Short stories are the fast food of literature, word-bites suitable for commuters, car poolers, subway riders and plane-hoppers. If you don't have time for "War and Peace" you can always find time for a short story. In these pages you will meet a depressed out-of-work sports writer, a young girl who discovers disturbing facts about her family's past, a homeless man leading a band of rebels in a strange quest, a man torn between two impossible choices, and two teenage girls caught in a hilarious situation as they try to run a pet hotel, among others. Romance, suspense, humor, pathos, infidelity, suspense, surprise--it's all here. So buckle your seat belts, wherever you are, and prepare yourself for lots of unusual twists and turns. Read one story on your lunch hour, read one sitting on the beach, read one in bed right before you turn off the light. Each story will give you something to think about, entertain you, and leave you (hopefully) wishing it was an entire novel. (Sometimes a "side dish" is better than the entree).