Recent Reading: Highway Thirteen

I try to read at least one short story everyday, usually in audiobook format. There are still many magazines that publish short stories, including Ellery Queen and Fantasy and Science Fiction which I subscribe to through kindle unlimited. The New Yorker offers a short story in audiobook format in their podcast the Writer’s Voice. I sometimes find a story collection I never heard of before when I browse the shelves at my public library and decide to take a chance. There are many ways to find stories worth reading or listening to.

Often I’ll start a story listening to it on a walk and continue with simultaneous reading by listening while reading the print version from the library or on my kindle.

I first heard of Fiona McFarlane’s collection Highway Thirteen when I saw it won the 2025 Story prize. Over the years, I have read many of the collections nominated for this prize. The stories are linked by the fact that they are all connected to a serial killer named Paul Biga. However, none of the stories are really about Biga or his crimes in any direct way. But all of the stories are indirectly tied to Biga, sometimes in rather subtle ways. For instance, one story is about Biga’s mother when she was eight years old.

If you appreciate stories that explore human psychology in subtle ways, then Highway Thirteen might be a good choice for you.

I have two questions for you:

What was the last story collection you read?

Are you, like me, far more likely to start a novel than a story anthology?