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ladybusiness2021-01-02 11:30 am
bookgazing) wrote in ladybusiness2021-01-02 11:30 am
Short Business: Favourite Stories Read In 2020
Happy New Year everyone. Hope you are all well, and ready to face 2021. I'm going into this year with a lot of gratitude for a variety of different things that I don't want to write about because I am terrified of tempting fate. However, my brain feels it can safely talk about my gratitude for all the creative people, and their work, that kept me going in 2020; starting with a list of favourite short fiction that I read last year.
In 2020, due to being furloughed from work twice (I'm just beginning my third furlough as our area has gone into Tier 4) and needing to put some kind of structure into my day that I wouldn't immediately give up on at the flimsiest excuse (exercise in the cold weather, I'm looking at you) I decided to resurrect Short Business. I read five stories a week, and reviewed them every week, during my two furlough periods. And when I took holiday (which turned into multiple home stay holidays as Covid-19 made going anywhere impossible) I tried to read and review some short fiction too. You can find reviews of all the stories I read in 2020 under the projects: short business tag.
As a result of this drive to read and review more short stories, I ended up with a lot of favourite stories, and the result is the list below. I've made the decision to keep this list to one story per writer, and I'm linking to my previous reviews for ease instead of doing mini re-recs. I just made it through a very tricky retail Christmas, and so short-cuts are the only way to get favourite lists completed before we hit March. I hope you find something to enjoy among these recs, and, as always, let me know about short stories you've loved reading recently.
Fav Short Fiction Read In 2020
"Once More Unto The Breach (But Don't Worry, The Inflatable Swords Are Latex Free)" by Tina Connolly (review)
"The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (review)
"All The Souls Like Candle Flames" by Vanessa Fogg (review)
"Annotated Setlist of the Mikelea Cole Jazz Quintet" by Catherine George (review)
"Do Not Look Back, My Lion" by Alix E. Harrow (review)
"Down To Niflhel Deep" by Maria Haskins
"The Girlfriend's Guide to Gods" by Maria Dahvana Headley (review)
"The Cat Lady And The Petitioner" by Jennifer Hudak (review)
"The Woeful Take of Sir Banana" by Rachel K. Jones (review)
"Regarding the Regretful Repercussions of Robot Reptiles" by Michael M. Jones (review)
"Small Magics" by Juliet Kemp (review)
"Yo, Rapunzel!" by Kyle Kirrin (review)
"So Much Cooking" by Naomi Kritzer (reread) (review)
"I (28M) Created A Deepfake Girlfriend and Now My Parents Think We're Getting Married" by Fonda Lee (review)
"The Mermaid Astronaut" by Yoon Ha Lee (review)
"Loosestrife" by Marissa Lingen (review)
"A Pale Horse" by M Evan Macgriogair (review)
"Now Watch As Belinda Unmakes The World" by Lynette Mejía (review)
"The Longest Season In The Garden of the Tea-Fish" by Jo Miles (review)
"10 Spells The Glasbläser Family Is Not Sharing With Each Other, In Order Of Secrecy" by Elizabeth R Moore (review)
Prime Meridian by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (reread) (review)
"A Guide For Working Breeds" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (review)
"Escaping Dr Markoff" by Gabriela Santiago (review)
"How To Host A Haunted House Murder Mystery Party" by A. C. Wise (review)
the first installment of Hurricane Heels by Isabel Yap (review)
In 2020, due to being furloughed from work twice (I'm just beginning my third furlough as our area has gone into Tier 4) and needing to put some kind of structure into my day that I wouldn't immediately give up on at the flimsiest excuse (exercise in the cold weather, I'm looking at you) I decided to resurrect Short Business. I read five stories a week, and reviewed them every week, during my two furlough periods. And when I took holiday (which turned into multiple home stay holidays as Covid-19 made going anywhere impossible) I tried to read and review some short fiction too. You can find reviews of all the stories I read in 2020 under the projects: short business tag.
As a result of this drive to read and review more short stories, I ended up with a lot of favourite stories, and the result is the list below. I've made the decision to keep this list to one story per writer, and I'm linking to my previous reviews for ease instead of doing mini re-recs. I just made it through a very tricky retail Christmas, and so short-cuts are the only way to get favourite lists completed before we hit March. I hope you find something to enjoy among these recs, and, as always, let me know about short stories you've loved reading recently.
Fav Short Fiction Read In 2020
"Once More Unto The Breach (But Don't Worry, The Inflatable Swords Are Latex Free)" by Tina Connolly (review)
"The Haunting of 13 Olúwo Street" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (review)
"All The Souls Like Candle Flames" by Vanessa Fogg (review)
"Annotated Setlist of the Mikelea Cole Jazz Quintet" by Catherine George (review)
"Do Not Look Back, My Lion" by Alix E. Harrow (review)
"Down To Niflhel Deep" by Maria Haskins
"The Girlfriend's Guide to Gods" by Maria Dahvana Headley (review)
"The Cat Lady And The Petitioner" by Jennifer Hudak (review)
"The Woeful Take of Sir Banana" by Rachel K. Jones (review)
"Regarding the Regretful Repercussions of Robot Reptiles" by Michael M. Jones (review)
"Small Magics" by Juliet Kemp (review)
"Yo, Rapunzel!" by Kyle Kirrin (review)
"So Much Cooking" by Naomi Kritzer (reread) (review)
"I (28M) Created A Deepfake Girlfriend and Now My Parents Think We're Getting Married" by Fonda Lee (review)
"The Mermaid Astronaut" by Yoon Ha Lee (review)
"Loosestrife" by Marissa Lingen (review)
"A Pale Horse" by M Evan Macgriogair (review)
"Now Watch As Belinda Unmakes The World" by Lynette Mejía (review)
"The Longest Season In The Garden of the Tea-Fish" by Jo Miles (review)
"10 Spells The Glasbläser Family Is Not Sharing With Each Other, In Order Of Secrecy" by Elizabeth R Moore (review)
Prime Meridian by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (reread) (review)
"A Guide For Working Breeds" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (review)
"Escaping Dr Markoff" by Gabriela Santiago (review)
"How To Host A Haunted House Murder Mystery Party" by A. C. Wise (review)
the first installment of Hurricane Heels by Isabel Yap (review)