Anthologies & Short Stories

Book SynopsisStevenson published this collection of his early fiction in 1882, after the pieces had appeared in various magazines. The first half features two popular detective-story cycles, The Suicide Club and The Rajah’s Diamonds, which deal with a macabre secret society and the intrigues and escapades involving exotic jewels. The second half brings together unrelated pieces, including the seminal ‘The Pavilion on the Links’ – described by Conan Doyle as the first short story in the world – which is set in a cottage surrounded by quicksand and tells the story of two old friends who become rivals for the affection of a woman. An eclectic, entertaining compilation, New Arabian Nights represented a milestone in Stevenson’s creative development and confirmed his reputation as one of the finest storytellers in the English language.Trade ReviewFrom my very childhood Robert Louis Stevenson was an incarnation of happiness for me. -- Jorge Luis BorgesTable of ContentsContains: The Suicide Club, Story of the Young Man with the Cream Tarts, Story of the Physician and the Saratoga Trunk, The Adventure of the Hansom Cabs, The Raja's Diamond, Story of the Bandbox, Story of the Young Man in Holy Orders, Story of the House with the Green Blinds, The Adventure of Prince Florizel and a Detective, The Pavilons on the Links, A Lodging for the Night, The Sire de Maletroit's Door, Providence and the Guitar.

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Book SynopsisOne of Tolstoy’s last published works of fiction, The Devil revolves around the young landowner Yevgeny’s irrepressible lust for Stepanida, a sensual peasant woman. Even when he gets married to a respectable upper-class lady, he finds himself unable to put an end to his encounters with Stepanida, and becomes increasingly consumed by guilt and helplessness in the face of his urges. In some ways comparable to the controversial Kreutzer Sonata, The Devil shows Tolstoy at his most salacious, and addresses the conflicts between desire, social norms and personal conscience. Also included in this volume is Family Happiness, one of Tolstoy’s earliest works, an entertaining and cynical account of marriage from the perspective of a disillusioned wife, and A Landowner’s Morning.

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Book SynopsisWritten in the 1830s and early 1840s, these comic stories tackle life behind the cold and elegant façade of the Imperial capital from the viewpoints of various characters, such as a collegiate assessor who one day finds that his nose has detached itself from his face and risen the ranks to become a state councillor (‘The Nose’), a painter and a lieutenant whose romantic pursuits meet with contrasting degrees of success (‘Nevsky Prospect’) and a lowly civil servant whose existence desperately unravels when he loses his prized new coat (‘The Overcoat’). Also including the ‘Diary of Madman’, these Petersburg Tales paint a critical yet hilarious portrait of a city riddled with pomposity and self-importance, masterfully juxtaposing nineteenth-century realism with madcap surrealism, and combining absurdist farce with biting satire.Trade ReviewGogol was a strange creature, but then genius is always strange. -- Vladimir NabokovTable of ContentsContains: Nevsky Prospect, The Nose, The Overcoat, Diary of a Madman

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1831, Belkin's Stories was the first completed work of fiction by the founding father of Russian literature. Through a series of interlinked stories purporting to have been told by various narrators to the recently deceased country squire Ivan Belkin, Pushkin offers his own variation on themes and genres that were popular in his day and provides a vivid portrayal of the Russian people. From the story of revenge served cold in 'The Shot' to the havoc wreaked by a blizzard on the life of two young lovers, from the bittersweet tones of 'The Station Master' to the supernatural atmosphere of 'The Undertaker', this collection - presented here in a brand-new translation by Roger Clarke - sparkles with humour and is a testament to the brilliance and versatility of Pushkin's mind.Trade ReviewPushkin is an extraordinary phenomenon, perhaps the only phenomenon of the Russian spirit. -- Nikolai GogolTable of ContentsContains: The Shot, The Blizzard, The Undertaker, The Postmaster, Young Miss Peasant, A History of Goryukhino Village

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Book SynopsisThis anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together 15 tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including newly discovered stories by Dorothy L. Sayers and Edmund Crispin that have never previously been published.With the Golden Age of detective fiction shining ever more brightly thanks to the recent reappearance of many forgotten crime novels, Bodies from the Library offers a rare opportunity to read lost stories from the first half of the twentieth century by some of the genre's most accomplished writers.This second volume is a showcase for popular figures of the Golden Age, in stories that even their most ardent fans will not be aware of. It includes uncollected and unpublished stories by acclaimed queens and kings of crime fiction, from Helen Simpson, Ethel Lina White, E.C.R. Lorac, Christianna Brand, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, to S.S. Van Dine, Jonathan Latimer, Clayton Rawson, Cyril Alington and Antony and Peter Trade Review‘Ingenious, unique and perfectly curated’ Dorset Book Detective ‘This is one of the best mixed anthologies I’ve come across … If you’re already a vintage crime fan, then this is one to grab; and if you’re new to the genre, then you’ll find this a very enjoyable way to introduce yourself to some of the greats. Highly recommended!’ FictionFanBlog ‘Rather like a box of chocolates … The sheer variety of tales means there will be something for everyone.’ Cross Examining Crime ‘The prize gems of this entertaining and informative anthology must be a previously unpublished Dorothy L. Sayers (featuring Lord Peter Wimsey) and Edmund Crispin (featuring Gervase Fen). If for those alone, it is worth stepping over the bodies in the library to grab this volume off the shelf.’ Mike Ripley ‘I think I've learned more from [Tony Medawar’s] researches than from the research of any other Golden Age fan’ Martin Edwards, doyouwriteunderyourownname.blogspot.co.uk ‘A stunning array of lost stories’ Puzzle Doctor, classicmystery.wordpress.com

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Book SynopsisNow adapted into major film, Certain Women, starring Kristen Stewart and Michelle WilliamsCaught between opposing forces - fidelity and desire, impulse and security, innocence and experience - these unforgettable characters have each reached a fork in the road. But what kind of fool only wants it one way?Funny, sly and sparkling with energy, Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It confirms Maile Meloy as an enthralling storyteller.Trade ReviewBrilliant. * * Helen Fielding * *Meloy's style is as fresh and brisk as an ocean breeze. * * Sunday Times * *Clever, calm, funny . . . absolutely compulsive. * * Daily Telegraph * *Meloy writes wonderfully well. * * Guardian * *A true and rare find. * * Richard Ford * *Moving, compassionate and amusing. * * Daily Mail * *She's such a talented and unpredictable writer that I'm officially joining her fan club. * * Guardian * *Meloy writes with both fearlessness and true compassion, two talents that are rarely combined. -- Ann Patchett on LIARS AND SAINTSMeloy writes elegantly and precisely, never wasting a word...a terrific read. -- Time Out on Meloy's HALF IN LOVEMeloy is able to give convincing voice to a huge range of characters...and she harnesses skilfully the power of the untold secrets that underlie the story. -- Guardian on Meloy's LIARS AND SAINTSWise, witty and beautifully written -- Helen Fielding on LIARS AND SAINTSThe opening story in this deft collection could be Annie Proulx, while the last recalls Tobias Wolff . . . Maile Meloy has a range and flexibility well beyond her years . . . There is an exactitude and simplicity to these assured and beautifully constructed stories, which are often told from the perspective of those who lack much authority over their lives. * * Observer * *One of the best of our contemporary short-story writers, Maile Meloy's star is rapidly rising - and this brilliant collection shows why. * * Sunday Business Post * *Meloy has such a sure handle in what to leave out. Her style is impressively unshowy: it's not even showily unshowy, not seeing the need to draw attention to its pared-down restraint. * * London Review of Books * *

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Book SynopsisHarry is the best and technically the 'only' at what he does, being the lone professional wizard PI in the Chicago phonebook. So when the Chicago PD has cases that transcend mortal capabilities, they come to him for answers. For the 'everyday' world is actually full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. Yet despite his precautions, Harry tends to stumble from crisis to drama in his dealings with the supernatural world - call it an occupational hazard. Here, he unfailingly manages to get on the wrong side of werewolf, fae and vampires alike. And that's where his own rather special powers come into play . . . These bite-sized stories are tremendously entertaining and will leave you itching to explore more of Harry Dresden's world.And as well as eight short stories, this collection will include an all-new Dresden Files novella.

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Book Synopsis'Frame achieved that supremely difficult task of finding a voice so natural' JANE CAMPION, GUARDIAN'The idea of a new novel by Janet Frame is in itself a delight' MAGGIE O'FARRELL 'She is a singular writer. No one is quite like her' ELEANOR CATTON The Daylight and the Dust is the most comprehensive selection of Janet Frame's stories ever published, taken from the four different collections released during her lifetime and featuring many of her best stories. Written over four decades, they come from her classic prize-winning collection The Lagoon and Other Stories, first published in 1952, right up to the volume You Are Now Entering the Human Heart, published in the 1980s. This new selection also includes five works that have not been collected before. Her themes range from childhood to old age to death and beyond. Within the pages of one book the reader is transported from small town New Zealand to inner-city London, and from realism to fantasy. Janet Frame's versatility dazzles.Trade ReviewFrame achieved that supremely difficult task of finding a voice so natural it feels almost as if it were not written -- Jane Campion * Guardian *The idea of a new novel by Janet Frame is in itself a delight -- Maggie O'FarrellShe is a singular writer. No one is quite like her -- Eleanor CattonJanet Frame's luminous words are the more precious because they were snatched from the jaws of the disaster of her early life -- Hilary MantelShe is a singular writer. No one is quite like her -- Eleanor Catton

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Book SynopsisElizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: one of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth - Sarah WatersElizabeth Taylor, highly acclaimed author of classic novels such as Angel, A Game of Hide and Seek and Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, is also renowned for her powerful, acutely observed stories. Here for the first time, the stories - including some only recently rediscovered - are collected in one volume. From the awkward passions of lonely holiday-makers to the anticipation of three school friends preparing for their first dance, from the minor jealousies and triumphs of marriage to tales of outsiders struggling to adapt to the genteel English countryside, with a delicate, witty touch Elizabeth Taylor illuminates the nuances of ordinary lives.Books included in the VMC 40th anniversary series include: Frost in May by Antonia White; The Collected Stories of Grace Paley; Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault; The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann; Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith; The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; Heartburn by Nora Ephron; The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy; Memento Mori by Muriel Spark; A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor; and Faces in the Water by Janet FrameTrade ReviewElizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: one of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth * Sarah Waters *Taylor has remarkable skill. In all the stories there is a peculiarly satisfying mixture of wit and generosity. Their human depth is such that they can be read again and again * Margaret Drabble *Taylor's writing is honed, even laconic, especially in dialogue. Her wit, while sharp, is buoyant. She focuses on the domestic as a theatre of secret barbarism ... These are Taylor's people, beautifully present and poignant as they play out the comedy of their lives -- Helen Dunmore * The Times *Must Reads: Taylor's wicked, subversive stories are a mordant delight * Sunday Times *Elizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: one of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth. -- Sarah WatersTaylor has remarkable skill. In all the stories there is a peculiarly satisfying mixture of wit and generosity. Their human depth is such that they can be read again and again. -- Margaret DrabbleTaylor's writing is honed, even laconic, especially in dialogue. Her wit, while sharp, is buoyant. She focuses on the domestic as a theatre of secret barbarism ... These are Taylor's people, beautifully present and poignant as they play out the comedy of their lives. -- Helen Dunmore * The Times *

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Book SynopsisA child is found standing on the street with an empty bucket in her hand and no memory of her name, her family or her past. Elsewhere, a girl grows up surrounded by familiar faces - a wet nurse, a piano teacher, a gardener, a best friend and a distant mother - but soon finds them slipping mysteriously from her life. In the company of these girls, we are compelled to tread the uncertain and spiky terrain of memory, where words are dropped like clues to reveal what has been hidden, forgotten or erased.Trade ReviewA haunting, offbeat novella of real profundity -- Lionel Shriver, author of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVINWith the detached spare prose and mysterious internal logic of a fairy tale, the writing has a dark, transformative power - it gets into the blood stream and refuses to leave. Beguiling and original * The Times *Intense and beautifully written * Time Out *Erpenbeck excels as miniaturist, examining the psychology of her blank-eyed outsider with language as sharp as a scalpel * Guardian *The kind of stories that enter the imagination by stealth ... Like dysfunctional fairy tales, these beautifully written stories explore the shifting sands of memory and identity * Belfast Telegraph *Don't try to learn too much about the origins of these two spare and spooky novellas before you submit to their uncanny mood ... What lies beyond ambiguity, in Susan Bernofsky's pin-sharp translations, is Erpenbeck's power to grip, chill - and haunt -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *These two novellas showcase Erpenbeck's disconcerting material and her pared-down style ... The subtle interplay of childish interpretation and adult euphemism, gradually unravelling its grim meaning is thoroughly chilling -- James Urquhart * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisGrowing up gay is fraught with constraints and even danger in the small Greek-Bahamian community that feels its traditional culture and religious pieties are under threat. The main characters in Helen Klonaris’s poetic, inventive and sometimes transgressive collection of short stories confront this reality as part of their lives. Yet there are also ways in which young women in several of the stories search for roots in that tradition – to find within it, alternatives to the dominant influence of the Orthodox church. These include attempts to make connections between their Caribbean lives and the figures and narratives drawn from Greek mythology.Klonaris focuses closely on family relationships, in particular the compexities of father/daughter relationships – ranging from over-bearing authority, absence and incest. Klonaris’s characters are very much part of the wider realities in Bahamian society, including the presence of unregistered immigrants from Haiti, and the interplay between fear, repression, hypocrisy and resistance in the relations between the state, the churches and the LGBT community.

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Book SynopsisThe buttoned-up world of the British upper classes is exploded by the brilliance, wit and audacity of Saki's bomb-like stories. In 'The Open Window' an imaginative teenager gives a visitor the fright of his life. In 'The Unrest Cure' the ordered home of a respectable country gent is rocked to its core. And 'Laura' expresses the hope of revenge via reincarnation. For punchlines, twists, satire and pure mirth, Saki's stories are second-to-none.Trade ReviewOne of the funniest writers in the English language... Saki was incapable of writing a dull sentence, but the final lines of his short stories are works of art in themselves * Daily Telegraph *Read Saki, shiver, then smile. In his mixture of the exotic with the wholly English, of brazen charm with unapologetic spite, he stands alone * Independent *Saki writes like an enemy. Society has bored him to the point of murder. Our laughter is only a note or two short of a scream of fear -- V. S. PritchettSaki's stories are highly relevant to any society in which convention is confused with morality, and all societies confuse convention with morality, so he'll always be relevant -- Will SelfSaki remains, from a distance of a hundred years, just about the sharpest, cruellest, funniest and most elegant short story writer in our language... Saki is like a perfect martini but with absinthe stirred in...heady, delicious and dangerous. Enjoy -- Stephen Fry

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Book SynopsisThis award-winning story collection summons all the laughter, darkness and intensity of contemporary Irish life. A pair of fast girls court trouble as they cool their heels on a slow night in a small town. Lonesome hillwalkers take to the high reaches in pursuit of a saving embrace. A bewildered man steps off a country bus in search of his identity - and a stiff drink. These stories, filled with a grand sense of life's absurdity, form a remarkably surefooted collection that reads like a modern-day Dubliners.Trade ReviewCould easily have been titled These Are Little Masterpieces * * Irish Times * *The most arresting and original writer to emerge from these islands in years -- Irvine WelshKevin Barry is among the brightest and most delightful new voices in Irish fiction -- Rick Moody

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Book Synopsis''Wonderful . . . all killer, no filler'' Red Magazine''Dazzling stories, as inventive as they are inspiring'' Daily Mirror''Where power and feminist rage meet'' Stylist______________________________A fun and fearless anthology of feminist tales, by fifteen bestselling, award-winning writers:Margaret Atwood, Susie Boyt, Eleanor Crewes, Emma Donoghue, Stella Duffy, Linda Grant, Claire Kohda, CN Lester, Kirsty Logan, Caroline O''Donoghue, Chibundu Onuzo, Helen Oyeyemi, Rachel Seiffert, Kamila Shamsie and Ali Smith - introduced by Sandi Toksvig. DRAGON. TYGRESS. SHE-DEVIL. HUSSY. SIREN. WENCH. HARRIDAN. MUCKRAKER. SPITFIRE. VITUPERATOR. CHURAIL. TERMAGANT. FURY. WARRIOR. VIRAGO. For centuries past, and all across the world, there are words that have defined and decried us. Words that raise our hackles, fire up our blood; words that tell a story.In this blazing cauldron of a book, fifteen bestselling, award-winning writers have taken up their pens and reclaimed these words, creating an entertaining and irresistible collection of feminist tales for our time.''A slick collection of clever tales, with something for bluestockings and banshees alike'' Guardian''Delightful, thought-provoking'' Louisa Young, PerspectivesTrade ReviewThis anthology is all killer, no filler * Red Magazine *A slick collection of clever tales, with something for bluestockings and banshees alike * Observer *Some are historical, some are infused with the mystical and magical, some have threads of fierce commentary and some are laugh-out-loud funny. All of them fizz with energy, meaning and page-turner plots * The Scotsman *Delightful and thought-provoking * Perspective *Spell-binding . . . these vivid works of imagination are further proof that, back in 1973, Virago's founder Carmen Calil was on to something -- Kiran Duggal * Harper's Bazaar *A collection of dazzling stories, as inventive as they are inspiring * Daily Mirror *A collection of wild works by wild women is the perfect tribute to Virago's impact and legacy * Tortoise Media *Some stories are historical, some are infused with the mystical and magical, some have threads of fierce commentary and some are laugh-out-loud funny. All of them fizz with energy, meaning and page-turner plots * The Press and Journal *Definitely where power and feminist rage meet * Stylist *[Furies addresses] the full panoply of 'isms' such as racism, ageism, heroism, terrorism, and classism, all congregated under feminism * Irish Examiner *

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Book SynopsisThe famous detective returns in a thrilling anthology of 12 Sherlock short stories spanning Holmes's entire career, penned by Peter Swanson, Cara Black, James Lovegrove and more. A brand-new collection of twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories which spans Holmes's entire career, from the early days in Baker Street to retirement on the South Downs. Penned by masters of the genre, these Sherlock stories feature a woman haunted by the ghost of a rival actress, Moriarty's son looking for revenge, Oscar Wilde's lost manuscript, a woman framing her husband for murder, Mycroft's encounter with Moriarty and Colonel Moran, and many more! Featuring stories by: Peter Swanson Cara Black James Lovegrove Andrew Lane Philip Purser-Hallard David Stuart Davies Eric Brown Amy Thomas Derrick Belanger Cavan Scott Stuart Douglas David MarcumTrade ReviewPraise for Peter Swanson: "Chilling and hypnotically suspenseful ... could be an instant classic." Lee Child Praise for James Lovegrove: "The pastiche is pitch-perfect; Lovegrove tells a thrilling tale and vividly renders the atmosphere of Victorian London." The Guardian Praise for Cara Black: "Black excels at setting vivid scenes, creating lively characters and maintaining pulse-elevating suspense" Wall Street Journal Praise for Philip Purser-Hallard: "One of the cleverest locked room mysteries ever tackled by Sherlock Holmes... This ranks among the top novel-length Sherlock Holmes pastiches." Publishers Weekly Starred Review Praise for Eric Brown: "Reads like a country-house whodunit from the golden age, packed with fascinating characters, each boasting a motive for murder" Kirkus Reviews Praise for David Marcum: "Marcum could be today's greatest Sherlockian writer, and Conan Doyle himself would be proud of this story." Lee Child Praise for Cavan Scott: "The original plot line is refreshing, and the portrayals of the leads are generally faithful to the Sherlock Holmes canon." Publishers Weekly Praise for The Sign of Seven "Testament to the diversity that novella collections can bring.... A must for Holmes fans." Paperbacks and Pinot "If you're a Sherlock Holmes fan, you can't go too wrong with this collection" The Dreamcage "The Sign of Seven is a great way to spend a few hours for any mystery fan; enjoy losing yourself in not one but seven Sherlock Holmes mysteries!" Snazzy Books

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Book Synopsis From a celebrated master of the Southern Gothic comes a last collection of hard-hitting short fiction, his final posthumous work Beloved for his novels Twilight, The Long Home,and The Lost Country ,and his groundbreaking collection I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down, William Gay returns with one final posthumous collection of short stories, adapted from the archive found after his death in February 2012. In addition to previously unpublished short stories, Stories from the Attic includes fragments from two of the unpublished novels that were works in progress at the time of his death. Marked by his signature skill and bare-knuckled insight, this collection is a must-read for William Gay devotees and fans of Southern short fiction.

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Book Synopsis'Sestanovich’s elegant prose takes seriously the quiet unrest that can ravage a life' - Raven Leilani, author of LusterA Best Book of the Summer in The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly,Vogue, Esquire and Refinery29A university student is flying home to visit her family when she strikes up an odd, ephemeral friendship with the couple next to her on the plane. A mother prepares for her son's wedding, her own life unravelling as his comes together. A long-lost stepbrother's visit prompts a family's reckoning with its old taboos.In these eleven powerful stories, thrilling desire and melancholic yearning animate women’s lives – from the brink of adulthood, to the labyrinthine path between twenty and thirty, to middle age, when certain possibilities quietly lapse. Tender, lucid and piercingly funny, Objects of Desire is a collection pulsing with subtle drama, rich with unforgettable scenes, and alive with moments of recognition, each more startling than the last - a spellbinding debut that announces a major talent.'A debut story collection of the rarest kind . . . you wish that every single entry could be an entire novel.' — Entertainment WeeklyClare Sestanovich named one of The National Book Foundation's '5 under 35'.Trade ReviewSestanovich’s elegant prose takes seriously the quiet unrest that can ravage a life, and makes room for the pleasure and discovery that can be found in that ruin -- Raven Leilani, author of LusterSublimely polished . . . collectively probe the gap between how we’re seen and how we might long to appear. -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer *Sestanovich's steady hand and bone-clean prose recall such foremothers as Joan Didion, Zadie Smith, and Jhumpa Lahiri -- Elinor Hitt * The Paris Review *Sestanovich is an extraordinary noticer. Carefully, sparely, she parses layers of feeling and attitude; of the tiny ways we admit or refuse love; of incremental, almost invisible, losses of self * Guardian *Bold and beguiling -- Chloe Aridjis, author of Book of CloudsThe summer's most buzzed about book * Sunday Times *As far as writing pedigrees go, it doesn’t get much more impressive than The New Yorker and The Paris Review . . . A smart, incisive look at the complexities of being a woman right now * Stylist *Smart and accomplished . . . Sestanovich’s prose is poised and understated, sensorily precise . . . her gift is to make ordinary moments shine brightly * The New York Times Book Review *Astonishing - one of the best story collections I’ve read in a long time . . . I feel like I've found a new favorite writer - Clare Sestanovich is stylish and skilled, an astute chronicler of contemporary life -- Brandon Taylor, Booker-shortlisted author of Real LifeNuanced, beautifully shaped . . . In Sestanovich’s hands, the mundane feels surprising—mesmerizing, even * Refinery29 *Clare Sestanovich’s stories compelled me like gravity, and offered sharp, surprising, singular bursts of grace -- Leslie Jamison, author of The Recovering and The Empathy ExamsExtraordinary * Esquire *Clare Sestanovich is a gifted observer and writes a sentence sharp enough to cut yourself on . . . A magnificent debut -- Nathan Englander, author of Dinner at the Center of the EarthA debut story collection of the rarest kind: One in which you wish that every single entry could be an entire novel. * Entertainment Weekly *Objects of Desire is a marvel . . . I loved this book -- Miranda Popkey, author of Topics of ConversationLuminous . . . Sestanovich writes with a kind of bracing cold-plunge clarity. Objects of Desire taps into the peculiar, primal struggle of becoming who you are, and all the stories you have to tell yourself to get there. -- Leah Greenblatt * Entertainment Weekly *A fun read [that] reminds us that we’re all human -- Kaia Gerber, quoted in The Wall Street JournalSestanovich is a skilled craftswoman, each sentence a carefully positioned tile in a mosaic * Vulture *A mesmerizing, exquisite debut -- Dana Spiotta, author of Innocents and Others[Sestanovich's] characters always seem poised at the brink of some great, terrifying, wondrous unraveling * Electric Literature *Sestanovich’s intelligent debut collection demonstrates a gift for pithy detail that encapsulates the whole of a character’s personality or era of lived experience * Publishers Weekly *Exquisitely observed, and sure to stay with you long after you’ve finished * Bustle *Wry and knowing and deeply funny -- Mira Sethi, author of Are You Enjoying?Sestanovich’s writing is clever and rich with layers, just like her characters. And the textures of her sentences are as nuanced as desire itself * Fiction Writers' Review *Sestanovich expertly places you in the mind of different women, young and old, rich and poor, single and in relationships. The stolen glimpses into the complex minds of her characters will leave you unable to resist writing the rest of their story in your head * Reaction *These stories are restrained, nearly aloof, despite the fact that the characters are constantly and messily butting up against the futility of their desires * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisThree irresistible short stories by Ali Hazelwood the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of TikTok sensation THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, now available in paperback for the first time with a new, exclusive, bonus chapter.Trade ReviewNeuroscientist and TikTok star Ali Hazelwood's funny, steamy stories marry science to sizzling sexual chemistry, as her three endearing heroines head from animosity to head-over heels with a trio of strong, stroppy but ultimately lovable work rivals/crushes. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe irresistible literary debut about the hidden desires of church-going Black women 'Left me wanting more. Masterfully written' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie 'Joyous... It's a book in love with life' The Times 'Exquisite... delicious' Bolu Babalola, author of Love in Colour The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires, and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. There is fourteen-year-old Jael, who nurses a crush on the preacher's wife; the mother who bakes a sublime peach cobbler every Monday for her date with the married Pastor; and Eula and Caroletta, single childhood friends who seek solace in each other's arms every New Year's Eve. With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be - and as free as they deserve to be.Trade Review'Tender, truthful... joyous... full of flawed, bruised, bold, complex, intensely human characters' - Sarah Waters'It's terrific. I'm savouring every story in it, reading them once, then again.' - Madeline Miller'Joyous... It's a book in love with life' - The Times'Left me wanting more. Masterfully written. Deesha Philyaw knows the craft of writing as well as she does the nuances of sex' - Candice Carty-Williams'Joyful, riotous... Philyaw's great triumph is to permit her characters to inhabit fully their rich and particular interior lives' - Alex Preston

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE EDGE HILL SHORT STORY PRIZE'Sensual, spiky, tender and utterly original' Pandora Sykes'A fierce and fascinating debut' Lily KingI was told of an older woman who was asked by her granddaughter, 'Granny, when was the happiest time of your life?''I don't know,' she replied, 'I may not have had it yet.'The stories found in this collection explore the worlds of thirteen older women, reframing their intellectual and emotional lives in intimate vignettes that will shock and comfort in equal measure. In elegant prose Jane Campbell ignites the voices of women who are fighting to live on their own terms, energised by the stuff of human living: a need for companionship, attachments to love-objects, freedoms, integrity and sense of self. Cat Brushing confronts the tragic misconceptions of ageing showing older women to be nothing less than courageous, fearless and defiant in the face of overwhelming odds.Trade ReviewCat Brushing is a fierce and fascinating debut. I loved these women who have taken off their gloves to fight life with their bare hands. -- Lily King, author of Writers & LoversI loved these fresh, wry, strange stories; by turns moving and unnerving, they disturb expectations of the longings, loves and ambitions of older women. -- Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From and The HarpyIt's not every day . . . that you encounter a debut as fresh, assured and fun as Jane Campbell's . . . Though her stories are frequently explicit enough to bring colour to your cheeks, Campbell maintains a cool, commanding tone that enhances the effect of her limpid prose . . . The stories are varied in approach without being showy about it, and consistently draw novel insight from a few major themes: aging, sexuality, memory, loneliness. Her work merits comparison with that of Edna O'Brien or Muriel Spark, while an uncanny streak running through several of the pieces . . . might bring Daphne du Maurier to mind. * New York Times *I laughed out loud in joy and admiration so many times in this original, surprising book. Cat Brushing is about aging, about sex, about the weirdness of technology, and about womanhood - these stories felt both deeply familiar to me and far too absent from many of our culture's stories. Jane Campbell is a refreshing, compelling new voice. -- Kate Reed PettyJane Campbell is a wonder! It's her clear-eyed vision, rendered in prose as crisp as bone china, that had me rapt. This book flings open a heretofore shuttered window, giving us an invigoratingly fresh and absolutely essential view of the psychology and emotions and appetites of aging women. Jane Campbell, where have you been? We've needed you for a very, very long time. -- Jamie Quatro, author of Fire SermonJane Campbell's Cat Brushing is the debut of the decade, an eighty year old woman laying out the physical and spiritual struggle of life at its very end. I was haunted by these stories of older women falling, having strokes, dying--subjects often flattened into sentimentality--but in Campbell's hands made both elegant and transgressive. We are striving creatures of intense desire, Campbell insists, until we are not. -- Darcey Steinke, author of Flash Count DiaryIn thirteen revivifying stories, thirteen candid, empathic portraits of aging women for whom desire yet smolders, Campbell proves aging is a complex sport. Some mental agility is required, some wit and wisdom. Befuddlement and remorse are a part of play, too, but the stories offer the solace of shared experience and company. -- Christine Schutt, Pure Hollywood and Other StoriesStepping into these stories by Jane Campbell feels like opening a door back into the world. The thrust of life, of longing and regret, of contempt and forgiveness, it's all here in such vivid, delicious phrasing. She reads like Eudora Welty's wicked British cousin, a lot of fun. -- John Freeman, Editor of The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short StorySensual, spiky, tender and utterly original short stories about the desire of women in their seventies and older. * Pandora Sykes *Cat Brushing offers a much-needed fresh perspective on the diverse realities of ageing. * Women's Own *An illuminating, funny and tender collection that affirms wisdom and experience as the basis for great storytelling * Sunday Business Post *Sensuous, strange and utterly original. * Sunday Independent Ireland (Book of the Year) *

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Book SynopsisClassic crime fiction''s ''Indiana Jones'' Tony Medawar unearths more unpublished and uncollected stories from the Golden Age of suspense, including John Bude, John Dickson Carr, Dorothy L. Sayers and Julian Symons.Five books in, and the selection here might well be the strongest yet. This series continues to delight with the high standard of forgotten gems that Medawar uncovers, and there's sufficient range to ensure that all fans of the genre will find something to enjoy. Book 6 can't come soon enough.'Jim Noy, author of The Red Death MurdersThe end of the First World War saw the rise of an insatiable public appetite for clever and thrilling mystery fiction and a new kind of hero the modern crime writer. As the genre soared in popularity, so did the inventiveness of its best authors, ushering in a Golden Age of detective fiction two decades of exemplary mystery writing: the era of the whodunit, the impossible crime and the locked-room mystery, with stories that have thrilled and baTrade Review‘An annual treat – almost like the summer version of a Christie for Christmas.’—Kate Jackson, author of The Pocket Detective and Cross Examining Crime ‘One of the best mixed anthologies I’ve come across … If you’re already a vintage crime fan, then this is one to grab; and if you’re new to the genre, then you’ll find this a very enjoyable way to introduce yourself to some of the greats. Highly recommended!’—FictionFanBlog ‘A veritable treasure trove of classic short stories’—Daily Mail ‘Tony Medawar triumphs again with this treasure trove of lost Golden Age gems.’—John Curran, author of The Hooded Gunman ‘In bringing to public awareness some of the forgotten, neglected, or simply unknown stories that the great and the good of the form produced, these collections have become a source of great excitement, and a must-read for even the most ardent student of the Golden Age.’—The Invisible Event

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Book SynopsisStories for Winter is a collection of short stories that take their inspiration from this cold, snowy season, whether it's winter holidays, weather-related predicaments or seasonal celebrations.

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Book SynopsisDoce relatos, doce pequeñas obras maestras de un autor en su mejor momento literario «El autor, lejísimos de buscar placidez y comodidad en sus historias, es un maestro en el arte de la novela psicológica con mayúscula.» —Isabel Llauger, Qué Leer   Hombres y mujeres en tránsito, llegados a un país o una ciudad nueva, viajeros atrapados en un crucero teóricamente paradisiaco que se convierte en pesadilla, parejas que cuanto más hablan menos se comunican, padres primerizos de un bebé llorón, mujeres que celebran un cumpleaños en el que no hay mucho que celebrar... toda una galería de personajes llenos de verdad y con vidas a la deriva protagonizan estos doce relatos de un autor en lo mejor de su carrera literaria.   La incursión del autor en el relato breve, con la destreza y la imaginación que ha derro

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Book Synopsis''I tender these tales of the Jazz Age into the hands of those who read as they run and run as they read.'' Tales of the Jazz Age (1922) was Fitzgerald''s second collection of short stories, and it contains some of the best examples of his talent as a writer of short fiction. Often overshadowed by his major novels, Fitzgerald''s short stories demonstrate the same originality and inventive range, as he chronicles with wry and astute observation the temper of the hedonistic 1920s. In ''May Day'' and ''The Diamond as Big as the Ritz'', two of his greatest stories, he conjures up the spirit of the age; in other stories he adopts a variety of forms - parody, a one-act play, fantasy - with unrivalled versatility. ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'', a tale of a man living his life backwards, features among the ''Fantasies'' in Fitzgerald''s self-deprecatory Table of Contents, alongside the groupings ''My Last Flappers'' and ''Unclassified Masterpieces''.Fitzgerald chose the stories for hTable of ContentsA Table of Contents The Jelly-Bean The Camel's Back May Day Porcelain and Pink The Diamond as Big as the Ritz The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Tarquin of Cheapside "O Russet Witch!" The Lees of Happiness Mr. Icky Jemima, the Mountain Girl

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Book SynopsisHugo Award winning editor, and horror legend, Ellen Datlow presents a chilling horror anthology of original short stories exploring the endless terrors of winter solstice traditions across the globe, featuring chillers by Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu and many more.

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Book SynopsisA brilliant collection of short stories and short form fiction from the pen of Sir Terry Pratchett, one of the world''s best-loved authors.''Clever, neatly constructed and funny Pratchett is one of the great comic writers and storytellers of our time'' GuardianA Blink of the Screen charts the course of Pratchett''s long writing career: from his schooldays through to his first writing job on the Bucks Free Press; to the origins of his debut novel, The Carpet People; and on again to the dizzy mastery of the Discworld series.Here are characters both familiar and yet to be discovered; abandoned worlds and others still expanding; adventure, chickens, death, disco and, actually, some quite disturbing ideas about Christmas, all of it shot through with his inimitable brand of humour.With an introduction by Booker Prize-winning author A.S. Byatt and drawings by the author himself, this is a book to treasure.

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Book SynopsisIt is a winter evening, and Yegor Aduyev, the scion of a wealthy family from the landed gentry, slips into the house of Baron Neyleyn with the intention of asking his beautiful daughter, the eighteen-year-old Yelena, to be his wife. Will the besotted lover be successful in his pursuit or will the young coquette - who seems at times to reciprocate his feelings, but who lavished lingering looks on two dashing princes during a recent ball - shatter his hopes, his dreams and his entire world? A Serendipitous Error, written in 1839, when Goncharov was still in his twenties, is accompanied here by another early novella, An Evil Malady and a short fictional fragment. Taken together, these stories - translated for the first time into English - are further proof of the eclectic narrative skills of the celebrated author of Oblomov.

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Book SynopsisJhumpa Lahiri is the Millicent C. MacIntosh Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Barnard College, Columbia University. In 2000, she received the Pulitzer Prize for Interpreter of Maladies, her debut story collection. She is also the author of The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth and The Lowland, a finalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Award in Fiction. Since 2015, Lahiri has been writing in Italian: In altre parole (In Other Words), Il vestito dei libri (The Clothing of Books), Dove mi trovo (self-translated as Whereabouts), Il quaderno di Nerina and Racconti romani (Roman Stories). She is also the editor of The Penguin Classics Book of Italian Short Stories, which was published in Italy as Racconti italiani.

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Book SynopsisTequio in Mexico, auzolan in Basque Country, lumbung in Indonesia, ubuntu in South Africa, mutirao in Brazil - all terms used around the world to describe the concept of collective work. Bringing together 8 publishing houses and 7 writers, each writing in a different language, Lumbung Stories is a true product of communal action. From speculative essays and experimental texts to intimate stories that portray collective work as something every day and habitual, each writer presents their unique take on what a "lumbung story" is. These tales take us from olive groves in Andalusia to tiger-filled forests in Indonesia; from youths fumbling through adolescence together in the Basque country, to outsiders uniting through vibrant rituals in Sao Paulo, and from explorations of intergenerational and transhistorical struggle in South Africa, to an academic text from a society rebuilding in a post-Capitalist, post-climate-crisis future. Blurring the lines between realism and fiction, the past and the future, this unique and powerful collection brims with life and is a vital reminder of the ties that unite us all.Table of ContentsPrologue Super Salve by Azhari Aiyub (translated by Mikael Johani) In the Shadow of Icarus by Uxue Alberdi (translated by Jonathan Rackstraw) Expandable Memory by Cristina Judar (translated by Julia Sanches) Dry and Green by Nesrine Akram Khoury (translated by Jonathan Wright) The People of North Igra by Yasnaya Elana (translated by Joshua Rackstraw) Ukuza kukaNxele Or, Time Passes by Panashe Chigumadzi WTF Are Commons? by Mithu Sanyal (translated by Lucy Jones) Authors Translators Publishers

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Book SynopsisThis is where the story should end, but life is not as kind as literature...'A journey to Acapulco gradually becomes a descent into the underworld. An elderly South American writer instructs a protégé in the subterfuges of entering work for provincial literary prizes. A litany unfolds, offering sixty-nine reasons why not to dance with Pablo Neruda.The melancholy folklore of exile,' as Roberto Bolaño once put it, pervades the fourteen haunting stories of Last Evenings on Earth. Set in the Chilean exile diaspora of Latin America and Europe, and peopled by Bolano''s beloved failed generation,' this collection was the first to introduce the English-speaking world to Bolaño's immeasurable gifts as a short-story writer.TRANSLATED BY CHRIS ANDREWSMay be the most haunting and mesmerising collection I have ever read' Daily TelegraphIt is a shame that Bolaño has no more evenings on earth, his unique voice asserting the imp

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Editors’ Choice * One of The Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of Fiction of 2023 * One of Chicago Public Library’s Favorite Books of the Year * A LitHub Best Book of 2023 From the author of Infinite Country—a New York Times bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick—comes a “rich and compelling” (The Washington Post) collection of ten exquisite, award-winning short stories set across the Americas and linked by themes of migration, sacrifice, and moral compromise.Two Colombian expats meet as strangers on the rainy streets of New York City, both burdened with traumatic pasts. In Cuba, a woman discovers her deceased brother’s bones have been stolen, and the love of her life returns from Ecuador for a one-night visit. A cash-strapped couple hustles in Miami, to life-altering ends. “If you’re looking for a collection that will touch your heart and make you look at your fellow humans more generously, this one’s a can’t-miss” (Good Housekeeping). Author Patricia Engel is “a wonder” (Lauren Groff) and these intimate and panoramic stories bring to life the liminality of regret, the vibrancy of community, and the epic deeds and quiet moments of love.Trade Review“Sparkling . . . . What makes Engel’s story collection so rich and compelling is that the Colombian American author places her tales in the context of universal themes: the compromises we make for love, the lies we tell ourselves and others, betrayal, paranoia, grief, joy, acceptance . . . . Engel knows how to draw in readers fast—and keep them . . . . [she] entices you with irresistible opening lines over and over.” —Manuel Roig-Franzia, The Washington Post “One of our most essential writers . . . . Engel’s gift for dialogue and her lyrical powers of description make these stories crackle, but it’s her bittersweet insight into the costs of leaving—and staying!—home that will lodge The Faraway World in your heart.” —Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire "Any fan of Engel’s work will tell you to prepare yourself for unique and intimate layered storytelling. You'll find that and so much more in this new short story collection exploring themes of community, regret and migration." —TODAY “When you’re in a dark place, you just want someone next to you with a (proverbial) flashlight, holding your hand. Patricia Engel does that in this evocative collective featuring Colombians and Colombian expats teetering on the line between despair, and resilience.” —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Best Book of the Month “Wistful and understated . . . . [its] characters have astonishingly complex relationships to places they’ve never seen or haven’t been to in many years, since they emigrated to another place . . . . The Faraway World is a collection about the Latin American diaspora, but it’s also one that proves how Engel, like one of her characters, is capable of noticing that between any two people a look reveals more than a fingerprint.’” —Leigh Newman, New York Times Book Review “Most of the ten stories have a pair of characters at their center, the intersection of their lives sizzling like crossed wires. . . Engel’s gift for dialogue makes it a pleasure to read. . . full of ironic flair, imagination, and empathy.” —Marion Winik, WYPR’s “The Weekly Reader” “Stellar . . . luminous [and] assured . . . . Engel places her own faith in the story behind each story; what shimmers off the page is as vital as the pieces themselves. She gracefully weaves the quiet despair of individual lives with the fury of social upheaval. With its dreamy, ephemeral title, The Faraway World hints at what lies beyond our grasp; and yet it grounds our fates in our own hands.” —Hamilton Cain, Minneapolis Star-Tribune "These 10 compelling stories follow characters that feel as real as I do, grappling with human struggles that feel both uniquely new and nearly universal. If you're looking for a collection that will touch your heart and make you look at your fellow humans more generously, this one's a can't-miss." —Good Housekeeping “[This] collection lives up to Engel’s well-deserved reputation . . . . Each story is compelling in its own way. Engel’s writing has a propulsive effect, carrying readers forward, and her characters are fascinating.” —Southern Review of Books "Patricia Engel is the kind of writer other writers love to envy. How could we not? There is a steady, consistent, and exquisite control in her prose. There is her rare ability to craft extraordinary situations out of this ordinary world . . . . There is also such unexpected beauty in her sentences . . . . I must be honest here: I’m still working on getting over my envious ways. Engel’s latest, The Faraway World, may have set me back some. But I suppose we can agree there’s enchantment in surrendering to an expert working at this level. Especially, if it is in service of looting some of her magic." —Cleyvis Natera, author of Neruda on the Park “With flowing, beautiful language, Engel shows us a gritty reality, but mixes in doses of dark humor and empathy.” —Book Riot “A powerful new story collection that captures the diasporic experience of the modern Americas in all its complexity, nuance, and humanity . . . . Her stories also move between registers—at times sweeping and tinged with history, other times intensely personal. Always, her characters are real people, dealing with real struggles, rendered beautifully, with insight and understanding.” —Dwyer Murphy, Lit Hub “A haunting read . . . . No matter how far these stories travel, Engel infuses intimacy and care in every single life she writes.” —Chicago Review of Books “A pleasure to read . . . . Engel's multinational update of dirty realism is full of ironic flair, imagination, and empathy.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

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Book SynopsisBringing together novelist Osamu Dazai's best autobiographical shorts in a single, slim volume, Self-Portraits shows the legendary writer at his best—and his worstTrade Review"Dazai was an aristocratic tramp, a self-described delinquent, yet he wrote with the forbearance of a fasting scribe." -- Patti Smith"What I despise about Dazai is that he exposes precisely those things in myself that I most want to hide." -- Yukio Mishima

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Book SynopsisIlka Weisz is in need not just of friends but ''elective cousins''. She has left her home in New York to accept a junior teaching post at the prestigious Concordance Institute, a liberal college in bucolic Connecticut. But how can she, a Jewish refugee from Vienna, find a new set to belong to - a surrogate family? Might the Shakespeares - the institute''s director and his wry, acerbic wife - hold the key?In these interlinked New Yorker stories, Lore Segal evokes the comic melancholy of the outsider and the ineffectual ambitions of a progressive, predominantly WASP-ish institution. Tragedy and loss haunt characters as they plan an academic symposium on genocide, while their privileged lives contrast starkly with those on a derelict housing project next door. Includes the acclaimed New Yorker podcast story, "The Reverse Bug".

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Book SynopsisA collectible hardcover edition of the best stories by the father of the Japanese short story—including the two that inspired Kurosawa's classic samurai film about the subjectivity of truth—featuring an introduction by Haruki MurakamiA Penguin Vitae EditionRyūnosuke Akutagawa is one of Japan's foremost stylists—a modernist master whose short stories are marked by highly original imagery, cynicism, beauty, and wild humor. Rashōmon and In a Bamboo Grove inspired Akira Kurosawa's magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is turned upside down, while tales such as The Nose, O-Gin and Loyalty paint a rich and imaginative picture of a medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests, vagrants and peasants. And in later works such as Death Register, The Life of a Stupid Man, and Spinning Gears, Akutagawa drew from his own life to devastating effect, revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressio

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Book SynopsisConvergence Problems is a new short story collection from award-winning, Nebula-nominated Nigerian author Wole Talabi.Trade ReviewPraise for Convergence Problems "A jaw-dropping collection....Beautiful, vibrant, and electrifying, this has the makings of a modern classic." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Written with an emotional economy few storytellers can master....A fascinating and riveting exploration of what the future may hold-for better or worse." -Kirkus "Deftly entwining his Nigerian culture with sf and Afrofuturism, Talabi uses each story to analyze Africa's rapidly evolving relationship with technology. For fans of Margaret Atwood's dystopian works and P. Djeli Clark's speculative fiction, Convergence Problems provides an Afrocentric sf narrative that is sure to captivate." - Raychel Bennet, Booklist (starred review) Praise for the work of Wole Talabi "A heist caper with sex, violence, and superpowers popping off every technicolor page. Readers are in for a rollicking thrill ride." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Wole Talabi has made a name for himself recently as a master of shorter works of fiction." -SciFi Mind "Wole Talabi mixes literary skill with speculative SF abilities to make him one of the spearheads of the African revolution in speculative writing." -Geoff Ryman, Nebula Award-Winning author of The Child Garden and Air "Wole Talabi is a brilliant short fiction writer." -Alex Jennings, author of The Ballad of Perilous Graves "These are amazing narratives which show assiduous reflection on science, emotion, mysticism, and philosophy...each story is prose that gently tickles the forebrain. Recommended." -Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater "A high octane thriller that is simply unputdownable. This remarkable debut rocked my world." -T. L. Huchu, author of The Library of the Dead "Fast and sharp as talons." -Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls and Broken Monsters "Beautiful, vibrant, and electrifying, this has the makings of a modern classic." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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