Review: Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar

 

Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories by Amal El-Mohtar

Orbit
Publication Date: March 24th, 2026
Hardcover. 208 pages.

About Seasons of Glass and Iron:

"Full of glimpses into gleaming worlds and fairy tales with teeth, Seasons of Glass and Stories is a collection of acclaimed and awarded work from Amal El-Mohtar.

With confidence and style, El-Mohtar guides us through exquisitely told and sharply observed tales about life as it is, was, and could be. Like miscellany from other worlds, these stories are told in letters, diary entries, reference materials, folktales, and lyrical prose.

Full of Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Hugo Award-winning and nominated stories, Seasons of Glass and Stories includes "Seasons of Glass and Iron," "The Green Book," "Madeleine," "The Lonely Sea in the Sky," "And Their Lips Rang with the Sun," "The Truth About Owls," "A Hollow Play," "Anabasis," "To Follow the Waves," "John Hollowback and the Witch," "Florilegia, or, Some Lies About Flowers," "Pockets," and more."

Seasons of Glass and Iron is a beautiful collection of stories and poems collected from Amal El-Mohtar's short fiction and writing over many years. As such, the content and style varied a lot from story to story, which provided plenty of diversity and ideas to explore. I didn’t love every single one, but I couldn’t help but admire El-Mohtar’s truly stunning prose in each piece. I have still yet to read This is How You Lose the Time War or The River Has Roots, which I hear about all the time, and this collection may have just convinced me. Also, before I dive into the review, I just have to note that I am in love with this cover--props to the designers/artists on this one!

Amal El-Mohtar's writing really embodies elements of fairy tale, magical realism, and a sense of beauty and magic, yet they are at the same time not here to ignore or disregard reality, pain, the dark/difficult things that are present. There is a lot of strength and enduring going on in these stories, as well as power and hope, love and trauma, and transformation. I liked that these stories sort of tell a larger story of El-Mohtar’s writing as it spans quite a lot of time in her career (from what I understand), so you can see different topics and themes and styles explored while still feeling very much like they were all written by the same voice.

There were some stories in here that really didn’t work for me at all, so I’d say this collection was heavily hit or miss for me. But as I've I said, El-Mohtar's writing at least makes everything pleasing to read, even if the content doesn't work for me. There are beautiful, thoughtful lines in every piece. But the ones that stood out really stood out, and the ones that didn't felt forgettable. Not everything makes sense in every story, and I feel like sometimes that worked and sometimes it didn’t. I don't read a lot of poetry regularly, but I do enjoy some of it here and there, and I found the poems in this collection also very hit or miss, though I did really appreciate that they were presented in both English and Arabic.

The opening and titular story, "Seasons of Iron and Glass", remains my favorite of this entire collection. I really loved this story about two women who happen upon one another and the conversations and events that follow. Additional ones I enjoyed most were:

"The Green Book": This is about a woman who is basically trapped within a book. There's something about this one that really captivated me, and I've found that stories about these types of deep gradual obsessions always captivate (perhaps I, too, also develop my own deep obsession? I kid... somewhat).

"Madeleine": This had a really great concept that kept me intrigued, but the ending was a bit off for me.

"A Tale of Ash in Seven Birds": This was such a neat concept and I really liked going through all the birds. I didn’t necessarily follow everything, but the writing is lovely and I was absolutely hooked.

Most of these works aren’t really straightforward stories, but are instead ones that really make you think and try to understand or interpret on your own. This is definitely a collection that demands you to sit and consider them after you finish them, so patience is needed.

Overall, I think it's well worth the read for Amal El-Mohtar's gorgeous writing alone, but also because there are some wonderful stories in here. Whether you're already a fan or new to her work, I'd definitely recommend this collection. 

*I received a copy of Seasons of Glass and Iron courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Review: Patchwork Dolls by Isabelle Cheung

 

Patchwork Dolls by Ysabelle Cheung

Blair
Publication Date: February 10th, 2026
Paperback. 212 pages.

About Patchwork Dolls:

"In this debut story collection, Ysabelle Cheung weaves an eerie fabulism with tales that cross continents, technology, and time.

Set in Hong Kong and America—between the present day and an uncannily altered future—this story collection warps the familiar rules of our world to what does it mean to be Asian and a woman—living under the specter of state and technological surveillance—or trying to break free from it?

In the title story, a young woman of color realizes she can make her fortune by surgically selling her facial features to whiter, wealthier clients. In “Please, Get Out and Dance,” a group of rebels escapes a city that is literally disappearing around them—building by building, person by person—to migrate to a new home beneath the ocean, defying their government’s mandate. “Herbs” follows an elderly widow who, when the clones of her dead husband start to appear uninvited in her home, must grapple with her memories.

In each of these stories, Cheung tilts the world just slightly off its axis to bring together a haunting meditation on what it means to survive within our increasingly digitized and mechanized world."

Patchwork Dolls is a fascinating collection of stories. It’s one of those collections that’s filled with ideas that will continue to linger long after you’ve finished reading it. It’s eerie and exceedingly weird--weird being used in a good, positive way here--and incredibly thought-provoking and contemplative in tone. These are stories that you will want to sit with and play around with in your head, and they will most assuredly leave you feeling a little bit unsettled while doing so.

The stories in this collection are set across Hong Kong and New York and seem to meld bits of body horror and magical realism, as well as some dystopian qualities, in ways that feel both intimate and unsettling. Cheung really centers her stories around themes of Asian womanhood and women’s bodies, such as how they are viewed, controlled and treated, as well as identity and how women move throughout the world. She explores these ideas through some truly strange and creative avenues that at times made it hard for me to read them, but at the same time hard to look away from. A few stories that stood out to me were:

“Mycomorphosis”: I have a very real, very strong aversion to mushrooms (I know, I’m sorry!), so this one felt truly horrific to me! That being said, I was still somehow completely hooked despite being unbelievably squicked out and desperate to not see what was written on the page. It’s visceral, disturbing, and incredibly effective at getting under your skin, and the thought behind it was equally intriguing.

“The Reader”: This was a really clever and invented “choose your own adventure” style of story that was really creatively done and exceedingly though-provoking as I worked my way through different directions in the story (because yes, I am definitely the person who tries out different paths--other people do this, right?).

“Patchwork Dolls”: This titular story was adequately chosen for the collection title and was completely captivating. It was such a fascinating and generally horrific concept that I couldn’t look away from or stop thinking about. I think it also reflects the entire collection pretty well in how it highlights and zeroes in on some discomfort with uncomfortable topics and the emotional unease that was stitched into the more speculative fiction background that is still grounded in our own reality.

Every story brought something unique to the table, and even when stories didn’t particularly click with me, I still found myself generally interested in the ideas Cheung chose to play with and explore. I will always be someone that prefers authors to explore new ideas and take chances with varying levels of execution over authors that maybe just do the exact same thing without testing new ideas.

Overall, this isn’t a comfortable read, but it’s a very compelling one. If you enjoy your stories a bit uncanny (meaning: very weird) and extraordinarily thought-provoking, then Patchwork Dolls should absolutely be your next read.

*I received a copy of Patchwork Dolls courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Mini-Review: Mindworks by Neal Shusterman

   

MindWorks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction by Neal Shusterman

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 18th, 2025
Paperback. 592 pages.

About Mindworks:

"From the incomparable mind of award winner Neal Shusterman, New York Times bestselling author of the Arc of a Scythe, comes a collection of uncanny and unforgettable short stories.

This collection of unforgettable and uncanny stories could only come from the mind of award winner Neal Shusterman. Compiled for the first time in one epic volume, these stories both classic and brand-new will stretch your imagination from terror to the sublime and back again. Explore a world where bats block out the sun, where soup is a trap for your soul, or where the life-force of a glacier can bring back the dead. Journey to a place where the wind can be captured, time can be crafted into infinite attic space, or a hot tub can house an ancient monster. And revisit the Arc of the Scythe universe for two all-new tales of gleaning.

In this collection, the only thing that is truly certain is nothing is certain."

MindWorks is a diverse collection of short fiction that explores the many different strange spaces of the mind, including ideas around memory, identity, perception, sanity, and so much more. Shusterman balances a YA-style psychological horror with twists, big ideas, and plenty to explore. There are a lot of stories packed in here, so I think there's a little something for everyone.

What I liked: Neal Shusterman absolutely never lacks in imagination and creativity, and those are all on view in this collection. I appreciated that the stories were categorized by theme throughout, as I think it made the entire collection feel more cohesive and allowed readers to play with certain ideas all in one go rather than moving around to different topics constantly. Shusterman excels at creating strong atmosphere in all his stories, regardless of the plot or concept, and I love how eerie and off-kilter so many of the stories feel. It all feels very trademark Shusterman, so if you already like his work then you'll probably enjoy this one as well. I also found these stories very easy to get through in the sense that the pacing was pretty consistently faster paced in most of them, so despite it being a larger book, it's not a difficult one to get through. 

What I didn't like: A lot of these stories lacked that extra little something special to make any of them really stand out to me. I found myself thinking many of these just felt a little familiar or not really hitting in the way I would expect them to. Some felt a bit abrupt or heavy-handed, and seemed to rely more on the concept than the actually narrative storytelling. They also had slightly inconsistent emotional depth, where some hit really hard, and others really didn't make me feel much at all. That being said, that's really common in short story collections for me, so I wouldn't say that's especially unique here. I really just got a sense of repetition throughout these stories that left me feeling more average about this collection than overly excited, as I'd hoped to be. 

Overall, this is a very solid collection of SFF short stories and are a great collection from the incredible Neal Shusterman. While it's not a collection that will necessarily become a new favorite for me, it's still one with plenty of great stories and will appeal to many readers, including both new and old Shusterman fans. 

*I received a copy of MindWorks courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Mini-Review: Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories by Bora Chung, transl. Anton Hur

Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories by Bora Chung, transl. Anton Hur

Algonquin Books
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Paperback. 208 pages.

About Midnight Timetable:

"From the author and translator of the National Book Award finalist and Booker Prize shortlisted Cursed Bunny, comes a new novel-in-ghost-stories, set in a mysterious research center that houses cursed objects, where those who open the wrong door might find it’s disappeared behind them, or that the echoing footsteps they’re running from are their own…

The acclaimed Korean horror and sci-fi writer’s goosebump-inducing new book follows an employee on the night shift at the Institute. They soon learn why some employees don't last long at the center. The handkerchief in Room 302 once belonged to the late mother of two sons, whose rivalry imbues the handkerchief with undue power and unravels those around it. The cursed sneaker down the hall is stolen by a live-streaming, ghost-chasing employee, who later finds he can’t escape its tread. A cat in Room 206 reveals the crimes of its former family, trying to understand its own path to the Institute’s halls.

But Chung's haunted institute isn't just a chilling place to play. As in her astounding collections Cursed Bunny and Your Utopia, these violent allegories take on the horrors of animal testing, conversion therapy, domestic abuse, and late-stage capitalism. Equal parts bone-chilling, wryly funny, and deeply political, Midnight Timetable is a masterful work of literary horror from one of our time's greatest imaginations."

Bora Chung never fails to deliver the weird and unpredictable, and Midnight Timetable is no exception. I read Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny a while ago and had been to get to her collection Your Utopia, but then Midnight Timetable showed up at my door and I knew I had to check this one out as soon as I could.

 Unlike her previous collections, Midnight Timetable is a series of interconnected ghost stories set within a mysterious institute, a setting which suits Chung's eerie, layered storytelling perfectly. These stories are all generally tied together by our narrator, a new night watchman, as he learns all about his new job and how to correctly--and safely--make his nightly rounds checking doors and encountering (or rather, trying not to encounter) unexplained things.

What I liked: Each story has its own sense of being quietly unsettling, and I think Chung did a great job of maintaining a subtly haunting atmosphere across each story in different ways. I liked a lot of these stories, but I think Tunnel is one that stands out most to me. I love how Chung's writing feels deceptively simple in a way, yet is actually deeply complex and is filled with so many different ideas, thoughts, and themes. Even when meanings feel more elusive or uncertain, the general hauntingly contemplative quality of these stories lingers even after finishing. I particularly enjoyed getting to find out some of what was actually going on behind those doors, and even things going on elsewhere within the institution, though I equally appreciated that there was still much mystery leftover for readers to sit with. This is, overall, a very thoughtful collection, and one I am really glad I had a chance to read. 

What I didn't like: I don't have too much to say here as I think this was a really solid set of stories. I'd say there were a few moments here and there where I found myself feeling a bit confused and had to re-read some passages, but I'm not sure if this is more to do with the stories themselves or the translation, so I can't say for sure on that. As with most collections, I found some stories stronger than others and there were one or two that I didn't particularly connect with, but overall it's a solidly haunting collection that I'd absolutely recommend. 

*I received a copy of Midnight Timetable in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Review: Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs by Rebecca Gransden

Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs by Rebecca Gransden
Publisher: Cardboard Wall Empire
Publication Date: October 30th, 2024

Ebook. 187 pages.

About Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs:

"Dangerous creatures, neglected kids and dejected employees face the weird, odd and perilous. Enter a world where possessed pageant girls get their revenge, a pigeon leads to an underground cult, and a video game mod threatens to unleash hell itself. Enjoy fourteen stories of spite, mischief, and malevolence!"

Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs is a raw, visceral collection of horror stories that offers a little something for a wide range of horror fans--especially those who enjoy the grotesque and slightly absurd. I am always up for a collection of chilling stories, so when Rebecca Gransden reached out to me about checking out her horror story collection, I was eager to take a look. The stories in this collection lean heavily into gore and body horror at times, so definitely keep that in mind before diving in if you're sensitive to graphic content. That being said, this was a highly compelling collection of stories that I think knows how to use all the different elements of horror in ways that make them shine through best, and I had a great time exploring the scenarios created by Rebecca Gransden.

One of the things that kept me most hooked on this collection was the sheer variety of stories in this collection. Each story feels distinct from one another, yet Gransden's writing style and atmospheric tone manages to tie them all together and effectively created a cohesive yet unpredictable reading experience. The imagination in these stories was incredibly high. The stories often start with seemingly innocuous premises (well, some of them, at least) before veering into some form of chaos and they often embrace a somewhat absurdist tone while still remaining sane enough for us readers to follow along. From my previous experiences reading more absurdist horror, I have found that they can often leave me as a reader feeling a bit lost and uncertain, but I found that these stories avoided by maintaining enough reality that I felt like I could consistently find my footing and instead immerse myself in these worlds.

The collection begins with "Turducken," a story that I think sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the collection. In this story, we follow a turducken (which, if you've not heard of a turducken before, is a  dish that contains turkey, duck, and chicken) as it breaks free from its intended destination (someone's oven) and embarks on a its own journey. I think this story really set the tone for what kind of ride the reader was in for, and after finishing the collection, I still think that's the case. It's the perfect introduction to the collection's 'anything goes' style. A few other standout stories for me included:

"Seeping Willow": This is a story  about a boy who eventually decides to reclaim control of his life after enduring abuse from his mother. This one was quite dark, but I appreciated its message and execution.

"Fuck It Cat and the Mod Hex From Hell": This one very much reminded of some horror films/stories I've read before, but it managed to take the idea and make it fresh and unique, and I really liked the occasional chaotic energy that seemed to run through it. I was constantly looking forward to seeing what would happen next.

"Happy Bunny": This was honestly just a wild ride that explored some really intriguing themes, and I easily understand why it became the titular story.

As with any collection, some stories worked better for me than others. The ones that didn't quite land tended to be ones where I felt slightly lost in the narrative or where the writing felt a bit jilted or convoluted. However, nothing ever fully pulled me out of the experience, and I found the collection engaging overall. And lastly, one small note for animal lovers: while there’s nothing too extreme, there were some moments involving animals that I was a little nervous about, so just something to keep in mind as well.

Overall, Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs is a thrilling and unpredictable horror collection that kept me entertained throughout. I'd love to see what Rebecca Gransden could with a longer form story, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of her work.

*I received a copy of Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs in exchange for an honest review. This has no affect on my opinions.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter

The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter
Harper

Publication Date: June 28th, 2022

Hardcover. 274 pages.

About The Angel of Rome:

"We all live like we're famous now, curating our social media presences, performing our identities, withholding those parts of ourselves we don't want others to see. In this riveting collection of stories from acclaimed author Jess Walter, a teenage girl tries to live up to the image of her beautiful, missing mother. An elderly couple confronts the fiction writer eavesdropping on their conversation. A son must repeatedly come out to his senile father while looking for a place to care for the old man. A famous actor in recovery has a one-night stand with the world's most surprising film critic. And in the romantic title story, a shy twenty-one-year-old studying Latin in Rome during "the year of my reinvention" finds himself face-to-face with the Italian actress of his adolescent dreams. 

Funny, poignant, and redemptive, this collection of short fiction offers a dazzling range of voices, backdrops, and situations. With his signature wit and bighearted approach to the darkest parts of humanity, Walter tackles the modern condition with a timeless touch, once again "solidifying his place in the contemporary canon as one of our most gifted builders of fictional worlds" (Esquire)."

I didn't initially plan to review this short story collection, as it was one I picked up on a whim during a sale and hadn't heard of prior to that, but I ended up enjoying it so much that I felt it deserved it's own review (and I guess that's a review in itself!). I really didn't know what to expect from this collection of stories going into it, so I was really surprised by how much I loved many of these stories and how immersed I became in many of them. I listened to the audiobook edition of The Angel of Rome and thought the narration by Edoardo Ballerini and Julia Whelan was absolutely perfect. Each narrator managed to captured the voice of whichever story they were narrating deftly and made each one a captivating experience. 

My favorite stories were:

"Mr. Voice": I really enjoyed this take on a blended family and how all of the different familial dynamics played out. The narrative voice of this one features a woman looking back on her childhood with "Mr. Voice" himself, and I appreciated the reflection and insight that was present.

"The Angel of Rome": This story follows a man's time spent in Rome as a student attempting to learn Latin. In Rome, he sort of stumbles into a friendship with an actor, which is also how he meets a famous Italian actress (known as, you guessed it, "the angel of Rome"). He retells his life at this period and how it impacted him, and I loved the ending on this one. 

"The Way the World Ends": This felt like a very impactful story centered on the commonality that exists within humanity. It starts out featuring two climate scientists who meet at a bar and end up realizing that they are both competing for the same job as professor at the local university. It's a surprisingly hopeful story that, although covering a slightly future world in which climate is causing more and more problems that many people choose to ignore, includes some very thoughtful insight on how we can look at the world around us. There is also a rather interesting cast of characters that keeps things entertaining. 

"Fran's Friend Has Cancer": This is a very short, seemingly random vignette following a conversation between a husband and wife at a restaurant. It has an odd little twist that I loved and that added so much discussion-worthy for me to think about. 

Many of the other stories were just as well-written and compelling and each had their own special charm to make them stand out. This was a really stunning collection of stories that touched on so many human emotions, from the comedic to the serious, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something compelling without ever being too heavy. 

Overall, I've given The Angel of Rome five stars!

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: The Way Spring Arrives edited by Yu Chen & Regina Kanyu Wang

 

The Way Spring Arrives edited by Yu Chen & Regina Kanyu Wang

Tordotcom

Publication Date: March 8th, 2022

Hardcover. 400 pages.

About The Way Spring Arrives:

"From an award-winning team of authors, editors, and translators comes a groundbreaking short story collection that explores the expanse of Chinese science fiction and fantasy. 

In The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories, you can dine at a restaurant at the end of the universe, cultivate to immortality in the high mountains, watch roses perform Shakespeare, or arrive at the island of the gods on the backs of giant fish to ensure that the world can bloom. 

Written, edited, and translated by a female and nonbinary team, these stories have never before been published in English and represent both the richly complicated past and the vivid future of Chinese science fiction and fantasy. 

Time travel to a winter's day on the West Lake, explore the very boundaries of death itself, and meet old gods and new heroes in this stunning new collection."

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories: A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy in Translation from a Visionary Team of Female and Nonbinary Creators is an imaginative and incredibly creative collection of stories from a fantastic array of Chinese authors. This is a magical, enlightening, and entertaining collection of stories that have so much heart in them and that are simply filled to the brim with imagination. Since there are so many stories in this collection, I’ll share my thoughts on a few of my favorites below. 

“The Stars We Raised” by Xiu Xinyu, translated by Judy Yi Zhou: “The Stars We Raised” is the opening story of this collection and I think it was a perfect way to start this collection. It evoked a lot of different emotions from me, from awe to intrigue to even a bit of a melancholy air, and it had such a great sense of imagination that I think captured something really special. 

“Blackbird” by Shen Dacheng, translated by Cara Healey: This was a rather melancholy and somewhat eerie story that I found myself particularly captivated by. This one features a modern setting in an elderly home and is about a young nurse and an elderly woman, the latter of which is not quite ready to move on from life just yet. I thought this one was exceptionally thought-provoking. 

“The Way Spring Arrives” by Wang Nuonuo, translated by R.F. Kuang: This titular story was a beautiful story about the ways in which the earth rotates and how the seasons are changed throughout the year. I think this was a great choice for the title of this collection because it really evoked a sense of freshness that fits well for both the upcoming season and the creativity of this collection. 

“The Portrait” by Chu Xidao, translated by Gigi Chang: This was such an incredibly beautifully written and translated story. The story itself was not necessarily my favorite, but the writing was so elegant and delicately crafted that I couldn’t drag myself away from it. 

“The Woman Carrying a Corpse” by Chi Hui, translated by Judith Huang: This story is about exactly what the title says: a woman carrying a corpse. We encounter a variety of different people that the woman meets on her travels and all of the questions they ask her about the corpse. This is probably one of “weirdest” stories, and I can’t say I know the exact theme or message it was meant to be, but I still feel like I got a lot from this woman’s journey. Definitely an odd one, but one whose format I enjoyed as much as I did the content. 

There are a couple essays sprinkled throughout as well, such as “Translation as Retelling” and “The Future of Gender in Chinese Science Fiction.” I thought these essays were really well written and fascinating/informative and appreciated their inclusion. My only sort of problem is that they felt fairly randomly included and I think made the transition from short story to essay a bit choppy and didn’t flow all that well. 

This is a large collection with over 15 stories, so it’s well worth the read and sure to have at least a couple stories to your taste! Overall, I’ve given The Way Spring Arrives 4 stars.

*I received a copy of The Way Spring Arrives courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Review: A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth by Daniel Mason

A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth: Stories by Daniel Mason
Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: May 5th, 2020
Hardcover. 240 pages.

About A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth:

"On a fateful flight, a balloonist makes a discovery that changes her life forever. A telegraph operator finds an unexpected companion in the middle of the Amazon. A doctor is beset by seizures, in which he is possessed by a second, perhaps better, version of himself. And in Regency London, a bare-knuckle fighter prepares to face his most fearsome opponent, while a young mother seeks a miraculous cure for her ailing son. 

At times funny and irreverent, always moving and deeply urgent, these stories---among them a National Magazine Award and a Pushcart Prize winner---cap a fifteen-year project. From the Nile's depths to the highest reaches of the atmosphere, from volcano-racked islands to an asylum on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, these are tales of ecstasy, epiphany, and what the New York Times Magazine called the "struggle for survival...hand to hand, word to word," by "one of the finest prose stylists in American fiction."

A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth was one of those books that was not on my radar in the slightest until I saw the audiobook on sale and decided to try it out. I own one other book by Daniel Mason, The Winter Soldier, though I've yet to read that one. Still, it was a familiar name and the stories sounded interesting so I decided to give it a shot. 

I was taken aback by how much I loved this collection of stories, and nearly every one brought me a great deal of enjoyment and made me really think deeply about their meaning and the characters that make up the story. A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth is historical fiction spanning a few time periods, all of which take place before the modern world, or so it seemed to me. This collection also has a full cast, which for this collections simply means there's a different narrator for each story, and I think that they were all excellently chosen for each story. Since this is a short story collection, I figured I would highlight a few of my favorites below. 

"The Second Doctor Service": This story grabbed me because of how completed shrouded in a sense of mystery it was, and how there was so much unexplained and unknown throughout. Our main character experiences some rather shocking bodily experiences and cannot figure out what exactly is wrong with him, which is sort of the leading basis for the story direction. One thing that I'll mention with a lot of my reviews of these stories is Mason's ability to capture something really special and otherworldly, a sense of magic that masterfully evokes a sense of wonder and awe. This story, for me, is where the collection really takes off and the rest of the stories maintain this thread of magic and awe. 

"The Mysterious Discovery of Psammetichus I": If I had to pick one story that doesn't fit the collection it would be this story, but I say that while also thinking it perfectly fits the collection. I know that's confusing, but if you read this collection, you'll understand. This story basically shares a bunch of smaller parables of sorts about the experiments of a man called Psammetichus I, and his experiments tended to center around the raising of children, to put it mildly. I was captivated by this story and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. 

"On Growing Ferns and Other Plants in Glass Cases, in the Midst of the Smoke of London": I adored this story, although I'll admit that the last portion of it was not my favorite. Still, it was an excellent story about a young boy who has what seems to be some sort of extreme asthma while living in the soot-filled city with his mother and regularly has extreme fits of coughing that causes his mother no shortage of worry. As may be expected from the type of stories this collection has had, the coughing fits are not nearly as straightforward as they may seem. I loved the way in which Mason set up this story and slowly led the reader through the mystery and discovery with the boy's mother as they try to figure out what's going on. 

"The Line Agent Pascal": This is a particularly short and difficult story to summarize, but I'll do my best in saying that this is simply a story about a telegraph operator living in the Amazon and his interactions and experiences with other telegraph operators in the area. I really can't say what it is exactly about this story that I loved so much, but I can say that it it's one that had a sort of quiet impact that felt as if it had a much deeper undercurrent of sentiment than expected. 

"On the Causes of Winds and Waves": This is a slightly longer story, and for good reason because it tells the tale of a balloonist who makes a rather startling and mysterious discovery in the upper reaches of the sky while ballooning one day. This discover is, of course, met with much skepticism from other explorers and researchers, but she cannot forget or give up on her discovery. 

Overall, I've given this collection a 4.5 rating because of how much I enjoyed just about every single one of these stories–a rare feat when it comes to short story collections! I loved the themes and sense of wonder that acted as a thread throughout these stories, and they are stories that I know I will continue to think about for a while to come. 

Buy the book: Amazon | IndieBound

Top Ten Tuesday: Some of My Favorite Short Story Collections & Novellas

   

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's topic is: Favorite Novellas/Short Stories

I have apparently read more short stories/novellas than I imagined, so I did my best to narrow it down. :) I am hoping to read more short stories in the future, so let me know if you would recommend any!

   

Gilded Ashes  by Rosamund Hodge
Sometimes I think I recommend this one too often, but it's just this incredibly dark and wonderful Cinderella retelling novella. I really love it.
Buy the novella: Amazon (ebook only--but it's cheap!)

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
This novella is quintessential Murakami to me--something strange, but still compelling. 
Buy the novella: Amazon | Book Depository

The Last Wish (Saga o Wiedźminie #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski
This is the first of two collections of short stories from The Witcher series! I really enjoy this series and love these short stories, and it's recommended to read these before reading The Witcher books. 
Buy the short story collection: Amazon | Book Depository

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
This is an incredibly short story graphic novel collection and the stories are so creepy. I love the illustrations and color scheme used throughout this book.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

   

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
I love how magical these short stories were and how much they made me fall back in love with the Grishaverse setting.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
Murakami is one of my favorite authors and his short stories are just as wonderful as his full length novels.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
This such a great look at death and for a seemingly simple premise, it is surprisingly compelling
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman
This is a collection of short stories featuring various magical and unnatural creatures selected by Neil Gaiman. It's a ton of fun!
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

 

The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
This collection doesn't have all of my favorites, but I love this edition and "The Little Mermaid" and "The Emperor's New Clothes" are both featured and those are some of my favorites!
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales #1) by Catherynne M. Valente
This is a bit of a stretch since all of the stories are interconnected, but I still consider it somewhat of a bunch of short stories all woven together into one large story. It's so beautiful.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository

Have you read any of these books? What are some of your favorite short stories/novellas?

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Mini-Review: After World by Brittany Miller

After World: Tales of the Post-Apocalyptic by Brittany Miller. Brittany Miller, 2018. Ebook. 66 pages.

To begin, the only reason that I'm labeling this a mini-review is because this collection is only about sixty-six pages long and consists of nine post-apocalyptic flash fiction pieces/short stories. There's only so much I can say about each one without simply retelling each story to you.

I've read only a small handful of post-apocalyptic books, so this is an area that I've been interested in exploring more of and which made me eager to explore this collection. Miller also pitched this book to me as having no zombies, which pretty much sold me because I am just not a huge zombie fan--I just don't get the appeal.

I was really impressed by Miller's writing in these short little stories.She has a talent for saying a lot in a short amount of words, which showcases her deft skill at both word choice and the ability to develop a strong atmosphere. There is a very simplistic, almost austere quality about these stories, which seems to fit well with the post-apocalyptic genre of this collection.

"The Pleasure Earth" and "The Man of Snow" were probably my two favorites for very different reasons."The Pleasure Earth" felt so relevant and so honest, and I loved the bleakness that it ends with. "The Man of Snow" is probably the longest story of the bunch and is packed full of interesting things to ponder--I hesitate to go into any details because it'd be best for you to explore all of these without much knowledge going in.

"She Dreamed of Horses" is one of the shorter, simpler stories one of the bunch, but I have to say that it is also one that has stuck with me. It is about a girl who only wants horses in a world where none are left, and it's subtle emptiness really grabbed me.

Overall, I've given After World four stars! If you like short fiction, want to read more short fiction, or are a fan of post-apocalyptic stories, then I very much recommend After World!

Buy the book: Amazon 

(note: at the time of writing this review, the Kindle edition was only $2.99!)

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Planning to purchase a book or two? Consider purchasing on Book Depository through my affiliate link! Book Depository has worldwide free shipping and millions of titles to choose from.

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You might also like:

The Treading Twisted Lines Story Cycle by Beth Madden

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Discussion: Keeping Track of Short Stories — How Do You Catalog Them in Your Yearly Reading?

One of the course I'm taking for this final quarter of University is focused on reading world literature, and we are doing this through reading a variety of short stories from around the globe. Because I generally like to keep track of my yearly reading (using Goodreads, for instance, as well as my own Excel spreadsheet with more details), this prompted me to consider how short stories should be included in reading lists, as I've yet to determine a good way to include short stories.

If I'm reading a collection of short stories and I read the entire book, then I just count that as one book. But how do you include short, 20-40 page stories? Does it matter? I consider short stories just as important as full-length novels and I always want to keep track of them. It's fairly easy to include in my Excel document, as I include page counts in my tracking, but on apps and websites like Goodreads, it becomes slightly more complicated.

Because of this, I'm curious to find out how you all include short stories in your yearly reading lists, or if you even count them at all. Or, maybe you don't even consider this a problem because you don't keep yearly reading lists. So please leave a comment below with your opinion on this topic! 

Do you combine a certain amount of short stories and then add them together one book? Do you count them individually? Do you even worry about including short stories in your yearly reading? Let me know!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Fourteen of My Favorite Short Stories (and Short Story Collections) + A Few on My TBR!

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly book blog meme hosted by the lovely girls over at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday theme is short books, and since I sort of just recently made a post highlighting some great books that are 200 pages or less, I thought I'd tweak this theme a little bit... and share some awesome short stories and short story collections, along with a few short works of poetry and plays thrown in for good measure (I'm being liberal with the term 'short story')! Now, I thought that this would be more difficult to do since I'm not really a big short story person, but apparently I like more than I thought - who knew?

**These titles are listed in particular order. Enjoy!

1. Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman
As the summary describes it, Unnatural Creatures is "a collection of short stories about the fantastical things that exist only in our minds. The magical creatures range from werewolves to sunbirds to beings never before classified." And yes, this collection is every bit as magical as it sounds. 

2. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, translated by Jack Zipes
Besides being absolutely stunning, this particular is the first translated edition of all 156 stories by the Brothers Grimm from the original 1812 and 1815 editions. I love folk/fairy tales, and these one did not disappoint at all. They are as close to the way they were originally written as possible, and it's wonderful. The illustration, by Andrea Dezso, are also a lovely addition.

3. "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
"The Yellow Wallpaper" will never get old. This 6,000-word short story essentially documents slow descent of a woman into madness, and that's all you really need to know to jump in. 

4. "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg
I am a big fan of Ginsberg's poetry, which I first mentioned in a review for some uncollected works, and because of this I had to include his short book of poems in this list. This particular collection resulted in the arrest of its publisher and editor for "disseminating obscene literature." What's more enticing than banned books?

5. "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
This is, hands down, one of my favorite pieces of satire to ever be written. Essentially, Swift suggests that in order to ease the lives of the poor and provide them with more food, they should begin selling children as food to the rich. Thus, the poor would make a profit and food would begin to be in greater supply. As you might expect, it wasn't received by everyone with as much enjoyment as it is now. 

6. Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
I am so in love with this book. There are three short stories contained within, each one delightfully creepy and haunting. I read these all in one sitting, and I definitely recommend them.
(Review)

7. The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell
In case you hadn't noticed, I like Neil Gaiman. The Sleeper and the Spindle is a short book inspired by a "weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic." It's gorgeous, and the illustrations by Riddell are as stunning as every other thing he's ever created.

8. The Short Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
I know, I know, I probably include Poe too much on these list, but I can't help it! I love his short stories (and poetry!) and I think they are some of the best out there.  They are classically disturbing and I just cannot get enough of them.

9. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Another classic! If you haven't read the tale of the headless horsemen, then I encourage you to do so!

10. Lady with the Dog and Other Short Stories by Anton Chekov
If you haven't read anything by Chekov, this is a great place to start! The Lady with the Dog is about an adulterous affair, and supposedly Vladimir Nabokov called it one of the best pieces of short fiction he's ever read, so there's that.

11. Fragile Things: 
Yes, more Neil Gaiman. And more wonderful short stories.

12. After the Quakes: Stories by Haruki Murakami
And another favorite author of mine. This particular collection features six short stories written in response to the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan.

13. Greek Lives by Plutarch & Lives of the Caesars by Suetonius

All of these are great. They're fascinating if you're at all interested in Ancient Greek and Roman figures. I just translated a good portion of Life of Antony this past quarter for a Greek course, so I am slightly biased, but they are still fascinating. And Suetonius' lives of the Roman emperors are delightfully juicy. I highly recommend them.

14. The Bacchus by Euripides

Euripides is a brilliant Greek author, and I think this is one of his best works. 

Short Stories I want to Read:

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
I don't even know how many years this book has been on my TBR at this point, but I am still dying to read it! I love every thing I've read about this collection, and I think it sounds like it is right up my alley.

Moral Disorder and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood
I love Margaret Atwood and have heard great things about this collection! I've yet to read any short stories by Atwood, so I'm excited to see how it is.

Little Black Book of Stories by A. S. Byatt
I'm just so fascinated by the sound of this one. I read Possession last year and I think I really liked it (it's complicated), and I think this sounds like a perfect match for the taste of Byatt's writing that I received from Possession.

Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite short stories/short story collections?

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