55 Slightly Sinister Stories

Bite-sized portions of clever stories that leave you filling in gaps and rereading in order to find that piece you think you're missing. There's something enjoyable about flipping to a page and seeing the whole of the story laid out in tweet-sized text. I especially enjoyed "Growing Pains", "A Literary Death", "Testing the Waters", and "X Marks the Spot".

I enjoyed the art that accompanied each story.

The stories are heavy on "failed" or "flawed" romance and the title of "slightly sinister" is fitting, as the twist is often ironic or sardonic, but nowhere near scary.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

This was fantastic! It reminded me of something by Alvin Schwartz. Super odd and only a little sinister - just the way I like things.

55 Slightly Siniter Stories brings me back to my childhood. Not what you were expecting, I'm sure! This book of short stories was very reminiscent of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. A version for grown ups if you will.

Lyrical. Fascinating. Devastating. Humours. Each little story brought something unique and different. Within 55 words a whole picture was painted. With illustrations sprinkled throughout this is a quick, enjoyable read!

**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Racha Mourtada brings 55 slightly sinister stories, a collection of 55 drabbles that are all 55 words long exactly. There are corresponding illustrations for the drabbles that are included in the collection as well.

This collection is in that space of writing where I tend to consider it a sort of blending prose and poetry. The author's voice is clear and consistent. The collection frequently contains a dark humor that I enjoyed as well. Each of the stories are interesting on their own. However, I believe they can be more impactful reading two or three at a time as the author recommends, rather than reading the whole collection in one sitting as I did.

I enjoyed the collection and found it fun, but do not feel fondly enough about it to count it as a new favorite.

I loved it. Short stories are not something I ever read but I am happy I took the opportunity to read these. They all leave you wanting more, yet they are neatly tied up in a 55 word bundle. They're a little dark, a little weird and a lot of fun.

Absolutely lovely; Mourtada's short story -that could definitely be characterized as prose-poems as well- collection is painfully sincere and highly entairtaining.

I've always been intrigued with flash fiction or micro-fiction, and this collection is all about that. 55 stories, 55 words each.

The stories all are about relationships, heartbreak, and disappointments. I liked a lot of them, some of them felt repetitive, others didn't deliver the right punch. The trick with these very short stories is to choose the words carefully and have a killer first and last lines, some stories lacked that. but I still liked it.

I thank netgalley for the digital arc.

I went into this wanting a short book to read for a monthly book challenge, and thought it sounded fun. Ohhh boy. I absolutely loved everything about this sinister little book of short stories. Each story is 55 words or less, and frankly that is the perfect amount to tease your brain into wanting more, yet being satisfied that you just read a perfect story with no unnecessary filler, no lulls in development, or anything else you can think of. Only perfection. Well, slight lie-I wanted more stories!

There is a blank page between each of the stories in the ebook, and I am not sure if this is a placeholder for artwork, or if there will be a blank page between each story in the finished copy. Either way, I think I will be getting my hands on a finished copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for this early review copy, and for introducing me to Flash Fiction and giving me the idea to write my own FF!

What a creepy; deviant little book! I absolutely FLEW through this is one- sitting.

This was my first experience with what is known as “micro-fiction” ( stories that are 100 words or less) and let’s just say that I have have found a new genre to seek out.

Each story has an deeply ominous drawing directly before it, foreshadowing what is to come in writing. The illustrations are at times beautiful, mostly eerie; always peculiar.

My favorite stories were as follows ( in order by page):
- The Best-Laid Plans
- Lucky Duck
- Complementary
- Frankenstein Revisited
- Lip Service
- A Literary Death
- Some People Eat to Live...
- At Sea
- Fatal Beauty
- Bun in the Oven
- Food for Thought
- The End ( Part 1)
- Unrequited
- Chart-Toppers

If you are quirky and have a wicked sense of humor— this book is 1000% for you.

Publish date is : June 20, 2020 and I can’t wait to pick this up and own a physical copy! I will definitely be re-reading this many times. I think it will be deliciously spooky to pick up around Halloween & share with your friends for a good laugh around the campfire!

In my opinion, this book is an adult version of “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark.”

Thank you to Netgalley & Andrew Mcmeel Publishing for providing me with an early ARC to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

5 stars!!

Review to be posted on blog/goodreads mid-may.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I was definitely curious about this one when I saw it on Netgalley. I was looking around for books to read during the time of stay-inside (which is probably still happening at the time I post this review) (rationing books, yay) and this one looked quite interesting. Short stories of just a few sentences with a dark twist? Sign me up.

And while I did enjoy the book and I did find some stories that I enjoyed (3 of which I shared on Twitter) many of the stories were not so sinister, sometimes not even slightly. While they were enjoyable those not so sinister stories, I did come here for sinisterness (if that is a word??).
Luckily there were a few sinister story that had me shiver in delight at their sinistress (again is this a word??).

I also did like that each story was just comprised of a few sentences but still felt like a story and I definitely liked that. Some I would definitely see expanded into a few more sentences.

There are also illustrations to accompany each short story and I quite like the style, though it was kind of funny that the illustrations were often more sinister than the stories were.

All in all, hit and miss but still I am happy I picked this one up and I would say try it out.

The author has outdone herself in narrowing down a story to its essential idea, at the same time making sure that it does not lose its poignancy. Each story in 55 Slightly Sinister Stories is only 55 words long, yet the stories are still amusing, inspiring and thought provoking. This is a mighty task to accomplish in just 1 or 2 short paragraphs.
Rejected lovers, dismayed spouses and embittered writers come alive in a few exceptionally planned out lines.
What’s more is that the book is peppered with charming illustrations which make reading much more enjoyable and serve as eye candy.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy, so that I could review it.

So astonishingly by it's title, surprisingly executed fabulously. It's funny that I'm surprised to find the content to be as slightly sinister as one can get, but yeah I cannot deny that I am. And I enjoyed every story immensely. I also have several favorites in between.

What a fun little book of flash fiction. I so enjoyed these mircro-stories, each with a micro-twist that lent them spice and interest. Recommended for lovers of innovative flash fiction.

55 sinister stories promised fifty five short stories comprising of fifty words each perfectly wrapped with absurdity and it DELIVERED!!!

i loved all these spicy tit bits, each with a different theme, some easier to grasp with a single read and others requiring a multiple tries. while i couldn't get some, i overall enjoyed this new genre(if i might call it) and found myself getting sucked in this deliciously sinister book.

A selection of 55 micro-fictions, all made of precisely 55 words. Generally they feature a man and a woman and some kind of connection between the two, but they may also spin off a macabre slice of life, or a silly pun.

The author recommends we stick to three of these tales per day, to ration them, but I wanted more – I wanted something so good such restraint was impossible. Sadly, I read them much quicker than intended as a fair few weren't all that great – although 'Bun in the Oven' will certainly raise a laugh, and a heck of a lot more fun was to be had from these pages than a compilation of the "world's best" flash fiction I remember enduring a year or two ago. The author's illustrations accompanying them both pad things out no end and add a certain style to it all; they indicate how this looked as a limited arty release (from Lebanon, of all places) before this mainstream edition.

Three stars might be a little stingy.

It was well done! Every story was complete and so brilliantly done given the word restriction. One thought f strategy experts say that constraints truly help us become creative and this novel proves that.

This book serves as my introduction to flash fiction - such an interesting concept! I enjoyed these short (and yes, slightly sinister) stories very much.

"Love and loathing presided in her heart in equal measures, mingling and overlapping. She didn't think he would affect her at the molecular level.
She felt porous, thin membranes, leaking tiny emotions. They flooded her body and clouded her judgement.
As much as she tried, she couldn't harden her heart...even though he had his."

This is a spot-on collection based on creating a complete short story in exactly 55 words, no more, no less! Racha is nifty at what she has penned: they might consist only 55 words but they speak volumes. This cannot be stereotyped into a single theme as it explores so many like love, disappointments and even cannibalism, at one point. I loved a few on a very shocking level: some are hilariously weird and some are way too absurd for my taste, some are sarcastic and some are funny but some are powerful and even, beautiful. The illustrations are before each story depicts the essence of the story and are so pretty: most of my reading experience was delightful because of this!

I didn't exactly love this collection but it turned out to be a good read. One can even use these as prompts for finessing their creative writing skills. Others can just skim through this at one sitting, to kill time. This might come off as a creepy at few points but are good ones at that and does everything it promises in the description! I am glad that I gave this one a try.

This is my first experience with flash fiction or micro fiction. I'm hooked. This little gem was a perfect read to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. I flew through it in one sitting. The stories were developed but in 55 words. I'm not sure which I enjoyed more the stories ir the illustrations. The pictures in this book are beautiful. I want them for my home. I highly recommend checking this one out.

55 wonderfully dark micro-stories, each of them bringing a new sinister dimension to life. The accompanying drawings are great ways to try and guess what the next short story will bring.

It is no secret that I love short stories and I also love dark reads. When I saw this one, I knew i had to read it. I enjoyed most of the stories here. They were short, but they also were thought provoking. I often found myself thinking about what I just read in a deeper way. It didn't take me long to devour all of these stories and the illustrations really set off the message each story was trying to convey.

I love flash fiction and I love small creepy stories, so I was really excited about this. I read it two days ago and it's basically all fallen out of my head immediately. I couldn't tell you what a single one of the 55 stories was about. Still, it was enjoyable enough while I was reading it, and I liked the combination of stories and illustrations.

MY 55 WORD REVIEW

I loved these 55 words slightly sinister stories by Racha Mourtada. Some were humorous, some full of romance and others were about the philosophy of the failed relationships, death and life. Some were simple, some a bit confusing. Some lines punched above their weights, others failed to impress. Still, pretty adorable stories, I would recommend.

MY FAVOURITE LINES:

"It scared her at first, but she always found her way back…most times with his unwitting help. All it took was a bashful smile."

"The fog rolled in, branch-high and curly thick, like the ancestral ghosts of the tress it enshrouded. A single point glimmered, the port beckoning".

This is such a fun, quick, easy read! I was skeptical as to how one could write 55-word stories that were compelling and complete, but this did not disappoint, with stories of loss, love, grief, sex, passion, attraction, young love, and more.

Wonderful read unique original short snippets of stories. Sinister fun zipped through the pages.Will be gifting to friends.#netgalley#andrewmcneal

Racha Mourtada's flash-fiction book is a dark, fun quick read. 55 Slightly Sinister Stories is a book of 55 stories that are all 55 words long. It contains a quirky illustration for each story too. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy.

Weird but very cute short stories. Definitely kept true to its word by every individual story only being 55 words. Was a very surprising treat. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a bizarre and funny book! It's like reading Shel Silverstein for adults. Many stories were surprising and strange and quite entertaining. I didn't love the illustrations and some of the stories fell a bit flat, but overall a very fun read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

As unique as the title sounds, the contents of the book are equally outstanding. This book contains 55 stories and each story has has 55 word count. Everyone of them are complete with dark and sinister ending that will make your skin crawl with horror. I was astonished to see how within a limit of few words the author captivated the readers and delivered a perfect nightmare with all the bone chilling aftermath.

There were illustrations accompanied with each stories. 'Creepy' would be an understatement for that because of how accurately the described the story that followed. Sure enough, I will recommend this to the readers who love to read darkly twisted stories and those who don't shy away from gory scenes.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #55SlightlySinisterStories

The author sticks to 55 words to weave magical microfiction. Some of them make you laugh, others make you cringe. I liked them all. Accompanying the stories is an illustration -- simple but suitably matched. The titles are quirky, such as Frankenstein Revisited, Bun in the Oven, Backseat Driver -- don't worry, you have to be there to find out what makes them quirky.

A short read that was made infinitely easier because of how the book is put together. If you're offering an ASCM file, it should be formatted for easy reading #justsayin

I devoured this. One sitting. During class. Cover to cover.

My favorites were “Frankenstein Revisited” and “Bun in the Oven” because they made me laugh.

The concept of this book is absolutely incredible. 55 stories. 55 words each. Also whoever decided to include beautiful simplistic illustrations deserves a giant hug and even gianter pay raise.

This collection would make the perfect gift to reader or nonreader friends. Some stories are creepy which others are sad. I loved it.

This was such a fun and interesting little read! I've never really heard of "flash stories" before, but I actually really enjoyed it. These micro-stories and such an interesting concept that I'd love to find more of some time. Each of the 55 stories on has 55 words yet is able to give you a complete story. Just as in short story collections some of these were hits and some were misses. Some of the stories I didn't quite understand or had to read a couple of times to understand it. But some of them were really good! I liked the more dark/sinister stories the best. I think I'd really love a book like this but with stories that are horror or thriller themed...that would be amazing. This book made me want to see what else is out there in this genre. This was an extremely fast read, definitely something for when you want something quick. Or maybe to read one story a day would be a fun way to do it.
Overall I thought this whole collection was really clever and enjoyable to read!

Observant, allegorical, foolish, ignorant, self-serving, grandiose, obtrusive, forlorn and somewhat uncomfortable. A few words to describe 55 Slightly Sinister Stories.

I found this book enjoyable and indeed slightly sinister. A brief spotlight into each person's life; a split second to delve into their circumstance. That pivotal moment when their world begins, ends, or they choose to self-destruct.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Racha Mourtada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This fun little collection of stories is a great addition to most fiction collections. Expect patrons to read more than few stories just standing in the stacks!

Size matters and the beauty of symmetry, too.
This peculiarly original book of 55 sinister tales comprised of 55 words completed on the 5th of the 5th month of the year is quite appealing to palates looking to try out something new in one sitting. The stories do justice to the title of the book, they are weird, sinister; some poetic and most of the times the punchlines hit home. I kept an open mind to this experimental and unique book but I wish there was more, something felt amiss or incomprehensible most of time. I loved some of these bite-size tales more than others; some I did not get at all but overall it was an interesting reading experience and recommended for readers looking for a change of taste.

Reading 55 Slightly Sinister Stories is a bit like a joke at a funeral: you know you shouldn't laugh, but you can't help but let out a giggle despite yourself.
Filled with 55 short stories made up of 55 words, this collection is just long enough to trigger a flash of emotion (be it humor, melancholy, bittersweet connection, or just sinister stirring) and to open up the imagination.
Although the overall collection is a bit of hit and miss at times, the stories that I liked the best were just inappropriately funny with a perfect bite to them.
Perhaps, there is nothing that will leave a lasting impact in your mind, but it is a great way spend a fun hour reading about quirky characters and strange events.

I can hardly express how entertaining these stories were! They had me laughing all the way though.
All had a sinister twist, sure, but I would say that made them just way more laughter-inducing.
Also the illustrations before each story are very well thought-out and fit perfectly.
In two words - a great book.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

55 Slightly Sinister Stories. That's the title and just how I would describe this book. 55 stories that are exactly 55 words in length. Perfect to pick up and devour a few bite size pieces, or if you desire, all at once.

Slightly Sinister is the perfect way to describe this book. Each short story left a small chill on my back and I was never quite sure whether I should be horrified or impressed. A bit of both, honestly. This was a delightful read and so very wickedly clever.

Do you know how hard it is to get your point across in only 55 words? I’d never be able to accomplish that because when it comes to ideas and books, I’m a rambler. I don’t even get my thoughts organised that quickly so I take my hat off to the author for managing it.

That paragraph there? 55 words.

While I really like the idea of bite sized stories I don’t think they’re for me. I love world building and character development too much.

A lot of these stories resolve around love, finding it and losing it. While there were some that had no impact on me at all, I did have a couple of favourites: ‘A Literary Death’ and ‘Fashion Victim’.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.

"Slightly" sinister might be a misnomer.. some of them are VERY sinister. I'll admit it took me a while to read the whole thing... better to read a fw, put it down for a while, read a few more. But you reach the end and suddenly you're realize there's something missing from your life. 55 more slightly sinister stories!

Not every one is a winner, but the majority will definitely capture your attention.

Every book has an origin story. This one was born of Mourtada's resolution to write one 55 word story a day (stopping on 5/05) and turned out to be an absolute delight to read. Some stories are silly, some sad, but mostly, the stories (as the title would suggest) are sinister in some way. This book would make a great exemplar for introducing students to microfiction (that's how I plan to use it!) but would make a great addition to any coffee table, night stand, car, or anywhere where you could use a quick story!

TW: suicide (in the story X Marks the Spot)

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. I really enjoyed these short, dark little stories. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

I wasn’t going to review this because initially I could not open it in the format provided. Then, a breakthrough. And now, happily, I have read it.

I enjoyed this quirky assortment of very short stories. As someone who used to write for a living (policy and discussion papers and the like) I know how hard it is to write succinctly, to get your message across within a limit of words or pages. And Racha Mourtada did this extremely well. The stories were a real mixed bag, mostly about relationships. Some were poignant, some were funny and some were downright slightly sinister with a number of possible outcomes but where the reader is left to draw their own conclusions. In the spirit of this book I will keep the review brief. I liked the cover a lot and each story was accompanied by a clever illustration, most of which were also quirky. A fun little book that could be a conversation starter or make a lovely gift. You could even buy it for yourself!

I think that this book is so creative, because writing 55 stories with 55 words is a hard word, and the author did this so well, so I enjoyed this idea.
I like some stories, another I will have to read again to have a concise opinion about them and some stories I didn't like.
At all, I recommended this one, it is so fast to read and it is really enjoyable to have this experience.

What an interesting format! I will say that I thought the stories would be darker since the title includes sinister, but they aren't as dark as one would think. I thought most were really well done and I'd love to share a few with my students to use as examples and see if they can do the same. The writing structure is really amazing and the imagination expounds with what is actually going on due to the limited word count. Really compelling.

'Black stories' meets poetry in an interesting 55-word format. It was an enjoyable, snappy read that also happens to be beautifully illustrated. Unlike other reviewers who suggested that the stories are not sinister enough, I found that even if not all of them have the accident-about-to-happen suspense, they are nevertheless quite dark on an emotional, reflective one. Happy to have chosen this one since it's not something I'd normally pick up at the bookstore, judging from the format alone.

This was a really cool book. It was different from anything I had read before. There was a real variety in the subjects of the stories. Loved exploring the concept of micro literature. It was fun to dip in and out of this.

Very short stories, perfect for when you have a short time available for leisure reading (during lunch break, for example. Very enjoyable read.

Book 36 of my 2020 Reading Challenge
read from May 4 - 8

Note: I read an ARC provided by NetGalley (full disclaimer in my review)

55 Slightly Sinister Stories
by Racha Mourtada

Summary (excerpted from Goodreads)
published 2020

55 stories. 55 words. No more. No less. Enjoy this collection of flash fiction with a sinister twist.

My Opinion
4 stars

**I received an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley and would like to thank the author and/or publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book**

The author's note at the beginning said this book came about from a New Year's resolution to write one 55 word story a day until May 5 (5/5). She also recommends reading two or three stories a day and while I did force myself not to read them all in one sitting, I definitely exceeded that recommendation.

This was just a little treat. I really like microfiction as a concept and have read a few books of six-word memoirs. The sinister twists show you don't need a long buildup to still get a little shiver at the end and the illustrations were a nice touch. I read multiple ones aloud to my family as well.

I saw there is an audio version and I know I'm biased since I don't use audiobooks at all but this is the kind of book, between the illustrations and sometimes needing to read it more than once to see what you missed, that I think is better suited for print.

I think it must be incredibly difficult to encapsulate so much meaning, and an entire story, in 55 words. Racha Mourtada does this very well.

This collection is darkly comic and very well written. I definitely understood so much from so little in many cases. The bonus was that I sniggered and chuckled at a lot of them.

The illustrations at the start of each story are also fantastic - very amusing and right up my street.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC from this talented writer.

Racha Mourtada has created a sinister batch of 55 short stories that are each exactly 55 words. First of all, I love the concept in which she forces herself to craft words carefully while conveying a complete story. Each story is finely tuned like a sharp knife, offering witty, suprising or shocking endings. Think small installments of Alfred Hitchcock style tales.

It's a quick read, making it the perfect bathroom reader or accompaniment to appointments, allowing you to grab a quick snatch at one of the stories. Aspiring writers may want to read one a day and try to expand on the story or fill in the back story. Or use as a model to challenge oneself to create a short story of a specified number of words (maybe even in a specified number of minutes!).

All in all, it's an interesting concept and a quirky book. Mixed throughout are some black and white drawings that readers may choose to color. I would recommend this for teens due to some mature or macabre content.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Slightly Sinister Stories from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

As a former teacher of writing, I found self-imposed restrictions such as the limits Mourtada places on herself for this flash fiction to be a key to unlocking a fresh perspective and approach to writing. It can shake up a bout of writer’s block and jolt you out of the doldrums. However, I’ve rarely been a fan of reading such exercises for pleasure. Many of the stories in this collection are intriguing, and I’m a sucker for anything “slightly sinister”, but I want more to chew on when I sit down to read fiction.

This story collection was definitely different from anything I've come across but I enjoyed it a lot. Slightly Sinister is a pretty accurate description IMO. A nice mental getaway read.

I really enjoyed this collection of flash fiction. For one thing, the illustrations were great, I appreciated each story having an accompanying bit of art to go with it. And the stories- such an accomplishment! To make a full, engaging tale out of 55 words is no easy feat, and these delivered. Not a stinker in the bunch. A fun, quick read!

#55SlightlySinisterStories #NetGalley