Mea culpa for last week’s Gatsby post that didn’t include the actual book I was talking about, and thank you for pointing it out. The book and description were recovered after momentarily blipping out of existence, and you can find the complete post here. Onward to this week’s pick!
Most of the short story collections I’ve read have come from the science fiction and fantasy realm because that was my wheelhouse and my professional specialization for many years. Every once in a while I’d step out of my comfort zone to explore the wider world of books, and that’s how I happened to pick up this collection of short stories. I don’t even remember what, exactly, captivated me enough to choose this title but what I do know is that choosing a book outside of SF/F was both exciting and daunting because I knew whatever I chose would be one of few I could slot into my reading schedule. Maybe it was the striking book cover, the allure of a new-to-me author already receiving so much praise, or the premise of stories about Black women and girls pursuing “a momentary reprieve from being good.” I’m glad for whatever got me to pick up this book because it’s held its tippy top place on my list of all-time favorite short story collections.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha PhilyawIt feels like Deesha Philyaw has been a fixture of the literary world for ages but The Secret Lives of Church Ladies was her 2020 debut. She burst onstage with this collection, earning a place as a National Book Award for Fiction finalist, and she’s been in the mix with bookish podcasts and literary fellowships. She has a singular voice and it shines in these stories about Black women existing outside of convention and expectations. I well remember the Black women stereotypes on the screens and in the books of my youth, and I feel deeply that it’s still early days when it comes to the willingness of cultural industries and institutions to support and promote stories that embrace the multitudes Black women contain. It doesn’t surprise me that this collection was published by a university press. This is why books that do the thing and find success still feel rare and precious. The characters in this collection see their faith shaken by the impiety of the pious, wield and explore their sexuality, and live in ways that might make some church ladies gasp. But they live and Philyaw’s artistry is imbuing them with the complexity and depth they deserve in very few pages. I felt I knew these characters like friends by the end of each story, and this is one of those rare collections where every story held my attention. I cannot wait for Philyaw’s debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, to publish in 2026. |
The following comes to you from the Editorial Desk.
We love a good cover, and this week, we’re highlighting a list of the best short story covers. Trust us when we say that these will look so demure on your bookshelves!
Read on for an excerpt and become an All Access member to unlock the full post.
In the course of writing about great book covers, there’s one thing that I’ve noted several times: short story collections have some of the most innovative, memorable, and eye-catching covers of them all. Why is that? Perhaps part of it is because short story collections are a harder sell to the average reader, so the first line of marketing has to be for the bookshop browser, whether they’re perusing on or off line. Perhaps part of it is that many great short story collections are coming from smaller presses, so pushing boundaries with design is part of what’s possible because there are fewer stakeholders to please in the process. Perhaps it’s also simply that short story collections, by nature of their diversity, invite more creativity into the cover design process.
Whatever the reason or reasons, I suspect anyone who appreciates a good book cover is here for it.
Let’s take a look at some of the banging short story book covers that have hit shelves this year, as well as look at some of the upcoming covers of collections you’ll want to pop on your TBR ASAP. If you’re reading this when the piece publishes in mid-May, know you’ll be reading it in time to partake in Short Story Month, too. Any month can be short story month, of course, but May gives extra reason to dive into bite-sized fiction.
As always, caveats abound here. It is still unnecessarily difficult to track down cover designers and artists for book covers, especially if you don’t have the book in your hand to double-check. Many publishers still don’t put this information on the landing pages for these books, so it takes good Googling and a lot of luck to dig up names to credit.
Autocorrect by Etgar Keret, translated by Jessica Cohen and Sondra Silverston (May 27)If you’re looking for a collection of darkly funny stories, this cover is not going to steer you in the wrong direction. It’s a squirrel that’s clearly been launched right into the book title, and he looks completely unfazed by it all. There’s a lot of nice movement in this design, especially as it is very simplistic. |
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Source : One of the Best Short Story Collections I’ve Ever Read
What have you been reading lately? Let’s chat in the comments!