Novelette by Saul Bellow. A seventy-two-year-old woman reviews her life of lost opportunities after an accident threatens her ability to live independently in her isolated, off-the-grid Yellow House. She has no close family or friends to turn to, and nobody “good enough” to bequeath her only treasure (the house) to.
Grade 5-6 Story by Amy Tan. A fourteen–year-old girl, is uncomfortable with her Chinese looks and what others might think of her family’s Chinese ways. She is especially concerned because her would-be boyfriend Robert and his church minister father have been invited for Christmas dinner.
Short Story by R. K. Narayan. Set in India at a time when oral tales were the only form of regular entertainment, an aging storyteller is becoming forgetful and has difficulty coming up with new material. Fortunately, he has the good sense to make his 'greatest' story his last.
Novelette by Vasily Aksyonov. A hard-drinking, Russian logging-truck driver becomes infatuated with a stylish stewardess he meets on a flight to Moscow. He becomes so obsessed with finding her again that he spends his entire winter vacation traveling to and fro on the same flight.
Short Story by Samrat Upadhyay. Set in Nepal, an accountant in a struggling international company loses his prestigious job to a younger man with better computer skills. An affair with a nondescript housemaid teaches him that self-worth comes from within and not a fancy job or title.