Staff Picks by Tag

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Cars on Fire By Mónica Ramón Ríos, Robin Myers (Translator) Cover Image
$14.95
ISBN: 9781948830164
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Open Letter - April 14th, 2020

This is a stunning collection of stories, the first few being quite slow and lyrical with the last three standing out as simply bizarre but so, so good. It's a remarkable exploration of xenophobia, feminism, violence, and social hierarchies that will make you uncomfortable, emotional, and simply stunned--especially "Dead Men Don't Rape," "Invocation," and "Instructions for the Eye." I've never read anything quite like this with a gorgeous translation to match. 


Review by Sofia B.

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When Trying to Return Home: Stories By Jennifer Maritza McCauley Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9781640095687
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Counterpoint - February 7th, 2023

This was a stellar collection! The very first story pulls you right in and I couldn't stop reading more. Every story felt like it they could be full blown novels at some point. 

There is also this frantic and furious energy in many of the stories which IMO is very hard to pull off in short stories. This writer achieved something great here. 

One last note: Mavis and Estelle have my whole heart <3


Review by Rosa

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Shit Cassandra Saw: Stories By Gwen E. Kirby Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780143136620
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Penguin Books - January 11th, 2022

Kirby offers up some dark, giddy feminism that really hit the spot for me during this time of BS. I had no idea what was happening when I started the first story, then I did, and I was like 'Yeeees!'. I live for Cassandra, watching the destruction of her temples with a smirk on her face, remembering that these men are barefaced cowards. 

"...men who think her mad driving her to madness. She wishes she could move far away to an islan and own a bird."

Word.


Review by Dean

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Valleyesque: Stories By Fernando A. Flores Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9780374604134
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: MCD x FSG Originals - May 3rd, 2022

These are amazingly bizarre, dream-like and surreal stories that surprise the reader not in their bizarre nature, but by slowly revealing themselves to be deeply grounded and beautifully heart-felt. Like the most potent of dreams, they are nonsensically unexplainable yet impossible to forget.


Review by Robert

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Heartbroke By Chelsea Bieker Cover Image
$26.00
ISBN: 9781646221271
Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 3-10 days
Published: Catapult - April 5th, 2022

Chelsea Bieker can tell you exactly who a character is without ever putting it on the page. She expertly allows the reader to learn through first person perspective. The way her characters move through the world will show you who they are without needless exposition. The theme of this collection is "seeking or sabotaging love" but this author will undoubtedly steal your heart with her profound understanding of human behavior. 


Review by Brandon

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Haunted: A Novel By Chuck Palahniuk Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781400032822
Availability: Out of stock, usually available in 3-10 days
Published: Anchor - April 11th, 2006

Palahniuk loves to tell the story of listeners fainting during live readings from this collection. While the imagery throughout the stories is intense, what's more impressive is the flawless structure delivered over and over again. While this book may look like it belongs in the horror section, it is actually a prime example of transgressive fiction at its best. It is crafted with expert pacing and subject matter that will leave you truly, Haunted.

 


Review by Brandon

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Friday Black By Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781328911247
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Mariner Books - October 23rd, 2018

I was riding a subway when I started this collection. The first story was so incredible I completely missed my stop and didn't even care. Brillant speculative fiction truly doesn't get any better than this. With themes such as systemic racism, it will hurt to process the words of this mirror turned on society, but you will never stop thinking about the important messages between these pages.


Review by Brandon

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The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories By Anthony Marra Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780770436452
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Hogarth - July 19th, 2016

Upon finishing this book I wept inconsolably. Marra has woven together this collection of short stories into a tender and heart-wrenching story that has an irrevocably haunting (in the best way) impact on me. 


Review by Lily

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Shoko's Smile: Stories By Choi Eunyoung, Sung Ryu (Translated by) Cover Image
By Choi Eunyoung, Sung Ryu (Translated by)
$18.00
ISBN: 9780143135265
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Penguin Books - June 1st, 2021

I read an Electric Literature interview with the author and immediately had to pick up this book of short stories. Fair warning: do not read the back cover if you dislike spoilers. I think its the best to approach these tales of loneliness and connection without knowing too much beforehand. Choi writes so softly that you may miss her quiet inclusion of vital (and often grave) context. I found myself returning to concise sentences that retexturize entire stories wondering how I almost read over them. I didn't know this was the book I needed to read until I read it. 



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Verge By Lidia Yuknavitch Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9780525534884
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Riverhead Books - February 2nd, 2021

I fell in love with this book upon reading its opening paragraph. Yuknavitch explores emotional realities via her deft use of surrealism, splaying chracters with unobtrusive metaphors that landed in the base of my stomach. A book that you will want to read cherishingly. 


Review by Dean

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