In "City Scherzos: New Stories from Istanbul," James Tressler aims for a lighter, slightly surrealist tone. The stories cover a broad range of life in contemporary Istanbul. Santa Claus clashes with a Janissary soldier in Taksim Square; a teen-age runaway joins anti-government protests in Gezi Park; an Irish tourist runs up against a group of vigilante shopkeepers. These stories, and many more, can be found in this collection.