INSTRUCTIONS FOR A FUNERAL

If that lingering holiday feeling has left you unable to tackle a novel just yet, take solace in this new anthology of short stories by American writer and Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner David Means. The titular story is based around a man’s wishes for his own memorial service, (such as, “When everyone’s seated, play ‘Like a Rolling Stone.’”) with darkly funny outcomes, including instructions to tell friends Don and Marie, “We attended your dinner parties out of compassion.” While not an easy read (it takes on heavy themes of fate, regret and addiction), it’s thought-provoking and utterly devourable all the same. Instructions For A Funeral: Stories is out now ($35, Farrar, Straus & Giroux)