Short Story Collections

May is Short Story Month, a book genre that's often overlooked by librarians and readers alike. Like graphics, short stories are quite versatile. They crossover into nearly all genres, formats, and age ranges. They're the perfect size for commutes, checking out a new author (or several at once!), or for enjoying character and plot development at a quicker pace. Here are a few of my recent faves:

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes you just want a book full of happy endings (or happy beginnings) - this is the book for that time. These 14 stories are just so dang CUTE. I loved all the loves, representing a variety of attractions and preferences in a variety of settings and time periods. This is a read for summer flings and winter romances and for when you need to restore your faith in the potential of meeting others.

Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration by Rose Brock
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Essays - a writing style not executed easily - make up this collection of inspiration. These 24 personal stories are more fact than fiction, but there's a creativity to them that not all essay writers are able to capture. All your favorite contemporary YA authors are included, which makes this an easy sell to those who are already fans or those who are looking for new authors to read. Stories of childhood dedication and perseverance, moments of doubt overcome by conviction, and the belief that words have power combine in this collection to show there is strength in hope.I found this collection heartbreakingly timely, and had to spread my reading out over the course of a few days(weeks).

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think horror works well in short story form - we get just enough to care about a protagonist and then to be terrified without having to invest in a whole novel. It turns out horror also works well as graphic shorts. Graphic as in the visual arts, but also as in explicitly illustrated. Don't worry - there's nothing NSFW here, but I was delightfully creeped out by several of the folktale-esque stories included in this collection.

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a beautiful book, by all meanings of the word. I was entranced by the stories and the detailed illustrations. Fairy tale retellings will always have a place on my bookshelves, but these retellings in particular are provocative and so dang smart. I'll be searching out more Bardugo after reading this collection!


Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After finishing the Lunar Chronicles, this YA sci-fi collection was such a treat. There are stories about each character in the series, plus a few bonus stories with new characters (that Little Mermaid retelling!!), and just like that I was back into the world Meyer crafted so well. I'd recommend reading the Lunar Chronicles either way, but they're especially helpful for context with this collection.

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a quirky, detailed, fun collection of illustrated stories! Over 30 historical figures are represented in this collection of “broad-stroke portraits” in both text and illustration. Bagieu pays homage to women from various walks of life, geographic settings, and periods of history with brief biographical comics and detailed drawings that invite readers in to each story. This nonfiction graphic works well as a dip-in-and-out resource, and even though I read it cover to cover, it could easily be read by interest or as curiosity leads. The colors are sharp, and the book as a whole has a very eclectic feel.

The Radical Element by Jessica Spotswood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In stories that range in setting from Savannah, Georgia in 1838 to Los Angeles in 1923 to Boston in 1984, this collection of historical fiction by 12 different authors - a veritable Who's Who of YA Lit right now - features characters who refuse to let society define them. They boldly claim their identities and pursue their dreams in defiance of the norms of their communities.


Extras: How to Breathe Underwater, We're in Trouble, Interpreter of Maladies, Unaccustomed Earth, One More Thing, Tenth of December, Stories: All New Tales, All These Wonders, or view all my reviews.