Help! I can't commit to finishing a novel so

[Anonymous]

I'm looking to increase my reading time by focusing on short stories. Any suggestions? I'm currently reading The Gold-Bug and Other Stories by Poe. I'll read just about anything as long as it's in English and available in hard copy.

TIA

[Anonymous]

Curtis Sittenfield's You think it I'll say it

[Anonymous]

"Ladies Night at Finbar's Hotel" is a book of short stories by Irish female authors. The stories all take place at the same hotel on the same night.

[Anonymous]

Alice Munro

[Anonymous]

Amber Sparks, And I Do not Forgive You
Flannery O’Connor (it’s all pretty brutal but great)
Meghan Phillips, Abstinence Only
Damien Dressick, Fables of the Destruction

Also, look for anthologies/best ofs with different authors, it’s a great way to find writers you like and read lots of different styles.

[Anonymous]

Not a short story person, but when I was struggling to get into a reading habit, I started with really trashy novels. Chick lit, beach reads, some John Grisham, stuff like that. Plot driven, easy reads. It really helped get me into the groove.

[Anonymous]

They have The Best American Short stories for each year in this anthology. This is how I was introduced to Roxane Gay and some of my other favorite authors.

https://www.amazon.com/Best-American-Short-Stories-2022-ebook/dp/B09SHSFDNW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

[Anonymous]

Thank you all.

[Anonymous]

Isaac Bashevis Singer. His short stories are amazing.

[Anonymous]

First things first...

What genres do you enjoy?
What genres do you not enjoy?
Are there any topics/tropes that are off-limits?

This thread will be useless without some more information.

[Anonymous]

Oh another place to find them is The New Yorker. I prefer print but it’s not a cheap subscription, so you can listen to their fiction podcast. They have an author on and the author chooses a story and reads it, and then they discuss. Excellent podcast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alice Munro

but not her latest collection! it goes way too dark and for no purpose.

[Anonymous]

I have a short novel to recommend:

The Old Woman with the Knife, by Gu Byeong-mo

I couldn't put it down.

[Anonymous]

so many great short story writers (and I like Poe also). W. Somerst Maugham and Checkov come right to mind , especially the latter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:so many great short story writers (and I like Poe also). W. Somerst Maugham and Checkov come right to mind , especially the latter.

sorry, that should be Chekhov