Short Days

Few writers have so brilliantly and poignantly conjured the desperation and absurdity of ordinary life as Charles Bukowski. Resonant with his powerful, perceptive voice, his visceral, hilarious, and transcendent poetry speaks to us as forcefully today as when it was written. Encompassing a wide range of subjects—from love to death and sex to writing—Bukowski’s unvarnished and self-deprecating verse illuminates the deepest and most enduring concerns of the human condition while remaining sharply aware of the day to day.

After the loss of her mother, a woman returns to the San Fernando Valley only to uncover a haunting secret about her childhood friend. A visiting professor at a charming but strange California liberal arts college must face her past in order to protect her son. A sister, lost in the woods, confronts the dangerous truth about her brother, her stepmother, and herself. Rose's dog Wolfie has died, and three seductive women offer to help return him to her. But only if she will pay the price.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus's parables would sound like today? In a world of smartphones, social media, and constant noise, how would he illustrate the profound truths of God's Kingdom? Modern Day Parables is perfect for dipping into on a busy morning, sharing a story with a friend, or gifting to anyone who finds traditional scripture hard to connect with. It's a powerful reminder that the most profound wisdom is not confined to ancient texts, but lives on in the everyday moments of our lives.

A group of bandmates celebrate the recent success of their album and tour by going a trip. But it's a bad trip. A very bad trip...

Everyday Kindness is a charity anthology of short, fictional stories of kindness, edited by LJ Ross. These uplifting tales of hope and of small, everyday kindnesses are intended to support wider, positive mental health goals and foster wellbeing through the act of reading tales of goodwill inspired by others. Featuring authors across the spectrum of literature, some international bestsellers and award-winning writers amongst them, this is a unique collection of words.

Rajiv has everything that a person of his age could ever dream of. However, the arrival of a special someone has completely changed his life. The question arises: Is this special someone truly good for him? When Anaya chooses a different path in life, she faces a struggle for which she was not prepared. While attempting to lead a normal life, the unexpected arrival of an old friend has created a storm in her life. Will she be able to overcome it, or could she find herself entirely lost in its turbulence?

In Everyday Weapons, Silas Dakar crafts an intimate and profound exploration of the human condition. Blending poetic reflection with sharp insight, he unveils how the ordinary etches traces that evolve into acts of courage. This captivating collection invites readers to uncover how small battles shape our lives and to discover, within the seemingly mundane, the strength to resist and transform.

Two bloody brilliant short stories from No. 1 bestselling crime writer Stuart MacBride, featuring DS Logan McRae and his boss DI Steel STRAMASH: Something fishy is happening on the isle of Jura. DS Logan McRae gets a phone call from DI Steel ordering him to come to the island at once. One...

In Lustfully Ever After, classic fairy tales are reimagined for an adult audience with twists (and kinks) to keep readers entertained. In Michelle Augello-Page's romantically charged BDSM tale "Wolf Moon", Little Red Riding Hood is the big bad wolf, while Kristina Lloyd rewrites "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" as a scorching-hot MFM threesome in "The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces". Shanna Germain's "Mirror Mirror" shows the sensual Sapphic side of Snow White's stepmother and Andrea Dale pens a contemporary version of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" in the poignantly erotic "Steadfast".

Finn wants precision and calm. His boyfriend, Aly, the charming, chaotic former rower, wants him—and isn't afraid to use a little holiday labour and athletic heat to push Finn's strict boundaries. The other two couples are just as complicated, battling old secrets, simmering jealousies, and the memory of their intense past in the competitive world of rowing. The tension peaks with the arrival of Matt, a handsome Canadian visitor who brings a fresh, unpredictable energy to the house.

The bookshelves of European literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors. From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure. Among them is the prodigiously talented Edmondo de Amicus...

One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2024 2025 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection “A bright new voice in fiction…A genuine young talent, one who deftly palpates the dark areas of human psyches…Like Gabriel García Márquez and Stephen King…we might be...

One winter night, as the snows fall outside their home, and a boy cannot sleep, his father tells him the story of a saint. A martyr. She is well known to all Christians in the land. Her, and her infant child. She is credited with stopping the reign of the pagan king.

Doctors have been traveling back in time to vaccinate populations against viruses. But nothing has been changing in the present. One man is about to find out why....

A collection of highly disturbing and deeply original short stories from the master of horror Graham Masterton and rising star Dawn G Harris. A belt adorned with strange markings has the power to strangle anyone who attacks its owner. A man whose wife has been placed into a portrait at the Tate decides to join her on the other side. In these and other unsettling tales, master of horror Graham Masterton and his protegee Dawn G Harris explore the dark side of human nature—from the graphic and violent to the spine-tingling and supernatural.

A pandemic survivor walks the trails of the Cinque Terre and looks back on a friend’s battle with AIDS decades ago. A daughter returns to her mother’s beloved Florence as a final goodbye, only to rediscover herself inside the curtailed reincarnations of Florence’s past. A frazzled mother misreads her young son’s struggles with identity and self-preservation; another mother and her daughter fall under the enchantment of a mysterious woman in Venice offering a phantom bird of flight and possibility.

Carlos Finds Courage is the story of a handsome young boy who is bullied at his new school. Despite having the urge to be mean to the bully, Carlos is encouraged by his two new friends to talk with his teacher. Through the terror and trauma of the bullying, Carlos discovers the courage to speak up for himself.

A weary Chicago shop owner catches yet another kid breaking into her bakeshop. The rumor has gone around her inner-city neighborhood that she's keeping cash in a sugar jar and, however unlikely, local kids keep trying to confirm it. With the latest miscreant, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

This is my latest collection of short stories. As with the previous books, most of these 11 tales are set in Thailand. You can hear about a domestic cleaner who despairs of her feckless husband, a junior bank teller who tries to convince her boss there's been a murder, a lady in a hurry who won't stop to help an old man who's lost his shorts, a butcher and a restaurateur discussing farming techniques, and a lady-boy searching for love.

படைப்பிலக்கியத்தின் நோக்கமே மனிதநேய அடிப்படையையும், வாழ்வில் ஏற்ற இறக்கங்களையும் படிப்பவர் மனங்களில் ஏற்பட செய்வதே. திருமதி சிவசங்கரி அவர்களின் இச்சிறுகதைத் தொகுப்பு அதனை செவ்வனே நிறைவேற்றி உள்ளது.