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42 Superb New Short Story Collections to Read in 2021

"Trying to bust a reading slump? No time to sink into a long novel? Prefer plots that can be contained in a handful of pages? Then a short story collection is always the right pick for you.
For fans of the form, 2021 is shaping up to be a tremendous year for the short story, with collections ranging from translated tales to explorations of sexuality to flights of pure fantasy. To help you find your next read, we've compiled these recommendations, including new releases from old favorites like Joyce Carol Oates and breakout new stars like Brandon Taylor and Dantiel W. Moniz."
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Milk Blood Heat (Dantiel W. Moniz)
Milk Blood Heat
1
Dantiel W. Moniz
The (Other) You: Stories (Joyce Carol Oates)
The (Other) You: Stories
2
Joyce Carol Oates
The Low Desert: Gangster Stories (Tod Goldberg)
The Low Desert: Gangster Stories
3
Tod Goldberg
100 Boyfriends (Brontez Purnell)
100 Boyfriends
4
Brontez Purnell
Land of Big Numbers (Te-Ping Chen)
Land of Big Numbers
5
Te-Ping Chen
Kink (Garth Greenwell, Editor)
Kink
6
Garth Greenwell, Editor
Life Among the Terranauts (Caitlin Horrocks)
Life Among the Terranauts
7
Caitlin Horrocks
Eat the Mouth That Feeds You (Carribean Fragoza)
Eat the Mouth That Feeds You
8
Carribean Fragoza
Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons (Keith Rosson)
Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons
9
Keith Rosson
The Ghost Variations (Kevin Brockmeier)
The Ghost Variations
10
Kevin Brockmeier
Sex With Strangers (Michael Lowenthal)
Sex With Strangers
11
Michael Lowenthal
Are You Enjoying? (Mira Sethi)
Are You Enjoying?
12
Mira Sethi
Love Like That: Stories (Emma Duffy-Comparone)
Love Like That: Stories
13
Emma Duffy-Comparone
The Souvenir Museum: Stories (Elizabeth McCracken)
The Souvenir Museum: Stories
14
Elizabeth McCracken
Sarahland (Sam Cohen)
Sarahland
15
Sam Cohen
Girls of a Certain Age (Maria Adelmann)
Girls of a Certain Age
16
Maria Adelmann
Festival Days (Jo Ann Beard)
Festival Days
17
Jo Ann Beard
In the Event of Contact (Ethel Rohan)
In the Event of Contact
18
Ethel Rohan
Cosmogony (Lucy Ives)
Cosmogony
19
Lucy Ives
Big Time: Stories (Jen Spyra)
Big Time: Stories
20
Jen Spyra
The Rock Eaters (Brenda Peynado)
The Rock Eaters
21
Brenda Peynado
Machines of Another Era (Bess Winter)
Machines of Another Era
22
Bess Winter
A Common Person (R.M.Kinder)
A Common Person
23
R.M.Kinder
First Person Singular (Haruki Murakami)
First Person Singular
24
Haruki Murakami
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed (Mariana)
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed
25
Mariana
Prayer for the Living (Ben Okri)
Prayer for the Living
26
Ben Okri
I'm Waiting for You (Kim Bo-Young)
I'm Waiting for You
27
Kim Bo-Young
Never Have I Ever (Isabel Yap)
Never Have I Ever
28
Isabel Yap
Burning Girls (Veronica Shanoes)
Burning Girls
29
Veronica Shanoes
Reconstruction: Stories (Alaya Dawn Johnson)
Reconstruction: Stories
30
Alaya Dawn Johnson
Gordo (Jaime Cortez)
Gordo
31
Jaime Cortez
Filthy Animals (Brandon Taylor)
Filthy Animals
32
Brandon Taylor
The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You (Maurice Carlos Ruffin)
The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You
33
Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Afterparties: Stories (Anthony Veasna So)
Afterparties: Stories
34
Anthony Veasna So
Look for Me and I'll Be Gone (John Edgar Wideman)
Look for Me and I'll Be Gone
35
John Edgar Wideman
My Monticello (Jocelyn Nicole Johnson)
My Monticello
36
Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
Skinship (Yoon Choi)
Skinship
37
Yoon Choi
Home of the Floating Lily (Silmy Abdullah)
Home of the Floating Lily
38
Silmy Abdullah
We Two Alone (Jack Wang)
We Two Alone
39
Jack Wang
Hao: Stories (Ye Chun)
Hao: Stories
40
Ye Chun
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