Short Stories 366:94 — “Chivalry,” by Neil Gaiman

Sometimes, the touch of humour to a tale is so deftly added that it's like an aftertaste. I enjoy stories like those, ones that don't necessarily make me laugh out loud while I'm reading them, but instead leave me smiling when I'm done, ever-so-gently amused (but also charmed). "Chivalry," from Neil Gaiman, is one of …

Short Stories 366:73 — “The Lighthouse Keeper,” by Daisy Johnson

I've always loved stories about outsiders, and especially those who see or feel or understand the world in some way others don't. With "The Lighthouse Keeper," Daisy Johnson walks a fine line with her main character in this regard: read one way, she is exactly the character I just described, a woman who has had …

Short Stories 366:66 — “Kin,” by Bruce McAllister

I can't remember who it was who suggested I check out LeVar Burton Reads, but I'm so glad they did. It's a podcast where, well, it's all there on the tin: LeVar Burton reads. But specifically, he curates and reads short fiction he loves (as a short fiction writer, I could add that to the …

Short Stories 366:55 — “Goat,” by James McBride

Oh wow. First off, I love LeVar Burton Reads, mostly as it exposes me to short fiction from genres I'm not likely to pick up. I'm pretty much a reader of queer short fiction and spec-fic or romance (or the wonderful intersections thereof), but I nabbed a subscription to the podcast and I've been happily …

Short Stories 366:48 — “Graham Greene,” by Percival Everett

Another short fiction piece (and author) I stumbled across thanks to LeVar Burton Reads (if you're not checking out that podcast, you should), "Graham Greene" is a story found in Everett's collection Half an Inch of Water. Listening to LeVar Burton read this story was a complete treasure in more ways than one: I was …

Short Stories 366:45 — “The Storm Painter,” by Ayodele Olofintuade

I love fabulism, and I love stories set outside of the range of the North America I tend to see on the bookshelves locally, and I love finding new-to-me authors, so "The Storm Painter," by Ayodele Olofintuade was a hat trick thanks to the Strange Horizons Podcast. We start at an art exhibition, where the …