[Top Ten Tuesday] Short Stories & Novellas

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is currently being run by That Artsy Reader Girl. A prompt is given each week, and I hope to do it every week so I always have something going up on Tuesdays. This week I am talking about five short stories or novellas I loved reading, and five that I really want to read. I don't read a lot of either of these formats and especially with short stories sometimes they can be hit or miss. But I still love giving them a try especially when they are by writers I love.

Let's jump into my list! Of course, like always, I will link my reviews if they're available.

Favorite Short Stories & Novellas

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor 

I loved this book so much. I heard amazing hype around this book but with it being so short and a sci-fi story I was worried it wasn't going to be my thing but  I was proven wrong. I loved the world and characters so much. I really need to pick up the rest of the series, but more on that later.

Synopsis:
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself - but first she has to make it there, alive.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire 

This is technically the second book in the series so far, but it is my favorite out of the three. However, all three books have received 4 stars or higher so I obviously love them all so much. I will link my reviews of Every Heart A Doorway (book one) and Beneath the Sugar Sky (book three) in case anyone is interested. This story is one of my favorites I've read all year. I cannot wait for the fourth book to come out and I really need to buy these books for my personal collection.

Synopsis for Every Heart A Doorway: 
Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Selected Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

I read this book a little at a time throughout a long span of time and I really enjoyed it. I made it like a bedtime story type thing, which honestly was probably a bad idea for a few reasons, one being the fairy tales were a bit dark at times, and the other reason being although I enjoyed the stories, they weren't super exciting. So I fell asleep reading a lot of nights.However, if you're into fairy tales this is a classic to pick up. I am all about fairy tales, from Disney to Grimm Brothers, and I'd love to pick up more short story classic fairy tales.

Synopsis: 
Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess, but she would have to be a real princess...
In a celebration of one of the world's most widely recognised children's authors, this collection brings together some of Hans Christian Andersen's most popular fairy tales with some of his more subversive masterpieces - from 'The Princess and the Pea' and 'The Little Mermaid' to 'The Red Shoes' and 'The Snow Queen'. With universal themes and dark humour at their heart, these tales have delighted readers since their first publication and continue to be much loved today.
Timeless in their appeal, they have inspired many films, ballets and plays, and still inspire and entertain generations of children and adults alike.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman 

I love this book of Norse mythology short stories so much and just typing about it now makes me want to re-read it. I am a beginner about Norse mythology but I am really interested in learning more about the Gods and Goddesses. If you are newer at this topic this is a great way to start. However, I have read reviews from people who are already knowledgeable about Norse mythology that they were disappointed it was so beginner level. So that is something I wanted to give heads up about.

Synopsis:

Introducing an instant classic—master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths.
Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of giants, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerges the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again. 

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins 

This is one of the cutest book of holiday short stories ever. I didn't love all of the stories but I did love quite a lot. I have only read it once, and I am hoping to read it again this holiday season so I can review it. If you're looking for a cute holiday read in a few months I think this is a great one to pick up.

Synopsis: 
If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

Short Stories & Novellas I Want To Read

Smoke & Mirrors by Neil Gaiman 

I have had this book on my shelves for way too long and I know it's going to be amazing because it's Gaiman. I need to just pick this up sometime this year. Maybe in Autumn/Winter or something.

Synopsis: 
In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion . . . and anything is possible. In Smoke and Mirrors, Gaiman's imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders—where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality, obscured by smoke and darkness yet brilliantly tangible, in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.

Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft by Tess Sharpe 

I got an early ARC of this and I am BEYOND excited to finally read it soon. I am hoping to get to it before the end of August. The cover is great and I am all about books with women and witchcraft.

Synopsis: 
A young adult fiction anthology of 15 stories featuring contemporary, historical, and futuristic stories featuring witchy heroines who are diverse in race, class, sexuality, religion, geography, and era.

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Glinda the Good Witch. Elphaba the Wicked Witch. Willow. Sabrina. Gemma Doyle. The Mayfair Witches. Ursula the Sea Witch. Morgan le Fey. The three weird sisters from Macbeth.

History tells us women accused of witchcraft were often outsiders: educated, independent, unmarried, unwilling to fall in line with traditional societal expectations.

Bold. Powerful. Rebellious.

A bruja’s traditional love spell has unexpected results. A witch’s healing hands begin to take life instead of giving it when she ignores her attraction to a fellow witch. In a terrifying future, women are captured by a cabal of men crying witchcraft and the one true witch among them must fight to free them all. In a desolate past, three orphaned sisters prophesize for a murderous king. Somewhere in the present, a teen girl just wants to kiss a boy without causing a hurricane.

From good witches to bad witches, to witches who are a bit of both, this is an anthology of diverse witchy tales from a collection of diverse, feminist authors. The collective strength of women working together—magically or mundanely--has long frightened society, to the point that women’s rights are challenged, legislated against, and denied all over the world. Toil & Trouble delves deep into the truly diverse mythology of witchcraft from many cultures and feminist points of view, to create modern and unique tales of witchery that have yet to be explored.

Meet Cute by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

This looks SO CUTE and I really want to read it soon. My library doesn't seem to have a copy (or any in the archive!) so I am going to have to look around bookshops in person and online to find a copy. I am all about meet cute stories.

Synopsis:
Whether or not you believe in fate, or luck, or love at first sight, every romance has to start somewhere. MEET CUTE is an anthology of original short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today’s most popular YA authors.

Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick's charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There’s futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants.

This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.

Home by Nnedi Okorafor 

This is Binti's sequel and I really need to get my crap together and pick up this book because like I said earlier I loved Binti. I need to just borrow it from the library soon.

Synopsis (be careful reading this synopsis, may have spoilers about Binti)
It’s been a year since Binti and Okwu enrolled at Oomza University. A year since Binti was declared a hero for uniting two warring planets. A year since she abandoned her family in the dawn of a new day.

And now she must return home to her people, with her friend Okwu by her side, to face her family and face her elders.

But Okwu will be the first of his race to set foot on Earth in over a hundred years, and the first ever to come in peace.

After generations of conflict can human and Meduse ever learn to truly live in harmony?

Summer Days & Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins 

I loved My True Love Gave To Me (which I've brought up earlier) so I need to just read the summer version! I hope it is just as good, and I am hoping to read this in August because it's so hot in Maine during August so it seems to be the perfect time to pick it up.

Synopsis 
Maybe it's the long, lazy days, or maybe it's the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom. Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, written by twelve bestselling young adult writers and edited by the international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins, will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake. So set out your beach chair and grab your sunglasses. You have twelve reasons this summer to soak up the sun and fall in love.

Featuring stories by Leigh Bardugo, Francesca Lia Block, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Brandy Colbert, Tim Federle, Lev Grossman, Nina LaCour, Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth, Jon Skovron, and Jennifer E. Smith.

Thanks for reading!