Well, I agree Borges is not for everyone. The short stories I've read are a bit weird or strange, to say the least. It's not the same as reading Raymond Carver's short stories. (I don't even know if I can call Borges' short fiction "short stories"…). You either like his style or you don't. It's almost like the twighlight zone, but better! 
The ones I've read are Ficcions, The Aleph and The Book of Sand and they're all the same style, so… try maybe first The Aleph. I prefer Ficcions, but that's because it has more to do with my studies (Literature).
The same applies to Calvino. It's a universe of its own. The one I recommended before is a sort of a literary exercise, almost, so not many people will find it interesting. But try one of the stories like Cosmicomics, The baron in the trees or The cloven viscount.
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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain |