{"id":7246,"date":"2018-07-29T08:27:35","date_gmt":"2018-07-29T12:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/?p=7246"},"modified":"2023-02-10T13:34:41","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T18:34:41","slug":"11-best-summer-beach-reads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/11-best-summer-beach-reads\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Best End-of-Summer Beach Reads"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s never too late for rest and relaxation. We may have past summer\u2019s halfway mark, but there is still plenty of time squeeze in a \u201cbeach read\u201d (or a \u201crainy summer afternoon in your pajamas<\/a>\u201d read). If you\u2019re the type of reader who reads in short, sporadic bursts — instead of cover-to-cover in a week or less, consider short stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Short stories aren\u2019t just for kids and teens. There are many classic and contemporary short story collections that allow readers to complete a narrative in one sitting. These are our favorite short story collections for your end-of-summer beach read.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Best Short Story Collections for Your Next Beach Read<\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Runaway<\/em><\/span> by Alice Munro (2004)<\/span><\/h3>\n

This list is starting out strong: Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013 for her extraordinary work as \u201cmaster of the contemporary short story. She also won the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work and has been called the modern-day Chekhov. <\/span>Runaway<\/span><\/i> is among her best collections, effortless shifting across decades. Munro has the remarkable ability to convey an entire life in a few pages. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Pulse<\/em><\/span> by Julian Barnes (2011)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Barnes is best known as a novelist and won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 for <\/span>The Sense of an Ending<\/span><\/i> (sensing a theme here?). His collection of short stories, <\/span>Pulse<\/span><\/i>, is brilliant — steeped in social nuance and colorful details. Two particularly excellent examples from this collection are \u201cComplicity,\u201d about the start of a love affair, and \u201cEast Wind,\u201d about a relationship between an estate agent and a foreign waitress. Perfect content for a beach read.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Kiss<\/em><\/span> Kiss<\/span><\/i> by Roald Dahl (1960)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Everyone knows his peerless children\u2019s books, but did you know that Roald Dahl writes adult fiction that is equally vivid and\u2026 well\u2026 wicked and a little unsettling? The stories in <\/span>Kiss Kiss<\/span><\/i> are brilliantly unnerving and considered a \u201cmasterclass\u201d in the form. This collection is is a wonderful way to see Dahl in a new light.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. This<\/em><\/span> Isn\u2019t The Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You<\/span><\/i> by Jon McGregor (2012)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Set in the UK — in Norfolk and Cambridge — this collection of stories will haunt you for months. McGregor has a knack for elevating everyday occurances, turning them into small, perfectly rendered pieces of art. As one review in the <\/span>Guardian<\/span><\/i> noted, \u201cThe stories wrap themselves around the wholly disconcerting premise that catastrophe can rear up in anyone\u2019s life without warning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Tenth of December<\/em> by George Saunders (2013)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Winner of the Folio Prize for fiction, Saunders is, according to <\/span>Entertainment Weekly<\/span><\/i>, \u201cthe master of joy bombs: little explosions of grin-stimulating genius that he buries throughout his deeply thoughtful, endless entertaining flights of imagination.\u201d Written with a mix of humor and humanity, this collection is ideal for readers who want to smile and be moved.<\/span><\/p>\n

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6. A Life of Adventure and Delight<\/em> by Akhil Sharma (2017)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Like Alice Munro, Akhil Sharma has also been likened to Chekov. A truly epic writer, Sharma\u2019s stories in this collection feature Indian protagonists, both in India and abroad, carefully exploring complex relationships with their families, partners, and selves in flawless short form.<\/span><\/p>\n

7.<\/span> Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?<\/span><\/i> By Raymond Carver (1976)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Carver\u2019s classic 1970s collection is perfect for people who like a writer who uses one word instead of 12. Known for his short, punchy prose, Carver conveys in a few words what many novelists take several pages to express. In stories such as \u201cFat\u201d and \u201cAre You a Doctor?\u201d he writes with flat understatement about suburban disenchantment in mid-century America. This particular collection was shortlisted for the National Book prize and was written during what Carver called his \u201cfirst life,\u201d when he nearly died of alcoholism.<\/span><\/p>\n

8.<\/span> There Are Little Kingdoms<\/span><\/i> by Kevin Barry (2007)<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve ever read Kevin Barry\u2019s work before, it\u2019s clear that he takes joy in story-telling — a joy that is palpable in his writing. It\u2019s well, fun, to read authors that are clearly having fun. While the stories themselves are not always \u201cjoyous\u201d — there are plenty of tales of lost souls and misfiring Irish families and friendships — this is funny, stirring writing from a unique talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

9.<\/span> Interpreter of Maladies<\/span><\/i> by Jhumpa Lahiri (1999)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another prize winning read. This collection of nine stories by Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize shortly after it was published and was named <\/span>New Yorker<\/span><\/i>\u2019s debut of the year. The <\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/i> described the stories as containing an \u201cuncommon elegance and poise.\u201d The narratives explore the Indian-American immigrant experience and the alchemy of love and relationships. <\/span><\/p>\n

10.<\/span> A Selfie As Big As the Ritz<\/span><\/i> by Laura Williams (2016)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Get lost in this contemporary collection by Laura Williams, a smart and funny writer who uses details that other writers would overlook, losing their punch. One critic wrote, \u201cI admire that at the core of each story, Williams sticks to the familiar. Her writing however, her style, are anything but.\u201d The stories aren\u2019t a stretch and are easy to grasp, but presented in a new and entertaining format. Especially relatable for readers of a younger generation, but timelessly enjoyed.<\/span><\/p>\n

11.<\/span> The Love Object<\/span><\/i> by Edna O\u2019Brien (2014)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Edna O\u2019Brien is a critic favorite and considered one of the great modern Irish writers. This collection spans five decades of brilliant short story writing from O\u2019Brien whose prose style is among the most celebrated of any living author. Her characters range from lonely nuns to single mothers to modern millionaires and are consistently remarkable. Perfect stories for the beach, on the couch, or if you\u2019re tucked in bed for the night with a cup of tea. Good luck putting this one down.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more ideas for rest and relaxation this summer, visit The Pajama Company at our blog, <\/span>thepajamacompany.com\/blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cool<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s never too late for rest and relaxation. We may have past summer\u2019s halfway mark, but there is still plenty of time squeeze in a \u201cbeach read\u201d (or a \u201crainy summer afternoon in your pajamas\u201d read). If you\u2019re the type of reader who reads in short, sporadic bursts — instead of cover-to-cover in a week or less, consider short stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[866,870,871,868,702,651,438,151,872,10,461,869,585,846,823,418,867,658],"class_list":["post-7246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-beach-reads","tag-best-novels","tag-best-short-stories","tag-book-list","tag-cotton-pajamas","tag-family-activities","tag-family-fun","tag-fashion","tag-light-pajamas","tag-pajamas","tag-reading","tag-short-stories","tag-summer","tag-summer-activities","tag-summer-fun","tag-summer-pajamas","tag-summer-reads","tag-womens-pajamas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7246"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9445,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7246\/revisions\/9445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thepajamacompany.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}