Short Story Recommendations
Looking back through the favorites tab on my short story spreadsheet, it would seem I favor a harrowing, post-apocalyptic short story. Not so bloody intriguing now we’re living it though, is it?
Anyway, here are some recent favorites of mine, on the themes of apocalypse, isolation, and endings in general. Probably not a good idea to binge-read them; I don’t want to be responsible for any mental breakdowns. The links below contain the full stories, with the exception of Manus, but Sachdeva’s collection is so incredible I urge you to grab a copy anyway.
- Orange Dogs – Marian Womack
- Hoo Hoo – Camilla Grudova
- Salt Slow – Julia Armfield
- Creed – Carys Davies
- The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Manus – Anjali Sachdeva
- Brita’s Holiday Village – Karin Tidbeck
I also recommend Three Miles Up by Elizabeth Jane Howard, but I couldn’t find it online. You should pick up her collection, Mr Wrong, and check it out.
Free Bookish Stuff!
It is worth checking if you local library has access to Libby, from Overdrive. It offers free ebooks and audiobooks, all through your local library!
Hoopla is pretty good too (and includes movies), but you can’t export content to your digital reading device.
Audible is also streaming free audiobooks for children, and there’s a spectacular collection.
Bookish Purchases
For whatever reason, I got about $70 of Amazon gift cards this week. Did I spend most of it on ebooks? You bet your sweet ass I did! Here’s what I bought:
- Men Without Women – Haruki Murakami
- Baba Yaga Laid an Egg – Dubravka Ugresic
- Rare Birds – L.S. Johnson
- Verge – Lidia Yuknavitch (I also recommend listening to the lovely literary podcast, The Maris Review, as Yuknavitch is her guest this week)
- Ghost Summer – Tananarive Due
- Fright into Flight (anthology) – Amber Fallon
- Lost Things – Marian Womack
I also bought a physical copy of The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha, which is basically a “choose your own adventure” for adults. I am so excited to get started.
My Reading This Week
I’ve been bashing through Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth. A very 2020 novel, centered around one young woman’s obsession with social media, and the impact it has on her life. It’s pretty amusing, and has drawn comparisons to Fleabag. There are similar themes, but comparing every work involving, or written by, a young woman to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s phenomenal creation is a little reductive.
I’m still listening to Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. It’s nice to dip in and out of. Meera Syal’s narration is wonderful. It’s not my usual kind of book at all, but my literary preferences appear to be changing. I’m also listening to Roald Dahl’s The Witches with my husband for pleasant background noise.
Well, that’s enough for right now. Stay safe, let me know what you’re reading.
California Reading 