We could talk about short stories for an entire year's worth of episodes. Alas, we don't have the time, but you didn't think we'd say goodbye to short stories without a few last-minute recommendations, did you?

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I adored Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's much acclaimed novel Americanah and knew I had to pick up more of her work. After We Should All Be Feminists, this short story collection seems like the next place to go. I can't wait to read Adichie's writing in the short form. They couldn't be anything but wonderful. - K

What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi

I read Boy, Snow, Bird a few years back and was mesmerized by the lyrical dark writing. Josh picked up a copy of Oyeyemi's new short story collection at a recent conference, and I have been dying to get into it. Using the theme of keys, she explores what it means to possess one. - A

Tender: Stories by Sofia Samatar

A few months ago, Tender started showing up on ALL the lists of books to look out for this spring. Of course, I had to read it. I started the book this week and--oh my stars--this book! It's so wacky and wonderful, combining fantasy and folklore into something new altogether. Stay tuned for my full review of Tender in the newsletter this Friday! - K

Starting Over: Stories by Elizabeth Spencer

Spencer's writing has been compared to that of Eudora Welty and this collection won an award also given to Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward (Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award Winners), so it's safe to say that this book is in my wheelhouse. This collection explores the secrets that lie beneath the surface of every good Southern family and relationships that hold everyone together. - A

Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang

You may have heard that Lena Dunham, of Girls on HBO fame, recently founded her own book imprint called "Lenny," the same name as her popular newsletter. The imprint's first book Sour Heart hits the shelves this summer, and I can't wait to get my hands on it and learn what all the buzz is about. Sour Heart is "centered on a community of immigrants who have traded their endangered lives as artists in China and Taiwan for the constant struggle of life at the poverty line in 1990s New York City." Ah!! Sounds perfect. - K

Public Library and Other Stories by Ali Smith

It seems like everyone is talking about Ali Smith these days. This collection appeals to because I am head-over-heels in love with libraries. I mean, listen to this blurb: "The stories in Ali Smith's new collection are about what we do with books and what they do with us: how they travel with us; how they shock us, change us, challenge us, banish time while making us older, wiser and ageless all at once; how they remind us to pay attention to the world we make." Sign me up! - A

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