Has this happened to you? Someone tells you about a book you must read and you’re thrilled – until you realize it’s a Very Big One, a wonderful slab of words so thick it needs its own seat on an ...

In 2021, Gini Alhadeff, author and translator, brought a new concept to the venerable publisher New Directions. What if, she proposed, New Directions published short books—novellas or long stories—as ...

For many years, I assumed that the appeal of a short story was that it was, well, short. Instead of slowly reading a novel over weeks, the reader of these bite-size plots can experience character ...

Ms. Renkl is a contributing Opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South. When the news is one report of human suffering — or environmental degradation or ...

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