Funny Fiction Short Stories

“Extraordinarily beautiful . . . [Like] a dream from which we awake inspired to look more attentively at the world.” —Francine Prose, The New York Times Book Review A journey to Acapulco gradually becomes a descent into the underworld. An elderly South American writer instructs a protégé...

Dead Babies, a hilarious Agatha Christie parody and Martin Amis’s second novel, was deemed his “most incendiary” (the BBC). Within the quiet walls of the Appleseed Rectory, a gorgeous five-bedroom, three-story home in rural England, anything goes: the drugs are consumed with gusto, the...

These are funny stories, seriously. Four short stories set in Oregon. Three in Eastern Oregon. One is about a scalawag who becomes a moonshiner. Another is about a scalawag who builds a mansion in the desert and becomes convinced that a pumpkin is an egg.

Аркадий Аверченко ― русский писатель, драматург, театральный критик, выдающийся мастер короткой юмористической прозы двадцатых годов прошлого века. Среди тем, которые интересовали А. Т. Аверченко, были общественно-политические события начала XX столетия, влияние искусства на повседневную жизнь, взаимоотношения между людьми, радости и печали детей и многое другое.

Welcome to these paranormal worlds of randy vampires, naughty necromancers, and zombies who might eat your brains after they succeed at seducing you. This quirky collection gathers the funniest fantasy, weirdest paranormal, and most hilarious horror written by award winning author, Sarina Dorie. In all, there are 17 tales to transport you to another world and tickle your funny bone.

Zach and Fred are best friends. They always have fun no matter where they go. Fred can be a little stinky sometimes, and he always eats way too much, but he is the greatest friend a kid could have. When Zach is happy, Fred farts, sings, and wiggles. When Zach is shy, Fred farts for giggles. Fred is an invisible dinosaur that burps, farts, and sneezes. Zach is the boy he loves to pieces. Fred's real name is long, like his never-ending tail. He can only be seen by Zach, Emily, and Dale.

Save 10 lives with a paperclip, discover how a big banana can ruin your sister's holiday, make a new friend with a garbage bin, develop a taste for sheep's spleen and chips, bounce on a vampire's bed, rescue your dad from a dog and a spider, use a toilet roll to get justice, upset the neighbours with a pickaxe, eat a pizza that makes you fearless and imagine a world where teachers earn more money than a rock star.

A new collection of short stories examining the extraordinary shades of ordinary life, from the prize-winning fiction writer Richard Bausch (“A master of the short story" —The New York Times Book Review) In these twelve new stories, Richard Bausch explores the passions of men and women...

“These gripping, magical tales span time travel, portals, menacing butterflies, and more. A can’t-miss meditation on families and survival.” —People “A gorgeous book that also serves as a series of unanswerable, probing questions: How did we get here? How will we move forward? Can we...

A virtuosic, laugh-out-loud collection of stories that explore the fraught and fantastic nature of human connection—featuring women, men, various couples, and one terribly precocious baby enmeshed in tangled romances of all shapes and sizes. The wide-ranging and inventive stories that make up...

A hopeful, speculative short story collection about how humanity grapples in a world transformed by climate change. “Climate fiction does not owe readers hope, but through humor and humanity Hyde manages to present a harsh reality without descending into despair, offering a space for mourning...

Have you ever wondered what a UFO abduction is like from the alien’s viewpoint? Can a machine provide comfort to a dying woman? What would it be like to fall into the hands of a get-rich-quick scheming extraterrestrial? All these questions and more are answered in this book of wonderfully crafted short stories by breakout author J.J. Harlan.

The acclaimed, award-winning author of The Resisters takes measure of the fifty years since the opening of China and its unexpected effects on the lives of ordinary people. It is a unique book that only Jen could write—a story collection accruing the power of a novel as it proceeds—a work...

From a "genius" (New York Times) storyteller: a new, subversive, hilarious, heart-breaking collection. "There is sweetheartedness and wisdom and eloquence and transcendence in his stories because these virtues exist in abundance in Etgar himself... I am very happy that Etgar and his work are in...

A hypnotic collection of speculative fiction about compassion, love, and human resilience in the technological hyper-age, from Alexander Weinstein, author of Children of the New World. Universal Love welcomes listeners to a near-future world where our everyday technologies have fundamentally...

In the South, we believe in being polite, even if it kills us. So, when we just can't fight the urge to say something nasty, we follow it up with a "bless her heart" just to make us feel better. "Look at that poor woman trying to jog around that track. Her rear-end is dragging a trail, bless her heart." Youngblood and Poole talk about the ins and outs of nosy neighbors, sibling rivalry, and why every Southerner worth her salt feels the need to offer advice.

The stories are short enough to keep kids focused on the story and to not seem overwhelming. Each story is followed by four optional multiple choice questions designed to assess basic reading comprehension and reasoning skills. After a moment, the correct answer is given: Please press the pause button if you wish to think about the question before hearing the answer.

*This program includes Jesse Eisenberg's narration of the story God, previously recorded for the Paris Review Podcast* Voiced by an off-kilter chorus of the young and desperate to belong, Benjamin Nugent’s provocative collection pries the fraternity door off its hinges, daring us to peer...

This collection of the best crime and mystery short fiction of 1999, gathered from around the globe and including more award-winners and stories than any other comparable volume, fills the void for those with a hunger for the best international mystery and suspense stories.

The third audiobook in the delightful series set in Carrington’s Department Store. Georgie Hart and Carrington’s Department Store have got the world at their feet. Since a reality TV series put them both on the map, life has been amazing! Carrington’s profits are in the pink, Georgie has carved herself a place in the nation’s heart and her romance with Tom, the store’s boss, has finally blossomed. Now summertime has come to Mulberry-on-Sea, and Georgie is in great demand.