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Approximate Reading Times

Quick Read: under 5 minutes
Short Story: 5 to 30 minutes
Novelette: 30 to 90 minutes
Novella: 1.5 to 2.5 hours

Some Other Stories You May Like

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  • Transactions in a Foreign Currency

    Novelette by Deborah Eisenberg. A twenty-eight-year-old woman has had an on and off lover for over ten years. The man, who hasn’t contacted her for six months, calls and asks her to drop everything and spend a few weeks with him in Montreal. Like many times before, she readily agrees.

  • Snow

    Quick Read by Anne Beattie. A story about a woman’s recollections of a romantic winter in the snow-covered countryside. She recalls the good times they had together and a bitter-sweet return visit after their parting, but suggests that the man may remember the winter differently.

  • The Ransom of Red Chief

    Short Story by O. Henry. Two criminals kidnap the wrong boy. Not only is he hyperactive and uncontrollable but, poorly treated at home, he enjoys the experience so much that he doesn’t want to return. Through various persona (including the warrior Red Chief), he drives the men to distraction.

  • The Legend of Nai Raeng

    Thai Folktale. A man was born so big that his parents named him Nai Raeng, signifying strength, energy and power. After many adventures, he becomes local governor. One day, honor dictates that he must order that his own head be cut off and placed above a buried treasure.

  • The Boarded Window

    Short Story by Ambrose Bierce. A grieving and possibly PTSD affected man shows no sign of traditional mourning over his wife’s death. His decision to shut himself off from the outside world could well result from a sense of shame and/or guilt over his part in her death.

  • Gombei and the Wild Ducks

    Japanese Folktale. A man who had made a good living by snaring one wild duck a day decides that his life would be easier if he were to trap a hundred at a time and relax for the next ninety-nine days. This leads to a life-changing adventure.

  • A. V. Laider

    Novelette by Max Beerbohm. During a conversation about palmistry, a self-proclaimed amateur palm reader relates how he once failed to prevent a train crash predicted in the palms of four fellow passengers. Too weak-willed to intervene, he let fate take its course and now feels guilty of murder.

  • The Chrysanthemums

    Short Story by John Steinbeck. The only joy in the life of an emotionally starved farmer’s wife is her chrysanthemum garden. The smooth talk of a wily tinker raises her self-esteem, only for it to be shattered several hours later. Her tears signify realization that nothing will change.

  • The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance

    Short Story by M. R. James. A man visits a small village to investigate the disappearance of his uncle. Despite an extensive search the uncle, a clergyman, is presumed dead. The mystery is solved shortly afterwards when a traveling Punch and Judy show comes to town.

  • Man from the South

    Short Story by Roald Dahl. A tale about gambling, greed, appearances and ‘face’. A young sailor trying to impress a girl accepts what appears to be an easy bet. If he is successful, he will win an expensive car. If he loses, he must give up a small body part.

  • A Shocking Accident

    Short Story by Graham Greene. A boy rationalizes his widowed father’s long absences from home by convincing himself that he is a mysterious adventurer. In reality, his father is a restless author whose unlikely death in an Italian 'street accident' becomes an embarrassment the lad must carry into adulthood.

  • Apollo

    Young Adult Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. A young Nigerian man is reminded of a time when, thanks to a shared interest in martial arts, he had bonded with one of his family’s houseboys. Later, jealousy leads to betrayal with dire consequences for the poor houseboy’s future.

  • Mammon and the Archer

    Short Story by O. Henry. A self-made millionaire is initially of the belief that money can buy anything. When his son falls in love with a woman from an aristocratic family, he learns there are two things his money can’t buy: love and family recognition among New York High Society.

  • Real Food

    Short Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In Nigeria, the staple traditional dish is a type of flour known as garri. The unfortunate girl in the story feels sick when she eats meals made from it. Her educated mother is understanding; other relatives say she has abandoned her culture.

  • Her Mother

    Short story by Anjana Appachana. An Indian mother describes her concerns upon reading the first letter home from a daughter who has travelled to America to complete a Ph.D. Her worries include the young woman’s ability to look after herself, and the danger of her marrying an American man.

  • The Wife’s Story

    Short Story by Ursula Le Guin. A wife is so blinded by her love for her husband that she fails to notice subtle hints that indicate potential problems in his character. It almost costs the lives of their children and results in the poor man suffering a gruesome death.

  • The Voice of Death

    Romanian Folktale. A rich man thinks how terrible it would be to die and have to leave all of his money behind. He moves to a country where the word death is unknown, only to learn the truth of the idiom, “Nothing is certain in life but death and taxes”.

  • Games at Twilight

    Short Story by Anita Desai. A young boy playing ‘tag’ with his siblings courageously hides in a dark and threatening shed. He loses track of time and is shattered when he emerges to claim the glory and finds the other children have forgotten about him and moved on.

  • The Pedestrian

    Quick Read by Ray Bradbury. Set in 2053, almost everyone stays indoors all night watching TV. The protagonist doesn’t. He enjoys going out for a long walk every evening. This is so unusual that the only police car patrolling the empty streets arrests him for his “regressive tendencies”.

  • To Da-duh in Memoriam

    Short Story by Paule Marshall. During her first visit to her parent’s homeland, a feisty nine-year-old American girl engages in a process of one-upmanship with her eighty-year-old Barbadian grandmother. As the grandmother extols the natural bounty of her country, the girl counters with the modern wonders of New York.

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