Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Odd bits of my town + thoughts on what I read this week

2020s: Peter James, John Grebble Is Gone
Asia: Mieko Kawakami, ‘The Flower Garden’ inThe Penguin Book of the International Short Story
Africa: Scholastique Mukasonga, ‘Cattle Praise Song’ in The Penguin Book of the International Short Story
Translated Story: Cristina Rivera Garza trans Sarah Booker, ‘Offside’ inThe Penguin Book of the International Short Story
Unreliable Narrator: Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘How Brigadier Gerard Lost His Ear’ in The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard
Journey or Quest: William Maxwell, ‘The Pilgrimage’ in All the Days and Nights
Supernatural Element: Rosa Mulholland, ‘Not to Be Taken at Bed-Time’ in Bending to Earth: Strange Stories by Irish Women ed. Maria Giakaniki and Brian J. Showers



*Short Story Summer* created by Randy Ray ‪@LiterateTexan

List of co-hosts and their YouTube handles:

Brandy‪ @TheBookclectic
Crystal ‪@fiberartsyreads
Greg ‪@anotherbibliophilereads
Hannah ‪@HannahsBooks
James ‪@JamesRuchala
Nicky ‪@MyMessyBookshelf
Roy - hey that's me!
Steve ‪@saintdonoghue

Google doc bingo board: docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/13gsf7rZApqNXmrVPiyLvZjMLojzM9biw/mobilebasic
Canva Bingo Board: canva.link/ok2jh6ydoixhsqv

PROMPTS
1. Genres
1. Science Fiction
2. Fantasy
3. Mystery
4. Horror
5. Historical Fiction
6. Literary Fiction

2. Time Periods
1. 19th Century
2. 1900–1949
3. 1950–1979
4. 1980–1999
5. 2000–2019
6. 2020s

3. Around the World
1. North America
2. Europe
3. South America
4. Asia
5. Africa
6. Translated Story

4. Story Elements
1. Twist Ending
2. Child Protagonist
3. Unreliable Narrator
4. First-Person Narrator
5. Journey or Quest
6. Supernatural Element

5. Reader Challenges
1. Award Winner
2. New-to-You Author
3. Adapted to Film or TV
4. Under 10 Pages
5. Over 30 Pages
6. Read Any Short Story

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