The incomparable Sayaka Murata, author of cult sensation Convenience Store Woman, is back! Discover Life Ceremony, her first collection of short stories ever translated into English. Sometimes sweet, sometimes shocking, and always imbued with an otherwordly imagination and uncanniness, the strange and wonderful stories in Life Ceremony explore family and friendship, sex and intimacy, belonging and individuality, and above all what it means to be a human in our world. Short stories are great for when you are standing in line or sitting in your car waiting to pick someone up. They are also great for breaking reading slumps! Feel like you haven’t read anything good lately? Try a story. The feeling of investing less time for what could still be a great reward might get your brain back on track. Some collections are linked stories, like Real Animals by Brandon Taylor, so they’re fun to read in one sitting. Or you can read several stories over several days that are vastly different, like my favorite collection, All the Names They Used for God by Anjali Sachdeva. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you find hours and hours of reading enjoyment with the books on this list. And if you are looking for more short story recommendations, we’ve listed a few more options at the bottom. Happy reading! And if you’re looking to fill your brain to the brim with more short stories, check out 100 Must-Read Contemporary Short Story Collections, Very Short Stories to Devour in Record Time, and The 34 Best Short Stories Of All Time.
