Microfiction

Edited by: Jerome Stern

First line: A short time ago I got a phone call from a men in New York who say the announcement of Florida State University's World's Best Short Story contest.

Why you should read this book: Microfiction, flash fiction, or short short stories are stories that are a lot shorter than you would expect. Some people might use the label for anything under 5 pages, but the stories in this anthology are all under 300 words! These are the winners and finalists from FSU's World's Best Short Story contest, and they contain multitudes. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: I think I read it originally as an undergrad, and I was trying to find some stories that were suitable to help me explain the concept of flash fiction to my elementary students, but there is really nothing in this book that I would share with someone else's 10-year-old. 

Cuentos: The Bilingual Latinx+ Illustrated Mythology Anthology

Edited by: Andres D. Bravo

First line: I grew up in a house decorated with Aztec warrior and gods. 

Why you should read this book: This ambitious volume showcases the work of a number of Latinx artists from around the world, featuring full color illustrations in a variety of styles, most of which are paired with short stories, written in both Spanish and English. These run the gamut from old religious myths like Xipe Tótec to newer urban legends like chupacabra, and every kind of legend in between, some told like fairy tales, others like personal narratives or encyclopedia entries. A creepy little book that will appeal to fans of mythology, horror, Spanish cultures, and deviant art. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You never once listened to any warning given to you by an adult who had your best interests in mind and was leaving you home alone for some reason.

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids

Edited by: Cynthia Leitich Smith 

First line: A powwow is/friends and family/gathered together to honor the Creator,/Kinnekasus, Man-Never-Known-on-Earth,/who watches over us. 

Why you should read this book: It's a collection of short stories for young readers, clustered around the experience of children attending the big powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan, written by a variety of authors from different tribes and traditions (with a glossary at the end, since the book contains snippets of many languages). Although the characters have diverse backgrounds and personalities (including those who don't have powwow or dance in their culture historically), patterns soon emerge: a fear of or reluctance to dance being replaced by joy in dancing, feelings around beautiful regalia, the experience of eating frybread, the experience of working in the family business selling food or crafts, the gulf between young people and their elders made small through love and communication, the embracing of identity in surprising new ways, the absence of missing loved ones and the joys of reunification, and the presence of a dog wearing a funny T-shirt. While these are certainly stories for kids, they also tackle bigger issues like death and mourning, cultural appropriation, and making retribution for mistakes. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: These are mostly what I call "quiet" stories; they tend to be less about plot and action and more about the protagonist's thoughts and feelings. 

Anthony Bourdain's Hungry Ghosts

Written by: Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose, Alberto Ponticelli, Vanesa Del Rey, Leonardo Manco, Mateus Santolouco, Sebastian Cabrol, Paul Pope, Irene Koh, & Francesco Francavilla

First line: Ah, here you are, poor lost soul.

Why you should read this book: Fans of spooky manga and pre-code horror comics rejoice—here is a sumptuous anthology of creepy collected tales (using a frame with a frame device, even) loosely organized around food and eating, and honoring its multi-cultural source material along with the best conventions of the genres that inspired it. In addition to the eight comics presented here, you get five original recipes from the famous chef (food inspired by the tales) as well as an appendix of monsters. And if all of this is not terrifying enough for you, this project is apparently one of the last things Bourdain completed before he took his own life, so, you know, really quintessential horror genre stuff going on right here.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Monsters. Sex. Violence. These words do not fill your soul with thrill and anticipation.

FTL, Y'all! Tales from the Age of the $200 Warp Drive

Edited by: C. Spike Trotman and Amanda LaFrenais

First line: Mornin'

Why you should read this book: It's a graphic anthology featuring nineteen short comic stories linked by the common theme of a near-future reality in which anyone with $200 and an internet connection can build a faster-than-light drive and explore the cosmos. There are heroes, villains, aliens, overworked moms, and hapless researchers, in a world that is much larger than our own, but still features elements the human race will not likely outgrow for a while: misogynistic internet trolls, unpleasant airport experiences,  heroic rescues, teenagers searching for themselves, liars, loneliness, idiots, geniuses, and bad parenting. Also, due to the nature of the technology, basically any vessel can be a starship, so there are some hilarious looking starships.

Why you shouldn't read this book: While connected by the theme of the $200 warp drive, there's no further continuity to the stories, so they don't actually feel like they're all set in the same world.