Short Stories Audiobooks | Literature

"Brought to you by Penguin. A JAPANESE MODERN CLASSIC Discover the highly original and moving literary gem for fans of Banana Yoshimoto and Kawaguchi's BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD What if you could come back after death to watch over your loved one, installing yourself in a treasured mug, for example, or perhaps your mother's hearing aid, a diary, or even a climbing frame, to be clambered over by a younger sister you will never meet? Eleven recently deceased protagonists find themselves floating in the afterlife where a nameless ghost offers them one last chance to spend time with their loved ones. But not as you would expect. In a world where souls roam restlessly around after death, unwilling to depart, The Soul Catchers is a soothing, witty, and surprisingly sensual take on the Japanese folk belief that objects can be inhabited by human presences. Equal parts charming, profound, immensely moving, Higashi's powerful classic is an original exploration of our eternal reluctance to let go. © Naoko Higashi 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

Naoko Higashi (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Encounters with Unexpected Animals: Stories

"An imaginative, moving collection of stories infused with the magic and enigma of the human condition and drenched in Texas heat, from the best-selling author of We Burn Daylight. Encounters with Unexpected Animals takes readers deep into the heart of bestselling author Bret Anthony Johnston's home state of Texas, where teenagers search for love, parents grasp at connections with their children, and animals-real or imagined, familiar or unexpected-are reminders of the mystery, danger, and beauty of being alive. In "Caiman," a father buys a baby alligator in hopes of keeping his family safe. In "Soldier of Fortune," a teenage boy dog-sits for his neighbors after tragedy strikes, and his innocent snooping uncovers the family's most guarded secret. And in the luminous "Half of What Atlee Rouse Knows About Horses," an elderly man's heart is laid bare with the raw and breathtaking power of wild horses. Johnston's humor, empathy, and mastery of prose ring out through each story, bringing every finely-drawn character to radiant life. Individually, the stories are by turns suspenseful, poignant and exhilarating. Taken together, they reveal the abiding connections that lead us from sorrow and impermanence back to ourselves and, ultimately, to each other."

Bret Anthony Johnston (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Midnight Somewhere: A Short-Story Collection

"From Bram Stoker Award–nominated author Johnny Compton, Midnight Somewhere is a frightening collection of thought-provoking stories perfect for fans of Stephen King’s Night Shift, Tananarive Due’s The Wishing Pool, and the work of Junji Ito. A man gets into a car that can take him anywhere he can imagine—including the past, into the worst mistake of his life, a memory he does not want to relive, cannot escape, and is even more afraid to alter … A seemingly harmless, forgettable film about “alien hand syndrome” inspires a wave of self-harm among viewers—and even stranger things among those who become obsessed with it … A woman tries to bring her dead lover to life through a macabre ritual that requires attacking his corpse. Is it because she longs to be with him again … or because the two of them have unfinished business? The assorted characters in this thrilling collection encounter horrors that range from mysterious to murderous, discovering that darkness can find anyone, anywhere, at any hour of the day. After all, it’s always Midnight Somewhere …"

Johnny Compton (Author), André Santana, Dion Graham, Gillian Williams, JD Jackson, Kevin Kenerly, Lynnette Freeman, Nicole Cash, Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

Audiobook

Man, F*ck This House (And Other Disasters)

"This all-new expanded edition of the viral sensation Man, F*ck This House includes six brand-new stories by Brian Asman, “a singular voice in horror fiction” (Eric LaRocca). In the titular Man, F*ck This House, Sabrina Haskins and her family have just moved into their dream home. At first glance, the house is perfect. But things aren’t what they seem. Sabrina is hearing odd noises, seeing strange visions. Their neighbors are odd or absent. And Sabrina’s already-fraught relationship with her son is about to be tested in a way no parent could ever imagine. Because while the Haskins family might be the newest owners of this house, they’re far from its only residents … In “Beware the Hurlyburly,” a troubled teen loses his grip on reality after checking out the wrong internet meme … In “In the Rushes,” a coastal cycling trip turns terrifying for a feuding mother and daughter … Malevolent doppelgängers, bizarre murders, ancient evils, Western ghosts, mirror monsters, poisonous playthings, and more populate the pages of this brilliant—and petrifying—collection of stories."

Brian Asman (Author), Andrew Gibson, James Anderson Foster, Jenn Lee, Joe Hempel, Matt Godfrey, Ray Porter, Zura Johnson (Narrator)

Audiobook

SNAFU: Contagion

"SNAFU: Contagion, featuring action-filled tales of viral, fungal and bacterial horror, from some of your favorite authors including New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry. Whether it be mutated cordyceps, some zombie plague, a bioweapon accidentally released, or a previously-unheard-of alien viral epidemic, the soldiers who fight must find some way to overcome the contagion."

Amanda J. Spedding, Geoff Brown (Author), Andrew Gibson, Bradford Hastings, Emily Woo Zeller, Heather Firth, Hillary Huber, Jess Nahikian, Josh Innerst, Kevin Kenerly, Ray Porter, Steve West, Tim Campbell, Todd Menesses (Narrator)

Audiobook

Budayeen Nights

"A dark and gritty trip into the imagination of one of science fiction's most gifted authors, this collection presents all nine tales of the Budayeen gathered together in one must-listen volume. Here is the Budayeen: a gritty fusion of Bogart's Casablanca, New Orleans' notoriously seedy French Quarter, and a futuristic Muslim city, all welded together and serving as the perfect backdrop for Marid, a drug-addled policeman and anti-hero of world-class proportion. This is a collection to get lost in, from the city's sordid underbelly to the glamorous excesses of the 'sex moddy' industry, from the tall, ancient mosque towers to the strong-voiced muezzin calling the faithful to morning devotions, the Budayeen leaps to sudden life, making claims to its own reality as only the best science fiction can."

George Alec Effinger (Author), Curtis Michael Holland (Narrator)

Audiobook

Metamorphosis and Other Stories

"Brought to you by Penguin. This collection of new translations brings together the small proportion of Kafka’s works that he thought worthy of publication. It includes Metamorphosis, his most famous work, an exploration of horrific transformation and alienation; Meditation, a collection of his earlier studies; The Judgement, written in a single night of frenzied creativity; The Stoker, the first chapter of a novel set in America and a fascinating occasional piece, The Aeroplanes at Brescia, Kafka’s eyewitness account of an air display in 1909. Together, these stories reveal the breadth of Kafka’s literary vision and the extraordinary imaginative depth of his thought. Translation and Afterword copyright © Michael Hofmann, 2007 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Franz Kafka (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Birds and Other Stories

"FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA 'How long he fought with them in the darkness he could not tell, but at last the beating of the wings about him lessened and then withdrew . . .' A classic of alienation and horror, The Birds was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the natural world. 'A remarkable imagination continually provokes both pity and terror' OBSERVER 'One of the last century's most original literary talents' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality' GUARDIAN"

Daphne du Maurier (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Don't Look Now and Other Stories

"FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA John and Laura have come to Venice to try and escape the pain of their young daughter's death. But when they encounter two old women who claim to have second sight, they find that instead of laying their ghosts to rest they become caught up in a train of increasingly strange and violent events. The four other haunting, evocative stories in this volume also explore deep fears and longings, secrets and desires: a lonely teacher who investigates a mysterious American couple, a young woman confronting her father's past, a party of pilgrims who meet disaster in Jerusalem and a scientist who harnesses the power of the mind to chilling effect. 'Du Maurier created a scale by which modern women can measure their feelings' STEPHEN KING 'Daphne du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'One of the most shocking plot twists in all of literature' GILLIAN FLYNN"

Daphne du Maurier (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

What You Were Fighting For

"WHAT YOU WERE FIGHTING FOR is a wonderful collection of short stories that provokes the mind with its weird and intriguing tales. We catch glimpses of worlds that are similar to our own, but always different enough to make you wonder and sit at the edge of your seat. Reading this collection you often have to work out what is truly happening as Sallis weaves his imaginative portrayals of idiosyncratic characters with all the subtlety of the mind that spawned the Lew Griffin novels, Willnot, Sarah Jane, and Drive."

James Sallis (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Rendezvous and Other Stories

"FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA 'Mary Farren went into the gun room one morning about half-past eleven, took her husband's revolver and loaded it, then shot herself. The butler heard the sound of the gun from the pantry...' The fourteen haunting stories in this collection span the whole of Daphne du Maurier's writing career and explore every human emotion: an apparently happily married woman commits suicide; a steamer in wartime is rescued by a mysterious sailing-ship; a dull husband breaks loose in a surprising fashion; a con woman plays her game once too often; and a famous novelist looks for romance, only to meet with bitter disappointment. Each meticulously observed tale shows du Maurier's mastery of the genre."

Daphne du Maurier (Author), Luke Thompson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Land of Sweet Forever

"Brought to you by Penguin. Harper Lee remains a landmark figure in the American canon – thanks to Scout, Jem, Atticus, and the other indelible characters in her Pulitzer-winning debut, To Kill a Mockingbird; as well as for the darker, late-’50s version of small-town Alabama that emerged in Go Set a Watchman, her only other novel, published in 2015 after its rediscovery. Less remembered, until now, however, is Harper Lee the dogged young writer, who crafted stories in hopes of magazine publication; Lee the lively New Yorker, Alabamian, and friend to Truman Capote; and the Lee who peppered the pages of McCall’s and Vogue with thoughtful essays in the latter part of the twentieth century. The Land of Sweet Forever combines Lee’s early short fiction and later nonfiction in a volume offering an unprecedented look at the development of her inimitable voice. Covering territory from the Alabama schoolyards of Lee’s youth to the luncheonettes and movie houses of midcentury Manhattan, The Land of Sweet Forever invites still-vital conversations about politics, equality, travel, love, fiction, art, the American South, and what it means to lead an engaged and creative life. This collection comes with an introduction by Casey Cep, Harper Lee’s appointed biographer, which provides illuminating background for our reading of these stories and connects them both to Lee’s life and to her two novels. © Harper Lee 2025 (P) Harper Collins Publishers 2025"

Harper Lee (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Short Stories Audiobooks in Literature