Category: Short Story

Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind by Alexander McCall Smith

Synopsis "Pictures capture moments in time, presenting the viewer with a window into another life. But a picture can go only so far. Who are the people in the image? What are their fears? What are their dreams? The fourteen captivating tales in this collection are all inspired by photos from the Times of London … Continue reading Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind by Alexander McCall Smith →

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper was first published in the New England Magazine in 1891. It is a classic short story that, when I first read it, totally and completely freaked me out. I have thought about it often over the years and decided to revisit it this week. I found a copy of the story … Continue reading The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman →

Short Story Sunday: Unaccustomed Earth

For this week's Short Story Sunday, I'll be taking a look at "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri, from her short story collection of the same name. In "Unaccustomed Earth" we meet Ruma, a young mother living in Seattle with her three-year-old son Akash and husband, Adam, who travels frequently for work. We learn that Ruma's … Continue reading Short Story Sunday: Unaccustomed Earth →

The Cape Cod Masquerade by Mary Higgins Clark

The Cape Cod Masquerade by Mary Higgins Clark was one of my favorites from Clark's Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories that I read a few weeks ago. Alvirah and Willy Meehan are visiting Cape Cod in search of some peace and quiet. Their neighbor, a young woman staying alone, seems a little odd and against … Continue reading The Cape Cod Masquerade by Mary Higgins Clark →

Death Wears A Beauty Mask & Other Stories by Mary Higgins Clark

Death Wears A Beauty Mask & Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark. Of all the books checked out at the library where I work, 90% of them are mysteries. I rarely read this genre (unless the author is named Robert Galbraith) and was feeling more than a little left out! … Continue reading Death Wears A Beauty Mask & Other Stories by Mary Higgins Clark →

Earth (A Gift Shop) by Charles Yu

From Shadow Show, a collection of short stories by famous writers inspired by Ray Bradbury's greatest stories, come "Earth (A Gift Shop)" by Charles Yu in which he wonders what will become of earth when we are finished with it, and how will humanity be remembered when we are long gone, based on what we've left behind? This … Continue reading Earth (A Gift Shop) by Charles Yu →

Headlife by Margaret Atwood

Inspired by Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man "Headlife" by Margaret Atwood is one of many fantastic short stories from Shadow Show. This story is great because you know exactly what is going to happen but you don't know how, so the anticipation grows with each paragraph. Quentin is the creator and owner of Hither! Ltd., a … Continue reading Headlife by Margaret Atwood →

Backward in Seville by Audrey Niffenegger

I first read "Backward in Seville" by Audrey Niffenegger in Shadow Show, a collection of short stories in celebration of Ray Bradbury. Helene and her recently widowed father Lewis are on a cruise in Spain; a cruise that Lewis and his late wife, Helen's mother, Nora were supposed to have gone on together until her … Continue reading Backward in Seville by Audrey Niffenegger →