lesson in reading labels . . . A day at the seaside turns stormy for a woman who doesn''t care for foreigners . . . A wealthy retiree makes a new friend who connects her to the Other Side . . . and much much more.Short, sharp and packed with twists, these 21 unputdownable tales showcase Murder Squad''s range and talent throughout the years. So why not treat yourself to a slice of murderously moreish fiction, and join us in wishing the squad ''Many Deadly Returns''.With stories by Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Margaret Murphy, Chris Simms and Cath Staincliffe, as well as John Baker, Chaz Brenchley and Stuart Pawson.

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Book Synopsis‘All she wants is a new country, a new language, new food. New people, new stories ... She wants all this newness – which is as old as the hills – to encourage her, enclose her, remake her... She feels this, though she doesn’t really believe it.’ In these eleven stories, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne draws us into the lives of characters struggling to find equilibrium. Visited by change and crisis, they are forced to confront the stories that define their sense of themselves and their place in the world. Beautifully written and sharply observed, this dazzling and daring collection is a deft exploration of the complexities of human desire – its darkness, its incoherence, its potential to help us tell a new story.Trade ReviewLittle Red and Other Stories is a treasure chest, full of such jewels. -- Henrietta McKervey * Irish Independent *These stories are rooted in human feeling and authenticity … a gift to her readers -- John Boyne * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisThis collection of eleven stories by one of Ireland’s best writers is a compelling exploration of what comes from moving about the place. In these stories, Evelyn Conlon vividly imagines her characters all over the world: Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Italy, Monaco, in a house with two drills of vegetables in Skerries. A couple spend their lives wandering around the equator because of a lie they told during anti-apartheid days; one person holds out in a border-straddling tree; a woman from Hiroshima makes the decision to get pregnant; an Irishwoman attempts to assassinate Mussolini, another fights for women's suffrage in Australia. Brilliantly written, witty, and full of the sharp observation for which Conlon is well known, Moving About the Place brings together some of the best of her recent work, along with brand-new stories, including a novella, to show how borders, movement and history change and transform people’s lives. ‘A genuinely exploratory writer … her work is excitingly original.’ The Times ‘Sharp sinuous writing, full of controlled anger and suddenly opened passion.’ The Scotsman

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Book Synopsis‘When the story is finished, Muriel and Polly sit in silence. The coloured lights on the fuchsia bush twinkle against the black sea and the black mountain and the black sky. They sit in silence. They let the story settle.’ For almost forty years, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne has captivated readers and critics alike with the dazzle and daring of her stories. Hailed as an original voice from her first collection, she has gone on to create a body of work that has established her as one of Ireland’s finest and most compelling storytellers. The fourteen stories gathered here demonstrate the breadth of Ní Dhuibhne’s achievement across her long writing career, particularly in terms of her depiction of the richly complex territory of women’s lives. They are testament to her great and enduring talent for weaving stories that draw us in and stay with us in the silence, long after the story has ended. ‘A masterful storyteller, tonally adept at pivoting from searing and political, to comic and moving in a matter of pages.’ SINÉAD GLEESON ‘Ní Dhuibhne’s stories stand out for their superb sense of character and time and place.’ COLM TÓIBÍN ‘A fully contemporary writer working old magic; Ní Dhuibhne calls on ancient tradition to renew the way we see the world.’ ANNE ENRIGHT Stories: The Postmen’s Strike - Blood and Water - The Flowering - The Wife of Bath - Gweedore Girl - Estonia - The Pale Gold of Alaska - The Banana Boat - A Literary Lunch - The Moon Shines Clear, The Horseman’s Here - Bikes I have Lost - The Coast of Wales - New Zealand Flax - Little Red.Table of ContentsSelected Stories: The Postmen’s Strike Blood and Water The Flowering The Wife of Bath Gweedore Girl Estonia The Pale Gold of Alaska The Banana Boat A Literary Lunch The Moon Shines Clear, The Horseman’s Here Bikes I have Lost The Coast of Wales New Zealand Flax Little Red

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Book Synopsis'Signs and Wonders' documents a couple's divorce after twenty-six years of marriage; in 'Robbing the Cradle', a teacher desperate to conceive resorts to the most extreme measures imaginable; and 'The Stepmother's Story' sees a young woman experience every parent's worst nightmare while on holiday in Edinburgh. These are but three of the stories in a collection showcasing Alix Ohlin's matchless characterization and raw readability. The reader reaches the end of one story, feels sad to leave its cast behind, yet are buoyed when, mere moments later, they find themselves equally engrossed in the next offering.Trade Review'I loved these touching, deeply human stories ... Nothing short of marvelous' Jay Parini. * Jay Parini *'Contains much to admire ... individual stories leave their mark and [Ohlin] is in command of her unifying theme: the risk and unavoidable pain of relationships' Literary Review. * Literary Review *'Unputdownable: crisp, focused, lovely and lasting' Marie Claire. * Marie Claire *'These stories are smart, tough, deeply felt and beautifully delivered, without one wasted word' Richard Bausch. * Richard Bausch *Table of ContentsSigns and Wonders. Forks. Robbing the Cradle. The Stepmother's Story. The Idea Man. Who Do You Love? The Teacher. Vigo Park. The Only Child. Three Little Maids. You Are What You Like. A Month of Sundays. The Cruise. The Assistants. Bruno. Fortune-Telling.

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Book SynopsisA pioneering collection describing and dramatizing the Nepalese diaspora - the displacement and exile of the Nepali-speaking world*SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE*A disfigured servant girl plans to flee Nepal; a Kalimpong shopkeeper faces an impossible dilemma; a Hindu religious festival in Darjeeling brings with it a sacrifice; a Nepali-Bhutanese refugee pins her hopes on the West; a Gurkha's daughter tries to comprehend her father's complaints; two young Nepali-speaking immigrants meet in Manhattan. These are just some of the stories of the people whose culture and language is Nepalese but who are dispersed to India, Bhutan and beyond. From every perspective and on every page, Prajwal Parajuly blends rich colour and vernacular to paint an eye-opening picture of a unique world and its people.Trade Review'Equally moving stories, the author takes us effortlessly inside the lives of the families in this remote ancient kingdom and its diaspora' Daily Mail. * Daily Mail *'[An] accomplished debut collection ... A distinctive talent' Financial Times. * Financial Times *'Crisp, inventive and insightful ... Marvellous' Guardian. * Guardian *Table of ContentsThe Cleft. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. A Father's Journey. Missed Blessing. No Land is Her Land. The Gurkha's Daughter. Passing Fancy. The Immigrants.

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Cotswolds Werewolf comes a new collection of Sherlock Holmes pastiches in the vein of Conan Doyle, revealing for the first time the secrets behind the theft of the hobnailed boots, the mysterious madness of the Right Honourable Wilfred Crabb, the case of the haunted public house, the curious and seemingly supernatural events surrounding a remote hotel on the east coast, and the truth behind the strange disappearance of Cyrus Thicknesse, the man in the sensible necktie. "I must say, Holmes, I am a bit surprised to see you taking an interest in something based on sympathy." "You do not think me sympathetic?" "Of course I do. But you have said yourself that it is the rational challenge and not the human aspect that draws you to your cases. Humans are mere factors in a problem, I think were your words." "Did I really say that? Hm, well, I am an odd sort, am I not?"

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Book SynopsisIn a world of chances, one decision can bring down the house, one roll of the dice could bring untold wealth, or the end of everything. Here the players gather, their stories often dark, and always compelling. The players and the played, this new anthology from Jonathan Oliver (Magic, End of The Road, House of Fear, The End of The Line, World War Cthulhu) brings together brand new stories from an international team of talented authors, each with their own deadly game. This collection is set to include a full house of top authors including Hugo award-winning American writer Pat Cadigan, Brit Gary McMahon, Mexican Silvia MorenoGarcia, plus Tade Thompson, Rebecca Levene and more!Table of Contents Introduction, Jonathan Oliver Big Man, Chuck Wendig The Yellow Door, Silvia Moreno-Garcia Die, Lavie Tidhar Chrysalises, Benjanun Sriduangkaew South Mountain, Paul Kearney The Game Changer, Libby McGugan Distinguishing Characteristics, Yoon Ha Lee Captain Zzapp!!! – Space Hero from 3000 AD, Gary Northfield Death Pool, Melanie Tem The Bone Man’s Bride, Hillary Monahan Honourable Mention, Tade Thompson Loser, Rebecca Levene Two Sit Down, One Stands Up, Ivo Stourton Ready or Not, Gary McMahon The Monogamy of Wild Beasts, Robert Shearman The Stranger Cards, Nik Vincent All Things Fall Apart and Are Built Again, Helen Marshall Lefty Plays Bridge, Pat Cadigan

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Book SynopsisIt is the dawn of the twentieth century.Following the Martians' failed invasion of Earth, the British Empire has seized their technology and unlocked its secrets for themselves. It is a Golden Age of discovery, adventure, culture, invention—and of domination, and rebellion.Scarlet Traces reveals a world of ant-headed nightmares; vacuum salesmen; war machines; deadly secrets; clockwork marvels; and Sherlock Holmes, T. S. Eliot and Thomas Edison as you've never seen them before...Including stories by Stephen Baxter, I. N. J. Culbard, Adam Roberts, Emma Beeby, James Lovegrove, Nathan Duck, Mark Morris, Dan Whitehead, Chris Roberson, Maura McHugh, Jonathan Green and Andrew Lane.Trade Review"This is exceptional: scathing socio-political satire made sweet by being British speculative fiction through and through." * Page 45 * "A saga over a decade in the making" * Comicon.com * "A series that increases its dramatic and imaginative scope with every step. It's clever, accessible, scary, thought-provoking and thrilling, all wrapped up in a beautiful package" * Grovel.org.uk * "a showcase for D'Israeli's art, every face a moment of peace or panic in a vividly identifiable style, traditional in its framing but radically expressive in the figurework. It's a very productive friction, beefing up a robust science-fiction air for the Wells adaptation and emphasising the physical impact of Martian war machines, laying waste to pastoral Surrey and ingesting plenty of the population." * Tripwire (On Scarlet Traces comics) * 'A vivid and exciting version of the original story combined with a wonderful sequel' * Starburst Magazine * 'A uniquely strange and absorbing body of work' * AV Club (on Scarlet Traces comic) *Table of Contents Introduction, Ian Edginton Going Up the Blue, Stephen Baxter Something Sweet in the Superstitions, I. N. J. Culbard The Martian Waste Land, Adam Roberts The Menagerie, Emma Beeby The Adventure of the Wheezing Man, James Lovegrove Voice for a Generation, Nathan Duck Spitting Blood, Mark Morris The Alarmist, Dan Whitehead Last Shot, Chris Roberson The Mechanical Marionette Mob, Maura McHugh Wonderful Things, Jonathan Green Red Frame, White Heat, Andrew Lane

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Book SynopsisNot the Tales You Were ToldOnce upon a time, Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories—fantastical yarns of wondrous creatures in faraway places—bewitched children across the world. But times change. Today, Kipling’s writing tells us a different tale; of a love of Empire, and the troubling legacy of British colonialism.In Not So Stories, writers of colour from around the world reclaim these stories and remake them into something new. Something different. Something that belongs to us all. Including stories by Adiwijaya Iskandar, Joseph Elliott-Coleman, Raymond Gates, Stewart Hotston, Zina Hutton, Georgina Kamsika, Cassandra Khaw, Paul Krueger, Tauriq Moosa, Jeannette Ng, Ali Nouraei, Wayne Santos, Zedeck Siew and Achala Upendran, with illustrations by Woodrow Phoenix and a foreword by Nikesh Shukla.Trade Review"There is a lot to enjoy here. A book whose time has come..." -- Suroor Alikhan * Talking About Books *"For any adult who was charmed by Kipling as a child." * Starburst Magazine *"Whether you love or can't stand Kipling, this is a terrific book." * The B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog *“Funny, touching, and often profound.” * Tor.com *“Fantastical fables about why things are the way they are, like Just So Stories… but without all the British Colonialism.” -- Alex Wells, Bookriot -- Alex Wells * Book Riot *Table of Contents Foreword, Nikesh Shukla How the Spider Got Her Legs, Cassandra Khaw Queen, Joseph Elliott-Coleman Best Beloved, Wayne Santos The Man Who Played With the Crab, Adiwijaya Iskandar Saṃsāra, Georgina Kamsika Serpent, Crocodile, Tiger, Zedeck Siew How the Tree of Wishes Gained its Carapace of Plastic, Jeannette Ng How the Ants Got Their Queen, Stewart Hotston How the Snake Lost its Spine, Tauriq Moosa The Cat Who Walked by Herself, Achala Upendran Strays Like Us, Zina Hutton How the Simurgh Won Her Tail, Ali Nouraei There is Such Thing as a Whizzy-Gang, Raymond Gates How the Camel Got Her Paid Time Off, Paul Krueger

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Book SynopsisThis hilarious collection of short stories from the award-winning humorist Simon Rich includes the story that inspired the Seth Rogen comedy An American Pickle. Having skewered the problems of falling in and out of love in The Last Girlfriend on Earth, Simon Rich's next book is another subject we can all relate to: parents and their kids. From the perils of raising an actual monster in Manhattan - it's pretty hard to find teachers who really understand the talents of a five-year-old with horns and a taste for blood - to Sell Out, the story of Simon's ancestor, returned to life decades after an industrial accident involving pickling brine, these stories are inventive, witty and sometimes a bit too much like real life.Trade ReviewSimon Rich is outrageously, lavishly gifted -- Caitlin MoranRich is seriously funny * GQ *Arguably the wittiest American humourist of his generation * Guardian *A James Thurber for our times, in Borges' suit, wearing Flann O'Brien's hat -- Ian McMillan * BBC Radio 3 The Verb *I lolled - how fabulously funny [on Twitter] -- Lauren LaverneSimon Rich is a comedic shape shifter, adopting the plights of hamsters and hipsters alike, and Spoiled Brats is vividly hilarious in the way Woody Allen and Donald Barthelme are vividly hilarious. Simon Rich is also much taller in real life than you'd think. Like the reverse of an actor. -- Sloane Crosley, author of I Was Told There’d Be Cake and How Did You Get This NumberI can't recommend any Simon Rich book - especially this one - highly enough. From the hyper-competitive rituals of Scrabble players to the laments of a grieving, widowed hamster in an elementary school classroom, each story in Spoiled Brats opens with a brilliant comedic perspective that only gets funnier, more fascinating, more surprising, and more insightful from there. First-rate comedy with a heartbeat, this is one of my favorite books from one of my favorite authors. -- B.J. Novak, author of One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories and star of "The Office"Simon Rich is the funniest writer alive -- Matt Haig * Twitter *If you don't yet know about Simon Rich, you just got lucky. If you do, you'll need no encouragement from me to get hold of his latest collection of short stories ... His sheer invention is captivating. Rich has a wonderful way of making a familiar situation strange and then presenting it in deceptively simple language, within a perfectly lucid, concise structure ... Genius ... He is a Thurber, even a Wodehouse, for today. Who could ask for more? You can give his books to people and just watch them laugh. Only after you've snorted through them yourself, though. -- David Sexton * Evening Standard *I discovered myself reading Spoiled Brats with a broad grin, only interrupted with an equally broad laugh ... A mix of gentle surrealism and smiley satire, the stories are bright, witty and occasionally tart. -- Sam Kitchener * Sunday Telegraph *Simon Rich...is in the 'Blazing Saddles' phase of his writing career... as hilarious a portrait as you'll find of the self-involved, easily outraged, post-post-post-ironic world into which we've dumped the next generation. -- Patton Oswalt * New York Times Book Review *Simon Rich is very much laugh-out-loud funny. He can conjure authentic, from-the-abdomen laughter on almost every page. He stacks surrealism on top of slick satire on top of pure childish silliness in such a brilliant and condensed way, there are sometimes three laugh-out-loud moments within the same paragraph ... He is exactly the right kind of writer for the internet: funny, high-concept, accessible, short, sharable, a James Thurber for the Twitter age ... this collection of stories isn't simply the funniest book of the year. It might just make us think about the spoiled brats we've become. -- Matt Haig * Guardian *Spoiled Brats reads like Kafka with jokes...It bounces from the ridiculous to the sublime: every page bursts with a new gag or three, but despite its seemingly bright, zingy, occasionally (and deservedly) tart tone, you'll be struck by a tender humanity, and like the best satire, a deep sense of morality. -- Sunil Badami * Sydney Morning Herald *The American novelist and screenwriter Simon Rich writes the kind of humorous books you dearly wish that editors on this side of the Atlantic would be more frequently brave enough to commission: loose, chaotic collections of essays, united by the vaguest of themes (in this case, children who are thoroughly oblivious to just how good life in the 21st century is for them) whose point, above all, is to raise as many laughs as possible ... Spoiled Brats cements Rich's reputation as a James Thurber for the iPhone generation. Best of all are two essays where the 30-year-old Rich pokes fun at his own privileged upbringing: one narrated by the neglected hamster at his prep school, another where his ancestor, a pickle-factory worker, wakes up in the modern world, having been preserved in brine, and proceeds to illustrate just how trifling Rich's (and by extension 21st-century New York's) day-to-day problems are. This is the work of a joyous, untrammelled imagination, with a level of self-awareness beyond its years. -- Tom Cox * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'Simon Rich is outrageously, lavishly gifted' - Caitlin Moran 'Simon Rich is the funniest writer alive' - Matt Haig 'How fabulously funny' - Lauren Laverne 'One of my favourite authors' - B J Novak From a bitter tell-all by a horse who made a man famous and then got left behind to a gushing magazine profile of one of your favorite World War II dictators, these stories trawl through history to skewer our obsession with fame and fortune - all the way from ancient Babylon to Hollywood. What father-to-be wouldn't feel a little jealous when his baby outstrips his success from the womb? And what happens when a film critic is forced to live in the movies he so cruelly damned? Loved in the UK by celebs, writers and readers alike, from Lauren Laverne to Matt Haig and Caitlin Moran, Simon Rich is back with his funniest and most personal collection of stories to date.Trade ReviewSimon Rich is outrageously, lavishly gifted -- Caitlin MoranHow fabulously funny -- Lauren LaverneOne of my favourite authors -- B J NovakSimon Rich is the funniest writer alive -- Matt HaigGenius ... He is a Thurber, even a Wodehouse, for today. Who could ask for more? You can give his books to people and just watch them laugh. Only after you've snorted through them yourself, though * Evening Standard *With Simon Rich's new collection you will laugh out loud regularly ... The stories are very, very funny ... Read Hits and Misses if you like laughing at things. -- Patrick Freyne * Irish Times *Wildly funny -- Anthony Cummins * Metro *

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Book SynopsisRenae Lucas-Hall is an Australian-born British novelist and writer. She has always had a passion for reading and writing stories and speaking foreign languages. She enjoys writing about Japan in particular, whether it be fiction or non-fiction. Renae graduated from university in Australia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese language and culture. She went on to live in Tokyo for two years where she taught English. Over the past twenty years, Renae has visited Japan many times for work or as a tourist. Renae lives in Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom with her husband.

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Book Synopsis'Profoundly imagined characters, spiced with the off-kilter and deliciously mad . . . a work of great empathy and imagination' THE IRISH TIMESThe season's just begun at Seacliff Caravan Park, but none of the residents are having a good time. Frankie is haunted by his daughter's death. Vidas, homeless and far from Lithuania, seeks sanctuary in an abandoned caravan. Anna struggles to shake off the ghost of her overbearing mother. Kathleen struggles to accept her daughter for who she is. Malcolm, a failed illusionist, makes one final attempt to reinvent himself. Agatha Christie-obsessed Alma faces her toughest case yet as she tries to help them all find what they've lost.With trademark wit and playfulness, in this stunning linked short-story collection Jan Carson explores complex family dynamics, ageing, immigration, gender politics, the decline of the Church and the legacy of the Troubles. The Last Resort firmly places Carson as one of the most inventive and daring writers of her generation.'One of the most exciting and original Northern Irish writers of her generation' SUNDAY TIMESTrade ReviewProfoundly imagined characters, spiced with the off-kilter and deliciously mad . . . a work of great empathy and imagination - The Irish Times -- The Irish Times. . . stories filled with wit and humanity - Irish Independent -- Irish Independent

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