1st Quarter 2025 favorites

1st Quarter 2025

The 1st Quarter (Jan-Mar) stories ordered solely by my personal tastes.

  1. ‘Emperor Of The Air’ by Ethan Canin
  2. ‘The Year Of Getting To Know Us’ by Ethan Canin
  3. ‘Goodbye Marcus, Goodbye Rose’ by Jean Rhys
  4. ‘Sweethearts’ by Richard Ford
  5. ‘Crown-Fire’ by Erskine Caldwell
  6. ‘For A Long Time, This Was Griselda’s Story’ by Anthony Doerr
  7. ‘We Are Nighttime Travelers’ by Ethan Canin
  8. ‘The Man In The Moon’ by William Maxwell
  9. ‘Star Food’ by Ethan Canin
  10. ‘The Smile On Happy Chang’s Face’ by Tom Perrotta
  11. ‘Biology’ by Kevin Wilson
  12. ‘The Nice Restaurant’ by Mary Gaitskill
  13. ‘A Tiny Feast’ by Chris Adrian
  14. ‘The Lucid Eye In Silver Town’ by John Updike
  15. ‘Boy And Girl Games Like Coupling’ by Jamie Paige
  16. ‘The Pearl Of Love‘ by H.G. Wells
  17. ‘There He Go’ by Ladee Hubbard
  18. ‘Where We Are Now’ by Ethan Canin
  19. ‘Things My Mother Said’ by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
  20. ‘Goodbye To The Road Not Taken’ by A.M. Homes
  21. ‘Smote, Or When I Find I Cannot Kiss You In Front Of A Print By Bridget Riley’ by Eley Williams
  22. ‘Song Of Roland’ by Jamaica Kincaid
  23. ‘The Last Question’ by Isaac Asimov
  24. ‘Los Angeles’ by Ling Ma
  25. ‘Good Legs’ by Joshua Ferris
  26. ‘The Space’ by Christopher Boucher

As always, join the conversation in the comments section below, on SSMT Facebook or on Twitter @ShortStoryMT.

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April 2023 favorites

April 2023

The April stories ordered solely by my personal tastes.

  1. ‘Intertextuality’ by Mary Gordon
  2. ‘Leopard’ by Wells Tower
  3. ‘The Coast Of Leitrim’ by Kevin Barry
  4. ‘The Ship Ahoy’ by Ursula K. Le Guin
  5. ‘Cat In The Rain’ by Ernest Hemingway
  6. ‘Mother Savage’ by Guy de Maupassant
  7. ‘Sex Scenes From A Chain Book Store’ by Aryn Kyle
  8. ‘Flights’ by Alice Adams
  9. ‘A Sister’s Confession’ by Guy de Maupassant
  10. ‘The Lying Bee’ by John Henrik Clarke
  11. ‘A Country Wedding’ by Laurie Colwin
  12. ‘Are You In Love?’ by Alice Adams
  13. ‘The Balloon’ by Donald Barthelme
  14. ‘Beautiful Girl’ by Alice Adams
  15. ‘Lifeguard’ by John Updike
  16. ‘Edna In Rain’ by Marie-Helene Bertino
  17. ‘The Last Married Man’ by Alice Adams
  18. ‘The Last Lovely City’ by Alice Adams
  19. ‘The Day Before The Revolution’ by Ursula K. Le Guin
  20. ‘A Domestic Dilemma’ by Carson McCullers
  21. ‘The Great Hug’ by Donald Barthelme
  22. ‘Son Of Friedman’ by Emma Cline
  23. ‘The Presentation On Egypt’ by Camille Bordas
  24. ‘Heart Of Hearts’ by Emily Temple
  25. ‘Comma’ by Hilary Mantel
  26. ‘At The Zoo’ by Caitlin Horrocks
  27. ‘Rain, Rain, Go Away’ by Isaac Asimov
  28. ‘Tapioca Surprise’ by William Goyen
  29. ‘The Company Is Not Responsible’ by Mary McCarthy
  30. ‘Ex Parte’ by Ring Lardner

As always, join the conversation in the comments section below, on SSMT Facebook or on Twitter @ShortStoryMT.

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January 2015 favorites

January 2015

The January stories ordered solely on my personal tastes.

  1. ‘How I Met My Husband’ by Alice Munro
  2. ‘Bardon Bus’ by Alice Munro
  3. ‘One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts’ by Shirley Jackson
  4. ‘The Open Boat’ by Stephen Crane
  5. ‘Where I’m Calling From’ by Raymond Carver
  6. ‘The Drunkard’ by Frank O’Connor
  7. ‘The Wind And The Snow Of Winter’ by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
  8. ‘Everyday Use’ by Alice Walker
  9. ‘The Enormous Radio’ by John Cheever
  10. ‘The View From Castle Rock’ by Alice Munro
  11. ‘Boys And Girls’ by Alice Munro
  12. ‘The Sun, The Moon, The Stars’ by Junot Diaz
  13. ‘The Skull’ by Philip K. Dick
  14. ‘The NRACP’ by George P. Elliott
  15. ‘Train’ by Alice Munro
  16. ‘The Other Foot’ by Ray Bradbury
  17. ‘Pigeon Feathers’ by John Updike
  18. ‘Jokester’ by Isaac Asimov
  19. ‘Tell Me A Riddle’ by Tillie Olsen
  20. ‘The Speech Of Polly Baker’ by Benjamin Franklin
  21. ‘The Star’ by Arthur C. Clarke