Looking for something a little different to read this month? I've picked out 14 weird story collections by women that will haunt you — and your nightstand — until you've read all the wild and wonderful tales contained between their covers.
We've all been there. You fall in love with a new genre, series, or writer, and then find yourself slogging through three or four books in a row, wishing you had anything to read other than more of the same. There's nothing that will stall you out off a great reading binge like a lack of variety, which is why I will always advise you to mix up your TBR pile as much as possible. Boredom is one of the biggest hurdles a book-lover must overcome, so you should always seek out new and different reading experiences.
With this in mind, I've picked out 14 weird story collections,* all written by women, that I think you're going to love. The short fictions in these books have stuck with readers long after they turn the last page.
* It's worthwhile to note that I'm using "weird" here to describe a certain quality of the fiction, not to refer to the weird fiction genre.
'Her Body and Other Parties' by Carmen Maria Machado
You might recognize some of the stories contained in Her Body and Other Parties, such as the tale of the woman whose husband must never remove the ribbon she wears around her neck, but others will be complete surprises that are sure to linger in your mind.
'Awayland' by Ramona Ausubel
From the author of Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty and A Guide to Being Born comes this story collection, which contains, among other strange fictions, the story of a Cyclops who wades into the mess of online dating.
'Mouthful of Birds' by Samanta Schweblin
Samanta Schewblin landed on the map with Fever Dream, her unsettling story set in a lonely hospital, and now she's back with Mouthful of Birds, a short-fiction collection that finds its characters tiptoeing to the edge of reality.
'The Lonesome Bodybuilder' by Yukiko Motoya
The title story in this uncanny new collection of fiction centers on a Japanese housewife whose new bodybuilding habit brings on marked changes in her appearance — none of which her husband notices.
'Jagannath' by Karin Tidbeck
Amatka author Karin Tidbeck has more quirky, creepy fiction for her fans in this story collection, which includes the tale of a child created in a tin can.
'All The Names They Used For God' by Anjali Sachdeva
In no other short-story collection will you find mermaids, septuplets, and a high-profile kidnapping, so you've got to read Anjali Sachdeva's haunting book, All the Names They Used for God.
'Falling in Love with Hominids' by Nalo Hopkinson
From the author of Midnight Robber and Brown Girl in the Ring comes this fiction collection, which includes werewolves, ghosts, and fire-breathing chickens.
'How Long 'Til Black Future Month?' by N.K. Jemisin
Standing on the borders of magical realism and horror, this collection from The Fifth Season author N.K. Jemisin features stories about a fey deal in the Jim Crow South, what came after Hurricane Katrina, and the case of our world as an example of what not to do.
'Homesick for Another World' by Ottessa Moshfegh
At turns creepy, dirty, hilarious, and unsettling, Eileen author Ottessa Moshfegh's short-fiction collection, Homesick for Another World, will be one of the most eclectic volumes you ever read.
'Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories' by Kelly Barnhill
Inventive writing and in-depth examinations of the human condition combine with dark magic in this short-fiction collection from The Girl Who Drank the Moon author Kelly Barnhill.
'What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours' by Helen Oyeyemi
White Is For Witching author Helen Oyeyemi shines in this book of interconnected fairy tales that play with form and function.
'Get in Trouble' by Kelly Link
If you loved the dark stylings of Magic for Beginners and Pretty Monsters, you're going to love Kelly Link's latest short-story collection, Get in Trouble.
'Your Duck Is My Duck' by Deborah Eisenberg
Chosen as one of Kirkus Review's Best Books of 2018, this collection of six stories from the author of Twilight of the Superheroes criss-crosses the breadth of human emotion and all of life's strange irony.
'Florida' by Lauren Groff
Fates and Furies author Lauren Groff's Florida, a finalist for the National Book Award, captures all of her state's humid weirdness in 11 short stories.
