Like Graphic Novels, this is a genre that isn’t really a genre. Poetry, plays, comics, short stories, etc. are more formats than anything else, but here in our Genre Journeys series, we’ll be treating them as genres, since they have specific characteristics that appeal to readers (and because I think it would be fun!)
What are Short Stories and Why Do We Like Them?
Short stories are pieces of fiction that are less than 10,000 words long. Any longer than that and we start getting into a different form of short fiction which I’ll talk about in a moment). The other thing that makes a short story a short story is that it contains a complete story. This is not an excerpt from a larger work (although I suppose it could be), but a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Readers like short stories for a variety of reasons. One of course is time. A short story is a much smaller commitment than a novel, and as many adults find themselves busier and busier, it’s nice to be able to read an entire story without having to commit to 300+ pages. Another reason is the brevity. While some readers enjoy books that have lots of lush descriptions and details, others find it a slog and don’t want to be inundated with extra details. So, short stories make for a great, compact tale without a lot of extra “fluff”.
Anthologies vs. Collections vs. Omnibuses
Short stories can generally be found in three types of books: anthologies, collections, and omnibuses. But what does that mean, anyway? The answer is surprisingly simple. An anthology contains pieces of short fiction or essays by a variety of authors, collected by an editor. A collection contains pieces of short fiction or essays by one author. Finally, an omnibus contains assorted works by an author that were originally printed separately. This would refer to collected novels or short story collections. For example, the first item on our list of recommended titles is an omnibus containing multiple short story collections in one big book.
Related Formats:
- Flash Fiction: These short stories are really short! A complete tale is told in just a few lines.
- Novelette: While a short story is 1,000-10,000 words, a novelette is a little longer. Sometimes it’s referred to as a short novella or a long short story.
- Novella: Too short to be a novel, but too long for a short story. Think of those really skinny little books you sometimes see on the shelf. Good for reading in a sitting or two.
- Folk and Fairy Tales: Technically, these are short stories, but we usually don’t classify them as such. These quick stories often feature a moral of some sort.
- Essay: A piece of short nonfiction
Reading Recommendations:
The Complete Father Brown, Part 1 (GK Chesterton) Over the course of his career, GK Chesterton wrote 53 short stories featuring priest-turned-detective, Fr. Brown. While this unassuming cleric gives the impression that he’s innocent and empty-headed, his keen understanding of human nature and his acute attention to detail allow him to solve even the most baffling crimes. This book (the first of two omnibuses) contains the books The Innocence of Father Brown and The Wisdom of Father Brown. If you enjoyed these short mysteries and would like to see more, you can also check out The Complete Father Brown, Part 2 and read the rest of the stories.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School (Louis Sachar) This was one of my favorite books as a child, and one that I still think is good for a laugh today. When Wayside School was built, it was supposed to be 30 classrooms, all next to each other. But, instead the plans got mixed up and it was built 30 stories high, with one classroom on each floor (the builder said he was very sorry). This book, comprised of 30 stories, features the classroom at the very top of the building and all the strange things that happen there. There’s a teacher who turns her students into apples, dead rats keep trying to sneak in, and a girl obsessed with ice cream gets a flavor that tastes just like her (her classmates think it’s delicious!) This book is fun and bizarre, but never scary, so young readers will find a lot to enjoy. If you like what you read, consider checking out the rest of the series, here!
Colonial Horrors (ed. Graeme Davis) If you’re looking for something spooky to read, this anthology (see our definitions above) includes a creepy collection chock full of great stories, including “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and “The Money Diggers” by Washington Irving; “Wonders of the Invisible World” by Cotton Mather, and “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This book also includes the contributions of authors such as John Neal, Edgar Allan Poe, James Fenimore Cooper, H.P. Lovecraft, and Increase Mather. Each of these stories features the world of Colonial America, and with such a variety of authors to choose from, there is plenty to keep readers entertained for hours! I’ve only sampled a small selection of these tales myself, so this is definitely at the top of my list!
Games and Rituals (Katherine Heiny) This strange collection of stories features a wide array of characters and situations, from mischievous to tender. Marlee, suffering from a laundry and life crisis, wears a massive bridesmaid’s dress to work. In another story, Erica’s elderly father mistakes his four-thousand-dollar hearing aid for a cashew…and eats it. A bedtime story coupled with a Starbuck’s receipt reveals a struggling actor’s deceptions. Critics have described Heiny’s stories as full of humor and kindness, full of normal people who just seem to be on the wrong side of life. While your librarian has not picked up this particular collection, I am curious to see what happens–especially in the story with the hearing aid.
White Cat, Black Dog (Kelly Link) Heavily inspired by the dark fairytales of the Brothers Grimm, seventeenth century French lore, and Scottish ballads, Kelly Link twists and adapts these classic tales into a series of short stories featuring characters searching for purpose, love, revenge, and human connection. An aging billionaire sends his three sons on a wild goose chase to decide which of the trio will become his heir. A professor with a delicate health condition becomes stranded for days in an airport hotel after a conference, desperate to get home to his family and to the medical appointment he cannot afford to miss. A young man agrees to take over a remote house-sitting gig for a friend, but instead of using the isolation as an excuse to focus on his dissertation, finds himself caught up in a wildly unexpected journey when he discovers the house is a portal for otherworldly travelers.
