Books like Tender: Stories by Sofia Samatar

Carmen Maria Machado’s debut collection of short stories blends speculative fiction, horror, and sharp cultural commentary, exploring the violence, identity, and politics of womanhood through unsettling, genre‑bending narratives.

In a world where merfolk descend from drowned African slave women, Yetu bears the collective memories of her people as the sole historian. Struggling with the weight of painful history, she flees to the surface and uncovers truths about identity, survival, and the future of her community.

An anthology of never‑published short stories that bring war, soldiers, and warriors to life—spanning history, modern conflict, and fantastical realms—crafted by prominent fantasy authors.

A collection of magical short stories where fairy realms mingle with Regency, eighteenth‑century and folklore characters, including Mary Queen of Scots, a Jewish doctor, and figures from Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

A playful retelling of a classic fairy‑tale set in Manhattan, where a dashing prince meets a spirited princess in a modern twist on magic and romance.

In The Tender Years, Virginia grapples with friendships and faith as she matures, while her best friend Jenny challenges her decisions, pushing both to confront right and wrong.

A collection of adult fairy tales by A.S. Byatt includes a novella about a middle‑aged English writer who, while attending a conference in Turkey, encounters a djinn in an antique bottle that offers her three wishes.

After an airplane crash that takes her memory and alters her appearance, Lilly Parker begins searching for the identity that's eluded her for months. As the images of her past gradually return, she recalls the small town in Louisiana where she was born, the love of music that was instilled in her at an early age, and her first love, band leader Jimmy LaCross. She also can't escape the bittersweet memory of her husband, wealthy Kirk Remington, the man who appeared to have cheated on her multiple times. Now, with her face permanently changed by the plastic surgery that was necessary to heal her injuries, she tentatively ventures back into the world. And when she encounters the unsuspecting Kirk, she longs to tell him the secret of her past and become his true wife once again. But can she trust her lover a second time? Or is she doomed to continue her...TENDER DECEPTION! Another great romance by a master storyteller.

Welcome to the world of Professor Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, a college teacher in Regensburg who finds himself embroiled in absurd yet hilarious academic and personal mysteries while pursuing his masterwork, Portuguese Irregular Verbs.

Emily Prager's A Visit from the Footbinder and Other Stories gathers compact American short stories that paint everyday life and social customs across the United States.

A collection of short stories by Edmund Wilson that sketch American middle‑class suburban life, social customs, and intellectual dynamics within a fictional county.