Favorite writers of short fiction and others
Discover a curated list of favorite short fiction writers and their must-read books. Explore top picks for captivating stories and masterful storytelling in short fiction.
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The Boys of My Youth
by Jo Ann Beard
Rarely does the debut of a new writer garner such attention & acclaim. The excitement began the moment "The Fourth State of Matter," one of …
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Ordinary Life
by Elizabeth Berg
In this superb collection of short stories, the bestselling author of Open House and Talk Before Sleep takes us into the times in women’s lives …
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The Best American Short Stories 2002
by Sue Miller
A compilation of twenty American short stories originally published in magazines and periodicals issued between January 2001 and January 2002, selected for inclusion by guest …
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Trash
by Dorothy Allison
Trash, Allison's landmark collection, laid the groundwork for her critically acclaimed Bastard Out of Carolina, the National Book Award finalist that was hailed by The …
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The Big Hunger
by John Fante
Published here for the first time, this text presents a collection of recently-discovered stories by John Fante.
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Where I'm Calling From
by Raymond Carver
The final story collection from “one of the great short story writers of our time” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) features classic stories from Cathedral, What We …
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The Woman Lit by Fireflies
by Jim Harrison
The author of Dalva and Legends of the Fall has created three stunning novellas that echo the best works of Raymond Carver and James Dickey. …
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The Last Girls
by Lee Smith
Thirty-five years after a trip down the Mississippi on a raft with their classmates, four women are reunited to cruise the river once again where …
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When the Messenger is Hot
by Elizabeth Crane
Features the stories of women recovering from loss, addiction, or betrayal, from a woman who decides to live on the patio rooftop of her friend's …
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A Brief History of the Flood
by Jean Harfenist
Acorn Lake kids swim better than they walk, and most never consider leaving Sioux County. It is precisely this small-town life that makes "A Brief …
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The Whore's Child and Other Stories
by Richard Russo
In his first collection, a master storyteller focuses on a fresh and fascinating range of human behavior. With a fluency of tone that will surprise …
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Black Glass
by Karen Joy Fowler
An innovative, critically acclaimed collection of stories by the author of "The Sweetheart Season" and "Sarah Canary."
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The Story of Lucy Gault
by William Trevor
A novel set in Ireland in the 1920s charts the progress of a young girl whose entire life seems to be falling apart when the …
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The 25th Hour
by David Benioff
The brilliant debut novel from the bestselling author of City of Thieves and the co-creator of the HBO series Game of Thrones, about a white-collar …
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American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this modern classic, the acclaimed author of The Shards explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence …
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Jesus' Son
by Denis Johnson
Jesus' Son is a visionary chronicle of dreamers, addicts, and lost souls. These stories tell of spiraling grief and transcendence, of rock bottom and redemption, …
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Reasons to Live
by Amy Hempel
Hempel's now-classic collection of short fiction is peopled by complex characters who have discovered that their safety nets are not dependable and who must now …
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Breakfast of Champions
by Kurt Vonnegut
“Marvelous . . . [Vonnegut] wheels out all the complaints about America and makes them seem fresh, funny, outrageous, hateful and lovable.”—The New York Times …
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Head
by William Tester
The eleven gorgeous stories in Head are remarkably varied in setting and cultural context: a bullying cattleman forces his two stepsons to lay fence in …