Koncocoo

Best Single Authors Short Stories

Interpreter of Maladies
Navigating between the Indian traditions they've inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations. But Mr. Kapasi has problems enough of his own; in addition to his regular job working as an interpreter for a doctor who does not speak his patients' language, he also drives tourists to local sites of interest. In that single line Jhumpa Lahiri sums up a universal experience, one that applies to all who have grown up, left home, fallen in or out of love, and, above all, experienced what it means to be a foreigner, even within one's own family. Frequently finding themselves in Cambridge, Mass., or similar but unnamed Eastern seaboard university towns, Lahiri's characters suffer on an intimate level the dislocation and disruption brought on by India's tumultuous political history. The two things that sustain her, as the little boy she looks after every afternoon notices, are aerograms from homeAwritten by family members who so deeply misunderstand the nature of her life that they envy herAand the fresh fish she buys to remind her of Calcutta. Delusions of grandeur and lament for what she's lostA"such comforts you cannot even dream them"Agive her an odd, Chekhovian charm but ultimately do not convince her bourgeois audience that she is a desirable fixture in their up-and-coming property.
Reviews
"Interpreter of Maladies. by Jhumpa Lahiri. Rating: ***** (5 stars). Book Length: 209 pages. Genre: Indian Fiction, Fiction, Litterature, Short Stories. Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of short stories written by Jhumpa Lahiri. Although some stories are placed directly in India and focus more on the complexity within the Indian culture. I felt appreciation for community and togetherness that, as the author also illustrated, just doesn't exist in America."
"I resented the time I spent driving home from work because it was time taken away from reading this book."
"By using the short story cycle, Lahiri is able to present multiple points of view and various time periods to bring readers a terrificly bittersweet taste of the collective immigrant experience (including issues that deal with affairs, arranged marriage, loneliness and isolation etc.)."
"The various stories are well crafted but for some reason I could not get 'into' them."
"This one is by far Lahiri's best book."
"Loved these short stories and can't wait to read more by this author!"
"I thoroughly enjoyed the book."
"I really enjoyed this book of short stories."
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The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories
From the New York Times bestselling author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena —dazzling, poignant, and lyrical interwoven stories about family, sacrifice, the legacy of war, and the redemptive power of art. American Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Family Foundation Prize for Fiction, 2015National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist in Fiction Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of 2015. It’s funny, moving and beautiful, the perfect thing to read.” - New York Times “Audacious… [an] ambitious and fearless [book], one that offers so much to enjoy and admire...Marra’s far-ranging, risky and explicitly political book marks him as a writer with an original, even singular sensibility.” - New York Times Book Review “Genius...what makes this (dare I say) masterpiece so stunning is Marra’s clear love for his subject and insistence on infusing beauty into even the darkest places…It’s nothing short of extraordinary.” - San Francisco Chronicle “Powerful…[an] ingenious book." - Wall Street Journal "Marra’s nine stories, cunningly set out like strewn mosaic tiles that keep self-rearranging until they cohere into a complex, cathartic whole, demand to be read in order...Marra here emerges with an oxygenizing wisdom and an arsenal of wit as inexhaustible as it is unlikely.” - Boston Globe. By the time you reach Marra's astonishing final story about Kolya, "The End" — set, a dateline tells us, in "Outer Space, Year Unknown" — the book has achieved a heart-rending cumulative power.” -Tom Beer, Newsday. “Cobbled together as a sort of mixtape itself (with four stories under “Side A,” four under “Side B,” and a single-story intermission), Marra’s latest work is tender, touching, haunting at times and humorous at others—in short, a feat.” - Thomas Harlander, Los Angeles Magazine. “The Tsar of Love and Techno is an intricately structured and powerful collection[and] showcases Marra’s wit and his gift for unforgettable details… The Tsar of Love and Techno is the work of an elegant and generous writer.” -Bookpage. Anthony Marra, author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, delivers his first collection of intimately tied stories (it kind of reads as a novel, actually), arranged into Side A and B and Intermission. ANTHONY MARRA is the author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (2013), which won the National Book Critics Circle's inaugural John Leonard Prize, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in fiction, the Barnes and Noble Discover Award, and appeared on over twenty year-end lists.
Reviews
"Every time I read a collection of short stories, I say the same thing in my review - that I'm not a lover of short stories, but I always have a good reason why I decided to read that particular collection . Fast forward to Siberia in 2013 to the "Granddaughters " the story of the ballerina's granddaughter ( yes the ballerina from the first story ) and her friends. These stories depict the political and social landscape of Russia from 1937 to the more recent chaotic aftermath after the break up of the USSR in the details of the lives of these characters with beautifully rendered connections between the stories through the characters and a painting."
"Reading this book is like working a jigsaw puzzle without the picture - does this piece go here, or does it belong somewhere else? It is a book that once you've finished, you may think, "I need to read this again now that I can put the people together - and in their proper time sequence - and in their proper place.""
"A deeply moving book constructed of interlocking stories that reflect the individual spirit resisting, succumbing to, or triumphing over an oppressive and brutal state."
"I love this book, which consists of several connected stories that take place over an 80-year-long time span."
"This string of Soviet-era short stories is packed with emotional, powerful moments that sent chills up my spine, made me shiver and go “ooh, that was good.” Anthony Marra has a way with words and storytelling that frames and captures a vivid, bleak landscape of northern industrial Russia, spanning many generations, and paints in a cast of characters whose triumphs and tragedies I resonated with as if they were my own. Regardless of your preference for novels or short stories, I believe The Tsar of Love and Techno is the best of both worlds by delivering the poignant snapshots of short stories while interconnecting them to impart the satisfaction of a full-fledged novel."
"It takes place in the USSR and modern-day Russia, from the time of Stalin's purges to the Chechen wars."
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Overtime: An Office Reverse Harem Romance
Three hot bosses in a high powered office? We knew from the moment you walked in that you were perfect. It’s helped us become the top consulting firm in the country. With three massive alpha males, you can guess what it’s going to be.
Reviews
"This book was interesting to read."
"Love anything with her name on it!!"
"Keeps you hooked and wanting more."
"I am a huge fan of the Angels (Alexis, Dark, Lana and so on) and this book did NOT disappoint! Holt, Banks and Shea- 3 men who have built a political empire. 3 men who are bored with having everything at their beck and call. A tale of 3 men and lady- with power and submission come the best orgasms, right? I promise if you love a book that gets you hot, wet and ready to O then this is the book for you!!"
"Hero, Adam, Cameron and Chase = 15/15. Heroine, Nicole = 5/5. Chemistry = 5/5. Sex = 5/5. Plot = 3/5. Mystery = 1/5. Action = 1/5. Darkness = 1/5. Humor = 2/5. POV = all 4. Would I recommend this book = yes. Would I re-read this book = yes. Would I read future books by this author = yes."
"On the recommendation of Sebastian, known from Hostile Work Environment, the partners interview with Nicole and know that she is the perfect candidate for their needs both in the office and out."
"Chase, Adam, and Cameron are three billionaire alpha males that own a high powered political strategist company. The story does have a sub-plot with Nicole and the three alphas and how she is a political strategist of Also the authors decided to give their readers a little bonus of several stories at the end."
"There's not much plot to this, although who needs plot with 3 sexy guys right?"
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Best Women's Short Stories

Anything Is Possible: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An unforgettable cast of small-town characters copes with love and loss in this new work of fiction by #1 bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout. A Washington Post and New York Times Notable Book • One of USA Today ’s top 10 books of the year Recalling Olive Kitteridge in its richness, structure, and complexity, Anything Is Possible explores the whole range of human emotion through the intimate dramas of people struggling to understand themselves and others. The janitor at the local school has his faith tested in an encounter with an isolated man he has come to help; a grown daughter longs for mother love even as she comes to accept her mother’s happiness in a foreign country; and the adult Lucy Barton (the heroine of My Name Is Lucy Barton, the author’s celebrated New York Times bestseller) returns to visit her siblings after seventeen years of absence. Reverberating with the deep bonds of family, and the hope that comes with reconciliation, Anything Is Possible again underscores Elizabeth Strout’s place as one of America’s most respected and cherished authors. This is a generous, wry book about everyday lives, and Strout crawls so far inside her characters you feel you inhabit them. “These stories return Strout to the core of what she does more magnanimously than anyone else.” — The Washington Post. This is a generous, wry book about everyday lives, and Strout crawls so far inside her characters you feel you inhabit them. Try reading it without tears, or wonder.” — USA Today (four stars) “Readers who loved My Name Is Lucy Barton . She paints cumulative portraits of the heartache and soul of small-town America by giving each of her characters a turn under her sympathetic spotlight.” —NPR. “These stories return Strout to the core of what she does more magnanimously than anyone else, which is to render quiet portraits of the indignities and disappointments of normal life, and the moments of grace and kindness we are gifted in response. “In this wise and accomplished book, pain and healing exist in perpetual dependence, like feuding siblings.” — The Wall Street Journal. “Neither novel nor linked story collection strikes me as adequate terms to describe this book’s ingenious structure. Strout’s sentence style fits these Midwestern folks and tales: straightforward while also seeming effortlessly lyrical, seeded both with humor and bitterness like many of our days.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Full of searing insight into the darkest corners of the human spirit . With assuredness, compassion and utmost grace, her words and characters remind us that in life anything is actually possible.” — San Francisco Chronicle. “While we recommend everything by the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer—like, say her recent book My Name Is Lucy Barton —this novel, which explores life’s complexities through interconnected stores, stands on its own. “If you miss the charmingly eccentric and completely relatable characters from Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout’s best-selling My Name Is Lucy Barton, you’ll be happily reunited with them in Strout’s smart and soulful Anything Is Possible. “Strout pierces the inner worlds of these characters’ most private behaviors, illuminating the emotional conflicts and pure joy of being human, of finding oneself in the search for the American dream.” — NYLON. Elizabeth Strout is the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Olive Kitteridge; the #1 New York Times bestseller My Name Is Lucy Barton;The Burgess Boys, a New York Times bestseller; Abide with Me, a national bestseller and Book Sense pick; and Amy and Isabelle, which won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize.
Reviews
"I kept reading hoping something would happen or at least Strout would tie all the unhappy, aimless stories together at some point. I felt the entire town was suffering from post traumatic sexual abuse and an withholding of feeling that bordered on psychotic."
"Glorious writing!"
"Very good novel and service from seller."
"Realistic touching dialogue makes you feel as though you are overhearing a real conversation."
"Incredible insights, how Strout can imagine male/female young/old rich/poor people is just amazing."
"Strout has done it again, with these character vignettes that weave together as a novel."
"Wonderful stories with descriptions of people's extreme pain, hunger, loss, shame, love, longing, peace and joy."
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Best U.S. Short Stories

Interpreter of Maladies
Navigating between the Indian traditions they've inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations. But Mr. Kapasi has problems enough of his own; in addition to his regular job working as an interpreter for a doctor who does not speak his patients' language, he also drives tourists to local sites of interest. In that single line Jhumpa Lahiri sums up a universal experience, one that applies to all who have grown up, left home, fallen in or out of love, and, above all, experienced what it means to be a foreigner, even within one's own family. Frequently finding themselves in Cambridge, Mass., or similar but unnamed Eastern seaboard university towns, Lahiri's characters suffer on an intimate level the dislocation and disruption brought on by India's tumultuous political history. The two things that sustain her, as the little boy she looks after every afternoon notices, are aerograms from homeAwritten by family members who so deeply misunderstand the nature of her life that they envy herAand the fresh fish she buys to remind her of Calcutta. Delusions of grandeur and lament for what she's lostA"such comforts you cannot even dream them"Agive her an odd, Chekhovian charm but ultimately do not convince her bourgeois audience that she is a desirable fixture in their up-and-coming property.
Reviews
"The depth of the feeling belies Ms. Lahri's youth."
"Lovely short stories revealing people's lives as they deal with living often between two cultures."
"Loved these short stories and can't wait to read more by this author!"
"This was an exceptional book, providing insightful portraits of unique human beings."
"I thoroughly enjoyed the book."
"Interesting interpretation of basic Indian attitudes toward life...found the differences interesting...would recommend to anyone who likes books about India such as ASuitable Boy."
"I really enjoyed this book of short stories."
"It reminds me of a mystery writer whose books I used to love until as she aged she just had the murderer commit suicide or drive off of a cliff."
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Best Translated Short Stories

The Short Novels of John Steinbeck: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
A Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Steinbeck's brilliant short novels Collected here for the first time in a deluxe paperback volume are six of John Steinbeck's most widely read and beloved novels. "Steinbeck shaped a geography of conscience."
Reviews
"Excellent collection!"
"The settings are interesting and watching the thinking of the various characters is almost hypnotic to me."
"Very well transcribed for Kindle: almost no typo errors and page formatting is clean and consistent."
"This collection of Steinbeck's shorter works was a real breath of fresh air from today's standard fare of angst filled, post-apocalyptic teens or the sad reminiscence of the post-war novel that is all the rage among the literary set of late. I read most of these works some 15-20 years ago, when the stories and the characters and the lessons where oddly entertaining and cautiously educational to a small town teen trying to make sense of the wide world all around."
"Love this collection of books!"
"The most interesting aspect of these stories for me were how they reminded me of Classical Greek Tragedy -- that is they are about how people exercise their freedom of choice and express their dignity within the circumstances of their lives over which they have no control."
"be careful with it in the sun."
"good collection of books for someone just starting out being interested in reading as adult of teenager and wanting to follow a specific author."
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Best World Literature Short Stories

Chopped (A Diana Hunter Mystery Book 4)
Ten years have passed since Diana Hunter, once the youngest spook in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, was captured by the elusive professional assassin known only as “Surgeon.” Now a magazine editor and a consultant for the Vancouver Police Department, Diana has been taunted for years by the shadowy psychopathic genius who continues to elude the grasp of the world’s top police and intelligence services. Praise for the Diana Hunter mystery series:"This book deserves more than the max five stars. I loved the danger, the characters were all people I could relate to and I enjoyed the descriptions, they jumped of the page into my imagination. To get your free copy of Hunted, the prequel to the Diana Hunter mystery series, plus two more books, updates about new releases, exclusive promotions, and other insider information, sign up for the Cozy Mysteries Insider mailing list at: cozymysteries.com/diana.
Reviews
"I started reading the first book in this series and after that, I couldn't put them down, reading though all 4 of the books in a week's time. This book continues the story of Diana Hunter and the characters and relationships are developed a bit more in each book, leaving you anxious for the next book to come out for more."
"Chopped by Alison Golden is Book #4 in The Diana Hunter Mystery Series. Since I have loved all the books in this series, I was super excited when I found out book #4 had been released! I would recommend you get the other books in the Diana Hunter Mystery Series and read them in order. You will be very happy with your decision to get them because your reading experience will be that much better...you will get to know the characters more as you move from one book to the next."
"This is the 4th book in the Diane Hunter series and it continues to build a relationship between Diane and her partner, Peter."
"Just when I thought they had caught the bad guy and were moving on to set up the next book, here comes a twist, and what a great one!"
"This is the 4th book in the Diane Hunter series. In this one, Diane's enemy The Surgeon, is back and killing people. Can Diane and her fellow law enforcement people finally put an end to The Surgeon and his evil ways?"
"The book could be read as a stand alone, but will be appreciated more if the earlier stories have been read."
"As she works with her partner at VPD and CSIS to track him down once and for all, she is willing to do whatever it takes to get his attention - even if it means her life."
"Diana Hunter is back and she is more intense than ever!"
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