Short Stories You Must Get Your Hands On!
Short stories have such a fascinating way of capturing the reader’s attention, the entire plot woven within the framework. They never fail to reel me in with all the characters and other elements playing their parts just right in order to successfully weave the story according to the vision of the author.
What adds to the charm is the feeling of nostalgia I get hit by every time I begin a short story, as children we are attracted to short stories more often than not. Some stories just leave you wanting more. With the help of friends, BookishBrat has come up with a list of stories we love.
Here are some amazing collections of stories that I have come across in the last year, hope you enjoy them as much as I did:
1. The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill
Katie O’Neill is an illustrator from New Zealand known for the previously written book, Princess Princess Ever After. The Tea Dragon Society is a graphic novel depicting an entirely different universe within a book, everything seems magical and enchanting. The book, as the title reads, is about dragons and tea, and the art of making tea. The story is reminiscing and about forgetting the past. The book full of vibrant colors that leave a lasting impression.
2. Storywallah by Kumar Ganesan
This book by Kumar Ganesan consists of 14 short stories that take you to the good old times of Malgudi Days by R. K. Narayan. The short stories leave behind a sweet memory, making you laugh and cry- but all of them will connect with you. The language used is very simple and the stories are taken out of everyday life, characters are interesting and engaging attracts the attention of the readers immediately.
3. Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang
An intense collection of stories by Jenny Zhang, sketching a picture of life in 1990 of the immigrants. The stories are from the perspective of a little girl portraying the struggles in the United States as well as the noisy streets of Shanghai. The voice in the stories is dark yet humorous and sarcastic, the stories cut through the generations and continents, talks about the aftermath and struggles experienced by the parents in Mao Era China.
4. Life of Adventure and Delight
The book is a collection of eight short stories. The stories travel through grief, loneliness and the pursuit of happiness. A young woman who finds herself to be in love with her husband in an arranged marriage, a divorce tries to become the ideal partner by reading women’s magazines, the stories constantly deal with the changing invulnerability of relationships.
5. The Refugees by Viet Thanh Ngyyen
The portrayal of the cultural shock is explicit after a young refugee comes to live with two gay men in San Francisco. An experience of Vietnamese refugee in a new country where the dynamics are complex between the parents and children. The theme stands unchanged about refugees from Vietnam, who have come to the United States to receive a cultural shock. The stories are unique and different from what we read usually, the endings are realistic and simple.
6. Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
Nidhi Chanani writes about a little girl named Pri who wonders why her mother abandoned her home in India? Pri is curious about her home, her culture and she try to understand when her mother tells her how the girls living there have different choices than the girls living in the US. Pashmina is a sweet and heartfelt graphic novel for young adults that deal with the feeling of belonging that every child yearns for.
7. Guidebook to Relative Strangers by Camillie T. Dungy
A beautiful letter from a mother to a daughter help her embrace the world she lives in. The book is a mixture of a parental guide, a travelogue, and a memoir, exploring inner and outer worlds, Dungy seeks for kindness and mercy across the nations. She captures and portrays the themes of parenting, racism, and communities, describing herself to be traveling and seeing the familiar faces, Dungy connects motherhood and independence, fuses together to reflect her views about how Blacks are portrayed in a community. Dungy writes subtly, her writing is calm and interesting, Dungy shares her insights about challenging ideas.
This list was made with inputs from Surabhi Rajan from Half Baked Beans
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Let us know what you thought of the stories. If you would like us to review a book of your choosing, please leave your recommendations in the comments section.
Happy reading!
Bookish Brat
