On Short Stories

I have a passionate love for short stories and anthologies of said short stories. I check them out from the library. I read them before bedtime. I've got multiple different anthologies on my bookshelf. They're the perfect length to read while still budgeting my time, because I know if I start a good book, I won't stop reading it until it's done. With a short story, however, I can read it all the way through and still go on with my life.

With all that in mind, does anyone have any recommendations for short stories? Give me the weird ones you got in high school that you had to read and write responses to ("The Most Dangerous Game" was, and still is, one of my favorites), give me the creepy ones you found as a kid that made you think (looking at you, "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream"), give me the ones you've found as an adult that stick with ya ("The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" sparked the most ferocious argument in a college honors class I've ever witnessed).

As for personal favorites... currently at the top of my list is "This Year's Class Picture" by Dan Simmons. It's a must-read if you like zombies.

Comments

[Ice Star]

See, my problem is that I tend to think of anything that's not strictly novel-sized as a short story. So, my recs would probably be a mess.

[Zeal Crown]

I was gonna say The Most Dangerous Game, but sounds like you’ve already got that. I’ll have to think about what short stories I enjoyed, and if I still remember them. Is poems okay?

[Lofty Withers]

I'll be in contact.

if I start a good book, I won't stop reading it until it's done

I love short stories, but I also love 1.5 million word epics. Always on the lookout for a week that I can do nothing. Friday is the best time to start a novel or series, especially with a long weekend.

[AstralMouse]

Yeah, I tend to like short stories a lot myself, but I haven't read a ton, and you already listed two of my favorites (The Most Dangerous Game and I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream). If you haven't read these, they're a few I really like.

Mrs. Todd's Shortcut by Stephen King
Delusion for a Dragon Slayer by Harlan Ellison
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (hard to imagine you haven't read it, but just in case)

Stephen King and Harlan Ellison write some pretty interesting short stories in general. I enjoyed most of Skeleton Crew, a collection of Stephen King's short stories. Odd things like Here There Be Tygers, and unsettling horror like The Raft have stuck with me. As for Harlan Ellison, his stories are often confusing to me, but interesting. Like fever dreams. I found a lot of inspiration for my own writing from him.