Dip into some great fiction with a collection of short stories from the Lititz Public Library.
The World to Come by Jim Shepard
The pitfalls of everyday life and historic catastrophes are reflected in the stories of Arctic explorers, a young American reporting the hazards of crude-oil trains, eighteenth-century French balloonists, pioneer women in a frontier settlement and others.
The Dinner Party and Other Stories by Joshua Ferris
Eleven stories explore the tribulations of marriage, ambition and the awkward misunderstandings that pass between strangers.
Trajectory by Richard Russo
Characters introduced in a pair of novellas and two stories include a professor confronting a young plagiarist, a realtor facing an ominous medical prognosis, a semi-retired English professor conned into joining a group tour and a novelist struggling with his wife’s illness while attempting to rekindle his career.
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Written over a twenty-year period, stories examine the aspirations of those who leave one country for another and their relationships.
Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh
The author examines themes of alienation, boredom, displacement and addiction with characters like an old man gathering courage to approach a beautiful but aloof woman working at an arcade, an aspiring actor spinning out of control and a grieving husband who uncovers evidence of his dead wife’s infidelity.
The Book of Swords edited by Gardner Dozois
An anthology of original tales by authors such as George R.R. Martin and K.J. Parker take readers into the realms of dark enchantment featuring an assortment of fearless swordsmen and warrior women who face danger and death.
Five-Carat Soul by James McBride
Selections include the tales of five strangers who find themselves thrown together and faced with unexpected judgment, an American president who draws inspiration from a conversation he overhears in a stable and members of a band who recount stories of their messy and humorous lives.
The Accomplished Guest by Ann Beattie
Set along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Key West, the collection explores people paying visits or receiving visitors, traveling to see old friends and the joys and tolls of hosting company.
Tell Tale by Jeffrey Archer
Offering insight into the people he has met in his travels, the author describes a young detective from Naples in search of a killer, a pretentious schoolboy’s life-changing reaction to the origins of his father’s wealth, a 1930s woman who dares to challenge men at her Ivy League university and more.
No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories by Lee Child
A collection that presents Reacher in the past and present includes a story that takes readers back to 1989 when he is a military police officer assigned to solve the brutal murder of a young officer found along an isolated road in Georgia.
Fresh Complaint by Jeffrey Eugenides
Presenting characters in the midst of personal and national crisis, the author writes about a failed poet who becomes an embezzler, a musician collapsing under the obligations of marriage and fatherhood and a confused college freshman’s revelatory encounter with a stranger on a train.
Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks
A collection of seventeen stories features characters such as a gentle Eastern European immigrant fleeing civil war for a new life in New York City and a bowler who rolls so many perfect games he winds up ESPN’s newest celebrity.
The Girl in the Lake by Bill Roorbach
Stories include the tale of an adventurous boy who learns about courage from an aging nobleman, the travails of a teenager pursued by three sisters all at once and the tragedy of a couple hiking through the mountains, realizing their vacation and relationship are ending catastrophically.
The Mighty Currawongs by Brian Doyle
Oregon author presents a collection of tales exploring topics such as chess in the Levant, tailors who specialize in holes, the intense hilarity of basketball, how to have a bitter marital fight in the car, an all-Chinese football team in Australia and more.
The Best Place on Earth by Ayelet Tsabari
Assemblage of eleven stories follows characters at the crossroads of geography and faith who are all trying to find someone to believe in as they struggle with the challenges of balancing traditions with modern times.
February 23, 2018