January Reading Theme: Short Stories

For this month, we’ve collected stories as short as J-Term! Horror, sci-fi, literary fiction-- take a few minutes and briefly explore another world.

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

African Short Stories, edited by Chinua Achebe: “A selection of the best African stories written between 1960 and 1985.” (Publisher’s summary)

100 Jolts by Michael Arnzen (yes, Dr. Arnzen): “Arnzen has honed his craft to deliver the highest voltage using the fewest words in this collection of 100 short stories, guaranteed to stun.” (Publisher’s summary)

The Complete Stories by Isaac Asimov: “The first book of the definitive three-volume collection of short stories by the prolific Isaac Asimov, whose tales have delighted countless fans for over half a century--a must for every science fiction bookshelf.” (Publisher’s summary)

Ghost and Horror Stories by Ambrose Bierce: “23 modern horror stories by American master. ‘The Eyes of the Panther,’ ‘The Damned Thing,’ 21 more. ‘These pieces are not dated, nor are they lacking any of the narrative elements necessary to attract and hold the attention of anyone interested in the horror genre.’" (SF Booklog)

Uncollected Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle: “This volume contains all the known short stories by Conan Doyle which were not collected into volumes for publication during his life.” (Goodreads summary)

The Complete Short Stories by W. Somerset Maugham: “Crisply incisive, brutally honest yet gentle and sympathetic. Brilliant acerbic wit. Absolute mastery of the keenly observed short story.” (Ashby Manson, Goodreads review)

Marriages and Infidelities by Joyce Carol Oates: “Marriages and Infidelities is an example of how good JCO can be when she comes out guns blazing.” (Pamela Scott, Goodreads review)

The Short Stories of Saki (H.H. Monro) by Saki: “Miniature masterpieces with a lot to say.” (Publisher’s summary)

The Great Short Stories of Robert Louis Stevenson, by R. L. Stevenson: "[We offer] to the public this collection of Great Short Stories... with the comfortable certainty that the edition... will be enjoyed by an immense public. For in this book, all you who seek delight in reading, and look for other works by storytellers who have brought you pleasure in the past, will discover new tales and adventures to beguile the hour." (Editors’ note)

The Complete Short Stories and Famous Essays of Mark Twain by Mark Twain: “I had forgotten what a great writer Twain was, and this book is an excellent reminder.” (Ben, Goodreads review)

The Music School by John Updike: “The Music School is a place of learning, in which a sheltered South Dakota boy meets his roommate at Harvard, a rebel with whom he will have a violent—and ambiguous—physical encounter; a warring married couple, Richard and Joan Maple, try and try again to find solace in sex; and Henry Bech, an unprolific American writer publicizing himself far from home, enjoys a moment of improbable, poignant, untranslatable connection with a Bulgarian poetess.” (Publisher’s summary)

A Haunted House and Other Short Stories by Virginia Woolf: “The stories found in A Haunted House reflect Virginia Woolf's experimental writing style and act as an enlightening introduction to the longer fiction of this pioneer novelist.” (Publisher’s summary)