Interested in reading a couple of short stories centered around the winter holidays? Are you a fan of Rainbow Rowell, author of the popular Simon Snow YA fantasy trilogy? Then I would highly recommend the short story collection, Almost Midnight.
For some background information, the first short story in this collection is called “Midnights.” This piece follows Noel and Mags over the course of five New Year’s Eve parties. As the two of them become closer and closer over the years, they start to question their relationship and wonder if they should be more than just friends. While this work is present within Almost Midnight, it was originally published in My True Love Gave to Me, an anthology with stories written by various authors and edited by Stephanie Perkins.
The other short story, first written for the World Book Day charity event in the UK, is titled “Kindred Spirits.” This narrative is about Elena, a huge Star Wars fan who decides to camp outside her local theater in anticipation of the release of the newest film in the series. While she waits in the freezing cold, a boy she doesn’t like, Gabe, decides to wait with her. With each passing day, the two come to realize that they are not as different from each other as they initially thought they were.
Almost Midnight contains fast-paced stories with two adorable romances and lots of holiday spirit. If you have an hour or so over the break, I would pick up this fun and festive book.