Short Stories

NATIONAL BESTSELLER ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR Nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories—two published for the very first time—all from the mind of the incomparable author of Stories of Your Life and Others Tackling some of humanity’s oldest...

The only thing Benji lacks more than ambition is luck. And his new job has to be the lowest of the low. But something is stirring in the zero-footprint economy of New St. Louis. And Benji’s about to find himself chin deep in the muck! This story was originally published in the Hugo Award-nominated METAtropolis.

A well-meaning dad frets because his fifth-grade daughter dresses as Dracula for the first day of school in this funny short tale. Haunted by his own memories of childhood insecurity, he nervously awaits the call from school.

In this quirky ghost story, a woman endures jury duty by observing the many characters in the room, including a TV crew filming a paranormal presence in the courthouse, a service-dog-in-training, and a man with a "ghost box," a radio to try to communicate with the beyond. As humorous chaos ensues, our protagonist unexpectedly needs to confront the truth about the secret crush she’s been harboring.

Celebrate the season of miracles with this collection of short stories about the lives of ordinary people and the lessons they learn during an extraordinary time of year. You’ll meet a young boy who reevaluates his perceptions after he’s forced to spend Christmas with his stern grandfather, an attorney who seemingly has everything but really has very little; a burned-out homecoming queen who grows weary of her own excuses for failure; and many other memorable characters.

A week before Christmas, Aggie bumps into Officer Tom Wood, her on-again, off-again boyfriend at a new exclusive restaurant. Unfortunately, Tom is not dining alone. A beautiful, young woman accompanies him. Tom introduces her as an old friend. Even though Aggie plays it off as not being jealous; her friends Betty and Roger want to learn more about this mysterious woman. Will this beautiful old friend ruin Aggie’s festive mood?

Nate has always been the anchor: strong, steady, and endlessly supportive. But even the strongest rock can crack under pressure. A soulless corporation threatens to destroy a historic landmark he’s sworn to protect, and the weight of responsibility becomes a crushing burden. The quiet rage and helplessness are eating him alive, and for the first time, he feels like he's failing. In a moment of desperate vulnerability, he makes a request that shocks them both. He doesn't want comfort or advice. He wants to surrender.

My husband is dead. I attended his funeral. I watched his casket be lowered six feet into the ground. (Actually, it may have been only five feet, but that still seems like more than enough.) And then we ate an array of finger sandwiches and deviled eggs and miniature beef wellingtons that cost more than my first car. My point is, Grant is gone. And so are all his many, many deep, dark secrets which I never really ever bothered to ask him about. He is never coming back.

Short Stories in Norwegian for Beginners has been made especially for students from beginner to low-intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, a feeling of progress and most importantly - enjoyment! Mapped to A1-B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference, these eight captivating stories are designed to give you a sense of achievement and a feeling of progress when listening.

Stand alone novels, Protecting Melody, Protecting the Future, & Protecting Kiera, have all the thrills you’re used to seeing in one of Stoker’s books. Navy SEALs, Silver foxes, tons of action, a stalker, alpha males, weddings, babies, a hero with a prosthetic, physical challenges, military maneuvers, babies, and some spice to keep you on your toes!

My family has run Sugarville’s one and only B&B for years. Sure, it's a little rundown and the gardens are overgrown, but it’s still got what I like to call rustic charm. If things go my way, it’ll become a cozy shelter for Hellhounds, Alicorns, Kobolds, and more! Yup – I’ve just become the manager of a government-run home for monster girls. Not only will I need to patch the roof, fix the barn, and master my burgeoning magic, but I’ll also need to help our guests adapt to living on Earth! However, unscrupulous forces are prowling about, trying to exploit monster girls for their arcane power.

This Audiobook contains the following works: "Tom Tit Tot", "Three Sillies", "The Rose-Tree", "The Old Woman and her Pig", "How Jack went to Seek his Fortune", "Mr. Vinegar", "Nix Nought Nothing", "Jack Hannaford", "Binnorie", "Mouse and Mouser", "Cap o' Rushes", "Teeny-Tiny", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "The Story of the Three Little Pigs", "The Master and his Pupil", "Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse", "Jack and his Golden Snuff-Box", "The Story of the Three Bears", "Jack the Giant-Killer", "Henny-Penny", "Childe Rowland".

Deep in the Amazonian jungle, there is a mansion with a rose garden and a hen house where juicy tomatoes are the perfect shade of red, and marble countertops glisten. Inside, where even the shadows don’t reach, something is rotting, and the perfect facade can only hold the stench for so long.

A seventeen-year-old boy, bullied and heartbroken, hangs himself. And although he felt terribly alone, his suicide changes everyone around him. His parents are devastated.

After traveling across the entirety of the Sealance Empire and the deserts of Lowenthal, Larek has returned home to the Kingdom of Androthe to find that the situation is quite different from what he remembered. Not only are there massive Apertures called Calamities consuming large portions of the landscape, but most of his friends are also scattered to locations unknown around the Kingdom. Worse yet, they have no idea who he is because of the Dominion magic used on them before he was transported to the Empire.

In a futuristic world where predictive software can map out the lives of every living person and their descendants, Naomi Prynne is on trial. The charge: endangerment by way of a pregnancy. Thirteen jurors will determine whether Naomi is allowed to carry the pregnancy to term, but the jurors are also all plaintiffs, the software having predicted how Naomi Prynne’s child will affect each of them in life-changing ways.

Gabriel has spent the last decade trying to forget his best friend, the first boy he ever loved: Jacob. Ripped away from each other in the midst of a family tragedy, Gabriel grieved for Jacob alone, surviving in their small religious town before finally breaking free to attend college, where they found new friends and relationships to pursue. To Gabriel, Jacob became a distant memory. Until one fateful Halloween night, when the two are reunited.

Thirteen tales of Darlene Bobich! The prequel to the successful Dying Days zombie novella. Includes a free preview of Dying Days.

In the enchanting world of hospitality, Drake, Adam, Talia, and Jason are some of the most influential in their profession. Success and luxury come with a price when deception is used as a stepping stone. How well does one really know their coworkers? Invited to attend a Friday meeting in the executive suite, the lights go out and the doors bolt shut. Trapped with no way to escape, the team has to encounter cryptic clues about their past indiscretions and darkest secrets. They either confess to their colleagues or pay the ultimate price.

After his son gives him a pair of "X-ray" glasses as a gift, Martin Blackstone tries them on just for the hell of it - and all they do is give him a headache...until he sees things he can’t possibly be seeing. Glimpses of things on the other side of a wall or beneath someone’s clothing. He wants to believe it’s just his overactive imagination, but the “X-ray” specs actually work.