People who work in the field of library and information services are either (1) readers, (2) open-minded and willing to try something new, (3) polite enough to smile and nod if something’s not in their realm of interest, or (4) all of the above. So when I began sharing weekly recommendations for short fiction with my library colleagues, I figured that it might be of interest to those who were already into that sort of thing, but might also catch a few new readers.

The criteria I used when selecting which stories to recommend was based on my personal enjoyment of the story and the length of the story (I tried to include more flash fiction than not, as I thought that would encourage people more than longer stories). Some of the stories were old favourites of mine, while others were newly-published. All of these recommendations fall under the umbrella of science fiction and fantasy, with the occasional horror, because that’s the type of short fiction I read. Since I work with library folk, I found it appropriate to include a few library- and book-themed stories. I also tried to recommend some stories that used creative or uncommon styles, perspectives, devices, etc. that my colleagues may not have encountered before.

I did also try to steer clear of anything too scandalous or potentially offensive since I was recommending these stories to colleagues in a professional setting. This did mean that sometimes I would read and thoroughly enjoy, for example, a horror story, only to decide after a moment’s thought that no, it was perhaps a bit much for the workplace. (But, Emily, you say—the third story on your list has a Big Swear in it. Yes, I know. Sometimes you’ve got to risk it for the biscuit, kids.) Also, in related news, the growing trend for online magazines to include content warnings at the beginning of their stories earns a big thumbs-up from me.

Anyway, here’s the list of short fiction I recommended to my colleagues in 2020-2021:

• A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow
• Sun Dogs by Brooke Bolander
• The Salt Witch by Martha Wells
• Five Functions of Your Bionosaur by Rachael K. Jones
• Vici by Naomi Novik
• How to Confront the Sphinx Haunting Your Garden by Alexei Collier
• Librarians in the Branch Library of Babel by Shaenon K. Garrity
• The Gravedigger of Konstan Spring by Genevieve Valentine
• And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker
• We Who Stay Behind by Karl Dandenell
• Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer
• The Long Con by Megan R. Engelhardt
• 26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss by Kij Johnson
• Strange Waters by Samantha Mills
• The Bone Poet and God by Matt Dovey
• Incense by Megan Chee
• Dead at the Feet of a God by Izzy Wasserstein
• The Mothgate by J. R. Troughton
• Wytchen Wood by Lori J. Torone
• The Samundar Can Be Any Color by Fatima Taqvi
• The Lady of Shalott by Carrie Vaughn
• The Census Faces Unusual Challenges on Audvarn-3 by Jo Miles
• The Cartographer by Vincent Pendergast
• Airship Hope by Laurel Amberdine
• Bots of the Lost Ark by Suzanne Palmer
• The Librarian by Robert Dawson
• Gingerbread by Dafydd McKimm
• Advice for Your First Time at the Faerie Market by Nibedita Sen
• Maze and Buttons by Maria Haskins
• Installing Linux on a Dead Badger: User’s notes by Lucy A. Snyder
• Every Burning Bird Will Be Reborn by Timothy Mudie
• Gordon B. White is creating Haunting Weird Horror by Gordon B. White
• The God Skrae Eats Death by Stephen Case
• How to Haunt Your Local Forest by Kate Lechler
• The Fine Print by Chinelo Onwualu
• The Loneliness of Former Constellations by P. H. Low
• Yesterday’s Wolf by Ray Nayler
• There Will Be No Alien Invasion by Sam F. Weiss
• Stronger by K. J. Parker
• How to Say I Love You with Wikipedia by Beth Goder
• The Girl and the House by Mari Ness
• AITA for Using My Side Hustle to Help My Boyfriend Escape the Clutches of Death? by Aimee Picchi
• And A Piece of Coal Where Her Heart Once Beat by Suzanne J. Willis
• Campfire Stories by Rachael Cupp

Happy reading!