Anthologies & Short Stories

Book SynopsisElla Carr is the editor of Florence Stories and Stories of Southern Italy in the Everyman's Library Pocket Classics series.

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Book SynopsisA collection of 12 short stories, mostly focused on the distinct character of life in Lagos - the commercial capital of Nigeria. In writing this book, the author says he has tried to teleport the reader to Lagos, to experience what an average Nigerian in the south of the country does to keep his or her dreams, hopes and aspirations alive. He also shows the tensions that exist between the generations, between the sexes and between different social classes and ethnicities. The book shows why every Lagosian is expected to live by the popular local saying, "Shine Your Eyes", referring to the need to keep vigilant. Two stories are dedicated to the very different plight of people living in northern Nigeria. Northern Nigerians are mostly Hausa and Muslim; those in the south are mostly Christian and Yoruba or Igbo. Lagos is a land of opportunity and Lagosians are one of the most successful people in the world by virtue of their perseverance. As the author says (in Pidgin), “I dey live and work for Lagos and I love am - as I hope say you go see.”Table of ContentsTransistor Radio Twenty-Five Letters Ending in Tears Mistress of Sorrow The Commissioner Wellington Street Sorrow, Tears and Blood Live Here Checkmate Tribute to Mary Danfo Consolatory Rain The Voice

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Book SynopsisNOW A #1 BLOCKBUSTING FILM. The Sun is dying. Earth will perish too, consumed by the star in its final death throes. But rather than abandon their planet, humanity builds 12,000 mountainous fusion engines to propel the Earth out of orbit and onto a centuries-long voyage to Proxima Centaurai... Cixin Liu is one of the most important voices in world Science Fiction. A bestseller in China, his novel, The Three-Body Problem, was the first translated work of SF ever to win the Hugo Award. Here is the first collection of his short fiction: ten stories, including five Chinese Galaxy Award-winners. This collection's title story, The Wandering Earth, is the biggest SF movie ever to come out of China – taking the world's #1 box office ranking in February 2019. Liu's writing takes the reader to the edge of the universe and the end of time, to meet stranger fates than we could have ever imagined. With a melancholic and keen understanding of human nature, Liu's stories show humanity's attempts to reason, navigate and, above all, survive in a desolate cosmos. 'Cixin's trilogy is SF in the grand style, a galaxy-spanning, ideas-rich narrative of invasion and war' GUARDIAN. 'Wildly imaginative, really interesting... The scope of it was immense' BARACK OBAMA, 44th President of the United States. Trade ReviewComplex and grandiose... this is a mind-altering and immersive experience' * Daily Mail *A marvellous mélange of awe-inspiring scientific concepts... exhilarating, mind-stretching' * TLS *Top-flight SF; smart, informative and engaging * SFX *Liu conjures up a genuine sense of wonder * SFX *Absolutely fantastic... The hardback is a thing of beauty and its translations are wonderful' * For Winter Nights *A wonderful collection and brings Cixin Liu's own unique flavour to the genre * SF Crows Nest *Liu uses the exotic foreignness of alien environments to lure readers into an enchanted literary escape pod. The story's backdrop might be one of spectacular beauty or entropic devastation but the distancing effect its abnormality provides is always stirring * Big Issue *Short stories [...] allow an idea to be developed without getting bogged down with having to fill hundreds of pages and in this collection Cixin Liu has ably demonstrated the form... One of the most interesting books I have read' * Concatenation *Liu has continued to write and publish stories which share similar ideas and offer a vision for a better world through scientific fantasy * New European. *As with other Chinese works in the genre, it is tempting to draw parallels with the Communist regime, even when the writers themselves do not - and dare not - make those analogies explicit. For Western readers, Chinese sci-fi thus offers a window into the country's hopes and fears. Especially its fears * Economist. *Beautifully written, the Sun hangs 'motionless in the sky, surrounded by a faint, dawn-like halo'. The ten other stories collected here are just as great * Wired *Earth-shattering... While built around a hard-science outlook that acknowledges the bleakness of humanity's chances, these stories also feature a lot of the heart and hopefulness that draw readers to science fiction in the first place. Liu conjures a sense of wonder while grounding his tales in well-wrought characters. This is a masterwork' * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThis is an all new version of the popular PARALLEL TEXT series, containing eight pieces of contemporary fiction in the original Italian and in English translation. Including stories by Calvino, Benni, Sciascia and Levi, this volume gives a fascinating insight into Italian culture and literature as well as providing an invaluable educational tool.Table of ContentsShort Stories in ItalianIntroductionThe Long CrossingLeonardo Siascia (1921-89)Translated by Avril BardoniItalyGoffredo Parise (1929-86)Translated by Nick RobertsThe Girl with the PlaitDacia Maraini (1936- )Translated by Sharon WoodThe Last Channel Italo Calvino (1923-87)Translated by Tim ParksLilithPrimo Levi (1919-87)Translated by Ruth FeldmanThe Island of KomodoSusanna Tamaro (1957- )Translated by Charles Caroe and Chris RobertsWomen by the PoolSandra Petrignani (1952- )Translated by Sharon WoodA Naughty SchoolboyStefano Benni (1947- )Translated by Nick RobertsSaturday AfternoonsAntonio Tabucchi (1943- )Translated by Edward WilliamsNotes on Italian textsAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisThe Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories 1896-1904 is an enchanting collection of tales which showcase Anton Chekhov at the height of his power as a writer. This Penguin Classics edition is translated by Ronald Wilks with an introduction by Paul Debreczeny.In the final years of his life, Chekhov produced some of the stories that rank among his masterpieces, and some of the most highly-regarded works in Russian literature. The poignant ''The Lady with the Little Dog'' and ''About Love'' examine the nature of love outside of marriage - its romantic idealism and the fear of disillusionment. And in stories such as ''Peasants'', ''The House with the Mezzanine'' and ''My Life'' Chekhov paints a vivid picture of the conditions of the poor and of their powerlessness in the face of exploitation and hardship. With the works collected here, Chekhov moved away from the realism of his earlier tales - developing a broader range of characters and subject matter, while forging Table of ContentsThe Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904IntroductionFurther ReadingChronologyNote on TextPatronymicsThe House with the MezzaninePeasantsMan in a CaseGooseberriesAbout LoveA Visit to FriendsIonychMy LifeThe Lady with the Little DogIn the RavineDisturbing the BalanceThe BishopThe BridePublishing History and Notes

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Book SynopsisThe Bram Stoker Prize-winner for Best Fiction Collection - four riveting, dark stories from Stephen King that will ''grab you and not let go'' (Washington Post), now with a stunning new cover look.At midnight comes the point of balance. Of danger. The instant of utter stillness when between two beats of the heart, an alternative reality can slip through, like a blade between the ribs, and switch you into a new and terrifying world.Featuring an introduction and prefaratory notes to each story by the author, this collection contains four heart-stopping accounts of that moment when the familiar world fractures beyond sense, the fragments spinning away from the desperate, clutching reach of sanity . . .One Past Midnight: ''The Langoliers'' takes a red-eye flight from LA to Boston into a most unfriendly sky.Two Past Midnight: ''Secret Window, Secret Garden'' enters the suddenly strange life of writer, alone on the shore of Tashmore LakeTrade ReviewAn incredibly gifted writer, whose writing, like Truman Capote's, is so fluid that you often forget that you're reading * Guardian *A writer of excellence...King is one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel...brilliantly done * The Sunday Times *Splendid entertainment...Stephen King is one of those natural storytellers...getting hooked is easy * Frances Fyfield, Express *

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Book SynopsisThe follow-up collection to the international vampire bestseller Let the Right One In**Includes the short story Border, now a major film**Whatever happened to Oskar and Eli? And what became of the beleaguered families in Handling the Undead? Find out in Let the Old Dreams Die. In other tales from this collection, a woman finds a dead body and decides to keep it for herself, a customs officer has a mysterious gift that enables her to see what others hide, and a man believes he knows how to deceive death. These are the stories of John Ajvide Lindqvist''s rich imagination. They are about love and death, and what we do when the two collide and the monsters emerge.Table of ContentsBorder. Village on the hill. Equinox. Can't see it! It doesn't exist! Substitute. Eternal / love. Let the old dreams die. To hold you while the music plays. Majken. Paper walls. The final processing. Afterword to the Swedish edition of 'Let the Old Dreams Die'. Afterword.

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Book SynopsisThe first collection of stories from the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Porpoise.'Terrifically compelling' GuardianA seaside pier collapses. An expedition to Mars goes terribly wrong. A thirty-stone man is confined to his living room. One woman is abandoned on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. Another woman is saved from drowning. Two boys discover a gun in a shoebox. A group of explorers find a cave of unimaginable size deep in the Amazon jungle. A man shoots a stranger in the chest on Christmas Eve.'The real redemption in these superbly gripping stories comes from their canny human detail, and the vivid, unsettling clarity they bring to our lives’ Sunday TimesTrade ReviewA superb collection of stand-out stories… The Pier Falls is unique in that every story is brilliant… It is, simply, and ultimately, an absolute pleasure to read * Irish Independent *This is a top-notch collection… It veers into unexpected territory, and the evolving surprises are mesmerizing… 'The Pier Falls' leads the collection. It is a perfectly controlled little masterpiece… So chilling that one imagines its author could carve out a second career as a horror film scriptwriter. -- Lionel Shriver * Financial Times *Brilliant collection… Seamless prose… It feels as though Haddon is leading you into the deepest underworld of human endeavor and behavior, yet holding your hand gently as he guides you into the labyrinth. Outstanding. -- Imogen Lycett Green * Daily Mail *The real redemption in these superbly gripping stories comes from their canny human detail, and the vivid, unsettling clarity they bring to our brief lives. -- Phil Baker * Sunday Times *He writes with the craft of Julian Barnes or, even, Truman Capote. -- Andrew Billen * The Times *

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Book SynopsisWith an Introduction and Notes by Stuart Hutchinson, University of Kent at Canterbury. The Diamond as Big as the Ritz is an ominous fable about the pursuit of great wealth. Readers will be transported to a fabulous fantasy land of such opulence that its very existence has to remain a jealously guarded secret. Fatal consequences lie in store for 'bona fide' guests and uninvited visitors alike, while the sybaritic luxury of the place is evoked in an effortless prose style which is quintessentially F. Scott Fitzgerald. Also featured in this volume are The Cut-Glass Bowl, May Day, The Rich Boy, Crazy Sunday, An Alcoholic Case, The Lees of Happiness, The Lost Decade and Babylon Revisited.

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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 SynopsisThis classic collection of stories moves from England, France and Spain to the silver sands of the South Pacific. It includes the famous story ''Rain'', the tragedy of a narrow-minded and overzealous missionary and a prostitute, and ''The Three Fat Women of Antibes,'' an extravagantly sardonic tale of abstention and greed, as well as a host of other brilliant tales.Trade ReviewFascinating tales, sharply revealed characters, a fine narrative craft -- J.B. PriestleyHe was a superb storyteller - one of the very best in our language - who wrote with a wordly, sardonic understanding of the human condition. Writing was his life; everything else was secondary to it * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe stories in this collection nearly all take place in and around the mountain hollows of West Virginia: a world of cock-fighting, coal-mining, deer-stalking, sex, depression, drinking and death.''It would be easy to allow his one collection of stories to be buried under the landslide of books published every year. But it's worth doing a little excavating to dig it up. The past few years have seen late-in-the-day and posthumous revivals of interest in writers such ... John Williams. Get out your pickaxes''New YorkerBreece D'J Pancake left behind an astonishing achievement. He was a master of a distinctly American vernacular, which he used to remind us of all the ways that fiction could teach us about ourselves. These stories are absolutely essential reading - Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow BirdsTrade ReviewThe best, most sincere writer I've ever read -- Kurt VonnegutBreece D’J Pancake left behind an astonishing achievement. He was a master of a distinctly American vernacular, which he used to remind us of all the ways that fiction could teach us about ourselves. These stories are absolutely essential reading * Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds *This is an exceptional voice; gritty, mordant, invested with the texture of stroked reality; urgent and haunting * Margaret Atwood *Muscular, precise, lyric and unforgettable… Utterly singular -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *Simple, rich with dialogue and precious -- Anna Fielding * Stylist *[Pancake’s] words…combined with an unsparing vision of humanity create the spine-tingling sense that you’re reading an original -- Max Liu * Independent *Haunting brilliance -- John Dugdale * Literary Review *By any standards, [the story “Trilobites”] is a masterpiece; that it is an artistic debut is astonishing… To say that Breece D’J Pancake is not well enough known is a massive understatement… Quite simply, a literary genius -- John Burnside * Guardian *Impressive -- Philip Maughan * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisExquisite and amusing miniatures regarded as the pinnacle of classical Chinese fictionWith their elegant prose, witty wordplay and subtle charm, the 104 stories in this selection from The Strange Tales of Pu Songling (1640-1715) reveal a world in which nothing is as it seems. Here a Taoist monk conjures up a magical pear tree, a scholar recounts his previous incarnations, a woman out-foxes the fox-spirit that possesses her, a child bride gives birth to a thimble-sized baby, a ghostly city appears out of nowhere and a heartless daughter-in-law is turned into a pig. In his tales of humans coupling with shape-shifting spirits, bizarre phenomena, haunted buildings and enchanted objects, Pu Songling pushes back the boundaries of human experience and enlightens as he entertains.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a glTrade Review“Magical and wondrously entertaining . . . Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio overflows with ghosts, demons, monsters, monks, magicians, revived corpses, gods and fox-spirits. . . . [It] calls to mind a collection of mildly racy club stories or lost episodes of The Twilight Zone. . . . Fast paced, surprisingly light in tone, emotionally cool, wryly humorous—these uncanny tales, often just one or two pages long, might almost be adult bedtime stories. . . . Reading this beloved classic provides a particularly enjoyable way to help celebrate Chinese New Year.” —The Washington Post

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Book SynopsisA remarkable collection of dark, funny and haunting short stories from the inimitable author of ''The Lottery''.An anxious devil, an elderly writer of poison pen letters and a mid-century Jack the Ripper; a pursuit though a nightmarish city, a small boy''s thrilling train ride with a female thief, and a town where the possibility of evil lurks behind perfect rose bushes. This is the world of Shirley Jackson, by turns frightening, funny, strange and unforgettably revealed in this brilliant collection of short stories.''Jackson at her best: plumbing the extraordinary from the depths of mid-twentieth-century common. [Just an Ordinary Day] is a gift to a new generation'' - San Francisco Chronicle''For Jackson devotees, as well as first-time readers, this is a feast ... A virtuoso collection'' - Publishers WeeklyTrade ReviewJackson at her best: plumbing the extraordinary from the depths of mid-twentieth-century common. [Just an Ordinary Day] is a gift to a new generation * San Francisco Chronicle *For Jackson devotees, as well as first-time readers, this is a feast ... A virtuoso collection * Publishers Weekly *One of the great practitioners of the literature of the darker impulses -- Paul Theroux * The New York Times Book Review *The world of Shirley Jackson is eerie and unforgettable -- A. M. HomesA dark, disturbing, wonderful treat ... A collection to press on people and demand they read -- Alison Flood * The Bookseller *

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Book Synopsis''I was conscious of a most horrible smell of mould, and of a cold kind of face pressed against my own...''Considered by many to be the most terrifying writer in English, M. R. James was an eminent scholar who spent his entire adult life in the academic surroundings of Eton and Cambridge. His classic supernatural tales draw on the terrors of the everyday, in which documents and objects unleash terrible forces, often in closed rooms and night-time settings where imagination runs riot. Lonely country houses, remote inns, ancient churches or the manuscript collections of great libraries provide settings for unbearable menace, from creatures seeking retribution and harm. These stories have lost none of their power to unsettle and disturb.This edition presents all of James''s published ghost stories, including the unforgettable ''Oh, Whistle and I''ll Come to You, My Lad'' and ''Casting the Runes'', and an appendix of James''s writings on the ghost story. Darryl Jones''s introduction and notes provide a fascinating insight into James''s background and his mastery of the genre he made his own. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Trade ReviewArguably the definitive collection by a single writer, this edition collects together all of James' spine-tingling tales in a single volume. From Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad to The Mezzotint, these stories guarantee unbearable horrified suspense. * The New European *In his introduction to the 2013 Oxford World Classics edition of MR James's Collected Ghost Stories, Darryl Jones cites the story Casting The Runes, in which a Mr Dunning, lying in bed in the dark, gropes for matches under his pillow. * Teddy Jamieson, Sunday Herald (Glasgow) *They are classics of the genre. He had a brilliant skill for unsettling you and you wake up panting in the night * Reverand Richard Coles, Daily Express *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Select Bibliography ; Chronology of M. R. James ; Canon Alberic's Scrap-book ; Lost Hearts ; The Mezzotint ; The Ash-Tree ; Number 13 ; Count Magnus ; 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' ; The Treasure of Abbot Thomas ; A School Story ; The Rose Garden ; The Tractate Middoth ; Casting the Runes ; The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral ; Martin's Close ; Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance ; The Residence at Whitminster ; The Diary of Mr Poynter ; An Episode of Cathedral History ; The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance ; Two Doctors ; The Haunted Dolls' House ; The Uncommon Prayer-Book ; A Neighbour's Landmark ; A View from a Hill ; A Warning to the Curious ; An Evening's Entertainment ; There was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard ; Rats ; After Dark in the Playing Fields ; Wailing Well ; The Experiment ; The Malice of Inanimate Objects ; A Vignette ; Appendix: M. R. James on Ghost Stories ; Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisLittle Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world''s greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-SmithFilled with rich description and luxurious beauty, these ten tales of loss and longing from one of Japan''s greatest writers show the pull between duty and desire, ecstasy and death: a mother lost in mourning, a moonlit journey to fulfil a wish, a night of infidelity, a young lieutenant who ends his life.

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Book SynopsisReading Robert Aickman is like watching a magician work, and very often I'm not even sure what the trick was. All I know is that he did it beautifully.' Neil GaimanFor fans of the BBC''s Inside Number 9 and The League of GentlemenAickman''s ''strange stories'' (his preferred term) are constructed immaculately, the neuroses of his characters painted in subtle shades. He builds dread by the steady accrual of realistic detail, until the reader realises that the protagonist is heading towards their doom as if in a dream. Dark Entries was first published in 1964 and contains six curious and macabre stories of love, death and the supernatural, including the classic story ''Ringing the Changes''. Robert Aickman (1914-1981) was the grandson of Richard Marsh, a leading Victorian novelist of the occult. Though his chief occupation in life was first as a conservationist of England''s canals he eventually turned his tale

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Book SynopsisFaber Stories, a landmark series of individual volumes, presents masters of the short story form at work in a range of genres and styles. Thinking Betty was in the bath Graham was watching a late-night programme on Channel 4 called Footballers with Their Shirts Off when she unexpectedly came in on the trail of the hairdryer.''I didn't know you were interested in football,'' said Betty.No one must ever find out that Graham is not the marrying sort'. Certainly not his wife, or his mother. As sex, blackmail and fanatical tidiness take over the West Yorkshire parish of Alwoodley, an unlikely caper unfolds.Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.

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Book SynopsisFaber Stories, a landmark series of individual volumes, presents masters of the short story form at work in a range of genres and styles. You try every trick in the book to keep her. You write her letters. You drive her to work. You quote Neruda ... You try it all, but one day she will simply sit up in bed and say, No more.In Yunior, a DominicanAmerican writer and Harvard professor, Junot Díaz has created an irresistibly erratic protagonist, who sweeps you up in the poetic energy of his speech as he rehearses a broad repertoire of bad behaviour.Originally the climactic tale in the chain-linked This is How You Lose Her, ''The Cheater's Guide to Love' is a superb standalone song of decadence and experience.Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.

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Book SynopsisJack 'No Middle Name' Reacher, lone wolf, knight errant, ex military cop, lover of women, scourge of the wicked and righter of wrongs, is the most iconic hero for our age. This book collects all Lee Child's shorter fiction featuring Jack Reacher. It sheds new light on Reacher's past.Trade ReviewAfter 21 missions in 20 years no one can be in any doubt that messing up bad guys is what the ex-military policeman does best — and these 12 tall tales suggest he’s been doing it all his life... Lee Child, like his creation, always knows exactly what he’s doing — and he does it well. Time in his company is never wasted. The first three chapters of his next Reacher novel, The Midnight Line — due in November — leave you wanting more. -- Mark Sanderson * Evening Standard *The Midnight Line...won't be published until early November. This collection of every short story Child has penned about the rootless Reacher will serve to keep any cravings at bay...True fans will love this. * Irish Independent *If you ever wonder about the past of Jack Reacher - the action hero whose adventures shift millions - then get this collection of short stories. Including a new novella, the clever, twisty tales reveal that even the 13-year-old Reacher was a force to be reckoned with. * Sunday Mirror *

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Book SynopsisThe Complete Short Stories of Roald Dahl in the second of two unsettling and sinister volumes.''Dahl finds the child in the adult and the adult in the child and, with a little smile, he sticks the knife in both'' Anthony Horowitz, from his introductionRoald Dahl is one of the world''s most popular writers, equally at home writing for both children and adults. In this, the second of two volumes chronologically collecting all his published adult short stories, we experience Dahl''s dark and powerful imagination in full flight in 28 stories written between 1954 and 1988 (including eight tales which are not available in any other printed edition).Here, in ''Parson''s Pleasure'', a piece of furniture is the subject of a deceitful bargain; in ''William and Mary'', a wife revenges herself on her dead husband; and in ''Royal Jelly'' some new parents find an unusual and unsettling way to give their newborn its start in life.Whether you''re

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Book Synopsis'As with every Rosamunde Pilcher story - long or short - I began to read and couldn't stop' - Lucinda RileyA spellbinding collection of fifteen stories from multi-million copy, internationally bestselling modern classic author Rosamunde Pilcher, with an introduction by Sunday Times bestselling author Lucinda Riley.In The Holiday, a wife surprises her husband of twenty-five years with a trip full of Mediterranean sunshine, red rocks and blue seas in an effort to rekindle the romance they had before children.Skelmerton takes the reader to the bright spring sunshine and sparkling waves of a Northumbrian village where old flames meet again.In A Place Like Home, a lonely young woman goes to recuperate in the Scottish countryside after a brief illness. The fruit orchards and fresh sea air offer much needed respite - but not as much as the handsome, mysterious farmer . . .Each of the fifteen stories is a perfect slice of romance written with warmth and passion, featuring some wonderfully memorable, smart and feisty female characters that will transport the reader to another time and place.Praise for A PLACE LIKE HOME:'A PLACE LIKE HOME is a wonderful treat for fans of Rosamunde Pilcher's writing. Each story resonates with the echoes of a voice that is at once familiar and beloved. Reading this collection of love stories does indeed feel just like returning to a place like home.' - Fiona Valpy, bestselling author of The Dressmaker's Gift'An antidote to challenging times, this set of stories from a much-loved author has a comforting, nostalgic feel - cosy and reassuring - with Rosamunde Pilcher's signature insight into domestic hopes and yearnings, taking us into a gentler world.' - Sarah Maine, bestselling author of Beyond the Wild River'Reading this anthology of short stories was like being wrapped in a cashmere shawl and travelling back to the recent past where people drank sherry before dinner and seemed to have more time. Highly recommended reading that will lift you during this difficult period we are experiencing. Find a saggy, chintz armchair, a log fire and a glass of sherry and indulge . . .' - Angela Petch, bestselling author of The Tuscan SecretFurther praise for Rosamunde Pilcher:'Her genius is to create characters you really care about' Daily Express'Rosamunde Pilcher's warm spell is charming and utterly convincing' Daily Mail'Pilcher's storytelling skills are serene and beguiling' The Times'Pilcher's strength is knowing what she can do well and writing about what she knows. She has a way of tapping into the emotional life of her readers and making them care about characters not unlike themselves' Daily Telegraph'Britain's most under-rated novelist' Sunday Times'This warm-hearted family saga, beautifully written and expertly paced, is just assatisfying now as when it was first published more than 30 years ago.' Daily MailTrade ReviewAs with every Rosamunde Pilcher story - long or short - I began to read and couldn't stop * Lucinda Riley, bestselling author of the Seven Sisters series *A PLACE LIKE HOME is a wonderful treat for fans of Rosamunde Pilcher's writing. Each story resonates with the echoes of a voice that is at once familiar and beloved. Reading this collection of love stories does indeed feel just like returning to a place like home. * Fiona Valpy, bestselling author of The Dressmaker's Gift *'Reading this anthology of short stories was like being wrapped in a cashmere shawl and travelling back to the recent past where people drank sherry before dinner and seemed to have more time. Highly recommended reading that will lift you during this difficult period we are experiencing. Find a saggy, chintz armchair, a log fire and a glass of sherry and indulge . . .' * Angela Petch, bestselling author of The Tuscan Secret *An antidote to challenging times, this set of stories from a much-loved author has a comforting nostalgic feel - cosy and reassuring - with Rosamunde Pilcher's signature insight into domestic hopes and yearnings, taking us into a gentler world. * Sarah Maine, bestselling author of Beyond the Wild River *How lyrical it is, yet how deeply the stories touched me. I've often found it difficult to concentrate on a long novel but these stories are perfect for the times, exquisite little gems of romantic escapism taking me completely away to another time and place. * Phillipa Ashley, bestselling author of A PERFECT CORNISH ESCAPE *I absolutely adored A PLACE LIKE HOME. It took me back to a different time and place of pure, simple delight. It's so deliciously retro and I mean that with oodles of compliments. You can feel the warmth of the Aga, the smell of a new bottle of scent, the fragrant sip of a glass of Sherry. It's such a balm. I feel so lucky to have this collection sitting on my shelf to dip in and out of. It's a keeper. * Lorna Cook, bestselling author of THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE *We need stories like these right now! I love the way Rosamunde Pilcher gets so cleverly to the heart of the matter in her stories; she is truly the Queen of Emotion. Reading her stories took me back in time to when I read the superb The Shell Seekers. She has always combined love and landscape in an inspirational way. * Rosanna Ley, author of FROM VENICE WITH LOVE *I loved every word. I honestly wasn't sure what decade I was reading in, and it didn't matter - the characters, their emotions, their hopes and loves felt completely timeless and so entirely compelling. Each story drew me immediately into its world: Scotland, the Mediterranean, a misty beach on horseback . . . I was immersed. I have to make a special mention of 'Skelmerton' - I felt like it could so easily have become an entire novel, yet worked so beautifully in this form - but there wasn't a single tale I didn't relish. And no surprise - it was Rosamunde Pilcher writing, after all. What an incredible storyteller. * Jenny Ashcroft, author of Under the Golden Sun *Wonderfully comforting and uplifting. If you love Harriet Evans or Lucinda Riley's books, you're sure to love Rosamunde Pilcher too. * Sarra Manning, Red Magazine *This collection of romantic short stories are the absolute sticky-toffee-pudding of the genre. A glowing preponderance of happy endings leaves you feeling like the blissful, newly proposed-to Sally who thinks she has sailed "into harbour after a long, lonely journey". Aah. * Daily Mail *With her lyrical turns of phrase and uncanny eye for detail, Pilcher will whisk you away on a whistle-stop tour of glittering Mediterranean islands, brooding Scottish highlands and leafy Cotswold villages . . . Pilcher's prose is reassuringly gentle and unexpectedly profound. * Buzz Magazine *Fans of Rosamunde Pilcher will love this collection of her most enduring short stories. Her characters are believable, memorable and unmistakeably British. * Woman's Way *reading this book was like slipping into a warm bath - instant comfort, joy and relaxation. I promised myself I would read only one story, but one turned into two and before I knew it, I had devoured them all. Short stories require the particular, and very tricky, skills of delivering immediate immersion and reader connection and none of us should be surprised by Rosamunde's mastery of this - her evocative phrasing, finely-drawn characters and acute sense of place offer escape into a bygone world of quiet elegance and gentle romance. I didn't want to reach the last page, and when I did, stepping back into my own world felt strangely hard-edged and jarring. * Karen Swan, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Greek Escape *A rare treat from one of the best storytellers of our time. * Woman's Way *Of course, love wins out, most of the time, in these charming stories that are surprisingly comforting to read, like literary gravity blankets * TheGloss.ie *The queen of comfort reads ... the literary version of wrapping up in a cosy blanket. * That's Life! *

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Book Synopsis· Winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize 2020 ·· One of Barack Obama's "Favourite Books of the Year" ·· A New York Times Critics' Top Books of 2019 ·'A superb book' Max Porter, author of Lanny____________________________________Stories of a young man finding his place among family and community in Houston, from a powerful, emerging American voice.In an apartment block, the son of a black mother and a Latino father is coming of age. He's working at his family's restaurant, trying to dodge his brother's fists and resenting his older sister's absence. He's also discovering he likes boys...All around him his friends and neighbours experience the tumult of living in the margins. Their stories - of living, thriving and dying across the city's myriad neighbourhoods - are stitched throughout the boy's life to reveal a young woman caught out in an affair, the fortunes of a rag-tag baseball team and a group of young hustlers, a local drug dealer who takes a Guatemalan teen under his wing, and the fate of a camera-shy mythical beast. With brilliant and soulful insight into what makes a community, a family and a life, Lot is about love in all its unsparing and unsteady forms.Trade ReviewAudacious... Profound * New York Times *Enthralling... Subtle but bruising * Guardian *Gut-wrenching and powerful * Cosmopolitan *An astonishing debut... Extraordinary * Alan Hollinghurst, New York Review of Books *A superb book * Max Porter, author of 'Lanny' *A treat and an inspiration to witness * Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous *Stunning... one of the strongest literary debuts in several years. * NPR *Washington cracks open a vibrant, polyglot side of Houston about which few outsiders are aware * New York Times *Washington's prose sings with vibrancy * The Rumpus *Phenomenal * Justin Torres, author of 'We the Animals' *Lot spills over with life - funny, tender, and profane * Entertainment Weekly *Generous, powerful, deeply engrossing * R.O. Kwon, author of 'The Incendiaries' *A brilliant display of raw talent * Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of 'Here Comes the Sun' *Unflinching... a prodigious talent. * Mat Johnson, author of 'Loving Day' and 'Pym' *Raw, soulful and moving * Jami Attenberg, author of 'The Middlesteins' *A thrilling new voice in American fiction and one to watch * Amelia Gray, author of 'Isadora' *Raw, empathic and wise... achingly intimate and brilliantly panoramic * Stefan Merrill Block, author of 'The Story of Forgetting' *Will stay with you for a very long time... powerful * Jamel Brinkley, author of 'A Lucky Man' *Depicts its author's hometown of Houston with empathy, tragedy, and exceptional specificity * Entertainment Weekly *Washington's debut reads like a love letter to Houston * New York Times *Empathetic and honest, tender and brutal at once, Lot quips with humour and explores grief and each stop in between. Lot feels like a living, breathing book... As debuts go, these characters and prose leap from the page. * Heather McDaid, The Skinny *Extraordinary * Southern Living *Lot belongs foremost to its characters, who ask to be remembered, even long after their pages have turned. * Paris Review *[F]unny, sad, wise & very alive in the best way * Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Sisterland (Twitter) *Stellar... a remarkable collection from a writer to watch. * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review *Brutal, raw and blisteringly brilliant... Outstanding. * Attitude *Compassionate, observant, tough; often funny, always authentic * The Big Issue *Visceral and raw... beautifully delicate prose... A terrific read! * Irish Times *Ambitious but never forced... Washington makes the place sing with his sharp, rap-style lyricism. * Irish Times *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisLondon has the greatest literary tradition of any city in the world. Its roll-call of story-tellers includes cultural giants who changed the way the world thought about writing, like Shakespeare, Defoe and Dickens. But there has also been an innumerable host of writers who have sought to capture the essence of London and what it meant for the people who lived there or were merely passing through. They found a city of boundless wealth and ragged squalor, of moving tragedy and riotous joy; and they faithfully transcribed what they saw and felt in the stories they told of London town. They are stories of fact and fiction and occasionally something in between. Some voices will be familiar to many readers and others practically unknown. But all give us insights into these writers’ very varied Londons; and all tell their stories gratifyingly well.Authors include John Evelyn, Thomas de Quincey, W. M. Thackeray, Henry Mayhew, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, George Gissing, J. B. Priestley, Jean Rhys, Graham Greene, Muriel Spark, Maeve Binchy, Doris Lessing, Hanif Kureishi and Shena Mackay.

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Book SynopsisA bold mix of realism, allegory, adventure, and progressive politics, this collection features Jack London’s most profound and moving literary works   The Call of the Wild, London’s elemental masterpiece about a dog learning to survive in the wilderness, sees pampered pet Buck snatched from his home and set to work as a sled-dog during the Klondike Gold Rush. White Fang, set in the frozen tundra and boreal forests of Canada’s Yukon territory, is the story of a wolf-dog hybrid struggling to survive in a human society every bit as brutal as the natural world. This volume of London’s famed Northland novels also includes an early feminist story “The Night-Born,” and a pro-labor story “South of the Slot.” These works echo and enrich the themes of The Call of the Wild and White Fang with their unique emphases on the primordial, the instinctual, and the quest for social justice. London’s narr

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE EDGE HILL SHORT STORY PRIZE'One of the best collections you'll read this year' Sunday Times'Wild, witty stories . . . Exhilarating' ObserverIn this rapturous story collection we encounter a ragbag of west of Ireland characters, many on the cusp between love and catastrophe, heartbreak and epiphany, resignation and hope. These stories affirm Kevin Barry as one of the world's most accomplished and gifted writers, and show an Ireland in a condition of great flux but also as a place where older rhythms, and an older magic, somehow persist.Trade ReviewThe master short story teller turns messy emotions into riveting tales of wounded Irish folk . . . One of the best collections you'll read this year * * Sunday Times * *Wild, witty stories . . . The west of Ireland teems with canny characters and vivid language . . . Darkly glimmering . . . Their language is exhilarating, its verve evoking the very best of Barry's compatriots while further carving out a territory that's all his own * * Observer * *These are brilliant and vivid and uproarious stories. It's a rare writer who can call a tune like Kevin Barry -- LISA McINERNEYBarry often writes with sonorous wisdom . . . but as readers of his grimly hilarious novels will know, his language is just as precise when it is in the service of comedy . . . Exhilaratingly funny and poignant fables -- Jake Kerridge * * Sunday Telegraph * *These playful, serious and beautifully crafted stories allow Barry to experiment as we need great writers to do -- SARAH MOSS * * Irish Times * *The third short-story collection from a stylist to savour brings more exhilarating, darkly witty tales of oddballs yearning after love and enchantment in the wild west of Ireland * * Guardian, 50 hottest new books everyone should read * *An extraordinary writer . . . In his short stories Barry seems most fully and brilliantly himself . . . Unimprovable masterpieces . . . So rich and so flawlessly crafted - its best stories feel instantly canonical, as if we've already been reading them for years . . . The opening story is letter-perfect from its first line . . . Funny, moving, built with superior economy, this is the real thing . . . Barry remains the great romantic of contemporary Irish fiction. Like all of the most interesting artists, he gets better with every risk he takes. The courage may be his. But the rewards are all ours -- Kevin Power * * Irish Independent * *Full of the damaged characters, menacing rural scenery and darkly comic, slantwise prose that have become his trademark . . . At each turn, Barry makes his fiction a matter of life and death * * New Statesman * *Optimism and sorrow anchor the stories in this collection, where relationships take unexpected turns and characters befuddle one another and themselves. Barry's writing sparkles, as ever, moving speedily between pathos and humour to great effect * * New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice * *Barry is wickedly funny, slyly transgressive and consistently brilliant. He is constantly turning tricks with language before upending us on the thwarted desires of his characters and the dark energy of his landscapes. And underpinning it all, the melancholy of men that is Barry's hallmark -- MARY COSTELLO

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Book Synopsis A SPELLBINDINGLY CREEPY COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES, FROM AN ARGENTINIAN LITERARY STAR 'The Grimm brothers and Franz Kafka pay a visit to Argentina in Samanta Schweblin's darkly humorous tales.' J.M. Coetzee Spine-tingling and unexpected, unearthly and strange, the stories of Mouthful of Birds are impossible to forget. The crunch of a bird's wing. A cloud of butterflies, so beautiful it smothers. A crimson flash of blood across an artist's canvas. Samanta Schweblin's writing expertly blurs the line between the surreal and the everyday, pulling the reader into a world that is at once nightmarish and beautiful. An exhilarating tour de force guaranteed to leave the pulse racing. 'This is our world, and sharp-focused, but stripped of its usual meanings... Brutal violence is twisted into horrific, intensely experienced art.' Guardian *Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, 2019* Trade Review'Spritely and uncanny, this is a beautifully imagined and skilfully executed collection of stories.' International Booker Prize judges‘Delving into the cryptic depths of the human psyche, this is a highly imaginative and thought-provoking collection, deftly translated by Megan McDowell.’ Observer'In this slim and superb book, Schweblin takes on the desire to love, to parent, and to care for one's own body - hardly extraordinary themes - and invests them with a fresh poignancy.' Vogue'Impressive... Schweblin is among the most acclaimed Spanish-language writers of her generation.' New York Times‘Schweblin's Man Booker-shortlisted novel Fever Dream was unsettling and uncanny and these 20 brilliant stories, translated by Megan McDowell, are just as fabulous... an eerie blend of the supernatural and the all too real.’ Daily Mail‘Starting a story by the Argentinian Samanta Schweblin is like tumbling into a dark hole with no idea where you'll end up.’ Chris Power, The Sunday Times‘[Schweblin's] particular genius lies in the fact that there’s something inherently savage and ungovernable about her work.' Financial Times ‘At once fantastically out there and real to the point of being haunting.’ Vanity Fair‘The author of the magnetic, scalp-prickling Fever Dream returns with stories as gothic and incantatory as a telltale heart- virtuoso fiction from Argentina's own Edgar Allan Poe.’ O, the Oprah Magazine‘So strange and beautiful.’ Tommy Orange, author of There There‘These wild, unsettling, absurdist tales cement her status as a penetrating voice in modern fiction.’ New Statesman‘Samanta Schweblin’s strange, haunting and stunningly beautiful collection of short stories… Many of these stories got under my skin and lingered with me long after I’d put the book down.’ Jan Carson, author of The Fire Starters‘These are fictions of indisputable power, presenting modern life as a farcical horror show in which our limitations and destructive appetites have made us ugly, ridiculous and doomed.’ Daily Telegraph‘Schweblin's imagination seemingly knows no bounds.’ Refinery29

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Book SynopsisPart of Penguin''s beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality, colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.Every night for three years the vengeful King Shahriyar sleeps with a different virgin, executing her next morning. To end this brutal pattern and to save her own life, the vizier''s daughter, Shahrazad, begins to tell the king tales of adventure, love, riches and wonder - tales of mystical lands peopled with princes and hunchbacks, the Angel of Death and magical spirits, tales of the voyages of Sindbad, of Ali Baba''s outwitting a band of forty thieves and of jinnis trapped in rings and in lamps. The sequence of stories will last 1,001 nights . . .Trade ReviewA magnificent edition of the greatest collection of folk tales in the world ... an ocean of stories to be dipped into over a lifetime. And this new Penguin edition is the one to have. Settle back, pour a glass of wine and sail away with Sinbad to the Island of Serendib -- Christopher Hart * The Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisA MASTERFUL COLLECTION OF TWENTY-FIVE SHORT STORIES FROM THE INIMITABLE AUTHOR OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5, KURT VONNEGUT 'Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer...a zany but moral mad scientist' Time A diabolical government asserts control by eliminating orgasms. A scientist discovers the secret to unlocking instant happiness, with unexpected consequences. In an America where everyone is equal every which way, a tennage boy plans to overthrow the system. Welcome to the Monkey House gathers together twenty-five of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories from the 1950s and 1960s. Shot through with Vonnegut's singular humour, wit and bewilderment at humanity, this is a collection that celebrates a true master of short-form fiction.Trade ReviewA joyous ragbag of a collection * Observer *After Vonnegut, everything else seems a bit tame * Spectator *One of the master alchemists of modern American fiction * Sunday Times *A cool writer, at once throwaway and passionate and very funny * Financial Times *A brilliant wacky ideas-monger * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThese are beguiling, provocative stories about manipulative men and the women who outwit them.Brimming with intensely believable characters and rich social detail' Sunday TimesA wife and mother whose spirit has been crushed finds release from her extraordinary pain in the most unlikely of places. The young victim of a humiliating seduction finds an unusual way to get her own back and move on. An older woman, dying of cancer, weaves a poisonous story to save her life. Alice Munro takes on complex, even harrowing emotions and events and renders them into stories that surprise, amaze, and shed light on the unpredictable ways we accommodate to what happens in our lives.Winner of the Nobel Prize in LiteratureWinner of the Man Booker International Prize 2009Trade ReviewShe writes with a beautiful clarity, an elemental humanity and a marvellous, limpid, funny, apprehension of what goes on -- Jane Shilling * Sunday Telegraph *Some of the most honest, intuitive and exacting fiction, long or short, of our time -- Tom Gatti * The Times *Munro's bold, unflinching narratives have taken the short story places many a novelist has feared to tread... That she does this in a style both calm and deliberate, fluid yet tightly controlled, stark yet compassionate, is what makes her insights into the human condition so profound -- Mary Crockett * Scotsman *Written with veteran assurance, brimming with intensely believable characters and rich social detail, these dispatches from the most unsparing reaches of Munro's imagination confirm her acclaimed place on the highest ground of contemporary fiction -- Peter Kemp * Sunday Times *Alice Munro commands enormous respect and almost uncritical adoration from her readers -- Elaine Showalter * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisFaber Stories, a landmark series of individual volumes, presents masters of the short story form at work in a range of genres and styles.

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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 SynopsisIn The Memory Librarian music, fashion, film and futurist icon Janelle Monáe returns to the Afrofuturistic world of her critically acclaimed album, Dirty Computer, to explore how different threads of liberation queerness, race, gender plurality, love become tangled in a totalitarian landscape and to discover costs of unravelling them.Whoever controls our memories controls the future.Janelle Monáe and an incredible array of talented collaborating creators have written a collection of tales comprising the bold vision and powerful themes that have made Monáe such a compelling and celebrated storyteller.Dirty Computer introduced a world in which thoughts as a means of self-conception could be controlled or erased by a select few. And whether human, A.I., or other, your life and sentience was dictated by those who'd convinced themselves they had the right to decide your fate.That was until Jane 57821 decided to remember and break free.Expanding from that mythos, these stories fully explTrade Review‘Each story in this collection is a searing but ultimately hopeful glimpse into how marginalized groups can hope and create in a world set against them’BUZZFEED ‘A reminder for those who’ve ever been told they don’t fit in that there’s a world beyond this harsh one’WASHINGTON POST “A poignant commentary on the power of technology, the preservation of queer identity, and the commodification of time’USA TODAY ‘THE MEMORY LIBRARIAN might not be the answer to the social and political upsets of our time, but it is an answer, and a fiercely inspiring one: a deepening of Afrofuturism’s potential to weaponize our dreams for a freer, more joyous world.”WIRED ‘Blistering, hopeful, and richly written. . . All readers will finish the book craving more’BOOKLIST (starred review) ‘A moving, triumphant collection…This is a knockout’PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review) ‘Highly recommended for readers of conspiracy and thought-control sf or of Afrofuturist works by the likes of Octavia Butler, Nalo Hopkinson, N.K. Jemisin, and Nnedi Okorafor’LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review) ‘A celebration of queer and Afrofuturist science fiction saluting creativity in difference’KIRKUS ‘This one is sure to leave an impression’BUST MAGAZINE ‘A glorious representation and celebration of a spectrum of sexuality and gender, each written with pure empathy’TOR.COM ‘A vivid, visceral text with as much of a hook as the album the stories were inspired by’LOCUS ‘It confirms Monáe’s incredible power of imagination and creativity whatever medium she’s working in, and the ability and talent of her co-writers in bringing her vision alive on the page’FANTASY HIVE

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Book Synopsis''Unquestionably one of the brightest-burning talents in the constellation of science fiction'' The New York TimesWritten under the pseudonym James Tiptree Jr., the pioneering and outlandish tales of Alice B. Sheldon are some of the greatest science fiction short stories of the twentieth century, telling of dystopian chases, alien sex and the loneliness of the universe.''What her work brought to the genre was a blend of lyricism and inventiveness, as if some poet had rewritten a number of clever SF standards and then passed them on to a psychoanalyst'' Brian Aldiss''Feminist dystopian fiction owes just as much to this woman - who wrote as a man - as Margaret Atwood'' Vox

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Book Synopsis''Bright, funny, satirical and relevant. . . . A new talent to watch!'' MARGARET ATWOOD (via Twitter)This brilliant and bitingly funny novel-in-stories, set in and around a single crumbling apartment building in Soviet-era Ukraine, heralds the arrival of a major new talent.A cast of unforgettable characters--citizens of the small industrial town of Kirovka--populate Maria Reva''s ingeniously entwined tales that span the chaotic years leading up to and immediately following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989. Weaving the strands of the narrative together is an unforgettable, chameleon-like young woman named Zaya: an orphan turned beauty-pageant crasher who survives the extraordinary circumstances of her childhood through a compelling combination of ferocity, intelligence, stubbornness and wit.Inspired by her own family''s history, Reva''s Good Citizens Need Not Fear takes us from paranoia to tenderness and back again, exploring what it iTrade ReviewBright, funny, satirical and relevant . . . A new talent to watch! -- MARGARET ATWOOD * from Twitter *Good Citizens Need Not Fear is the funniest, most politically astute book I've read in years. Reva's pitch perfect tone - especially at that comic junction where the absurdity of a system rigged to control human beings collides with actual humans - is bang-on brilliantMaria Reva's enthralling debut of interlinked short stories achieves the double effect of timelessness and timeliness. The emotional impact of this book is cumulative. This is partly down to her mastery of the form: the stories are connected by a unity of place, time and relationship. More importantly, they are brought to life by Reva's handling of darkness and light * Kapka Kassabova, Guardian Book of the Day *Creative, poignant, and darkly hilarious, Good Citizens Need Not Fear is full of relevant questions about resistance, corruption and maintaining dignity against the dehumanizing power of the State. This is an outstanding first bookLuminous. These stories speak with humour yet real emotion of the heaviness of totalitarian systems and show how the light of our humanity still shines through. Terrific stuffWitheringly incisive and consistently pitch-perfect, Good Citizens Need Not Fear is nothing short of a comic triumph * Globe and Mail *Maria Reva is a miracle writer: how else to explain how dark and suffused with light these stories are, how genuinely hilarious and very serious, how entertaining and thought provoking? You've never read anything like them, and together they make an incredible, strange and deeply exciting book * Elizabeth McCracken, author of BOWLAWAY *Reading this dazzling story collection, I discovered it's possible to have your heart broken while laughing loud enough to wake the baby two doors down the hall. With their big, delightful dollops of surrealism and absurdity, these stories conjure up from the old Soviet-era Ukraine a world that feels, with its hall-of-mirrors twists and torques, uncannily--alarmingly!--on point and up-to-date. Good Citizens Need Not Fear marks the beginning of what is sure to be a long, strong career for the brilliant Maria Reva * Ben Fountain, author of BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK *[A] hilarious, absurdist debut collection...Reva delights in the strange situations caused by political dysfunction, while offering surprising notes of tenderness as ordinary people learn to get by. The riotous set pieces and intelligent gaze make this an auspicious debut * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *I have never read anything like these radiant stories. They are true originals- funny, devastating, and containing a weird, wild energy. These citizens, living in the literally collapsing buildings of Ukraine, will not be crushed or silenced. They have something urgent to say about where we are today -- Deb Olin Unferth, author of WAIT TILL YOU SEE ME DANCEEverything about this book is astonishing - its breadth and depth, its wit and originality, its inventiveness and intelligence and, maybe most surprising of all, its great big heart. We've been waiting for a writer as fearless and thrilling as Maria Reva, and Good Citizens Need Not Fear confirms that she's arriving exactly when we need her most -- Bret Anthony Johnston, author of REMEMBER ME LIKE THISReva's world tips slyly from Soviet-style absurdism to a more fantastical surrealism . . . Reva has a wonderful sense of humor and an equally wonderful sense of the absurd . . . Reva is clearly a talent to watch: Her prose has a neat efficiency, and her stories are as memorable as they are unique. The world Reva creates slips fluidly from the surreal to the absurd to the grittily realistic * Kirkus Reviews *[A] witty first collection . . . Reva's tales effortlessly converge, offering well-honed portraits of her characters' realities, sensibilities and urgencies * Booklist *Good Citizens Need Not Fear showcases the best form of creative writing on the market today - the tight, powerful short story that draws one in immediately, scores its emotional points, and stuns with unforgettable, detailed word-pictures . . . There are no weaknesses in the book with its absurd situations, dark humor and human nature on full display . . . The many metaphors dazzle the mind . . . Vibrant, risky and satisfying. Reva's volume is slim, but hefty in ideas and artistry. . . Maria Reva is a towering talent and her book debut a complex work of art * The Oklahoman *Darkly funny . . . Reminded me of Christadora by Tim Murphy . . . Deeply satisfying . . . [Reva] is really great at finding dark humor in what otherwise would be bleak situations * BookRiot's All About the Books! Podcast *. . . Like a funhouse mirror. Given the setting of a Ukrainian town in the 1980s, readers might enter the collection expecting the usual westernized version of life in the late Soviet Union: corruption, Kafkaesque bureaucracy, maybe a dash of the secret police. But while these elements do make appearances in Reva's fiction, the overall tone is one of nihilistic, elated mysticism. Her stories don't have twists so much as layers, as in soil: every bit of digging uncovers something new, sometimes a treasure, sometimes a grotesquerie * Quill & Quire *[An] innovative, bitingly funny short-story collection * Entertainment Weekly *Absurd, funny, devastating . . . Strange, beautiful and so very full of life * Lara Prescott *Reva's stories are witty yet dark and foreboding, harboring bitter and biting humor that does little to veil the despair [of the good citizens] . . . The writing style and storylines are exceptional, unique to the author yet reminiscent of the classics. 'Lucky Toss' taps into Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart' [and in 'Roach Brooch'] shades of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis are evident . . . Entertaining yet disconcerting and complex. [Reva] showcases the harsh reality of oppression, poverty, abandonment, fear and the constant scrabble simply to subsist and be counted as having a life worthy of acknowledgment * Lone Star Literary Life *One of the leading post-Soviet writers of her generation while breaking through the limitations of the term itself * The Nation *Striking . . . unfold[s] in the fertile space between story collection and novel . . . Good Citizens Need Not Fear uses interlinked tales centred around a crumbling apartment block in Ukraine to convey the absurdity of post-Soviet life * Guardian (Best books of the year) *

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Book SynopsisMagic. It can get a guy killed. Return to the world of the Dresden Files with Harry Dresden (the only wizard in the Chicago phone book) and friends as they solve supernatural mysteries, protect the helpless, and fight evil.Brief Cases is a new collection of Dresden Files stories which will include an original novella, from international bestseller Jim Butcher.Stories included in this collection: ''Curses'', ''AAAA Wizardry'', ''Even Hand'', ''B is for Bigfoot'', ''I was a Teenage Bigfoot'', ''Bigfoot on Campus'', ''Bombshells'', ''Jury Duty'', ''Cold Case'', ''Day One'', ''A Fistful of Warlocks'', ''Zoo Day'' (original novella taking place between Skin Game and Peace Talks)Trade ReviewThe Dresden files is my favourite series everDresden has a vitality that few urban fantasy heroes can matchButcher's storytelling is satisfying on a level that's bone-deepAn intensely enjoyable series

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Book SynopsisAn unmissable collection of eight unconventional and captivating short stories for young and adult learners of Japanese."Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work - and you will too!" - Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers Short Stories in Japanese for Intermediate Learners has been written especially for students from low-mid intermediate (ACTFL) level of Japanese. Mapped to B1 and approaching B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories are designed to give you a sense of achievement and a feeling of progress when reading, and most importantly - enjoyment!What does this book give you?- Eight stories in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making reading fun, while you learn a wide range of new vocabulary- Controlled language at your level to help you progress confidently- Spoken dialogues in a range of polite and casual forms in real settings to help you to improve the flow and accuracy of your spoken Japanese.- To help you advance your kanji recognition skills, furigana is used to support reading higher level or unusual kanji and for the first appearance for common kanji.- Common vocabulary from levels 4 and 5 of the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) along with vocabulary carefully chosen from the higher levels help you learn useful new expressions and progress through the intermediate reading levels.- Accessible grammar so you learn new structures naturally, without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated- Practical tips help you to unlock the meaning of Japanese sentences and new kanji words successfully.- Beautiful illustrations accompanying each story, to set the scene and support your understanding- Pleasure! Research shows that if you're enjoying reading in a foreign language, you won't experience the usual feelings of frustration - 'It's too hard!' 'I don't understand!'With intriguing plots that will spark your imagination and keep you reading, Short Stories in Japanese for Intermediate Learners will take your grasp of Japanese to the next level with key features to support and consolidate your progress, including:- A glossary for bolded words in each chapter- Full plot summary- A bilingual word list- Comprehension questions after each chapter. As a result, you will be able to focus on enjoying reading, delighting in your improved range of vocabulary and grasp of the language, without ever feeling overwhelmed. From science fiction to fantasy, to crime and thrillers, Short Stories in Japanese for Intermediate Learners will accelerate you journey towards fluency. Use the codes inside the book and ebook to access a bonus story for free and the discounted audiobook on our Language Readers Library site or in the Language Readers app.Trade ReviewAs researchers in language acquisition, we need to study people like you. * Stephen Krashen, Emeritus Professor, University of Southern California *Olly's advice on language learning is the real deal, and I recommend you pay attention to what he has to say! * Benny Lewis, Fluent in 3 Months *When we wanted to create a free online course on how to learn a language we asked Olly to write it with us. * Dr Tita Beaven, The Open University *Learning a language is challenging, but it's one of the best things you can do for your brain and your learning skill set... Olly Richards is doing some seriously incredible work to empower more and more people to rise to the challenge. * Jonathan Levi *Olly bridges the gap between theory and practice by helping you to use scientific principles to get real results with your language learning. * Anthony Metivier, Magnetic Memory Method *Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work - and you will too! * Barbara Oakley, PhD, Author of New York Times bestseller A Mind for Numbers *

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Book SynopsisRebecca Ivory was born in 1993 and is a writer based in Dublin. Her short fiction has appeared in the Stinging Fly, Banshee, Tangerine and Fallow Media. In 2020, she was awarded a Literature Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland. Free Therapy is her debut.

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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 SynopsisThis is a collection resplendent with longing. In these compact pages, people meet without actually connecting, travellers set off but never seem to find home. We meet them on the fjords of Norway, in the bustle of Los Angeles, and among the lights of Copenhagen. Outsiders yearn to be on the inside, insiders are desperate to be free. A writer befriends an ex-lover's mother. An elderly man offers his body to aging women. A woman's childhood memories of wild swimming draw her back to the water. In prose that is both elegantly spare and saturated with emotion, Dorthe Nors shines a light into forgotten corners and conjures darkness where it's least expected. Her characteristic sharpness and sense of humour is ever-present, catching us when the melancholy threatens to come too close. Love, cruelty, friendship, and loneliness are all here, in these stories that brim with life.

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Book SynopsisRevisit the haunting debut short story collection from the Booker-shortlisted author of Everything Under.'Full of unabashedly, refreshingly angry women... In a year that made me furious, Daisy Johnson’s Fen was a howl I didn’t know I needed' Celeste NgThe Fen is a liminal land. Real people live their lives here. They wrestle with sex and desire, with everyday routine. But the wild is always close at hand, ready to erupt.This is a place where animals and people commingle and fuse, where curious metamorphoses take place, where myth and dark magic still linger. So here a teenager may starve herself into the shape of an eel. A house might fall in love with a girl. A woman might give birth to a, well, what? 'Instant classic...a bold, take-no-prisoners collection situated somewhere between Angela Carter and Deborah Levy' Jeff VanderMeerTrade ReviewDaisy Johnson’s story collection Fen was unanimously beloved... firmly situating her among the UK’s most exciting new voices. -- Marta Bausells * Elle *Just finished rereading Daisy Johnson’s story collection Fen. Just as powerful and beautiful and dark and strange as the first time. One of my favourite books of all time. -- Jeff VandermeerJohnson's heady broth of folklore, female sexuality and fenland landscape reads like a mix of Graham Swift and Angela Carter… For atmosphere, originality and plain chutzpah, this is an impressive first collection. -- Sarah Crown * Guardian *Poetic, risky… Johnson’s slippery and sensual stories-cum-chapters have an amphibious elemental quality and a contemporary provincial witchiness of their own. -- Phil Baker * Sunday Times *There is big, dangerous vitality herein - this book marks the emergence of a great, stomping, wall-knocking talent. -- Kevin BarryReading the stories brought the sense of being trapped in a room slowly, but very surely, filling up with water. You think: this can't be happening. Meanwhile, hold your breath against the certainty it surely is. -- Cynan Jones, author of The Dig

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Book SynopsisA Granta Best Young American Novelist1930s Leningrad: a failed portrait artist employed by Soviet censors must erase political dissenters from official images and artworks. One day, he receives an antique painting. The mystery behind this painting threads together each of the stories that follow, where we meet a Siberian beauty queen, a young soldier in the battlefields of Chechnya, the Head of the Grozny Tourist Bureau, a ballerina performing for the camp director of a gulag and many others.Trade ReviewShares much with David Mitchell's expansive Cloud Atlas, and it wears its blend of dry humour and tragedy very well... impressive -- Observer * Ben East *This book will burn itself into your heart. It's a collection of interlocking short stories that stand alone but also fit together, piece by delicate piece, to form an astonishing whole... It's funny, moving and beautiful * New York Times *Masterful ... mesmerising ... Like Nabokov, Marra is a writer for whom essential truths are found in detail... The nine interlocking stories grip from the off with their dry tone and meticulously realised worlds of totalitarian life and its aftermath -- Sarah Gilmartin * Irish Times *Gripping... painful and powerful, with welcome flashes of ironic humour, too -- John Sunyer * Financial Times *Marra creates an unnerving story of a world, then and now, dominated by untouchable authorities that operate at every social level... a writer of intelligence, wit and sensitivity, adept at telling stories that entertain but also create the sensation that they are not so strange as fiction -- George Berridge * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisSelected and Introduced by Booker-Prize winner Julian Barnes'Reading Cheever is a restless pleasure, the work never settles: these brilliant stories make me get up and walk around the room' Anne Enright John Cheever - the 'Chekhov of the suburbs' - forever altered the landscape of contemporary literature. In a career that spanned nearly fifty years, his short stories, often published in the New Yorker, gave voice to the repressed desires and smouldering disappointments of 1950s America as it teetered on the edge of spiritual awakening and sexual liberation in the ensuing decades.Selected for the first time, these satirical, fantastical, sad and transcendent stories show Cheever in all his brilliance and continue to speak directly to the heart of human experience. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book AwardTrade ReviewOne of the great writers of the previous century -- John Self * The Times *There was a time in my life when I thought I would have to find a support group for people who loved Cheever as much as I do... I would write out his sentences by hand at times to see what does that feel like, to be able to have that felicity of language -- Elizabeth StroutAs stories go, as compellingly readable narratives of a certain sort of people in a certain time and place - our time and place-John Cheever's stories are, simply, the best * Washington Post *[Cheever's] magical capacity for marrying the quotidian with the surreal, so often soars. The new volume feels capacious, stuffed as it is with wonders * Sunday Times *John Cheever is an enchanted realist, and his voice, in his luminous short stories...is as rich and distinctive as any of the leading voices of postwar American literature -- Philip RothProfound and daring...some of the most wonderful stories any American has written * Boston Globe *Cheever shows a sublime psychological understanding of all that goes unsaid - whatever's not mentioned between couples is fully present and felt -- A M Homes

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Book SynopsisA beautiful hardback edition of Angela Carter's feminist retelling of fairy tales - masterful, seductive and luminous. From familiar fairy tales and legends - Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires and werewolves - Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories.'Magnificent set pieces of fastidious sensuality' Ian McEwan'A quirky, original, and baroque stylist' Margaret AtwoodVINTAGE QUARTERBOUND CLASSICS: Bound to be beautifulINTRODUCED BY HELEN SIMPSON

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